Overtime. Then double overtime. Cavalier fans cheering and screaming throughout the whole game.
This is what the boys’ junior varsity game consisted of on Jan. 28 against Sacramento Adventist.
The Cavs were defeated in double overtime, 63-64.
This 1-point deficit wasn’t unfamiliar to the Cavs, for they defeated the Capitals by one point, 47-46, on Jan. 5.
“We played bad the last time we played them,” sophomore Jake Longoria said. “We played worse this time.”
Sophomore Reggie Fan led the team with 28 points, followed by sophomore Bryce Longoria with 12 and Jake with 11.
Fan, whom coach Gary Brisco chose as player of the game, had six 3-pointers.
“He played hard until the end of the game,” Brisco said. “He didn’t quit.”
In the first quarter the Cavs were narrowly behind the Capitals, 14-15.
In the second quarter they were leading, 30-26.
The Cavs added to their lead, 37-30 in the third quarter.
It wasn’t until the fourth quarter that things took a turn, and the Cavs allowed the Capitals to score 20 points on them. This brought the score to 50-50.
Cavalier fans were cheering loudly and energetically as the clock ticked down to 0 seconds at the end of the fourth quarter.
Senior Julia Owaidat even started a “Let’s go, Cavs” cheer.
Sophomore Harkirat Lally won the jump ball to start the four-minute overtime.
However, the first to score in overtime was Sacramento Adventist. The player made an easy wide-open layup.
With four seconds left of overtime, the Cavs were up 56-54.
And at the four-second mark, a Sac Adventist player made a jump shot from right of the free throw line, bringing the score to 56-56, and pushing the game to double overtime.
To start off double overtime, Lally won the jump ball yet again.
The score went back and forth between the two teams, each team taking a lead and then losing it abruptly.
The score was 63-64, and the Cavs were behind by 1 point, when Jake went for a layup. He was immediately fouled and went to the free throw line to shoot two free throws.
And there were 1.1 seconds left.
Sac Adventist varsity boys’ players and fans made as much noise as they could to try to distract Jake from making the free throws.
And it may have worked, as Jake missed both free throws, bringing the final score to 63-64.
At the buzzer, the Cavs walked slowly off the court and into the weight room, and the Cavalier fans grew silent as the Capital fans cheered.
Brisco attributed the loss to the players being nervous, flustered and tired.
“Having only five guys in double overtime is tiring,” he said.
Jake, Fan and Bryce all attributed the loss to free throws, missed layups and turnovers.
“We lost because of our execution,” Bryce said. “We missed too many layups and free throws. It basically cost us the game, and we weren’t passing well.”
Jake said that the mentality of the players in the double overtime was a factor in the loss.
“Everything you do matters mentally,” he said. “Every mistake has an impact on the game.”
The boys’ next game is away on Tuesday, Feb. 2, at 5 p.m. against Valley Christian Academy.
The Cavs defeated Valley Christian on Jan. 26, 63-50.
—By Annya Dahmani
