The roller-coaster ride that has been the Malibu High School varsity boys basketball team’s season finally came to an end last Wednesday with a 41-73 loss to Paraclete High School in the first round of playoffs.
After starting the season 3-0, the Sharks hit a mid-season slump that included a 0-4 start in Frontier League play. However, the boys captured their first league win of the season on Jan. 21 with their 53-40 win over Carpinteria. This proved to be the turning point in the teams’ season, as the Sharks went on to win four of their last six games and capture fourth place in the Frontier League.
Because of the strong end to their regular season, the Sharks were able to capture an at-large playoff spot in the Division 4A playoffs. Unfortunately, because of the team’s early league struggles, they were matched up against a Paraclete squad that was seeded third in the playoffs.
The Sharks traveled to Paraclete High School in Lancaster to take on the Spirits team that boasted a notable size difference over the Sharks. Included in the Spirits’ starting lineup were two 6-foot, 7-inch tall forwards, as well as a 7-foot, 1-inch tall center. Matching up against these players were the Sharks who are 6-2, 6-3 and 6-4. As a result, the Spirits were able to exploit their notable size difference throughout the game.
The Sharks were able to keep the game close in the first quarter, but the Spirits proved to be simply too big and too strong for the Sharks to handle. Paraclete opened up a 15-point lead during the second quarter and never looked back. The Spirits went on to win the game by a score of 73-41, but went on to lose in the next round of playoffs to La Salle High School.
As for the Sharks, while they were unable to capture an elusive Frontier League title and a deep run into CIF playoffs, the team can take solace in the fact that they will return their whole starting lineup to the court next season. Junior starters Kyle Sandler, Jack Platner and Harrison Kaplan will look to lead the team as seniors next season while sophomore Will Rosenthal and freshman Justin Holmes continue to improve and develop. Holmes, who led the Sharks in points per game (15) and rebounds per game (10), will be especially instrumental in the Sharks’ success next season.
The Sharks ended their season with an 8-19 record overall, and a 4-6 record in league after going 3-7 in league last year.