Carlmont varsity boys basketball secured their fourth league win in their match against the Hillsdale Knights on Jan. 24, triumphing with a final score of 54-39.
The Scots played phenomenally, keeping a lead the whole game. However, this did not keep head coach Ron Ozorio stress-free.
“I am always concerned about the outcome of the game. Even if we have a 10-point lead, I am concerned,” Ozorio said.
The game opened with the Scots making aggressive plays and earning an early 5-point lead. Both teams maintained strong defense, and Carlmont ended the first quarter 12-7.
The Scots used rapid drives and rebounds to fuel their lead. These plays earned them 10 points early into the second quarter while the Knights struggled, only managing to gain one.
“We did great at rebounding and getting extra possessions, especially in the first half,” said senior point guard John Martin.
In the second quarter, the Scots ramped up their competitive defense and accumulated four fouls. Knights senior Joaquin Hernandez scored a layup in the last 10 seconds of the second quarter, securing the half with the Scots leading 26-19.
The third quarter started slow. A foul on junior Camden Ngo broke this tempo, and the first two points of the second half were acquired. The assertive defense of both teams caused them to draw five fouls each. It harmed the Knights more, due to successful free-throw shooting by the Scots.
Drives by senior Aleccio Blythe and multiple defensive rebounds by junior center Tyler Southworth propelled a 10-point lead as the buzzer signaled the end of the third quarter 39-29.
“We were in foul trouble in three of the four quarters and that was frustrating. We are trying to be aggressive, but we had a lot of reaching and it didn’t work out,” Ozorio said.
With big plays from Martin and junior Franklin Kuo, the Scots were able to outshine the Knights. The fourth quarter was the highest-scoring quarter, with 15 points from Carlmont and 10 from Hillsdale.
Although the Scots won 54-39, Ozorio still sees room for improvement.
“The overall team performance was like a B, it was not exactly what we wanted. We hoped to keep them down to the low 30s, and we only kept them at around 40,” Ozorio said.
With this win under their belt, the Scots are now 4-1 in the league games and preparing to play the Burlingame Panthers on Jan. 26.
In anticipation of this game, Ozorio has a plan to enhance the team’s performance.
“The fewer mistakes, the better, and prioritizing more opportunities to hit shots is super important. I hope we can continue that in future games,” Ozorio said.
Blythe shares his own vision for success.
“On this team, we have so many talented kids. If we can keep getting by people, pivoting, jumping, and then passing the ball out to the open person, we will dominate teams,” Blythe said.
Last season, the Scots defeated the Panthers with a close score of 49-45 and lost 67-47 in the prior season. The Panthers are currently 1-4 in the league.
“We never take a game lightly, every game is a battle that we have to fight for,” Martin said.
