Huskies and Honkers Take Success of Lindhurst Tourney into League Play
Jan 09, 2024 03:32PM ● By Steven Bryla, photos by Steven Bryla
Yuba City senior forward Anthony
Medina (5) shoots a three pointer in the Honkers 67-23 win over Mesa Verde on
Thursday, December 28, 2023.
OLIVEHURST, CA (MPG) - The Sutter and Yuba City boys’ basketball teams competed in the Lindhurst tournament on Thursday, December 28, through Saturday, December 30, to close out the tournament schedules of 2023.
Both programs went 2-1 in the tournament as Sutter finished in second and Yuba City took third place.
Sutter
The Huskies started off the tournament with a solid 62-46 victory over East Nicolaus. The Sutter starting lineup built up a sizable lead throughout the third quarter to eventually give the depth of their roster to play the entire fourth quarter.
The Huskies were led by senior forward Jagger Beck, who was the only Sutter player in double figures during the game. The main takeaway from the game was Head Coach Nabeel Bhatti was able to get 14 out of his 15 players into the game.

Sutter senior Gannon Deal (24) goes up for a layup in the Huskies 62-46 victory over East Nicolaus on Thursday, December 28, 2023.
In the semifinals of the tournament against a scrappy Rio Linda team, the Huskies struggled at times, but Sutter was able to pull through with a gritty eight-point victory to advance into the championship game against Lincoln.
Lincoln came out of the gate and took control of the game early as they jumped out to an early double-digit lead in the first few minutes of the game.
The Huskies were able to regain their composure and cut into the lead by the end of the first quarter and the game was a back-and-forth affair for the remainder of the first half as Sutter trailed 34-31 at the half.
Lincoln was able to stretch their lead to 13 at the end of the third quarter and ran away with the game in the fourth to win the championship for the tournament.
Bhatti expressed to the Dispatch that Sutter is not completely there yet as a team, but they are understanding they need consistency on certain parts of the game like defense.

Sutter senior guard Naseem Bhatti (23) shoots a three pointer in the Huskies 49-41 win over Rio Linda on Friday, December 29, 2023.
“We haven’t been able to put four quarters at a time yet, but we are heading in the right direction,” Bhatti said.
When you look at the Huskies schedule for their preseason, you only saw one home game throughout the entire first- half schedule.
Bhatti added that playing on the road isn’t a problem for Sutter, but protecting the home court is huge.

Sutter senior guard Naseem Bhatti (23) drives to the lane for a layup in the Huskies 62-46 win over East Nicolaus on Thursday, December 28, 2023.
The Huskies opened up Pioneer Valley League play Wednesday night as they hosted the three-time consecutive PVL champions in Marysville.
Sutter senior guard Naseem Bhatti told the Dispatch one way that will make the Huskies successful during PVL play is the team chemistry they have as a unit.
“We know what everyone is capable of and can work off of everyone’s strengths — we make everyone better,” Naseem said.
Sutter will hit the road for four consecutive league games beginning with a game at Wheatland.
Yuba City
The Honkers started off the tournament with a bang as they easily cruised by Mesa Verde with a 67-23 win.
Yuba City was up by 35 at the end of the first half and head coach Terry Evans expressed to the Dispatch prior to the beginning of the tournament that they weren’t a healthy team as they were hit by the injury bug.
Evans told the Dispatch he brought up a couple sophomore forwards (Xavier Armstrong and Landon Epperson) from the junior varsity squad to fill in some spots on the roster.
In the second game of the tournament against the tournament’s eventual champion (Lincoln), the Honkers were in the game late into the third quarter before Lincoln pulled away with a big run to stretch their lead to 19 and take the win.

Yuba City senior guard Saleem Rafiq (1) drives inside towards the basket in the Honkers 61-46 win over Rio Linda on Saturday, December 30, 2023.
In the third place game against Rio Linda, Yuba City took a one-point lead into the half and were able to stretch the game open in the third quarter to 15.
The Honkers closed out the fourth quarter to complete the win and snag third place in the tournament.
Evans expressed to the Dispatch after the tournament the effort he saw from his squad throughout the tournament was through the roof and they played great defense.

Yuba City senior guard Saleem Rafiq (1) throws a no-look pass in the Honkers 72-59 loss to Lincoln on Friday, December 29, 2023.
“We got a lot better through these three games and I hope we can carry it into league,” Evans said.
Yuba City is led on the floor by senior guard Saleem Rafiq and senior forward Anthony Medina, who are both prolific ball handlers and able to drive into the lane.
Medina expressed to the Dispatch that they have learned a lot through the preseason and are ready to play in their final season as a member of the Capital Valley Conference.

Yuba City junior guard Alex Saavedra (4) shoots a three pointer in the Honkers 72-59 defeat to Lincoln on Friday, December 29, 2023.
Medina added they are going to continue working hard as a team and do their best to compete in the touch conference for a playoff position.
The Honkers open up CVC play at home against Woodcreek.