HE MUST LIKE PAINTING: Sophomore David Nwaba controlled the paint with his 24 point, 12 rebound, 6 block effort. Without his interior the presence, the Cats' may have left the West Gym upset.
It was not easy or pretty, but the Boys' Basketball team opened up their postseason with a 67-55 win over the Locke Saints tonight that exemplified the physical style of play and level of intensity expected in the playoffs.
The Cats had to withstand a number of Locke rallies throughout the night after jumping out to a quick 17-6 lead. The Sainst fought their way back into contention, closing the deficit to 19-13 at the end of the first quarter and 32-30 at the end of the half. Most of the defensive problems for the Cats came from having to deal with the Saints' space eating forward getting easy buckets in the paint.
An adjustment by the Cats defensively led to a close third quarter, which the Cats lost 15-14, to setup the thrilling finish. The Saints gained all the momentum due to a number of Cats' turnovers, missed free throws and cold shooting. Early in the fourth, the Saints seized the lead and extended it to 53-48 before the Cats' took over with their clutch shots and sense of urgency.
Junior Clayton Schindler-Nizon hopped off the bench and provided a spark to help the Cats pull away. Schindler-Nizon knocked down two three-point attempts to give the Cats a 59-53 lead with 2:02 left in the game. The clutch shots derailed the Saints' comeback attempt as the Cats were able to keep extending their lead and holding on for the 67-55 win.
Sophomore David Nwaba dominated the game by scoring 24 points, grabbing 12 rebounds and blocking 6 shots. Senior Alex Brooks added 17 points despite struggling from the field
If the Cats hope to continue to advance they have to cutback on simple mental mistakes, such as lazy passes, start making free throws, and hitting their shots with better consistency.
The Granada Hills Highlanders are the Cats' next opponent on Feb. 24 at 7 p.m. at home.
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