Sophomore Night could have easily turned into a distraction. Instead, it turned into one of Los Medanos’ most complete performances of the season. With the playoffs still within reach and little room for mistakes, the Mustangs took care of business Feb. 17 against Solano, playing unselfish basketball from the opening tip in a 105-72 win. Head coach Domenichelli made it clear what the focus was going in.
“I think we came in here, we wanted to try to make sure we shared the ball and got 30 assists, which is really hard to get. We had 16 at halftime. We ended up with 32 assists. We played extremely unselfishly.” he said.
That ball movement showed up all night. The Mustangs, who have averaged 21.3 assists per game this season which is fourth in the league, moved it around the court and found the open man consistently. The result was a confident, connected effort that matched the emotion of the night.
Altman was a standout that night knocking down eight 3-pointers to lead his team with 27 points. Collins kept up with his teammate and added 25 points onto that, continuing his strong season. Together, they set the tone early and never let go.
For Altman, the stakes were clear. “Especially at this time period, we’re fighting for a playoff spot. So this is kind of a game where it was a must win,” he said. “Going into our next game, we’re really fighting for this playoff spot, for these next two games.”
The energy inside the gym added to the moment, with families in attendance and players names announced before tipoff. Collins, a local player, felt the significance.
“That’s pretty special. You know for me, especially being from here, it’s pretty nice to know that I have family around. So it’s very cool.” he said.
The Mustangs have been in their share of close games this season, holding a 14-13 overall record and a 9-6 in conference play. But this one looked different. More mature, more controlled.
“I just think, you know, we told them with Sophomore Night, we just had to take care of this as it’s business,” Domenichelli said. “It’s not a fun time, you know, we’re gonna have fun with the sophomores after but we have to take care of business first.”
Communication was another emphasis, especially on defense.
“Really big,” Collins said. “Our coach really preaches about being vocal on defense. So, I mean, we really take pride and stuff like that to be better on defense.”
Now riding the momentum into a crucial game at Yuba, the Mustangs know what they are facing. But if Tuesday night showed anything, it’s that when they pass the ball and play for each other, they can accomplish anything.
