San Quentin Warriors role and bench players showed their talents in a 69-47 rout of the Lincoln Hill Community Church basketball team.
Warrior Head Coach Daniel Wright gave his three best players – Allan McIntosh, Harry “ATL” Smith and Anthony Ammons – the game off.
“I was inspired by the Golden State Warriors to try playing small ball against Lincoln Hill,” said Wright.
S.Q. Warrior General Manager Robert “Bishop” Butler set the tone with a pre-game speech.
“Greatness of the soul is available to those who do not have the luxury of being ecstatic about their bodies or appearance,” said Butler. “We may not be LeBron or Stephen Curry, but we can have greatness of the soul.”
Julio Saca said, “It feels good to be playing my first game of the season after coming off an injury. I feel I still have some things to work on, like slowing down. I can help my team where they need me to help out – I have to figure out my role.”
Saca led the Warriors with 13 points on 5 for 9 shooting, including 3 made treys.
Even Warrior equipment manager Elijah Fejeran got to play a few minutes and managed to knock down a 3-pointer.
Despite the final score, the Lincoln Hill team was competitive. They had former oversea pro Bart Gijbels, who is 6-foot-8, on their side. The 44-year-old says he played in Belgium, France and Germany.
His teammate, Dave Gordon, also played well, getting to the rack several times and drawing fouls, but only hit 3 out of 12 free-throw attempts.
Steve Watkins had 10 points and 11 rebounds for Lincoln Hill.
The Warriors were only ahead 28-22 at the half.
At halftime, Pastor and Lincoln Hill player Miguel Rodriguez delivered an inspirational message.
He advised everyone to be open to learning and growing. He used the fact that climbers finally reached the top of Mt. Everest, the tallest mountain in the world, after learning from more than 140 failed expeditions.
“Mt. Everest won’t conquer us because it can’t grow anymore, but we can,” said Rodriguez to both teams crowded around midcourt. “With God’s help, we can grow and climb mountains of righteousness.”
In the third quarter the Warriors depth overwhelmed Lincoln Hill, ending the quarter 50-33 and leaving Lincoln Hill permanently in the rearview mirror.
“Otter and Julio stood out to me,” said Wright after the game.
Carlyle “Otter” Blake played like a super-charged Energizer bunny. He scored eight points.
“My main concern with Julio was, ‘Is he 100 percent healthy before donning a Warriors uniform?’” said Wright.
–By Rahsaan Thomas
