The varsity boys’ basketball’s first home game of the season was characterized by deep threes, runout layups and high energy. The team scored 23 points in just the first quarter, digging Santa Maria into a hole they couldn’t climb out of. Pushing the ball upcourt throughout the game, the Dragons defeated the Saints on Dec. 4 with a final score of 64-47.
It only took the Dragons 30 seconds to score, thanks to a putback by Bodhi McDonald ‘20. Sam Shinsky ‘20 did the same thing a minute later to give the Dragons a 4-0 lead.
Meanwhile, the Saints took long three after long three, unable to score until over three minutes in. The scoop layup put the Saints at just a two-point disadvantage, the closest it would get all game.
A corner three from Nate Bova ‘19 and a layup by Jack Vielbig ‘19 quickly helped Foothill extend their lead.
With more scoring from Ian Ingram ‘19, McDonald, Shinsky, Bova and Vielbig, the Dragons led 23-10 at the end of the first.
Of those 23 points, Bova had 11 and McDonald had six. Both continued to score heavily in the second quarter.
By the time Santa Maria scored in the second quarter (nearly six minutes in), the Dragons had dropped 18 points, with contributions from Justin Razo ‘21, Bova, Shinsky, and McDonald.
Ian Ingram ‘19 added two points and Brian Holloway ‘21 came in hot, scoring a corner three and a layup at the buzzer.
Together, the team put up 25 points in the second quarter, leading by 31 points with a score of 48-17.
Bova and Shinsky both felt that this lead affected the team’s mindset heading into the third quarter.
“We came out slow,” Shinsky said.
Bova feels the team needs to work on not “thinking that the game’s over,” and thinking of the half as “a brand new game- zero to zero,” he said.
The Saints did, in fact, outscore the Dragons 18-10 in the third quarter, mainly due to finding their rhythm and making some threes, as well as getting offensive rebounds to put back in.
When it comes to things to work on, Shinsky thinks rebounding is a “definite” priority, because “the other team got a lot of offensive rebounds against us.”
The Dragons were outscored again in the fourth quarter, putting up just nine points opposed to the Saints’ 12.
Despite the drop in the second half, the Dragons’ work in the first half helped them to come out with the win at 64-47.
To avoid ruts like this one, Bova thinks the team needs to work on being more positive.
The team struggled with “getting down on each other and blaming each other for the mistakes,” he said.
As the team continues this season, “I think we need to work on that: building up your teammates and not bringing them down,” he said.
The team’s next game will be against Channel Islands High School on Dec. 6 at the Fillmore Tournament.
