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Santa Cruz Warriors Get One Win Closer to Playoff Seed

By Angelo Mendoza

October 4, 2016; Oakland, CA, USA; Golden State Warriors guard Phil Pressey (26) during the fourth quarter against the Los Angeles Clippers at Oracle Arena. The Warriors defeated the Clippers 120-75. Mandatory Credit: Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports
October 4, 2016; Oakland, CA, USA; Golden State Warriors guard Phil Pressey (26) during the fourth quarter against the Los Angeles Clippers at Oracle Arena. The Warriors defeated the Clippers 120-75. Mandatory Credit: Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports /
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Santa Cruz Warriors hold off Rio Grande Valley Vipers in 123-115 win at Kaiser Permanente Arena on Saturday.

SANTA CRUZ, Calif. — Coming off a 123-97 win in Utah against the Salt Lake City Stars (7-20) on Friday, the Santa Cruz Warriors (16-12)  took another step in the right direction Saturday night coming back to Kaiser Permanente Arena, defeating the Rio Grande Valley Vipers (17-13) in a stellar 123-115 victory.

Scott Wood led all scorers with 32 points (10-22 FG), four rebounds and two blocks. He made 10 shots from behind the arc, marking an all-time franchise record for most threes made in a regular season game. He also shot 2-for-2 from the free throw line.

Phil Pressey recorded a triple-double with 15 points (4-13 FG, 3-11 3P), 14 rebounds, and 13 assists, adding in four steals. This his first triple-double of the season and the sixth time he’s ended up with double-digit assists. He’s finished with double-digit points and double-digit assists the past three games.

Alex Hamilton came up big late in the game, contributing 20 points (6-9 FG), four rebounds and six assists in 29 minutes off the bench. Dennis Clifford notched 18 points (6-11 FG), nine rebounds and three blocks, while James Southerland had 11 points (4-13 FG), six rebounds and three blocks. LaDontae Henton added 10 points on 4-for-10 shooting.

Were the D-League Playoffs to start tomorrow, the Warriors would be sitting on the fourth and final seed of the Western Conference. With a little over 20 more games left to play, head coach Casey Hill says that while there’s certainly pressure to secure a playoff berth, he believes that pressure will play a positive role in the players’ development.

"“Anytime, I think, when you have a team like this in a situation like this, it’s great to put that on their plate,” said Hill. ”“From all perspectives — it locks them in; it focuses them. I think from a development standpoint — them learning how to approach these type of games as professionals is really important.”"

Santa Cruz will try to push their win streak to four as they play host to the Iowa Energy (6-21) on Friday, Feb. 3 at 7:00 p.m. PST.  As with most D-League games, fans unable to watch the game in-person will be able to catch all the action via Facebook Live.

If Santa Cruz is able to secure a win next Friday, that victory will mark Coach Casey Hill‘s 100th win as a head coach. Currently holding a 99-72 record, Coach Hill was rather nonchalant when asked about his impressive coaching record.

"“It’s pretty cool,” Hill said. “It’s funny — I wasn’t thinking about it, but after [Kevin Danna] told me about it, I did a lot of reflecting over my time here. It’s a cool milestone.”“And this I tell ya — if I can get it with this group, that’ll be great. I love this group. This is a hell of a team we got here.”"

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