Jaguars outplay Knights in chiller
Playing with the kind of consistent fire they've rarely displayed this season, the Cooperative varsity boys basketball team won a barn-burner of a game against Cambridge, 31-29, in the Knights gym Friday.
The Jaguars, who had lost decisively to Cambridge in their two previous meetings, played with skill, determination, cunning and courage. They took full advantage of the talent they´ve had all season, but rarely had put together as they did in this game.
Big Juan Paredo, the Jaguars senior center, paced the effort, scoring Cooperative's first seven points -- and its vital final basket.
Guard Pablo Taborga made three big baskets, including a three-pointer just when it was needed most. Daniel Linggi, Cristobal Roda, and Diego Morales all distinguished themselves with fine play on both offense and defense.
Cambridge had its chances
Which is not to say Cambridge played a shabby game. Both teams played well in a contest distinguished by the low number of fouls and good ball handling by both sides.
Heaven knows the Knights had their chances. Twice in the final 90 seconds, while they trailed by two points, they got the ball to one of their main men near the basket, and twice the shot just missed.
The second occasion occurred with almost no time left. The Knights inbounded the ball under the Jaguar basket to senior forward Benjamin Ezpeleta. He faked out his man and went up with the ball for what looked like a sure tie-maker.
The ball bounced off the backboard, hovered on the rim, then trickled off to the immense dismay of a large contingent of horn-blowing, siren-blaring, cheer-shouting Knight supporters.
Just over a minute earlier more less the same thing happened to Knight Juan Manuel Salas after he had driven in for one of his trademark long-distance lay-ups.
Even from the start
The two teams locked horns on a more or less even basis right from the start, though Cambridge held a narrow lead through most of the first half, which ended 12-11 in favor of the Knights.
Cambridge benefited from several nifty blocks.
At the beginning of the second half it looked for a while as if Cambridge was going to take control of the game. After Ezpeleta connected on a short jumper, Salas scored on three straight breakaways, hooking the ball into the net from the left side on one of them.
Cooperative answered with only a lone basket by Morales, and Cambridge led 21-13.
The Jaguars, however, then began a counter-offensive, scoring nine unanswered points to take the lead for the first time in the game, 22-21. Five of the nine points were scored by Taborga, the final three points of the surge coming on his three-pointer.
The two teams battled tooth and nail through the rest of the game, with the score tied at 25-25, 27-27, and 29-29. The Jaguars took the lead 31-29 on a jumper by Peredo with about two minutes to go.
The clock ticks down
Cambridge then took a time out to plot the play in which Salas drove through the middle, only to miss.
The Jaguars then took the ball down court and had several chances to extend their lead, including two foul shots with only twelve seconds to go. Cambridge rushed the ball down court. It was knocked out of bounds and the Knights got to inbound directly under the Cooperative basket. Thus the scene was set for Ezpeleta's dramatic last-second near miss.
For Cooperative, Juan Peredo had nine points, Pablo Taborga and Daniel Linggi seven each, Diego Morales six, and Cristobal Roda two.
For Cambridge, Benjamin Ezpeleta and Juan Manuel Salas each had nine points, Alvaro Lopez had six, Jose Ribera and Daniel Kim had two points each, and Tae Han Kook had one.
.JPG)
PUTTING IT IN -- Eagle Josh Mann (5) goes up for a shot against Griffin David Huang. Jonatan Muñoz, International
Eagles demolish Griffins, 67-14
By Trevor Reed
Christian Learning Center
The Christian Learning boys varsity basketball team won their place in the championship game today in a game against International that was, to put it mildly, not as close as expected.
The Eagles triumphed 67-14 before a delighted crown of fans in their home gym Friday.
Both teams started out the game playing a full court press. This strategy worked well for the Eagles, but the Griffins could not hook up on their long-distance passes. One free throw by the Griffins accounted for all of their points in the first quarter, which ended 20-1.
Griffin offensive falls short
During the second quarter, the Griffins put on a much more successful offensive strategy. They also improved their defense, but they could not cut very far into the lead that the Eagles had built up. The half ended with the score 36-12 in favor of the Eagles.
In the third quarter, the Eagles put on an awesome display of defense as they stopped the Griffins from scoring any points at all, while the seemed able to score almost at will, outmaneuvering the Griffins with adroit passes and artful dribbling. The quarter ended with the score 56-12.
Three minutes into the final quarter, the Griffins put up one more basket that would be their last for the game. The Eagles scored 11 more points in the quarter off a combination of free throws and lay-ups.
Eagles will face Jaguars
The victory puts Christian Learning in Tuesday's championship game against Cooperative, which upset Cambridge in the other semifinal bracket.
The Eagles 67 points was the highest scored by any boys team this year. All eleven of the players who suited up for the game played, and ten of them scored. Paul Estes was the leading scorer with 17 points. Danny Canaviri had 11; Kyle Swope tallied nine (including a three-pointer); while Josh Mann, Tim Swope, and Jeff Stabler had 7. David Lotz had three; Jordan Newman, Mark Salinas, and Jesse Hallock had two each.
For International, Ernando Tesch had six points, David Huang five, Martin Gonzales three and Christopher Saltzieder had one.
