The team wins its last game of the Clash on the Coast Tournament.
By Davis Thacker
Special to The Malibu Times
The Malibu High School Varsity Boys Basketball team ended its participation in the annual Clash on the Coast Tournament with an 82-36 win over the Sun Valley High School Wildcats. The win came after three losses in the tournament against Oxnard, Righetti and Bell-Jeff schools.
“We ended on a high note, and we have another game against Rio Mesa on Thursday, so we need to start preparing and practicing for that and hopefully get a win,” Sharks Head Coach Bobby Tenorio said.
The game against the Wildcats began with the Sharks running hard and fast right out of the gate. The Sharks made it its mission to control the tempo and keep the game at its pace, and, for the most part, the team did exactly that for the majority of the game. At the end of the first quarter, the Sharks held a 16-point lead that grew as the game progressed.
“When we control the tempo and we demand what we want, we’re a tough team to beat,” Tenorio said. “But we’re still a young team and we’re still trying to learn that, but once we get it going we’re going to be tough.”
Tenorio also attributed Saturday’s win against Sun Valley to a very strong inside-outside game. Many times during the game, the Sharks would pass the ball to the inside, either for a score or to draw a double-team and then kick it to an outside shooter. Freshman center Justin Holmes was one of the Sharks’ main inside players, while junior Jack Platner proved to be one of the Sharks’ leading outside players. Holmes and Platner led the Sharks in points with 32 and 19 respectively.
Entering his second year coaching the Sharks Tenorio, has had to make many adjustments during the transition from last year’s team to this year. The Sharks lost four senior starters from last year, including the Sharks’ leaders in points, rebounds, blocks, steals and assists. Along with losing the statistics that last year’s seniors provided, Tenorio said their leadership would be missed this season.
“Last year we were full of seniors so the leadership was there, but this year we are still trying to figure out who is going to take that role,” Tenorio said. “It may be a freshman, it may be a junior.”
This year’s team returns only two players, junior starters Platner and Kyle Sandler. Still, Tenorio believes this team is one of the smartest and most knowledgeable teams he has coached.
“I’ve changed my whole lineup from last year. We’re running a lot of different motions because we have quicker guys this year,” Tenorio said. “Last year we had more athletes while this year we have more guys who know basketball, so I need to put guys in situations and positions that let them shine.”
This week the Sharks will face off against Rio Mesa in what should prove to be another tough contest that will prepare them for their league opponents.