Varsity Basketball Cruises Past Bell Gardens, Winning Consecutive Games
AHS senior Elijah Collins unhesitingly sinks his free throw,
bringing yet another point boost to the already winning Moors.
MOOR Photo by YIBEI LIU
SIMEON LAM
Staff Writer
As the final buzzer sounded, the crowd stood up to give a standing ovation for the performance by the Alhambra varsity squad. The Moors had just defeated the Bell Gardens Lancers to even the series between the two teams on Jan. 31
This win was important not only in the standings, but also for the California Interscholastic Federation (CIF) qualifications.
Facing Bell Gardens, who defeated them by one point in overtime in their last matchup, the Moors looked to avenge that loss at home. After all of the pregame festivities and warm-ups, the Moors took the court, coming out with a fast start. However, foul trouble hurt the Moors, with three starters picking up two fouls each. After leading by as much as 12, the Lancers then cut the lead to four heading into the second quarter. With the score 20-16 in favor of the Moors, both teams traded baskets with the game staying fairly close. By halftime, the Moors led, 39-37.
After adjustments were made in the locker room, the Moors came out strong again. They stepped up both their offensive and defensive intensity, giving up 12 points in the third quarter to the Lancers. They scored 24 in this quarter, capped off by three consecutive 3-point field goals by their guards.
Starting off the fourth quarter, the Lancers made a late push, cutting the deficit down to only seven with about six minutes to go. But that was as close as they would get, as the Moors subbed their starters back into the game. Guards Miles Ford and Elijah Collins led the Moors to the finish by hitting key free throws and driving for lay-ups. With about a minute to go, the starters were finally pulled, receiving a booming cheer from the stands.
With a final score of 86-68, the Moors prevailed in their second matchup with the Lancers.
“The team fought through adversity and showed a great deal of discipline throughout the game,” captain Ricky Martinez said. “We locked down players and played as a team.”
The Moors are now advancing forward after beating both the San Gabriel Matadors and the Bell Gardens Lancers.
“This game [showed] how big a threat we really are in league,” captain Ryan Gerardo said, “I think we [will] build off this win by staying strong defensively and offensively.”
Despite this momentum, the team lost 61-71 to longtime rivals, the Mark Keppel Aztecs. The Moors currently have a season record of 3-4, which ranks in third place in the Almont League standings.