Cavs net another win in the Lions’ den

On Jan. 23 the boys’ basketball team beat the Valley Christian Lions by 31 points, and only four days later the Cavs entered the lions’ den again, looking to net another win.

But after the jump ball, which led to Valley possession, the Lions were quick to knock down a three, making the score 3-0 only seconds into the game.

Katia Dahmani
Sophomore Jackson Crawford shoots a three in the Cavs’ game against the Valley Christian Lions.

And in true Valley Christian fashion, there was a whole-team swap only 39 seconds into the game.

And about two minutes later was another entire-team substitution.

But the boys didn’t let these constant substitutions hold them back, senior Harkirat Lally said.

“(Valley constantly subbing) is tiring and forces you to stay aware,” Lally said. “But as long as we communicate as a team when we notice the subs, it’s not a problem.”

The Cavs maintained a fast-paced offense, which coach David Ancrum called “crazy.”

“It was bananas,” Ancrum said. “We had boys sticking their tongues out, and that’s a tough style to play for 40 minutes.”

But the Cavs kept up this pace because of their adequate physical conditioning and the substitutions Ancrum made, he said.

The Cavs ended the first quarter 20-15.  

But there were still improvements to be made going into the second quarter.

“The boys had to make their layups,” Ancrum said. “Sometimes we have trouble making contested layups because of size.”

It wasn’t until the second half that the boys started improving, Ancrum said, entering the third quarter with a 37-24 lead.

And they kept widening the gap to a 70-40 lead by the beginning of the fourth.

Desperate to get back in the game, the Lions ramped up their “soft” press, which they run the entire game, during the fourth quarter, according to senior Jake Longoria.

“They weren’t trying to trap us or really force a turnover,” Longoria said about Valley Christian’s initial soft press. “They were just trying to force us to speed up and make a mistake.”

But the boys easily broke the harder press by spacing out and having a player at half court if needed, senior Reggie Fan said.

And as the horn sounded the end of the fourth quarter, the boys got what they came for: a decisive 90-61 win.

The boys are now 13-2.

The Cavs’ next game is away against the Cristo Rey Saints on Jan. 30 at 7:30 p.m.

By Katia Dahmani

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