For the second time in less than a week, the Enterprise boys basketball team suffered a devastating loss.
First, it was against Chico in the Northern Section championship game.
And on Tuesday, March 3, in the first round of the Division IV CIF state playoffs, the No. 3 Hornets (22-7) were stunned by No. 14 Bret Harte, 57-47.
Head coach Abie Ramirez didn’t see much on the court that would constitute a loss like that. Sure, the Hornets missed some shots and didn’t get the number of foul calls they would have liked, but it was something else that plagued the Hornets from the start.
“I think that the energy level for us tonight was just not there,” Ramirez said. “The sense of urgency didn’t seem like it was there. It was in spurts.”
Ramirez and the squad talked about energy coming into the game. The lack of energy plagued them in the overtime period of the NSCIF championship game, but after earning the No. 3 seed in the Division IV bracket of the state tournament, it seemed like the Hornets would have new life.
That wasn’t the case on Tuesday.
The two teams battled back and forth, with the Bullfrogs (31-1) taking a one-point lead after the first quarter. From then on, Bret Harte slowly increased their lead, and the Hornets were forced to play catch-up.
“We talked about (energy) before the game. Having a good start, coming in with energy, and I just didn’t see it,” Ramirez said.
Ramirez knew his team would have to come out hot against this Bullfrogs squad. They entered the bracket as the No. 14 seed, but Bret Harte has only lost one game this entire season.
“They’re a good basketball team; there’s a reason why they’re 30-1,” Ramirez said. “Those guys have been playing together for a very long time. They play team basketball. They play team defense. They’re very unselfish on the offensive end and they don’t care who scores.”
The Bullfrogs did a tremendous job of spreading the ball around. Three different players recorded 15 or more points and all five starters got on the board.
Enterprise’s star guard combo of Julian Turner and Ja’Kye Rawls combined for 33 of the Hornets’ 47 points, with Turner scoring 20 and Rawls scoring 13. However, they were the only Hornets to score more than five points.
The Bullfrogs took a 13-point lead heading into the fourth, and while Enterprise was able to cut it to eight within the first minute, it was all Bret Harte for the remainder of the game.
“They forced us into getting to the lane. We didn’t kick out as much as we should have to the open guys,” Ramirez said. “We got some looks early, and as well as late, but there was better ball movement on their end than ours.”
While the Chico game might have stung more than this one, the loss to Bret Harte officially ends Enterprise’s season.
Even though Ramirez has been coaching for decades, he still struggles to find the right words to give his players after a loss like they suffered on Tuesday night.
“It’s a loss for words, to be honest,” Ramirez said. “I’m very proud of our team. I’m very proud of our program. It’s not like these kids didn’t bring it every day in practice all year long, every tournament. I think we had a great year.”
It was indeed a great year for Ramirez and the Hornets.
Enterprise won 20 of its first 22 games. But they lost five of their last seven, including the section championship and the first-round game in the state playoffs.
“Looking at the entirety of the whole season, I’m very proud of this group and the way they played and the way they represented Enterprise High School, represented themselves, represented their families,” Ramirez said.
Regardless of how this season may have ended, what this group of Hornets showed only inspires hope for the future.
Rawls is the only starter who won’t return next season, and he’s only one of three seniors on the roster set to graduate this spring.
Ramirez also learned he has some up-and-coming freshmen in Johnnie Lawson-Stanley and Anthony Vega — both of whom played significant minutes throughout the postseason.
“We’re going to reload; we’re going to get back at it again and prepare and get all these younger guys ready,” Ramirez said. “We have a good core coming up, so Enterprise basketball is not going to go anywhere.”
The Hornets will have just two weeks off before training for next season begins.
“The talent pool is very strong and those guys I know are all going to work hard and fight for a spot,” Ramirez said. “We have all the pieces for next year and it’s going to be good. It’s going to be exciting Enterprise basketball next year.”
Brett Abrams is a sports reporter for the Record Searchlight/USA Today Network. He covers high school and local sports in the Redding area. Reach out to Brett with any sports tips or news on X (formerly Twitter) @brabrams_ or by email at Brett.Abrams@Redding.com. To support and sustain this work, please subscribe today. Thank you.
This article originally appeared on Redding Record Searchlight: Bret Harte stuns Enterprise boys basketball in state playoffs
Reporting by Brett Abrams, Redding Record Searchlight / Redding Record Searchlight
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