Varsity Boys Basketball defeated Cupertino High School 49-32 on Wednesday, Jan. 22. MVHS started out strong, outscoring CHS 18-5 in the first quarter. However, CHS was able to close the gap to 20-18 by halftime. After recovering in the second half, the Matadors regained their footing and developed a substantial lead to win the game.
Junior and power forward Sean Foo attributes CHS’ 13-5 scoring run in the second quarter to a defensive lapse. He says the team was still warming up during the first half, allowing CHS to close MVHS’ lead.
“We tend to start slow, but once we get in the rhythm after the first half, we do better,” Foo said. “We should focus on starting strong. Everyone needs to come out with that attitude of ‘I need to give it 100% from the tip.’”
Foo says the team switched from man coverage to zone defense, constraining CHS’ offense during the second half and limiting them to 14 points, compared to MVHS’ 29. He believes the game’s turning point was when MVHS regained their lead during the second half.
“A memorable moment was when I set a screen for Daniel Ji, and he hit the three, which gave us the lead,” Foo said. “From that moment, we knew we needed to actually turn up and win the game. That’s when we started doing well.”
Head Coach Wade Nakamura believes that MVHS stayed relatively consistent this game, with the seniors and point guards making fewer turnovers and mistakes on the court. Nakamura says the team communicated well and remained focused on the game throughout.
“There’s always one or two people who are sleeping, not communicating, and not dialed in,” Nakamura said. “I felt like, tonight, we were pretty dialed in. You have to be against CHS. They’re so disciplined.”
Overall, Foo is optimistic about the team’s future and hopes this game will give them momentum for their coming games. MVHS started the season out with a record of 10-1, which fell to 11-5 heading into this game against CHS.
“I think this was a really crucial win,” Foo said. “Lately, we’ve been losing more. I think this is going to help motivate everyone for the next game and hopefully start a new winning streak.”
