Four-Peat: Southside Bulldogs Finish Off Fourth Straight Pefect
Season
Aromas – Southside School’s girls basketball dynasty had been four years in the making. And now it is complete.
With a 26-17 victory over host Aromas last night, the Bulldogs put the finishing touches on a run unlikely to be seen again in these parts for many a moon–four consecutive undefeated seasons.
For this band of five 8th graders and one 7th grader, basketball came down to two things–having fun and, of course, winning.
“It was six girls who knew they liked basketball [and] they just wanted to play,” said Southside coach Tylar Polidori.
“They’re winners before they go out [on the court],” said Southside principal superintendent Eric Johnson. “The score is almost secondary. They just love to play.”
And along the way, the Bulldogs piled up the victories. Many of them.
With the victory over Aromas, Southside ran its record to 10-0 on the season, a year in which the Bulldogs defeated opponents by scores of 36-0, 45-8 and 45-10.
All the more remarkable is that throughout its incredible streak, Southside never once had a gym to call its own. With every contest a battle on the road, the Bulldogs quickly learned to band together.
“I’ve never seen any type of teamwork like they have,” said Polidori. “They step onto that court and they’re a family.”
In their final game together, the Bulldogs never trailed, but it took a while for them to get rolling.
After blocking an Aromas shot and stealing the ball, Southside’s Jaclyn Soto found teammate Vanessa Casalegno for an easy score to put the Bulldogs up 2-0, but it would be well into the second quarter before they could muster another basket.
Fortunately for Southside, Aromas had even less luck finding the bottom of the net. Make that no luck.
Showing that top-notch basketball begins on the defensive end of the court, the Bulldogs overwhelmed Aromas’ ballhandlers, jumping into the passing lanes to create numerous turnovers and hold Aromas scoreless in the first half. Casalegno led Southside with seven steals, while Deziray Bocanegra, Simoney Orosco and Kim Warner all registered two picks on the night.
Casalegno spoke of the Bulldogs’ mentality going into games and their reward afterwards.
“You always have to think every team is better than you,” said Casalegno, a small forward who scored a game-high 11 points. “All your hard work put together … it’s worth it.”
Southside’s offense began to come around in the second quarter and the Bulldogs took a 10-0 lead into the half.
Aromas pulled within 12-9 after three consecutive three-pointers, two by Stephanie Jones, but a 7-0 run by Southside near the end of the third quarter gave the Bulldogs some breathing room and calmed their coach.
“It wasn’t going to be four years there for a while,” said Polidori.
With their perfect run complete, Southside’s players said the streak wasn’t as easy as it looked.
“I knew we were good, but I didn’t know we were going to make it all the way,” said Warner, who controlled the paint in scoring nine points and grabbing 18 rebounds.
While Ali Ocampo, the team’s lone 7th grader, who recorded four points and four rebounds, will be left to defend Southside’s legacy, the rest of the Bulldogs will bolster the ranks of San Benito High next year.
“It’s going to be completely different in high school,” said Orosco, who secured 11 rebounds. “It’s going to be a step up, but it’s still our little family here.”
As for their crowning achievement, Orosco said, “It’ll last with us forever.”
