One thing is for sure: Malibu High School’s (MHS) girls basketball team can run.
The Sharks sprinted while completing pre-game exercises, and then the squad sprinted even more as they outran an overmatched Central City High Jaguars team during a June 27 summer basketball league game.
Led by guards Gianna Chaisson and Alana Baer, the Sharks completed fast break bucket after fast break bucket as they knocked off the Jaguars, 38-7, at the Vaughn Next Century Learning Center in San Fernando.
Malibu coach Andy Meyer said he wants his squad to learn to play at a quicker pace this summer in preparation for the 2015-16 season.
“We are trying to play a little bit more up-tempo and put in a new press [on defense],” he said. “We want to push the ball more.”
The Sharks have been working on high-octane play during two summer leagues. They have been participating in a Saturday league at the learning center and a Wednesday league at Viewpoint School in Calabasas. Both leagues contain high school and club teams from the Los Angeles area.
Baer got Malibu’s offense revving against Central City. She hit a three-pointer after a Jaguars turnover to start the game. Then, she scored a fast break layup and drew a foul. Baer hit the foul shot to give Malibu a 6-0 lead.
Ana Cervantes made two foul shots and Ari Ross scored a basket after Kendall Jordan grabbed an offensive rebound to give Malibu a bigger lead.
A few plays later, the Jaguars’ defense caused Chaisson to lose the ball, but the point guard recovered it and led another fast break that resulted in a layup for Ross.
Chaisson gave Malibu a 20-0 lead going into halftime when she scored two consecutive fast break buckets.
The Jaguars managed to score five points in the early portion of the second half, but the running Sharks were too much for them.
Malibu’s wing players continued to push the ball up the court as the lead ballooned to 32-5. Jordan scored the last points of the game on a layup after grabbing an offensive rebound.
Meyer said the team played well and ran the fast break efficiently.
“We worked on running the ball more,” he said. “We did a good job with that.”
The Sharks’ victory over the Jaguars was their first win of the summer, but Meyer said wins and losses don’t matter much in June and July. The coach said he just wants the team to get better.
“Getting us ready for next year is the important thing,” Meyer said.
Malibu posted a 15-11 overall record and an 8-6 record in the Frontier League last season. They also made the CIF playoffs. Malibu’s team will be full of seniors this coming season, so they are expected to do well.
Meyer mentioned he has already seen progress during the offseason.
“We had some spring practices where we worked on our ball-handling since that has been a weakness,” Meyer said. “There has been some improvement with that, which is nice to see.”