Denair boys basketball claims 1st section title since 2002 in win over Bradshaw Christian
The Denair boys basketball team isn’t the tallest night in and night out — its tallest player is 6-foot-3 — but it has one main thing going for it. Versatility.
The Coyotes (26-4) have four players averaging 12 points or more per game. They all have similar skill sets, and are basically interchangeable.
Seniors Jack Henderson (13.5 points), Cooper Feldman (13.5), Connor Leonard (13.2) and Mario Plasencia (12) have been the keys to the Coyotes’ success.
“We’re kind of position-less,” said coach RJ Henderson. “We’re all around the same height. My five can bring the ball up, my one can post up. We’re unique.”
Feldman echoed his coach. “We all got ... the same skills. We attack the hoop, we shoot the threes. We’re very similar.”
Led by their four seniors, Denair finished the regular season with a 25-4 overall record and won the Southern League for the second season in a row, going a near-perfect 11-1.
After being awarded the first overall seed in the Sac-Joaquin Section Division V playoffs, they beat Aspire Langston Hughes Academy and Mariposa County in the quarterfinals and semifinals, respectively, setting up a matchup with No. 11 Bradshaw Christian (12-19) in Saturday’s championship at Golden 1 Center.
Their ability to play multiple positions shined through in a 62-45 win over The Pride, earning Denair its first section title since 2002.
“The versatility paid dividends tonight,” Henderson said. “I thought it was evident. We’re a tough team to press and when we saw that tonight. When you’ve got five guys who can handle it, shoot it, make free throws, you’re gonna be OK.”
The Coyotes got aggressive in the second quarter. They attacked the rim both to score and to kick the ball out to open corner shooters. After just scoring 11 points in the first quarter, they went into halftime with momentum, leading 25-16.
It was much of the same in the second half. They were in the double bonus by the start of the fourth quarter, meaning they shot a minimum of two free throws every time they got fouled, and shot 17 free throws in the final period alone.
Mario Plasencia scored a game-high 20 points and led the Coyotes with seven rebounds. Feldman finished with 16 points and six rebounds, and junior Izaiahs Plasencia added 10 points and six rebounds.
“Our message before the game was let’s attack the rim, let’s shoot free throws,” Henderson said. “We got to the line 32 times, which is probably around a season high for us. … I thought it was by committee that we lived at the line and we lived around the basket. We’re not a big team, so I think we played bigger than our size.”
Denair sealed the game with 2 minutes, 34 seconds remaining. Mario Plasencia nailed a free-throw-line jumper and Feldman stole the ensuing inbounds pass on the left wing, drove to the basket, got fouled and made the layup. Though he missed the free throw, it nulled any momentum Bradshaw Christian hoped to build for one final push.
“Coming into preseason, we thought we were gonna be less than .500,” Mario Plasencia said. “So it’s sweet. It’s surreal, man. I can’t believe it. But I mean, we earned it. We earned it.”
