Rams Agree Understanding Coach was Key to Basketball Playoff Push

Dixon High's girls remember vividly when they turned a season that was slipping away into a wild rush to Sac-Joaquin Section Division III tournament.

The Rams had lost five games in a row, after winning four straight to open the season under first-year head coach Mike Barrett.

"We weren't playing together as a team," said senior center Sophie Kroll.

The Rams suddenly took off, finishing the season winning eight of their last nine games to earn a berth against East Union tonight in Manteca at 7 p.m. to open the playoffs.

What changed the Rams' fortunes?

"Our coach's attitude changed," Kroll said of Barrett. "He called us in to talk to each of us. We told him he had to lighten up a little bit and be more positive with us. He understood what we meant and we started responding. He listened to what we were saying."

Senior guard Marisa Vela also credits Barrett's decision to talk to his players, then pay attention to them, that saved Dixon's season.

"I was nervous about talking to him about it," Vela said. "It just had to be done. He realized what he needed to do before we even said anything, really. He knew before we talked to him what needed to change."

Things changed in a hurry and for the remainder of the season as the Rams rolled to second place in the Golden Empire League with an 8-2 mark to head into the playoffs 18-9.

The run to the playoffs features four sophomores who play important roles for the Rams. Post Miranda Williams joins guards Maddie Dwelley, Sam Del Mugnaio and Carlene Dyer in a rotation that enables Dixon to rely on a trapping defense and patient offense to slow opponents.

With so many sophomores, the playoff spot was hardly taken for granted early in the season.

"I would've been a little skeptical about us making the playoffs early in the year," Kroll said. "We knew the sophomores were good players. We just needed to get used to playing together. We've all played different sports together -- water polo, softball ... but, we needed to get used to each other on the court this year."

The sophomores were fairly certain that history showed they could respond to the pressure of varsity basketball.

"I would've believed it if someone had told me we were going to make the playoffs," Del Mugnaio said. "We've played together for five years in AAU and in junior high basketball. We've won together. It was just a matter of us playing with the older players and us all getting used to playing together."

Dwelley, a 5-foot-9, gum-chewing ballhandler who oozes confidence, figured that the team concepts Barrett preached would get the Rams to the postseason.

"We don't have any superstars, any star player," Dwelley said. "We all have different things that we do well. We play like a team and it works."

Del Mugnaio recalled that Barrett took times to mix the sophomores in with returning players.

"We started out playing together, sophomores with sophomores," the shooting guard said. "When the coach started to break us up, the whole team started to come together."

Dyer was, actually, on the junior varsity roster when injuries prompted her to be called to the varsity.

"The speed of the game was different with the varsity," said Dyer, who immediately emerged as one of Dixon's leading scorers. "It's a different tempo, but I knew all the girls and I'd played with them. There was a little pressure, but we all know what each other can do."

Williams joins Kroll and senior Kaylyn Borelli to control action around the hoop for a still undersized Dixon team. All three post players are listed at 5-foot-8 on the team roster. Williams, however, is the youngest of the bunch.

"I've always been considered a post player, even though I'm not really that big," Williams said. "I'm pretty small, but I work hard."

The pressure on post players is eased by a trapping defense that Dixon uses effectively.

"Our trap has been effective. We don't use it to create turnovers or speed things up," Dwelley said. "We use the trap to slow the game down and it works."

The Rams acknowledge that they'll take a big step up in competition in the Sac-Joaquin Section playoffs.

"We're in the playoffs almost every year," Kroll said. "We know that there are really good teams out there. We just want to get past the first round."

Dyer sounded more confident than most in the Rams' hopes.

"We can definitely go further than just the first round," she said. "If we play with confidence and believe that we can win, we can win. It's about having confidence."

With so many victories between them and the days when their season seemed to be slipping away, Vela knows what it will take to beat East Union and move further into the postseason.

"We need to do the small things," the senior said. "We need to box out and rebound. We need to make sure we don't have turnovers. We've been in the first round before. I think we can win and go further."