Eagles destroy Marinkovic-less Jaguars
By Sergio Gonzales
The Christian Learning boys varsity basketball team administered a thorough drubbing to Cooperative Thursday in the Eagles home gym, winning 51-11 in a game that was never close.
The game started out during the warm-ups with an air of anticipation because it was expected to be a head-to-head clash between two big centers – Eagle Andre Larsen and Jaguar Milan Marinkovic. The teams huddled and an array of eager hands slapped each other tentatively, then the teams began practicing, each side curiously searching out the tallest, strongest, most limber specimens on the other team.
Gradually the realization spread among the players and spectators that Marinkovic was not present, and word spread rapidly that he had hurt his knee while practicing for next week’s track meet. Expectations were lowered.
The first quarter started slowly for both teams as they shook off the pre-game stress, and ended 8-2 in favor of the Eagles. Things sped up in the second quarter as Eagle Cesar Flores showed his ability to swiftly dribble down the court and aggressively sneak through the nooks and crannies of the Jaguar defense, enabling him to score several quick baskets.
Jaguar Andres Shin also proved his worth. Skillfully catching rebounds, dribbling artistically, and providing a chunky defensive barrier to attempted Eagle drives. But the Eagles continued to do a better job of getting the ball in the hoop, and led 27-6 at the conclusion of the second quarter.
Without a doubt the most notable player on the court was Larsen. After a slow start in the first quarter, he gained in confidence during the second, and throughout the rest of the game.
Larsen's movements were often contained within a multi-player flutter of arms beneath the basket, all glistening with fresh sweat, seeking to fly upward to grab a rebound. Time after time the longest and largest belonged to Mr. Larsen. His easy and flow through the court, masterful execution of the backboard layup, and fearless panache in longer distance shots, easily made him the game's most valuable player.
The third quarter saw the absolute death of the Jaguar hopes, as Christian Learning rolled up the points, moving out to a 30-point lead. Nevertheless, Jaguar coach Gregory Johnson urged his players to fight on, and they responded by putting up a strong, pressing opposition the whole way, showing their persistence and good sportsmanship. But they could not find a scoring combination
Another interesting characteristic on the Jaguars side was the JV player by the name of Raul Valle, a sixth grader of amazing build and height. Although he wasn't in the game for long because of a leg injury, he made his presence felt. The Jaguars had two other JV players on the court for most of the game, eighth graders Eduardo Ustares and Luis Peredo, possibly boding well for future Jaguar teams.
Christian Learning Coach Keith Wilcke gave his benchwarmers some time on the floor in the closing minutes, without damaging his team’s lead. The final score was 59-11.
Larsen led all scorers with 16 points. Haziel Martinez had 12 for the Eagles; Flores 6; Josiah Canaviri 5; Gooho Kahng four; and two points each for Trevor Reed, Nathan Brown, Luke Phillips, and Wesley Ordoñez.
(Sergio Gonzales is a senior at Christian Learning.)
Before the flood, a torrent of Knight baskets
By Santiago Melgar
The Cambridge boys basketball team swamped International 47-0 Thursday in a game that lasted only about two and a half quarters before a flash flood swept through the Knights gym putting a merciful end to the game.
The Knights got off to an amazing start, apparently able to score at will either through its big center, Luis Mercado, or sophomore Gustavo Roca, with several other players chipping in. By the time Mercado slammed home the last basket of the first quarter, Cambridge had a 25-0 lead.
With that good start, the Knights kept coming on strong in the second quarter, not letting the Griffins match them on offense, and constantly challenging the International defense to catch them if they could. Juan Carlos Paniagua made a beautiful shot in the closing seconds of the first half to put the score up to 46-0.
Then it started to rain. And rain, And rain.
Play began in the third quarter, and junior Celso Moscoso sank a foul shot to make it 47-0 for the Knights. But soon there were several inches of water on the gym floor, and play – unless the teams wanted to make the game a water polo match – became unfeasible. With 6:48 showing on the clock in the third quarter, the referees stopped the game.
Initially there was some thought of waiting for the skies to clear, but water began to flood in from the adjacent parking lot and it became clear that the game was a washout, both technically and figuratively. Within a few minutes the water in Hamacas Boulevard in front of the school was knee-high, with a strong current heading north. A big crowd of students from both schools crowded the entryway waiting for transportation, and then making a drenching dash through the rain to reach refuge.
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And thus ended one of the strangest games in SCISL history. For those who may need help with their addition facts, if the scoring had continued at the same rate in a dry gym (an admittedly unlikely event), Cambridge would have won 94-0.
(Santiago Melgar is a ninth-grader at Cambridge College. Cambridge Managing Editor Laura Guillen also participated in the preparation of this report.)
