Boys and Girls Basketball Dominates Throughout The Season
GRACE RIGOR (Sports Editor)
The Moors showed remarkable teamwork with their overall record of 18-8 and 7-3 as their league record. The Lady Moors have proven resilient throughout the season, showing an overall record of 10-9 and a league record of 5-5.
One of the girls closest games yet was against the Montebello Oilers, with the Moors securing the victory by five points. It was a tight game the whole four quarters until guard Megan Lai threw up a 3-point shot to give the Moors the lead and the 49-44 win.
“I feel like we’ve improved a lot as a team, so being able to compete and win that game was amazing, especially since it was a close game,” captain Tatyanna Campos said. “It has 100% been a rollercoaster… but I feel like we’ve come a long way together.”
The boys basketball team triumphed against the Montebello Oilers for their senior night on Friday, Jan. 27. The final score of the closely contested game was 60-55.
The match began with guard Nate Reguerra passing the ball to captain Justin Lim for a 3-pointer to lead the score 5-1. The first half consisted of good defense from the Moors as Montebello repeatedly scrambled with the ball. The second quarter was considerably a low-scoring quarter as it ended with 22-18.
In the last half of the game, both teams continued to score and the third quarter ended 42-36. The determination in the Moors was prominent as Lim and Reguerra scored right off the bat to make the score 47-39. The Oilers tried to catch up with a 3-pointer with 18 seconds left on the clock. The Moors scored their final two points with both free throws by point guard Aydin Alvarez-Kim and the game-ending steal by Lim.
Similarly to the boys, the girls senior night was very close with a score of 56-52 against San Gabriel. The girls basketball season has also consisted of learning how to effectively play together and be patient with the ball.
Throughout the tournament season, the boys team extensively learned how to support one another, gained confidence and practiced together in order to continuously grow as a whole.
“The tournaments brought us together and allowed us to build a bond stronger than ever,” Ao said. “Without the tournaments, I don’t think we would be as good as we are now.”
In their season opener, the Moors beat the Bell Gardens Lancers 56-48 after 16 preseason games. During the team’s second match against Lancers, they struggled in the first half until their defense came to play. They kept the Lancers to just three points in the second half, winning by almost 30 points and finishing 53-25. The Moors’ second game against Mark Keppel was a success came after Reguerra scored back to back 3-pointers that gave them the ending lead. The match final was 49-47.
“My favorite moment this season was beating Keppel in a tight game and celebrating with my team,” Lim said.
Feb. 3 against San Gabriel. The first round of playoffs for the boys will be Feb. 8 against Woodbridge High School. The girls second round of playoffs will be Feb. 9 against Samueli Academy.