Varsity Boys Basketball fell to Lynbrook High School 65-63 on Friday, Jan. 24, with a last-minute jump shot, ultimately losing the nail-biter game. Both teams showcased their offensive prowess in the paint, going basket-for-basket and trading leads throughout the first half. Still, LHS capitalized on a string of turnovers made by MVHS, closing the half with a five point lead.
MVHS struggled to recover the deficit in the third quarter, with LHS’s lead growing up to a formidable 12 points. Despite playing from behind, the Matadors remained headstrong by tightening up their offense and targeting key LHS players on defense in the second half. In particular, sophomore and guard Daniel Ji dominated offensively, scoring nine of the 15 total points in the fourth quarter to bring the team back into the game. However, with just six seconds left on the clock and the teams tied 63-63, a LHS guard scored a heart-breaking mid-range shot to pull ahead and win the game.
Senior and captain Ninad Suresh says the defensive breakdown on the last shot of the game was due to miscommunication between players, an issue that the team has struggled with all season. Suresh felt the game was winnable, but the victory ultimately slipped through their fingers.
“We put in a lot of hours on the off season, and we’ve developed a good culture here,” Suresh said. “Coming into this game, we had more talent, for sure. They were just more together in terms of how they communicate and how they take care of the ball. That ultimately was what lost us the game.”
Head Coach Wade Nakamura agrees with Suresh, emphasizing the importance of sound fundamentals: rebounding, free throws, and good defense. He explains that the team struggles to handle high-pressure environments including having to close out tense games within a win. Nevertheless, he commends the team for persevering and continuing to fight even after being down by 12 points.
“No matter what, we’re going to have ups and downs in the game,” Nakamura said. “We have to continue to play how we play and hopefully get better with every quarter. Our goal is to get better as the game progresses and I thought that we did that. We knocked down some shots, we defended, we gave ourselves opportunities and we gave ourselves a chance to win. Unfortunately, we’ve been coming out on the losing end of these types of scenarios.”
