On Tuesday, Jan. 17, Varsity Boys Basketball won 52-42 against Lynbrook High School. The game started with MVHS gaining a 10-point lead with a score of 17-7 in the first quarter. LHS started to catch up in the second quarter due in large part to the sizable number of fouls that MVHS committed, turning the score to 30-22 in favor of MVHS. However, MVHS started the fourth quarter with two-point shots, securing and maintaining its lead against LHS to the end of the game.
According to senior and point guard Jake Nakamura, the team is very defense-centric. After two straight losses near the start of the season, the team worked hard on defending the paint, which is the rectangle that extends to the free throw line, and improving other defensive skills which head coach Wade Nakamura commends the team for.
“It’s a mindset that we’re trying to change just in our basketball culture at Monta Vista,” Wade Nakamura said. “Players want to play offense but don’t want to work hard on defense. And since we’re not that prolific offensively, we’re trying to change the focus, like our staple needs, to be that we get after it on the defensive end. And then hopefully, shots fall and we’re able to have a chance.”
One sticking point in the game was the large number of fouls. Although MVHS consistently stayed ahead of LHS, its large lead was narrowed when MVHS allowed its opponents to take numerous free throws. Wade Nakamura cited the second quarter as one instance where LHS scored many points due to fouls.
“We made some questionable decisions in terms of fouls,” Wade Nakamura said. “We committed fouls 90 feet away from the basket. That’s just not smart. Our basketball IQ needs to improve.”
However, both Wade Nakamura and junior and point guard Stanley Du believe that their hard work in practice paid off as it was the team’s defensive pressure that ultimately helped win the game.
“We came out with good pressure,” Du said. “They really could not handle our pressure because we were being so aggressive and we got into their space. I thought we did a good job with that.”
