By Trevor Reed
Christian Learning Center
The Christian Learning boys varsity basketball team won their game against International 47-19 in the Griffins' home gym Tuesday, continuing their undefeated season, and completing a first-place finish in the regular season.
The Eagles (6-0) will face Cooperative (0-6) in the first round of the championship playoffs. Cambridge (4-2) will face International (2-4) in the other pairing. (See schedule at right.)
The Eagles walked out onto the court wearing their latest fashion statement -- long socks -- and blasted off to a 6-0 lead at the start of the game. David Huang answered with 2 points for the Griffins, but then the Eagles went on a scoring spree of 8 more points while holding the Griffins to only one.
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NOT SO FAST, DAVE -- Eagle Jeff Stabler (7) forcefully rejects a shot by Griffin star David Huang.
Jonatan Muñoz, International
The first quarter ended with the Eagles ahead 14-3.
The Eagles scored three more points in the second quarter before the Griffins had a burst of energy and scored four points in rapid succession.
Then it was the Eagles turn again as Kyle Swope tallied four points. Another basket for the Griffins brought the score to 21-9 at the half.
The third quarter started off fairly even as each team scored 6 points. David Huang was the key player for International and Danny Canaviri for the Eagles, with each scoring two baskets during this stretch.
The Eagles then dominated the rest of the quarter. Canaviri hit on a three-pointer, and then drove for a two-pointer on the very next possession.
Two more points for each team brought the third quarter to a conclusion with the score now 34-17.
In the fourth and final quarter of the game, the Eagles held the Griffins to only two points while scoring 13 points for themselves. Five different Eagles scored in the fourth quarter, while the only scoring for the Griffins was two free throws made by David Huang.
Danny Canaviri was the top scorer for Christian Learning with 11 points, and Kyle Swope was right behind him with ten points. Paul Estes had seven. Jeff Stabler and Tim Zimmerican each had six, Andre Larsen had five, an Daniel Burgin two. (Story corrected April 3 at 10:27 p.m.)
David Huang had ten points for International. Mario Rohrman had four, Ernando Tesch three and Nicolas Bedoya two.
Knights edge tenacious Jaguars, 19-16
By Ana Saavedra Banzer
Cambridge College
The Cambridge varsity boys basketball team finally got past a suddenly very ornery and obstreperous Cooperative team that had not previously come close to winning a game this year.
The final score was 19-16 in favor of the Knights in a game that was played in the Knights gym. The Knights point total was their lowest in at least two seasons. Maybe three. The game was tied well into the fourth quarter.
Cambridge (4-2) is now be slated to play International (2-4) in the semifinals of the postseason league tournament. Cooperative (0-6) will play the unbeaten League Champion Christian Learning Eagles (6-0) in the first round. (See schedule at right.)
The first quarter started weakly for both teams, and the score at the end of it was 2-2. What was happening to the Knights and Jaguars? Neither of them were scoring points. To be honest, it was a very boring game.
Were they not taking the game seriously? Or was it just not "their day"?
Actually, I could see that they were trying, but things were just NOT working.
With 4:20 left in the half the score was only 4-4.
Finally, the scoreless spell seemed to be broken and a flurry of baskets raised the score to 8-6 in favor of Cambridge at the half.
Still, the outstanding action in the first half had been on defense. There was a wonderful blocked shot by Knight Alvaro Lopez that made the crowd shout his name with excitement. The Jaguars were just shocked. The ball almost broke the net holding a ladder in place behind the court.
This wasn't an easy day for the Knights, and it wasn't an easy day for the Jaguars -- but somebody was going to have to win this game. And it looked like it might be the Jaguars. The Jaguars got the first basket of the second half to tie the score at 8-8, and then took a one-point lead on a foul shot by Juan Alfredo Abuawad.
The Knights in these moments were clearly missing Jose Ribera, the sharp-shooting eighth grader who has frequently ignited their offense this year. He was sitting at courtside displaying the nasty cut on his hand that had sidelined him.
The Knights regained the lead, 11-9, shortly before the end of the third quarter, but the Jaguars soon had it tied again at 11-11.
Then, finally, the Knights forged ahead. Daniel Kim nailed two nice baskets shooting from outside. Matias Martinez, playing in place of Ribera, hit another. Cooperative could answer with only a single basket by Abuawad.
Kim then made two foul shots to seal the win for Cambridge. But who would have thought there would be more points scored in the Cambridge-Cooperative girls game than in the boys game?
In the final totals, Kim had seven points for Cambridge, Martinez and Lopez four each, and Alexander Nagel and Fabricio Subirano a point apiece.
Abuawad tallied nine for Cooperative. Diego Morales and Oliver Lederman had two points each.
