Going into the JV boys’ game against Valley Christian on Jan. 26, the two teams were tied for first in the league.
This was the deciding game in which one of the teams would be ranked first.
“To win we need to play as a team,” sophomore Jake Longoria said before the game.
And they did just that.
The boys defeated the Valley Christian Lions, 63-50.
The Cavs were narrowly defeated by the Lions twice last year, 46-47 and 39-42.
Longoria and sophomores Reggie Fan and Bryce Longoria attributed the win to the Cavs’ defense.
“We played good defense, especially in the second quarter,” Jake said. “Also, we weren’t rushing for shots in the second quarter, and we were looking for the best shots.”
In the second quarter, the Cavs allowed the Lions to score only 6 points.
Bryce said that because of the Cavs’ strong defense, they forced many turnovers from the Lions, which allowed the Cavs to make wide-open layups.
“They weren’t that good at handling the ball,” Bryce said. “(Because of this) we got a lot of fast break points.”
Overall, many of the boys thought the Lions would play better than they did.
Fan attributed the win specifically to the defense in the second quarter.
“We moved the ball well,” he added. “(However) we need to rebound better.”
Jake agreed. “Our ball movement and shots are both strong,” he said.
Bryce said that the team needs to improve on being more under control and breaking down the press.
Fan (who made three 3-pointers) led the team with 25 points, followed by Bryce with 23.
Coach Gary Brisco chose Bryce as the player of the game.
The boys’ next game is at home on Thursday, Jan. 28, at 5 p.m. against Sacramento Adventist Academy.
The JV team narrowly defeated Sac Adventist, 47-46, on Jan. 5.
—By Annya Dahmani
