The Cambridge boys varsity defeated International Thursday by the record-shatterring score of 113.to 4 in the Internatonal gym..
Their point total eclipsed the old mark of 102 scored by the Cooperative girls against International earlier this season. And it could have been worse. The knights benched their big star, Luis Mercado, in the fourth quarter, and generally followed the instruction of their coach to only shoot from outside the three-point line. Unfortunately, in terms of holding the score down, they made three of them.
International was literally defenseless at this point. Four of its seven players had fouled out by the beginning of the fourth quarter, so that the Griffins had only three players on the floor, two of them clearly dissprited -- checking the clock, hoping for the game to end, which, blessedly, it finally did.
Earlier, however, the Internationa players had tried everything they could to thrwart Cambridge's Big Red Machine -- hacking, bumping, reaching in, etc., compiling an impressive total of 30 fouls (4.3 per player).. Cambridge, by contrast, amassed only seven fouls. No player had more than two.
Cambridge led 40-1 after the first quarter, 70-2 after the second, and 97-4 after the third.
Perhaps it should be noted that the Knights didn't run up the score simply by sending in high passes to their big center, Luis Mercado, and having him dunk them. Mercado, in fact, made only 22 points, a modest total for him. Almost as important as Mercado was the seven three-point shots Cambridge made, by four different players.
In fact observers from both schools agreed that the Cambridge team had not acted with any spirit of triumphalism. Their attitude was more like that which characterized the US war effort in Europe during World War II. It was a dirty job, but somebody had to do it. There was a basketball game to be played. Often the path to the basket was open. They took it.
Cambridge had five players in double figures, and three with more than 20. Juan Carlos Paniagua was the high scorerwith 29 points (short of Jaguar Milan Marinkovic´s individual single game record of 32, scored against Cambridge earlier this year). Others in double figures were Gustavo Roca with 23, Gabriel Alonso with 17; and Andres Hurtado with 15. Paul Blades scored ficve, and Masayoshi Ueno 2.
For International, Eric Takayama had three points, and Alexander Forbes had one.
Eagles look strong in 61-43 victory over Jags
By Lucia Landivar
Christian Learning boys won the varsity basketball match against the Santa Cruz Cooperative boys 61 to 40 on Thursday afternoon at the SCCS court
. There were many Christian Learning parents, teachers, and students along with some SCCS teachers observing the game. The majority of the SCCS team was made up of junior varsity players, but it did not fail to provide excitement and entertainment.
The first period of the game was tight and tense. Both teams were pumped up and ready to fight for victory. Cooperative Jaguar Milan Marinkovic performed three outstanding lay-upss, dribbling right past Christian Learning Eagles as if they were not there.
For the Eagles Josiah Canaviri tried hard to put a stop to Marinkovic, and did slow him down, but got a couple of fouls in trying to achieve his goal. Eagle Andre Larsen was constantly sprinting back and forth, scoring baskets. The first quarter ended with a tight score of 16 – 12, with the Christian Learning Eagles leading. The Eagles benefited from a last second basket by Haziel Martinez to open the four-point lead. Prior to that no team had led by more than a basket.
The Eagles then broke the game open in the second period. Martinez tallied again, and then Cesar Flores from the Eagles scored twice He was fouled on the second basket, and completed the three-point play by sinking an impeccable free throw.
Moments later four Jaguar players surrounded Eagle center Andre Larsen as he was approaching the basket, but that didn’t stop Larsen who pulled up and sank an outstanding short jumper.
This was a pattern in the game. Even when well defended, or even when fouled – hard – the Eagle still fought their way through and put the ball in the hoop. However, Jaguar Nicolas Suarez scored a basket, and Marinkovic scored a nice short set shot to keep the game from getting totally out of control.
But Sami Frith from the Eagles was also able to score another 2 point shot marking the last points of the first half of the game, which ended with Christian Learning ahead 34 -19. .
Eagle ninth grader Canaviri scored one of his two free throw attempts to start the second half. By now, the Jaguars were clearly feeling frustrated, as the Eagles were not giving them any room to try to come back. Jaguar Andres Shin managed to score a basket, which pt the margin back below 20 points at 40 -21.
Marinkovic was getting the ball under the basket, and scoring often, but many of shots seemed to land on the rim, and roll the wrong way.
Luke Phillips from the JV Eagle team scored a long basket that seemed to astonish even his own coach. Haziel Martinez from the Eagles hammered as he drove to the hoop, but still scored a basket . “These are a strong bunch of kids,” an SCCS administrator ackniowledged with a rueful shake of the head. Happily for the Jaguar fans Martinez missed his free throw.
Marinkovic). The Eagles made nine free throws (five by Flores). One of Flores’ free throws completed the scoring in the third quarter with the Eagles on top 47-29.
Even though it seemed unlikely that the Jaguars could leave the court victorious and a high possibility that the Eagles would, the Jaguars didn’t give in easily. The last quarter was very competitive. It took a few minutes for the first point of the last period to be scored by Marinkovic, scoring a put back.
The action was taking place at a furious pace. Jaguar Giorgio Rodrigano got hit in the jaw accidentally and had to leave the court. The Eagles were still leading the game, but the score closed to 48-34. Eagles Larsen and Canviri were was scoring basket after basket, but the Jaguars were keeping pace. Marinkovic scored on two artful layups.
There was one minute of the game left when the SCCS coach called for a time out with the score 61-40. When both teams got back on the field, star players Jaguar Marinkovic and Eagle Andre Larsen crashed into each other, both falling straight to the ground.
But Marinkovic picked himself up, and got the ball at half court in the final seconds. He launched a long shot. The final horn went off while the ball was at the top of its arc, but it counted for three points when it swished through the net to make the final score 61-43, thus giving the Jaguar fans one final thrill.
Although finishing with a 2-4 record, third best in the League, the Jaguars finished in last place in the standings under the League’s complex rules, because they were recorded as scoring 0 points in the two games they forfeited, one to International, and one to Cambridge. As a result they will play Cambridge in the semifinals next Tuesday, at Cambridge.
The Jaguars own the only victory posted over first-place Cambridge this year, a 42-40 win in which they led only in the final five seconds. Cambridge apologists claim the game was lost – or was even close – only because Cambridge was missing its big center, Luis Mercado, who was ineligible to play for academic reasons. Both teams should be a full strength next week, and an exciting contest is expected.
(Lucia Landivar is a junior at Cooperative and co-managing editor for the website at that school.).
