Malibu High boys’ basketball win league title

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Malibu Coach Bobby Tenorio led the Sharks to the Frontier League championship this season. Photo by Dick Dornana / TMT

The Malibu High boys’ basketball team won the program’s first outright Frontier League title in school history and its first league championship since 2007 after a convincing 66-43 road victory last Friday against Grace Brethren. The Sharks remain undefeated in league (9-0) with one more regular season game remaining.

“It’s always a good feeling to bring it to a school that hasn’t had much publicity for its basketball program,” Coach Bobby Tenorio said. “It hasn’t happened in a while and I’m pretty excited for the kids. It’s not for me but rather for them because they deserved it.”

Ever since returning from a mid-season trip to Orlando, Florida, where they faced three tough teams from the East Coast, the Sharks have been simply dominant. They have outscored their Frontier League opposition by an average of 19.1 points per game and snatched two hotly contested games away from Bishop Diego, the defending league champion.

Before a loud and enthusiastic crowd in the ‘Shark Tank’ on Jan. 27, Malibu (17-7) pulled out a thrilling 46-41 win by overcoming a fourth quarter deficit and taking the lead for good on center Justin Holmes’ three-point play with less than two minutes remaining. Three weeks earlier, MHS had beaten Bishop Diego on the Cardinals’ home court 55-52. Bishop Diego is currently in second place, two games behind the front-running Sharks.

“It was probably the biggest game most of us have ever played in,” said senior Harrison Kaplan. “Our fans were great. We knew it would be a tough challenge. It was a great win and after the game everyone went crazy.”

The Sharks entered last week on a seven-game winning streak, knowing they could clinch a league title by winning their road games on Wednesday and Friday. After trailing 32-27 at halftime at rival Villanova Prep, the Sharks regrouped in a major way and outscored the Wildcats 19-9 in the third quarter and 17-8 in the fourth to deny Villanova Prep any chance of an upset with a 63-49 victory.  

Two days later, Malibu traveled to Simi Valley to face Grace Brethren with a chance to win their first league title in five years. After a slow start, the Sharks went for the kill early in the second quarter and subdued the boisterous Lancer faithful by taking a 34-19 halftime lead. MHS never looked backed as they coasted to the 23-point win and the outright Frontier League championship.

“We have been playing really well,” said Tenorio, who is in his third year as head coach. “Our execution has been good on both sides of the ball. The boys play hard and they believe in each other.”

Malibu shared the Frontier League title with Saint Bonaventure in 2007 with a 6-2 mark. One more win versus Carpinteria this week will complete an undefeated and perfect 10-0 league record, another first in the program’s history.

“It would only be fitting to go out and finish 10-0,” senior captain Kyle Sandler, a four-year varsity player, said. “We were 0-10 my freshman year. We’ve been working hard for this the last few years. It feels like we earned the title and nothing was given to us.”

The recipe of a champion included four returning starters and eight lettermen from last year’s squad. In addition, MHS brought back its top six scorers from a year ago. Mix in a solid sixth man in Harrison Kaplan and a young and inspired head coach and the makings of a champion came together perfectly during the last three months.

Tenorio’s first two seasons on campus were 8-19 in 2010 and 9-18 in 2011, with a total of seven combined league victories. But his patience, motivation and commitment to building a solid foundation proved successful this year as the Sharks will head into the postseason with confidence and momentum.

The next step comes next week as the Sharks make a major step up in weight class. The California Interscholastic Federation Southern Section playoffs begin next Friday, February 17.  A team from the rugged Mission League or a formidable foe from the Pac-7 conference may await Malibu as a potential first-round matchup.  

Tenorio is under no illusions about the task that lies ahead.

“The team accomplished a goal that they set out to do [by winning the Frontier League],” Tenorio said. “It will be tough in our playoff division. We are Cocker Spaniels, while some of the teams we may be facing are German Shepherds. We need to have the right mindset to compete against some really good teams. Preparation is the key to success for us.”

What’s that old saying about the size of the dog in the fight? After a dream season that has taken it this far, Malibu will be hoping that scrap and hustle can carry it a little farther.