After losing its first three games of the season, Orestimba High’s boys basketball team recorded its third consecutive win following a 60-27 win on the road against Gustine High on Friday.
The Warriors are now 3-3 overall and have won 13 straight against the Reds since February 2019. Gustine, on the other hand, remains winless at 0-2 overall.
Leading the Warriors was shooting guard Rudy Corona, who finished with a career-high 31 points with six 3-pointers. Throughout the game, Corona mostly operated off the ball and was left open in the corner where he finished off plays with a 3-pointer.
“We have people on the team who are going to shoot and people are going to crash the boards. And I think our kids are understanding their roles, and they’re getting better at it.” Dudley said. “I love that he let it fly tonight. I need him to keep doing that.”
Ubaldo Servin led the Reds in scoring with 12 points. He was the only player on Gustine to score in double digits.
Throughout the game, Orestimba took advantage of lack of awareness from Gustine’s defense through ball movement, which led to the Warriors finding efficient shots. For first-year head coach Donald Dudley, his vision is to have a high-tempo and fast-paced offense that focuses on getting quick shots up, shooting 3-pointers while also moving the ball.
“We want to be physical and be able to control our pace that we want to play at for whatever game we’re in,” he said. “That’s what we want to make sure we are known for, a little bit of a culture rebrand.”
Whether it was full-court press or double-teaming a ball handler, Orestimba’s defense forced multiple turnovers, which led to points in transition. Shooting guard Brett Gray was the catalyst to the Warriors’ defense as he found ways to get past the Reds’ screen plays and contest the players’ shot attempts.
With a 10-5 lead after the first quarter, Orestimba outscored Gustine 26-5 in the second period to lead 36-10 at halftime. The Warriors strived offensively through passing the ball to an open player and driving in the paint for a layup or to draw a foul. Corona found his rhythm as he accounted for Orestimba's final 12 points of the half, all of which came off of 3-pointers.
What was once a rowdy Gustine student section pregame turned into a silent crowd midway through the second quarter.
The third quarter was more or less the same as Orestimba continued to thrive offensively. The Warriors entered the final period with a 55-27 lead. The game ended abruptly after Servin suffered a lower leg injury during the fourth quarter.
Orestimba continues non-league play when the team travels to Livingston High on Tuesday. Tuesday’s tipoff begins at 7 p.m.
As the team looks to build momentum early in the season, Dudley said he wants his players to make the most of the opportunity to play basketball. He added that not everyone can go and play in college.
“Not every game might turn out how we want it to, but what we can control is what we do in game. And that’s what I wanted the kids to be able to at the end of the year,” Dudley said.
