Eagles clobber Jags, set scoring mark
The Christian Learning boys varsity basketball team, vying to establish itself as the the most powerful in League history, administered a punishing 78-23 defeat on Cooperative Thursday afternoon in the Jaguars' gym.
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FLYING HIGH -- Eagle Caleb Hoover goes up for a rebound.
Hamin Choi, Christian Learning
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While the League does not formally keep such statistics, the Eagles 78 points are widely believed to be the highest ever scored by any basketball team in the six-year history of the League. The previous high of 76 points was recorded by the Cooperative girls junior varsity team in a game against International on February 18, 2008.
The Eagles record will bear an asterisk to the effect that by the end of the game Cooperative only had two players on the floor, the rest of the team having fouled out. However, the Eagles more points in the first half (41) when they were playing against a full Cooperative team, than they did in the second half.
The Eagles finish the season undefeated. The Jaguars by finishing third with a 2-4 record are spared the necessity of playing Cooperative again in the first round of the playoffs on April 13, a dubious honor that now falls to International, which finished the season with an 0-6 record. Cooperative faces the marginally more appealing prospect of facing Cambridge (4-2). The finals will be April 15.
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GETTING HIS SHOT -- Eagle Jared Friesen, normally a substitute, got plenty of playing time in this game, in which the Eagles used every player they had.
Hamin Choi, Christian Learning
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The game was never close. Christian Learning led 19-0 at the end of the first quarter, and 41-7 at the half. The third quarter was Cooperative's best in that they were only outscored 11-4.
Christian Learning had four players who scored in double figures, and several others who came close. Danny Canaviri led the scoring with 14 points, Jesse Hallock had 12; Andre Larsen and Andrew Burgin each had 10; Josh Hoover and Caleb Hoover each had nine; Tim Zimmerman had seven; and Nicolas Smith four. Mark Salinas and Richard Ling each had two points.
For Cooperative, Jose Moza, recently returned after a bout of dengue fever, scored eight points. Andres Shin had five. Seventh grader Luis Peredo had six points on two fourth quarter three-pointers. Oliver Lederman and Junior Kaipur had two points each.
Aubrey Olson of Christian Learning contributed to this report.
Knights easily defeat Griffins, 30-8
By Daniel Roempler
International School
The Cambridge boys varsity basketball team ended the season with a clear display of their strong team play in overpowering an International team that showed heart and enthusiasm all throughout the match Thursday in the International gym.
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SLASHING THROUGH -- Knight Jose Luis Rivera drives to the hoop. He was the game's leading scorer. Juan Carlos Coronel, Cambridge
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The game began with a nice triple by Cambridge’s Alvaro Lopez just after the opening tip-off. This was followed by a nice exhibition of coordinated teamwork by both teams, but at the end of the quarter the Knights had a 7-2 lead for the knights.
In the second quarter they were able to stretch their lead to 17-4 , with an offense dominated by Knight Jose Luis Rivera's slashing runs tearing apart the Griffin defense, as he would do throughout the match. Rivera was the key figure as he was able to organize and coordinate his team’s movements to slowly overcome International's efforts to hold the Knights back.
The third and fourth quarters seemed to be a replica of the first two, displaying an Cambridge team that could be explosive on offense and subtle in defense, orchestrating a well-developed formula that proved to be stronger than that of the Griffins.
The Griffins fought hard, and maintained a disciplined and energetic defense that held Cambridge below its usual point total. It also could be said that Cambridge has had days when it was shooting better from the outside.
The game ended 32-8 in favor of the Knights. It was an entertaining encounter that nevertheless left International spectators with a sour taste. It has been a rough season for the winless Griffins who are clearly in a "rebuilding" phase.
For Cambridge, Rivera was high man with 13 points. Alvaro Lopez was right behind him with 11, Tae Han Kook four; Carlos Ferrufino and Fabricio Subirana had two points each.
Francisco Gonzales had four points for International, and Felipe Molina and Gary Suarez had two points each.
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