Unity and “family” carry Dos Pueblos into first place

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It was an exciting and emotional night for the Dos Pueblos boys’ basketball team on Wednesday when it took sole possession of first place in the Channel League with a 62-57 victory over host Santa Barbara.

While I’m sure the Chargers were excited about outlasting Roberto Nelson and the Dons for the second time, it was also a night of remembrance for the players and coaches. With the players wearing warm-up jerseys with the word ‘Family’ printed on them, Dos Pueblos dedicated the game to the memory of assistant coach Jeffrey Zamora’s 2-year-old son, Jeffrey Jr., who died of leukemia on Friday. Jeffrey Jr. was also the nephew of head coach Joe Zamora.

It’s been an extremely difficult time for the Zamora family and the team, but the Chargers still managed to put up one of their strongest performances of the season.

Sean Park, who’s averaging a team-leading 17 ppg, had 22 points and nine rebounds, and Ryan Beall finished with 16 points, eight rebounds, five assists and five steals. It helped offset Nelson’s 31-point effort and the return of Jimmy Sexton, who played in his first game for the Dons since missing 19 with a broken foot.

And it’s this type of team unity that has played a driving role in transforming Dos Pueblos into league title-challengers this winter.

-- Austin Knoblauch