No repeat for the Boys' Basketball squad after a 79-66 defeat at the hands of the Reseda Regents in the Los Angeles City Division-II Championship game.
Both squads came out with intensity on the defensive side of the ball that made for a close and low scoring first half. The Regents put the pressure on the Cats with a full-court defense, while the Cats defensive intensity held stifled the Regents high-powered offense. The first half was a seesaw battle, with the Cats taking a 14-13 lead into the second quarter and maintaining a one-point lead before allowing the Regents to end the half on top, 29-28.
In the second half, the Cats could not continue their defensive success while made to many mental errors that allowed the Regents to take over the game. The Regents full-court press forced the Cats to commit 26 turnovers which allowed them to heat up offensively. The turnovers were the Cats undoing as they were outscored 50-38 in the second half to seal their 13-point defeat.
Sophomore David Nwaba had an impressive night scoring 17 points, grabbing 13 rebounds and blocking 5 shots. Junior Anthony Harris Jr. continued his recent surge with 16 points, 13 rebounds and 4 blocks while seniors Alex Brooks and Andre Harris scored 15 and 11 points respectively. Despite the impressive performances by those four, the Cats were hurt by the inability of their other players to contribute. The four other Cats to see the floor scored a combined 7 points on 2-for-12 shooting.
With a short turnaround between the City Championship and the Division-II State Playoffs, the Cats could not afford to dwell on their defeat. The Oceanside Pirates from Oceanside, CA (just outside of San Diego, CA) made the long voyage to the West Gym on the Uni Campus with hopes of pulling off an upset and moving on to the next round.
The Cats opened the game with unsuccessful attacks at the rim, but took control after a timeout by Head Coach Steve Ackerman with the Cats trailing 5-3. The Cats outscored the Pirates 24-6 for the remainder of the period thanks to great outside shooting from Brooks and sophomore Jamie Harper as well as a strong defensive effort that forced the Pirates to miss shot attempt after shot attempt.
Down 42-28 to start the second half, the Pirates made their move, scorching the Cats with a fury of three pointers. By the time the fourth quarter rolled around, the Pirates only trailed 55-48. The Cats tried to put the Pirates away, but were unable to as the Pirates hot shooting continued. The Pirates finally tied the score, 66-66. Brooks would come back by draining a huge three that seemed to be the dagger in the Pirates heart, but unfortunately the Pirates would tie the score again on their next trip down. Andre Harris would work the Pirates defense in the Cats final possession, but did not run the clock down enough before scoring. The Pirates would come down the court with around 8 seconds left and score on a controversial play.
A lay-up attempt by Pirates guard J.J. Whitaker tied the score although the make was affected by a no-call from the referees. A Pirate player grabbed the rim while the ball was still in the cylinder which should have warranted a goaltending call. After a few confusing seconds, the referees allowed the basket to count saying that the grabbing of the rim did not affect the ball's travel through the net. The no-call sent the game into overtime.
The Cats did not allow the Oceanside rally and referee's controversial decision to affect them, dominating the overtime period 12-3 to seal their 83-74 victory. Brooks and Nwaba dominated the all game long with Brooks scoring 32 points on 11-for-19 shooting while Nwaba poured in 24 points with 16 rebounds.
The Cats move on in the State playoffs, but have to travel for the first time this postseason, to Rialto, CA, to take on the 28-3 Eisenhower Eagles from the Citrus Belt from the Southern Section.
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