The Foothill Technology High School (Foothill Tech) boys’ basketball team faced off against Newbury Park High School (Newbury) in a game highlighted with deep threes, shifty plays and an energetic home crowd. Held in the Ventura College Athletic Event Center on Dec. 18, 2023, Newbury triumphed 50-39 over the Dragons.
Followed by the opening tip won by Newbury, they quickly struck first with a layup. However early on, Nick Drucker ’26 answered back, following up with a floater of his own. The two early buckets would eventually set the tone for an action packed night.
In spite of a put-back layup by Ashton Brown ‘26, Newbury saw the opportunity to jump out to an early lead, draining back to back threes and a layup which put Newbury on top 10-4.
Ensuing a timeout called by Foothill Tech, the two teams went back and forth. Foothill Tech made various shots in the paint scored by Drucker and Luigirey Guce ‘25. Despite their efforts, Newbury clapped back with layups of their own along with an impressive fast-break dunk. Newbury closed out a fast paced first quarter with a commanding 18-8 lead over the Dragons.
Sustaining their high energy from the first quarter, the Dragons started the second with a fast break lead by Jordan Banola-Castillo ‘25, and a corner three pointer scored by Brown, making the score 18-12.
Despite Foothill Tech’s determination and energetic efforts, Newbury answered by going on an eight point run, which extended their lead over the dragons, 26-12.
As they displayed their impressive efforts on the offensive side of the court, Drucker and Brown put an end to Foothill Tech’s scoring drought with multiple good looks from the three-point range. However, undeterred by the Dragon’s efforts to shrink the lead, Newbury continued to extend their lead with their ability to score in the paint. Newbury kept their lead going into halftime at 35-21.
During halftime, Foothill Tech’s home crowd had a newfound lively energy. The crowd prepared defensive chants in attempts to rattle Newbury and give the Dragons the energy needed to close out the game. Coach Jamaal Brown commented on the crowd’s presence, ”They were loud and enthusiastic. It’s really nice to have a home crowd.”
As the third quarter commenced, Drucker and Elijah Spencer ‘26 got things going with more layups. However, their efforts were overridden by Newbury, making a pair of free throws, a layup and a three-pointer, keeping their lead 42-25.
In attempts to make a final push in the third quarter, the Dragons made a huge effort to get back into the game. Along with another deep three pointer by Drucker, Banola-Castillo and John Cassidy ‘24 made a series of unanswered layups, closing out the third quarter still behind, 32-44.
Going into the final quarter, both teams looked to make a final push to the end. The quarter started with three straight buckets from Newbury which extended their lead, 50-32. On the other end, Spencer and Liam Macario ‘25 answered with layups of their own, making it 50-36.
With a last second shot by Guce from half court, the score was 50-39 in favor of Newbury, the buzzer sound after a long, hard fought battle. Because of the loss, Banola-Castillo described, “help defense and not being one-on-one,” as some things the Dragons could work on going forward.
The Dragons look to walk away with a win after their next game against Hillcrest Christian School on Dec. 21, 2023.
