Cambridge boys’ varsity team showed they were readier than ever to move on to finals with a 57-22 victory over Cooperative in the Jaguars home gym Tuesday.
The game was played with great energy and efficiency by the Knights, while there was not much teamwork by the Jaguars
The game actually got ofdf to a bad start for the Knights, who controlled the opening tipoff, but then missed a breakaway lay-up and two point blank rebounds, all within the first ten seconds of the game. But then they seemed to find their rhythm and began dominating the game. By the end of the first quarter Cambridge was leading 11-5.
On the second quarter Cambridge boys had no problem thrashing Cooperative boys. Jose Luis Rivera registered two three-pointers, and despite the Jaguars’ aggressive defensive play, swift Knights closed the second quarter 29-9.
On the third quarter Cooperative boys seemed to pick up the pace and performed excellent long passes. Their scoring was held down mainly by the rebounding dominance of Jaguar Milan Marinkovic. But Cambridge's fast action and tenacious defense paid off , and the third quarter ended with the Knights in front 48-10.
An intense fourth quarter was marked by frequent fouls and missed free-throws from both teams.
Cooperative looked at the game's start to be somewhat rejuvenated. Marinkovic, who had been the team's high-scorer early in the season before being sidelined with tendinitis was back, as was Nicolas Suarez, who had been academically ineligible, and Jose Mozza, who missed most of the season after a bout of dengue.
But the Jaguars looked tired and down-hearted at the end, particularly when Cambridge substituteFernando Moscoso stole the ball and raced down court to score just before the final buzzer sounded.
Jaguar’s Coach Max Farfan held: “There are many problems in the school. When a student is flunking a subject he can’t come to practice and when he flunks two, he can’t play. I haven’t trained for two weeks now and I didn’t expect to win. Cambridge has a team with talented and excellent players, while Cooperative does not. We are far from being the champions but I expect a third place at least. We will play far better next year. We do what we can.”
For Cambridge, Jose Luis Rivera had 27 points, Alvaro Lopez had 12; Matias Martinez and Tae Han Kook both had six; Gabriel Alonso had four; Fabricio Subirana and Fernando Moscoso had two each.
For Cooperative, Milan Marinkovic had 12 points, Andres Shin had 4; Nicolas Suarez and Luis Peredo both had three.
