Sanatura 68 San Ramon 60

Road games are never easy in this league, and last night's game against San Ramon did not dissapoint. San Ramon is roughly an hour away from San Jose by bus, a little longer during rush hour. We left the national stadium a little before 6 PM to make the 8PM game in San Ramon.





After a largely uneventful ride, we got to San Ramon's gym, named after Gabelo Conejo one of Costa Rica's soccer legends. As the sports hub for th community, the gym is a mixed sports facility with a wooden basketball court as the centerpiece. You have a boxing ring on one end and an empty backdrop on the other side. Oh yeah, and a high school band in the stands behind the visiting bench banging away at their drums. I actually don't mind the noise from the band; it makes you feel like you're at a college game in a noisy arena.

San Ramon lost to Barva in the Finals two years ago. Once you get a taste of the finals it's hard to settle for anything less; from the moves they've made the, it's clear that they intend to be a challenger all season long. Gabelo's kids decided not to follow in their dad's footsteps; they play basketball for San Ramon. They are two of the young prospects that led San Ramon to a title in Juegos Nacionales. Rounding out the squad are Jefney Anderson, who played college ball in the US, as well as Darell St Rose and Amauris Ripool, two athletic wing players. They also acquired a few post players from last year's finalists in Jerson Harris and Malik Reynolds. As a unit they have a nice blend of speed, size and athleticism.

In a reversal of fortune, I was able to coach last night. We got clearance fifteen minutes before the game. Neil's license is still in limbo, so he had to again watch from the stands. Hopefully, we will get this sorted out before the next game.

Though we were able to hold the lead for the entire game, we were never able to pull away. San Ramon kept hitting timely three pointers to stay in the game til the very end. We were able to reduce our turnovers, but we still had too many defensive lapses for my taste. Dave Milliner led the scoring with 19 points, while Mike chipped in with 12 points. With our wings in foul trouble, Mac came in as a closer in the fourth quarter to provide some defense and free throws.

Not the prettiest game, but on the road, we'll take it.