Boys Basketball Defeats Lawndale on Alumni Night

On Jan. 27, the Samo boys basketball team beat Lawndale High School with a final score of 72-62. The game was full of emotion and nostalgia as the pep rally earlier in the day commemorated coach Hecht on his 400 wins at Samo, and the team honored the 1987 alums for winning CIFs on that date thirty years ago.Lawndale started off strong, as they won the ball in the tip-off and scored first. But Samo came back right away to tie it up, and fought hard in a back and forth battle to gain momentum at the beginning of the game. At the end of the first quarter, the score was 14-13 with Lawndale in the lead.“The team did well in rebounding on both ends and everyone running their lanes correctly in the first quarter. The overall ball movement could have been better though,” Rip Economou (’18) said.In the second quarter, Samo won the ball and was able to score first on a basket and foul shot. Momentum shifted once again towards Samo, as Lawndale called a timeout to try and regroup. But Samo’s defense came back even more relentless against Lawndale’s weak spots, and did not allow them to score at all as the offense attacked mercilessly with a 16 point streak. The first half ended with a score of 29-14 and left Samo’s crowd roaring.  “We did a good job defensively in the second quarter and didn't let them score,” George Felstiner (’18) said. “We also did well with our rebounding and acquiring good position in the post during the first half.”The third quarter began with Lawndale shooting and scoring first, but Samo clapped back and stayed ahead by ten points. Another battle continued throughout the second half with a ruthless offensive attack by Samo. Lawndale began to gain momentum but not enough, ending the quarter with Samo ahead, and a score of 49-40.“I think we played really well on the defensive end Friday night. And I think we stayed focused because they were honoring the ‘87 team there so we had to win,” De’Sean Allen-Eikens (’18) said.The final quarter started with a break away and lay up by Samo. But Lawndale came right back to win the ball and score a three-pointer. Both teams fought fast and tough throughout the second half. Lawndale kept trying to inch their way back as a scrappy team, but with a minute left Samo dunked and left everything on the court with a final score of 72-62.“We didn't have one of our best games particularly on Friday, but we always hold each other accountable on the court to stay focused,” Economou said.