In their first home quad game of the season, the Scots maintained their near-perfect record, showing many students and fans just how good they really are.
The boys varsity basketball team defeated rival Sequoia 50-37 in impressive fashion, highlighting the quadruple-header on Friday, Jan. 18.
Playing against a rival school like Sequoia, it was important for the Scots to get the job done and put on a show in front of a packed house.
“When that boys varsity game starts, the gym gets to be around 75 percent capacity, cheer teams are competing, players are competing, fans are competing, it just gets to be one barn burner,” said varsity assistant coach James Jewett.
With cheerleaders and students from both sides making their presence known, and Carlmont winning all three of the boys and girls games prior, the match certainly had everyone in the gym excited.
“When you’re playing in a game of that magnitude, it feels unreal, especially when you get onto the court,” said Abram Guldbech, a junior.
The Scots satisfied the crowd’s hype early, with a three from Sammy Bean, a senior, and a layup by Ben Ledwith, a senior, igniting the Scots’ offense and getting the crowd into the game. A charge call against Lajuan Nelson, a senior, halted their flow momentarily, but Nelson continued to attack and came right back with a series of floaters and free throws.
“We were in bonus early, so we wanted to get more free throws and we thought the more we attack, the more free throws we get,” Nelson said.
Despite a slow-moving offense, the Ravens’ offensive rebounds and willingness to attack the basket kept them in the game early. Sequoia continued to grind out each bucket, and after one, the score was tied at 12-12.
The score would not stay tied for long, though, with back-to-back threes from seniors Sho Takahashi and David Bedrosian coming within the first minute and a half of the second quarter.
“I think it hypes everybody on defense, and when we play better on defense we play better on offense,” Bean said.
With the crowd and momentum on their side, the Scots did not stop, getting any shot they wanted and knocking nearly all of them down. On the defensive end, Carlmont went into their zone press which forced Sequoia to turn the ball over, only scoring two points during the second quarter.
“We just started to play harder than we were,” Nelson said. “We moved the ball, shot a lot of threes — a lot went in — ball movement, attacking the basket, and all that.”
With an ending bucket by Grant Acker, a senior, the Scots went into halftime with a score of 29-14.
“We were confident, but we knew we had to keep our foot on the gas,” Bean said.
Coming out in the third quarter, Carlmont did exactly that. The Scots continued their slaughter in the early minutes, with blocks and steals leading to another pair of consecutive 3-pointers.
A minute into the second half and the scots were up by 21 points, 35-14.
“It definitely set the tone for the quarter that we were not going to back down or let up,” Bean said.
A trading of buckets maintained Carlmont’s 20-plus lead throughout the third quarter, bringing the score to 42-21.
To start the fourth quarter, Sequoia came out with one last push, scoring nine consecutive points and closing the gap to 12. A technical foul against Bedrosian gave Sequoia two free throws and lessened the Scots’ lead further. It was now a 10 point game with four minutes left.
“Every sports game has ups and downs, so we were expecting that. As soon as they start rolling, we get even louder talking on defense, we move our feet faster, and we cut off that run as soon as it gets rolling,” Bedrosian said.
The Scots cut Sequoia off in the final minutes, playing better defense and forcing turnovers like they had the entire game.
Strong defense and transition buckets for Carlmont were highlighted by an and-one for Jake Kennedy, a senior, which relieved the pressure and ensured a Scots victory 50-37.
“That was the dagger. That ended the game right there. That ended their hopes of coming back. That was everything,” Bedrosian said of Kennedy’s and-one.
Next week, the Scots hope to extend their three-game win streak Wednesday, Jan. 23, at Burlingame. Sequoia will also play Jan. 23 versus Capachino.
For most of the team, this is their last year playing for Carlmont. Many are trying to take advantage and establish Carlmont as a force to be reckoned with in the PAL.
After the game, Guldbech said, “It feels good to beat and nearly 20-ball one of the better teams in our division to prove that we are a dominant team in the PAL.”
