Boys Basketball: Del Campo Starts Strong

The boys basketball team, coming off a strong season last year, have picked up where they left off.

Coming off a 21-8 season where they made the playoffs, the Cougars have started 15-3 this year and are ranked No. 9 in the area by The Sacramento Bee.

"Last year's successful season laid the foundation for high expectations," said Dave Nobis, who has coached Del Campo for 10 seasons. "They understood the commitment and are a mature group that worked hard in the offseason."

The Cougars have won the Folsom and Kendall Arnett tournaments and defeated Carmichael-area teams , and . Del Campo lost the final of the Mesa Verde tournament to Capital Valley Conference rival and No. 8 of Fair Oaks, whom they meet in a rematch on Wednesday at DCHS.

"Bella Vista is a lot bigger; we like to press the ball up court and they pressure well," Nobis said. "But our kids are determined and when you put a rivalry on the floor, anything can happen."

Del Campo is led by senior co-captains Davit Saghateylan and Johnny Hayes.

"I think we match up great against Bella Vista; they hustle... and have talent," Saghateylan said. "I'm overall excited about league play and beating those teams."

Hayes, a point guard averaging about 10 points a game, was named to the all-tournament teams at Folsom, Kendall Arnett and Mesa Verde.

"People expected us to be worse this season and we beat expectations," he said. "With Bella Vista, it's going to come down to who plays harder and smarter."

The two teams meet for a third time on Feb. 7 at Bella Vista.

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