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 Junior Casey Chow dribbles past a defender during a preseason game. Jeremy Gaines
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Basketball legend Michael Jordan once said, “Talent wins games, but teamwork and intelligence wins championships.” Despite having a talented line-up and amassing a 6-3 record so far in the preseason, the boys’ varsity basketball team is going to have to abide by these words to continue to achieve the coveted championship, won last season
The team came in a disappointing fourth place at the annual Cardinal Classic tournament held from Dec. 10 through 13. While the Cardinals started off strong by winning their first game against Half Moon Bay 46-41, they lost their next two games against San Lorenzo and University by large margins. The game against San Lorenzo on Dec. 11 was especially brutal as they lost by 14 points, 26-40. To make matters worse, the Cardinals lost to University on Dec. 12 by 17 points, 52-69. “We were not the favorite to win,” head coach Robert Ray said.
In addition to losing at the Cardinal Classic, the team also suffered a devastating defeat against Washington in the finals of the Jefferson High School Tournament at Jefferson on Dec. 4, losing 33-48. The Eagles massacred the Cardinals by opening up a strong early lead, then exploiting the teams’ weak defense by managing to score most of their points in the key. The Cardinals, who played without senior center Robbie Pollard due to a conflict with another extra-curricular obligation, trailed 8-14 in the first quarter and only scored two points in the second, ending the first half with only 10 points to Washington’s 26. “Not having our starting center was a big factor,” junior guard Casey Chow said. “Everyone wasn’t playing their hardest and we weren’t playing well together.”
Even though they matched and out-scored Washington in the third and fourth quarters by scoring ten and thirteen points to twelve, the Cardinals were not able to make up for their dismal first half. “We could not have played a worst game than that,” Ray said. “We made too many errors and missed a lot of early opportunities.”
Vital mistakes and missed crucial free throws, which could have made the difference in closing the gap, contributed to the Cardinal’s defeat. The Cardinals scored six out of their 15 free throw shots. Senior center Jacob Wilmer led the team with 8 points while senior guard Anthony Clay led the team in defense with seven steals. Chow scored the team’s lone 3-pointer in the fourth quarter. “We did not play as a team,” Ray said. “We played as individualized players out there and it showed on the court.”
Despite losing to Washington, the Cardinals’ previous games at the tournament were successful, with back-to-back victories against Terra Nova on Dec. 3 and against Aragon on Dec. 2, allowing them to clinch a spot in the finals.
The Cardinals cruised into an easy victory against Terra Nova to win 41-24. Pollard and Wilmer combined their talents to drop through the basket 19 of those 41 points and caused Terra Nova to score only in the single digits in each quarter.
Aragon proved to be a worthier challenge, with the Cardinals squeaking by with a 52-50 victory. Despite trailing Aragon 26-31 by the end of the first half, the Cardinals rallied in the third quarter by scoring 17 to 8 points. Superstar shooting guard senior Kevin Kung was instrumental to their victory by scoring 16 points and Pollard was not far behind with 14 points.
In addition to defeating public school teams, the boys also managed to make quick work of their private school rivals in the first preseason games against International and Drew.
On Nov. 24, the Cardinals took advantage of International’s many fouls and scored 14 out of 26 free throw shots, coasting to an impressive 49-31 victory. Senior guard Valeriy Sosnovsviy scored 12 points and was 3-3 at the three point line and Wilmer added 16 points.
In the preseason opener against Drew on Nov. 21, the boys’ delivered a strong performance with a stunning 48-19 rout. They opened with a huge early lead with a score of 20-4 by the end of the first quarter and managed to consistently outscore Drew throughout the entire game. Kung and junior small forward Ricco Price combined to score 23 of those 48 points.
Despite securing decisive victories throughout the preseason, the Cardinals could face potential trouble ahead, as all their victories came from schools outside of their league and were trounced by the only school they will play in the regular season, jeopardizing their chances at another championship. “We are still getting better as a team and learning to play with each other a lot better,” Chow said. “We will be ready to play against teams like Washington in the regular season.”
Regardless, the team remains optimistic and focused on achieving their goals. “We are at the cross-roads in deciding where we will be as a team this year,” Ray said. “When we do find ourselves and figure how to play together, the wins will come.”
Be sure to watch the conclusion of the Piedmont Tournament tomorrow at Piedmont. Also support the Cardinals during winter break by watching some of their upcoming games before the start of the regular season at 6:30 p.m. on Dec. 22 at Stuart Hall against Stuart Hall, 8:00 p.m. on Dec. 30 at Lowell against Westmore, and their final preseason game at 6:30 p.m. on Jan. 2 at Lowell against Capuchino. |
