Close to the end of the season, with only a few games remaining till playoffs, Coach Reed and the team know that they need to end the season right and what they could do to improve.
Last season the team did well and they made it to championships but ended up losing the final game.
A few schools the team has played against were Lincoln, Roosevelt, West Adams, Freemont, and Augustus Hawkins. They won 4 of these games and lost to Roosevelt.
Throughout the winter break, the team went to San Diego for a Christmas tournament. During the tournament, the team had a tough loss against Marvista Highschool. This game stuck with Reed, he believed his team was good enough to beat Marvista, but they sadly ended up losing.
Reed feels like an element they need to exceed in, is their defense. He thinks they need to hold the opposing team under 40 points, in order to win the game.
Coach Reed knows the boys are playing good basketball but it could be better. His goal is to help his team and bring out the hidden potential that they’re not aware of.
“We’re just on a journey of learning how to accept the system, so that it will allow us to win more games,”
expressed Coach Reed.
The system is the style of play that the team utilizes, and they have to follow this system, even though at times the system may not make sense. By following this system, even when not understanding it, it will bring more benefits.
Players Diego and Adrian Garcia also agree with Coach Reed and feel like their defense is something that can be prioritized.
Captain Diego Garcia, junior, feels like his team is playing together and they’re well with their communication but, their main focus as of now should be their defense and ball movement.
“In basketball I feel like our defense can win games and the reason why I think we lost the bell game was because our defense slacked off a little bit,” said Diego Garcia.
D. Garcia knows how important defense is when playing basketball and if the defense isn’t strong, it could jeopardize the game.
Although defense is something that can be enhanced, Adrian Garcia, sophomore, says that selfishness or a big ego can stop them from gaining a victory.
“We were up 16-4 in the first quarter, and we got too confident in that lead and our players started playing their own game like how they do at the park, which led to us losing,” stated Adrian.
The first time they played Bell which was in December, the team let their own selves get in the way, they got in their head too much and this ended up blowing up in their face by losing to their rivals.
The team is aware that more practice and playing strong will benefit them in the long run and help them reach their goal.
“One play doesn’t define a game.”
stated Adrian Garcia.
The boys basketball team won their first playoff game against Valley Academy, with a score of 71-54.
Written by Alyssa Fuentes, Boys Sports Editor