Carlmont’s JV boys basketball team defeated Half Moon Bay High School 48-38 on Jan. 17. The Scots used a high level of defense, slowing down the Cougars offensive attack.
In a preseason match against the Cougars on Dec. 3, the Scots were unable to come out with a victory. In preparation for this game, the Scots focused heavily on studying the Cougars plays.
“The last time that we played them, we got killed on back door plays. Going into this game we studied really hard, focusing on grabbing rebounds and locking down their offense,” said Theo Scherer, a sophomore at Carlmont.
Scherer made some key plays during the game, after his challenges to get out onto the court in previous matchups.
“I haven’t played in five games, so this felt good to be out there with my team in a pressured environment,” Scherer said.
In the first quarter, both teams battled for an early lead. On Carlmont’s first two possessions, sophomore guard Nathan Wang made two three-pointers. These three-pointers gave the Scots motivation to keep shooting.
“We did a very good job moving the ball around. Making those two three-point shots gave me the confidence to keep shooting in the game, as well as giving the team more confidence,” Wang said.
The first quarter ended with the Scots leading 15-9. At the start of the second quarter, the Scots went cold. They were unable to make shots from the perimeter or the inside. Despite their poor shooting performance, their defense maintained pressure on the Cougars attack, allowing them to maintain the lead at halftime 18-15.
“We have a lot of skill, although sometimes the ball will get stuck to one player during a possession and we are unable to get clean looks off. At half, I told them to focus on ball movement and player movements,” said Scots coach Ryan Sera.
The Scots maintained their defensive energy against the Cougars at the start of the second half and began to take control of the game.
“We really focus on keeping high energy on the court at all times. When one player gets tired on defense we will sub him out, therefore we keep fresh legs on the court at all times. This really helps with our defensive planning,” Sera said.
At the end of the third quarter, the Scots were up 36-27. Despite the lead, the Scots needed to stay composed against the strong defense maintained by the Cougars.
“The Cougars had high energy both on and off the ball from the beginning of the game, we had to make sure to stay focused going into the fourth quarter,” Scherer said.
With multiple big plays from Carlmont freshman center Izzy Han, the Scots finished the game with a winning score of 48-38.
The Scots, now 3-1 in league matches, are looking forward to their game against Menlo-Atherton High School on Jan. 19.
“As long as we stay hot offensively and stay strong on defense, we are going to be a hard team to beat,” Sera said.
Last season, the Scots lost to the M-A Bears in a tournament they hosted.
“We’re hoping to get them back,” Sera said.
