By Brandon Nguyen
In a restless match this Wednesday night, the boys’ basketball team outpaced the Huntington Beach Oilers in an 86-68 win.
Key players include senior Roddie Anderson with 31 points, sophomore Carter Bryant with 30 points and junior Jeremiah Whitmore with 28 points. Being the taller team, the Barons consistently drove into the key and scored layups, whereas the Oilers swung the ball looking for three-pointers.
“In this game, I think we really stepped it up in the second half and that’s what really matters. We were holding back too much during the first half, but in the second half we made an adjustment,” Anderson said. “I think they only had five three[-pointer]s in the second half after making 13 three[-pointer]s in the first. We came together as a team and you can’t ask for a better comeback than that.”
The first quarter started with the Barons winning the tip-off thus leading to a three-pointer by junior JJ Gray. The game continually got more aggressive as the score continued neck-and-neck; the Oilers managed to keep up using three-pointers while the Barons made fast breaks. At four minutes and 20 seconds, junior Fernando Garcia threw an inside pass to Anderson allowing for an easy layup past the Oilers’ defenses.
Baron head coach D’Cean Bryant called a time out at three minutes and 59 seconds to discuss strengthening defense and putting pressure on the Oilers’ shooters. At two minutes and two seconds, junior Kyle Nguyen attempted to set up a fast break but is fouled by a Huntington Beach defender. He made the first free throw but missed the second.
With 25 seconds left in the quarter, Anderson slamed in a dunk making it 21-17 in favor of the Barons.
The second quarter opened with a layup by Whitmore. The Oilers’ called a timeout at six minutes and 51 seconds after the Barons made a series of constant baskets inside the key. After the timeout, the Oilers made a three-pointer at six minutes and 33 seconds and another one at five minutes and 35 seconds. The game continued to go back and forth in a similar manner for the next several minutes.
“I came out sloppy in the first half, but I picked it up in the second. It was a good feeling when I drove in and a lot of players fouled me,” Whitmore said. “It’s something to get used to, being up there at the free-throw line. In the second half, I picked up my energy and started drilling in what Coach was telling us as a team.”
The clock stood at two minutes and 57 seconds when Carter Bryant attempted a fast break and got a foul. He made his first free throw then missed the second. With 32 seconds left, Anderson drove into the Oilers’ defense and made an and-one. He missed the free throw as Oilers’ supporters in the audience stomped their feet and heckled on. Then, with two seconds remaining, the Oilers made a half-court shot ending the first half 37-44.
After halftime, the third quarter opened up with a quick pace. Carter Bryant made the first point at seven minutes and five seconds by driving inside the key for a layup. At six minutes and 21 seconds, Garcia is able to block the Oilers’ layup before making a half-court pass to Carter Bryant for an easy layup. For every layup the boys scored, the Oilers returned with three-pointers and top of the key shots.
The boys found a newfound momentum at three minutes and 48 seconds when Anderson made another dunk after a half-court pass from Gray. Coach Bryant called a timeout at one minute and 42 seconds to give the boys some resting time and discuss setting picks. The third quarter ended 66-58.
The final quarter started with a tense atmosphere starting with Gray scoring a layup at seven minutes and six seconds. The Barons were able to take the lead as they played more aggressively and prevented giving openings for the Oilers to shoot. At four minutes and four seconds, Whitmore dunked on the Oilers making the score 76-54.
With a comfortable lead, the Barons started to substitute in the bench to give them playing time. The game ended with junior Zachary Stead driving in a layup, making it the Barons’ victory with a score of 86-68.
“The game went okay in the first half. We were missing a lot of defensive assignments, but in the second half the boys came together and executed in the second half,” assistant coach Timicha Kirby (T.K.) said. “We made the right adjustments, that’s what we did well.”
With this victory, their season record is now 6-6 overall and 1-0 in the Sunset Wave League. The boys’ next game will be away at Los Alamitos High School this Friday at 7 p.m.
