Boys basketball sweeps season series against rival Beverly
On Tuesday, Feb. 9, the Samo boys basketball team defeated Beverly Hills High School 66-55. This was the last game of the season series with Santa Monica going undefeated. Santa Monica hasn’t swept Beverly since the 2011-12 season. Samo still stands undefeated in Ocean League.The game started off electric. Samo’s student section had standing room only, as it seemed that the whole school was behind their team. Early on, Beverley was able to make their threes, going toe to toe with the Vikings. Guard Jonah Mathews (’16) was a man on a mission as he was responsible for a good portion of the Vikings’ points. Mathews did everything on the floor, scoring inside and out. At the end of the first quarter, Samo led 19-16.In the second quarter, Samo was able to create more of a lead for themselves. The second quarter was owned by forward Mikhail Brown (’16). He outrebounded the Beverley big men, and at one point was the go to scorer for the Vikings. Also, the defense stepped up for the Vikings, shutting down high percentage shots for the Normans. Going into halftime, the Vikings lead 34-27.Coming out of the half, Beverley played with a little more fight. It’s been a problem for Samo to sustain leads all season, and that was no different in this game. Beverley kept crawling their way back from deficits. Beverly forward Ron Artest III played huge for the Normans in the second half, playing physical and keeping his team in the game. But guard Rip Economou (’18) got hot late for Santa Monica, draining threes and keeping Samo out in front. Santa Monica was up 50-39 at the end of the quarter.The fourth quarter was really defined by the refs or lack thereof. Fouls were virtually non-existent and the refs really bought into the rivalry and let them play mentality, which can be dangerous especially in a rivalry game. Towards the end, many of Samo’s players seemed scared to shoot, relying heavily on Mathews, and this resulted in bad shots. Guard Rod Henley (’17) stepped up in the clutch and helped carry Samo to the finish line. Of course, Matthews sealed the deal at the end a dagger mid-range jumper. Samo won by 11 with a final score of 66-55.