Silva’s commitment carries Waterford to historic basketball win

She’s not much for cards or crafts. When it comes to hobbies, Alyssa Silva has a serious basketball jones.

The sophomore point guard has pushed the Waterford High School girls basketball team to new heights with a commitment only a drill sergeant would appreciate.

“I’m an Army guy, so high praise is not my thing. I like to keep pressure on my athletes, so they’re always improving,” said Waterford coach Joshua Whitfield, retired military. “But this is the highest praise I can give someone: She has not missed anything. She is 100 percent coachable and leads by example.”

With Silva setting the pace, the Wildcats won their final two Southern League games to clinch a Sac-Joaquin Section postseason berth behind co-champions Orestimba and Mariposa.

Waterford routed Western Sierra-Rocklin 55-34 in a Division V outbracket contest Friday in Waterford, celebrating the school’s first playoff win in basketball, boys or girls. The No. 8 Wildcats (17-11) travel to top-seeded Capital Christian-Sacramento (19-7) on Tuesday as tournament play gets underway in six divisions.

“We feel like it’s already been a special season,” Silva said. “(The playoff win) has only added to the experience and made it better. Everyone is excited, especially because it’s the first time all of us have gone on to the playoffs together.”

Other marquee games in the Stanislaus District, include:

▪  No. 9 Pleasant Grove-Elk Grove at No. 8 Modesto Christian: The Modesto Metro Conference champions won the Division II title last season but make the difficult jump to Division I. A possible second-round matchup with national No. 1 St. Mary’s looms.

▪  No. 15 Central Valley at No. 2 East Union: The Lancers have won 16 consecutive games and rolled unscathed through the Valley Oak League for the first time in coach Jim Agostini’s tenure. The Hawks split the Western Athletic Conference championship with Livingston.

▪  No. 15 Forest Lake Christian-Auburn at No. 2 Turlock Christian: Led by Cassie Balswick and a balanced attack, the Eagles have beaten three teams in the Division VI tournament, including two-time defending champion Valley Christian-Roseville.

The odds are stacked against the Wildcats – Capital Christian is the defending D-V champion and has appeared in the last three section finals – but Whitfield remains optimistic. His confidence stems from Silva’s unwavering commitment to basketball.

Silva has appeared in all 28 games and hasn’t skipped a 6 a.m. workout or optional Saturday shootaround, even through the holidays. She chases perfection by keeping perfect attendance.

“Most players get to this point in the season and they’re burned out. She has no burnout factor,” said Whitfield, who believes Silva is emerging as one of the top all-around talents in the section.

He has a point. Silva catapulted Waterford to a historic playoff win with the ultimate performance: a triple double. She had 17 points, 11 rebounds and 11 steals against Western Sierra. She shot 63 percent from the field, and at just 5 foot 4, blocked three shots.

She’s averaging 9.6 points, 6.5 rebounds and 6.9 steals, fifth-best in the section, and balances those numbers with remarkable modesty.

“Whatever can help the team,” she said.

Defensively, Whitfield said Silva’s instincts and hand-eye coordination are unrivaled in the Southern League.

She announced her presence on Jan. 25 by locking down reigning Southern League MVP Sujey Luna of Gustine. The league’s second-leading scorer was held without a point through three quarters as Silva and the Wildcats escaped Gustine with a 43-30 victory.

“We debated how we’d attack Gustine. Finally, we came to the decision that if this girl (Silva) is as good as we think she is, she has to step up and take on Sujey,” Whitfield said. “It was an incredible performance. No doubt she locked up an all-league award that night. No one has ever done that to Sujey before.”

And she’s only going to get stronger. Silva has had just one year of AAU basketball. With more exposure to top-level coaching and players, Whitfield believes Silva will raise the level of expectation for player and program.

“She’s grown in the last few years and put in a lot of work,” Whitfield said. “She’s gone to camps and dedicated her sports life to basketball.”

This story was originally published February 22, 2016 at 12:13 PM with the headline "Silva’s commitment carries Waterford to historic basketball win."