Gustine Reds boys’ redeemed themselves after their local rivalry loss against Orestimba High, scoring a victory at home against the Le Grand Bulldogs, 65-52, on Wednesday. The Reds are now 6-18 overall and 3-5 in the SAL league.

Gustine showed more confidence. Reds were attacking the rim like never before, exhibiting gameplay that had the Bulldogs scrambling for an answer.

“Execution? Making the extra passes. Locking in on defense. Just the little things,” said head coach Charles Roth.

Execution was most definitely the theme. Offensively, the Reds’ Danny Quezada (24) led the team with a total of 17 points, carving out lanes in the paint, which the Bulldogs struggled to defend. Alex Quezada (23) was also key, with 16 points total, two 3-pointers from afar. Mike Saaranzin (3) contributed to the teams’ offensive movement, making one 3-pointer, layup, post-shots.

Defensively, the Reds were well matched. Le Grand’s Reyes Diaz (5) scored a total of 18 points on the Reds. Gustine slowed his flurry to a crawl in the second half, only allowing 6 points total.

“More of a chemistry thing,” said Roth about the win. “Tonight we had everybody here, second time all year that we had everyone, that’s from preseason till now. And it just so happened both times it’s been against the grain.”

The Reds have struggled to have impactful players on the court during the season. The season is now nearing sunset for the Reds. Roth is coaching his first season with Gustine and has already made an impact.

There are only four SAL league games remaining in the season for the Reds. The Reds will travel to Denair, who they upset on Jan. 10., 51-43, at 7 p.m. on Tuesday. Then the Reds will host Waterford Wildcats at 7 p.m. on Thursday.