Boys Basketball Beats Culver City on Senior Night

On Feb. 7, the Samo boys basketball team defeated Culver City High School with a final score of 73-57. Before the game, the seniors were recognized and honored for their accomplishments with the team. While running through lines of cheerleader and players, the graduating class of 2017 were cheered on by their families who supported their journey of playing high school basketball. Meanwhile, the rest of the varsity team commemorated their graduating class and coach James Hecht for his phenomenal time with Samo, after his 400 wins a few weeks ago.Samo began the game strong, after winning the tip-off and entering a back and forth battle for possession. Culver finally won the ball and scored first, but Samo came right back to tie the game and held a tight defense. With a three pointer in the last two minutes, Samo kept the lead at 20-12.“As of recent we've been playing better defense and closing out better to prevent shooters from taking wide open shots and we have been doing a great job of boxing out and getting boards,” George Felstiner (’18) said.In the second quarter, Culver came back tough and scored first again. But Samo stole the ball quickly after intercepting a pass, and scored a slam dunk to gain momentum. Samo’s offense improved throughout the quarter and with three minutes left, Samo scored two three pointers and two slam dunks to make the score 46-24.“We did move the ball well, a lot better than normal and it was nice. But we could've played better defense,” De’Sean Allen-Eikens (’18) said.To begin the second half, Culver shifted momentum towards their offense and scored first, as they tried to inch back in a deficit of twenty points. Samo could not seem to find the right connections to put the ball in, so Hecht decided to sub in five new players to start a new vibe on the court. Both offensive sides attacked relentlessly, as Culver shot at the very end of the third to make the score 55-41.“We've also been getting paint touches throughout games which helps provide breakdowns in the other team’s defense,” Felstiner said. “But our 3 point shooting and free throw shooting could have been better.”The fourth quarter started with both teams fighting hard to gain possession of the ball, in a back and forth battle of shots and baskets. As Samo’s defense began to slack, Culver’s offense scored the most in the last quarter compared to the rest of the game. But in the end, Samo maintained their lead and their first place title as the score ended at 73-57. Their last game in league will be against El Segundo on Thursday, then playoffs will begin.