Boys basketball beats Pali in home opener

2016 is off to a good start for the Samo boys varsity basketball team, as they earned a 68-58 win over Palisades High School on Wednesday, Jan. 6 in the home opener. Their overall record stands at 12-2.Even in the pre-game warm ups the gym was electric. The student section was in midseason form and the fans were eager to finally see the Vikings take the court. The players were just as excited to start the game.“We were all pretty amped up,” guard Jonah Mathews (’16) said. “Everybody’s mind was on winning. Everyone wants to do good in front of the fans, all our friends are here.”In the first quarter, the Vikings were lead by their leading scorer Mathews and got off to a demanding start. Samo was up 19-11 by the end of the 1st, with no signs of slowing down. The second quarter was dominated by the Viking’s defensive pressure. Speedy guard Rod Henley (’17) was able to come up with a lot of steals by jumping in the opposing team's passing lanes and got Samo on a very large run late in the quarter. At halftime the Vikings led by 18: 44-26.It was a tale of two halves though. Palisades must have gotten a serious pep talk at the break because they came back on fire. Samo’s defense began to cool down and the Dolphins exploited them to the fullest extent. Pali was able to break down the Viking’s zone defense, creating wide open shots for their players. The game was cut to a 53-46 Viking lead at the end of the third quarter.The fourth quarter was a little too close for comfort with Pali making a run behind some three-point sharp shooters. Samo was able to pull it out in the end, behind clutch free throws from guard Chailen August (’16) and Henley. Overall the Vikings looked really good. Even though the players have only been together for a little bit, it was noticeable that they had good chemistry and had great spacing on the floor. The glaring problem was them not being able to maintain their large lead in the second half, according to head coach James Hecht.“In the 2nd half, [especially the] third quarter, I thought we took a lot of ill-advised, quick shots, which lead to a lot of transition buckets,” Hecht said. “We were off balance defensively in transition.” Going forward in the season, Coach Hecht has things he wants the team to improve on. “We have to try to get better in every aspect of the game, no disrespect to where we are now,” Hecht said.  “I’m really proud of our guys, very proud of their work ethic. Everyday we want to get better, but every night we know we're going to see team's best effort.”       It may be early, but this seems like it’s going to be a bright season for Samo basketball. They head into league play at Hawthorne High School this Wednesday with a much-improved record in comparison with last season and two tournament championship titles under their belt.