ATHLETE OF THE WEEK
Ryan Silva Bradley Southwest basketball
EL CENTRO — The Southwest High boys’ basketball team advanced to the CIF-San Diego Section Division IV semifinals for the second year in a row, after earning wins in the first round and quarterfinals of the playoffs last week.
In their opening playoff game, the No. 8 Eagles defeated No. 9 Calipatria High, 78-50, and on Friday, stunned No. 1 Maranatha Christian, 57-55. Helping Southwest to the wins was starter Ryan Silva Bradley.
The 6-foot-1-inch starter had 21 points and eight rebounds against the Hornets and against Maranatha Christian had 14 points, six rebounds and seven steals.
In the upset of Maranatha Christian, the 17-year-old hit a game-winning three-pointer that allowed the Eagles to advance to the semifinals.
“I think there were about 11 seconds left on the clock, and their player missed the free throws,” Silva Bradley recalled. “I got the ball and just took the shot, and I think at that point there were maybe four seconds left. By the time it went in, there was maybe 1.5 seconds left.”
Silva Bradley said he felt his shot had a high enough arc and was on target to go in, yet didn’t know if there was enough power behind it as he was a few steps beyond the arc.
“Well, when it went in, I couldn’t believe it,” he said with a smile. “Then I remembered that there was still time left on the clock, so I had to run back and get on defense.”
What do you enjoy most about your sport? I just like that it’s fast-paced and that I get to play with my team.
What is one of your more memorable moments in your sport? Our game last week, hitting the buzzer-beater against the No. 1 team.
Who inspires you and why? I feel like my teammates inspire me the most. We push each other during practice and they are the type of guys that make you want to be better.
What are your goals for the rest of this season? To hopefully win CIF and state.