Varsity Boys Basketball won 48-40 in a home game against Wilcox High School on Tuesday, Jan. 27. After a slow start in the first quarter, with neither team scoring many points, MVHS trailed 9-6. Though the pace of the game picked up slightly in the second quarter, MVHS was still down 22-19. However, as MVHS switched to zone defense, it started the third quarter with six points off the bat, picking up defensive pressure and offensive drive to end the quarter with a lead of 36-29. Carrying that energy to the last quarter with better shooting and more steals, the Matadors won the game 48-40.
Head Coach Wade Nakamura shares that a slow start in the first half forced them to play on the trailing end for a majority of the game, something they could not afford to do with two starters injured. Especially when playing easier teams, Nakamura says they need to come out on top earlier to secure any win possible.
“Our strategy has changed for sure,” Nakamura said. “We’re playing a lot more zone, and we’re not as deep. We’re relying on a lot of players that we weren’t relying on to play a certain role. Everybody’s role has changed a little bit, and it takes time for that to happen. We have some kids that are first-year varsity, so it takes some time to adjust to the speed and aggressiveness of the game.”
Despite the loss of starters sophomore Leo Lee and senior Sean Foo, senior and shooting guard Kendrick Wong reflects positively on the game, emphasizing that this factor has pushed the team to grow in an unexpected way. Players have been forced to communicate more and place greater trust in other teammates, which Wong attributes to the entire team’s improved synergy and trust.
“In the beginning, team chemistry was slightly shaky,” Wong said. “But in the end, we still had the team chemistry to persevere and just to continue on the entire game. I think I was actually running stronger, because now everyone has to step up, and everyone just believes in each other and everyone else’s abilities.”
Senior, small forward and captain Ryan Shen believes that he’s adapted to this change by playing more positions himself. By adding new game-day habits, like shooting during halftime, he was able to score a key three-pointer going into the third quarter that shifted the trajectory of the game.
“I’ve definitely had to expand my role,” Shen said. “I now play more as a center and power forward now, whereas before, I stuck to playing the small forward position. I feel like I had to step up more on getting rebounds and getting boards for our team, because the two players we lost, Leo and Sean, were key centers to our team.”
With only five league games left before CCS playoffs, Nakamura hopes that the effort his team has been putting in on the court will stay consistent as they continue implementing changes into their play. For example, junior Daniel Ji, the team’s starting point guard, stepped up to play defense during the second half of the game, something Nakamura says he did well.
“We don’t have a lot of time,” Nakamura said. “We’re just doing the best we can with the personnel we have. But we’ve been playing tough. Injuries happen and things happen, and you just have to make adjustments.”
