Boys' basketball suffers loss against Beverly Hills High

Although boys’ basketball was in high spirits after Friday’s pep rally, the team couldn’t muster a win against their archrival, Beverly Hills. After losing 67-55, the Vikings recorded their second loss to Beverly this season.

Thanks to the effective three-point shooting of guard Jonah Mathews (’16), the Vikings were able to take an early lead, as they lead by four points at the end of the first quarter. In addition, center Jayce Johnson (’16) — a 6’11” center who transferred from Nevada in early December — provided an imposing defensive presence under the basket.

Samo’s offensive success, however, stalled soon after the first quarter. According to Mathews, Beverly was given multiple second chances due to Samo’s lack of defensive rebounding. Consequently, Samo lost momentum and Beverly began to chip away at a waning Samo lead. Samo’s defensive struggles would soon become apparent, as Beverly scored double the points Samo did in the second and third quarters.

Samo also suffered from a lack of productivity after accumulating a number of fouls. According to forward Cole Parker (’16), Samo’s constant foul trouble constrained the offense and defense, and ultimately prevented Samo from success.

“The team fought hard and we were in it the whole way but foul trouble, particularly with our bigs and our inability to get to the free throw line, were two areas that really hurt us in the game,” Parker said.

“[Johnson] was in foul trouble the whole game and fouled out with three or four minutes left. [Mikael Brown (’16)] fouled out, too, which is why [Cleon Gallien (’17)] was forced to play center at the end.”

Samo entered the final quarter needing to make up 11 points. Brown was able to give the team a jolt of momentum after scoring two three-point plays late in the game, but it proved to be too late.

While the end result may have been disappointing, Parker is confident that the Beverly game brought the team closer, and he believes that the game helped solidify the evolving team dynamic. The team began the year with a 4-10 record, and according to forward Daniel Schreier (’17), the players struggled to come together.

“With so many new players joining the team over the summer — including myself — the chemistry surely was not there,” Schreier said.

Through experience and hard practice, the team has learned how to work together in effective way.

“But now after having played two months of our season, we are starting to play more like a team. Sure we have had many rough spots, but overcoming them has brought us closer than ever,” Schreier said.

On Wednesday, Jan. 28, Samo defeated El Segundo High School 62-24. According to forward Greg Melick, the game reflected the team’s improvement over the season. The players are working towards maintaining their momentum and overcoming obstacles.

“We really picked up our defense, and we pushed the ball on offense — two things we’ve been trying to do consistently all year long,” Melick said. “We need to make sure we keep our energy up, even when we face adversity. Every game isn’t going to be easy, and we need to find a way to win the close games.”

The team beat Hawthorne High School 61-51 on Friday, Jan. 30 and defeated Durango High School 59-50 at Fairfax  on Saturday, Jan. 30.