Boys basketball continues into next round of CIF

Samo defeated John W. North High School on Feb. 17 in the second round of playoffs with a score of 71-61, and will advance to the next round on Feb. 21 against Cantwell-Sacred Heart High School. To start off the first quarter, Samo won the tip-off and scored first with a three-pointer. They kept the momentum with a 13 point streak and a strong defense in the back, against a scrappy and fouling team. But near the end, Samo started to lose control as North scored a three pointer and gained momentum, ending with a score of 16-10.“Our team did a great job rebounding and driving to the hole, which caused the other team's main players to get in foul trouble,” George Felstiner (’18) said.Samo started with the possession of the ball in the second quarter, and scored right away. The offense was on fire with a six point streak, that was followed by a back and forth battle for momentum. At the end of the first half, Samo scored a three pointer to keep the lead at 25-18.“Our team was extremely focused and everyone was constantly hustling during the game due to it being such an important game starting off the playoffs,” Felstiner said.The second half began with a rush of adrenaline as Samo scored two three-pointers in a row. Both teams fought hard for the ball, and were struggling to shift the energy one way or another. North called a timeout, then came back aggressively, fouling in frustration to end the third quarter with a score of 44-30.“We need to stay focused and not react to [fouls or] bad calls in poor ways such as complaining and not hustling back on defense,” Felstiner said.In the fourth quarter, both teams were fired up and fighting to stay alive in the tournament. North scored 31 points, and Samo scored 27. Samo finished ahead by ten, with a final score of 71-61.“I think we were really focused [Friday] night. And we made our free throws and really got the ball moving,” De’Sean Allen-Eikens (’18) said.