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One step at a time: Sunnyvale boys staying focused heading into 2A playoffs
By DEVIN HASSON, dhasson@starlocalnews.com
There are few hotter teams in the area than Sunnyvale as it prepares for the start of the boys basketball playoffs on Tuesday.
The Raiders (20-8) are riding a 10-game winning streak as they prepare to meet Howe in a Class 2A bi-district game on Tuesday at 7:30 p.m. at Anna High School. But they understand their recent success will not mean anything to the guys on the other end of the court.
"We've been pretty solid. We've had some lulls in some situations, but overall we are playing well," Sunnyvale head coach Paul Vanek said. "But every team is going to be good at this time of the year, so we are definitely not getting ahead of ourselves."
But Sunnyvale drew on some of that past experience to turn the tide of its season. They bounced back with a win over a solid Gunter team and they have not lost since, including avenging those earlier losses to Farmersville and Leonard.
"We played Leonard on a Friday night and then we played Gunter the following Friday, and over the course of that week, something started clicking," Vanek said. "That win gave us some confidence and it grew from there. These guys have been there before and they knew it was time to step it up. This is our fourth year in a row to make the playoffs and they wanted that tradition to continue."
Thomas Wendt leads the Raiders in both scoring (14.2 pts/game) and rebounding (7.3/game) while providing a presence in the post.
Stephen Kirven is averaging nearly four assists per game and has increased his scoring punch as the season has progressed and Josh Quinn does does a little of everything. The guard/forward led District 12-2A in blocked shots at 2.6 per game, and can also score, rebound and defend.
"Those three guys have really established themselves and what they can do," Vanek said. "And then all of the guys really understand their roles. It has all come together."
Vanek called Howe a "mirror image" of his own team. While that should give Sunnyvale a good idea on how to prepare, the same holds true for its opponent.
The winner of the game gets a date with state-ranked Ponder in the next round, but that is the last thing on the Raiders' minds right now.
"We have to take it one game at a time. It doesn't matter what round it is, there are no gimmes," Vanek said. "We're going to have to continue to do what we have been doing. Good defense is what has gotten us here before and hopefully it will carry us again."
Follow Devin Hasson on Twitter: @DevinHasson
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