Eagles Cruise Past Jaguars 49-24
The SCCLC Eagles overpowered the Cooperative Jaguars on Thursday in a semifinal basketball game played at the Eagle gym on Tuesday. Although there was some sloppy playing by both teams, the Eagles had an obvious edge over the Jaguars throughout the game. This was evident as the Eagles slowly started to pull away, gradually building up a lead. In response, the Jaguars tried some new strategies, including full-court passes and attempted breakaways. These changes did not help the Jaguars much as the Eagles took a 27-9 lead by halftime.
The Eagles shot out into the third quarter with 8 unanswered points before the Jaguars scored a few baskets of their own. The third quarter ended with a score of 41-15. In the fourth quarter, the Jaguars narrowly outscored the Eagles 9-8, but the Eagles remained on top, winning with a score of 49-24.
Griffins Upset Knights 32-27
By David Boldt
The SCCLC Eagles overpowered the Cooperative Jaguars on Thursday in a semifinal basketball game played at the Eagle gym on Tuesday. Although there was some sloppy playing by both teams, the Eagles had an obvious edge over the Jaguars throughout the game. This was evident as the Eagles slowly started to pull away, gradually building up a lead. In response, the Jaguars tried some new strategies, including full-court passes and attempted breakaways. These changes did not help the Jaguars much as the Eagles took a 27-9 lead by halftime.
The Eagles shot out into the third quarter with 8 unanswered points before the Jaguars scored a few baskets of their own. The third quarter ended with a score of 41-15. In the fourth quarter, the Jaguars narrowly outscored the Eagles 9-8, but the Eagles remained on top, winning with a score of 49-24.
Griffins Upset Knights 32-27
By David Boldt
The International boys varsity basketball team fought its way into the championship round with an upset 32-27 victory over Cambridge in one of the hardest-fought and closely contested games of the season.
Cambridge was heavily favored based on season records. The Knights were 4-2 on the season and the Griffins 1-5. Cambridge had won both regular season contests between the two teams.
Nevertheless, it looked for a while as if the pumped up Griffin team was going to win the game in a romp.
The Griffins led 10-6 at the end of the first quarter, which featured two three-point shots by the Griffins, one by Francisco Gonzales to start the Griffin scoring and the other by Juan Sebastian Justiniano.
International continued to have the hot shooting hand in the second period during which they extended their lead to 22-8, getting two three-pointers from Maykol Villacencio.
Somewhat oddly, the Griffins seemed to have less trouble hitting the basket in the ill-lit, shadow-filled Cambridge gym where one would think the Knights would have a home team advantage.
However, this problem has plagued the team before in key games. In three of the past four years the Knight boys have finished the regular season firmly in second place, only to be beaten in the semifinals by a team with a worse record. International knocked the Knights out two years ago as well. All three of Cambridge´s losing semifinal contests were played in their home gym.
The halftime margin would have been even wider if Knight Marcio Baio hadn’t blocked a breakaway lay-up toward the end of the half.
However, Baio injured his ankle on the play and had to sit out the rest of the game, which brought into sharp relief Cambridge’s lack of bench strength. Baio’s replacement was seventh-grader Masa Ueno, a skilled player, but a head shorter than any other player on the court.
Despite these ominous occurrences, the Knights began a valiant comeback effort as the second half began. The major weapon for Cambridge was driving lay-ups by ninth-grade guard Andres Hurtado, who scored three baskets as Cambridge cut the Griffin lead to four points, 28-24, at the end of the third quarter.
On defense Cambridge was now challenging every Griffin shot. Much of the quarter consisted of the two teams racing up and down the court in fast and furious fashion.
Both teams seemed to be running out of oxygen in the fourth quarter. Andres Hurtado made a foul shot and another driving lay-up for Cambridge, while Gary Suarez answered with a basket for International, which made it a three-point game, 30-27, with five and a half minutes to go.
And there the score stuck, despite numerous nearly successful efforts by both teams to put the ball in the hoop. In the closing minutes Cambridge tried to set up for a three-pointer to tie the game, but the Griffin defense was so energized that Cambridge got off only one shot from outside the three-point line. It was launched by Hurtado and narrowly missed. Cambridge did not make any three-point shots in the game, while International had four.
In the closing seconds of the game the Griffins finally worked the ball through Cambridge’s full-court press and delivered it to Santiago Maldonado who sank the ball from right under the Cambridge basket to eliminate all hope for Cambridge – and make the final score 32-27.
For the Griffins, six different players scored. Justiniano tallied 9. Maldonado and Villavencio had six, Felipe Molina and Suarez had four, and Gonzales three.
Cambridge’s Hurtado was the game’s high scorer with 16 points. Gabriel Alonso had six, Juan Carlos Paniagua three, and Fabricio Subirana two.
