The Avalon Boys Basketball season is under way and the Lancers have taken some hard knocks so far. They opened their season on Friday, Dec. 1 against Oxford Academy. With only a week of practice as a full team the Lancers surprisingly came out competitive and ready to go.
They trailed 20-15 at the end of the first period and looked ready to compete. However, at the beginning of the second quarter the Patriots began to apply full court pressure and the Lancers did not handle it very well, turning the ball over numerous times and scoring only two points in the quarter. They trailed 34-17 at the half.
Avalon picked it up in the second half and fought their way back into the game. They played even with the Patriots the entire second half but could not make up the deficit from the second quarter. The final score was Oxford 65 and Avalon 43. Jacob Mello led the team in scoring with 16 points. Darren Hall finished with 10 points and 10 rebounds
The following day Avalon faced the Buckley Griffins, a former Liberty League rival, from Sherman Oaks. The Griffins outmatched the Lancers from the beginning and put on quite a show from both inside and outside the paint. The final score was Buckley 74 and Avalon 31.
Jacob Mello led the Lancers in scoring with 11 points and Darren Hall added 8 points and 10 rebounds to the cause. Hopefully the Lancers were able to acquire some of the techniques, strategies and skills exhibited by the Griffins. In this way their early season losses against bigger schools will serve a purpose of preparing them for league competition.
In their third game of the season Avalon faced Newport Christian on Monday, Dec. 11, at home. It was a close game at the beginning, until the second quarter, when the Lancers went on a dry spell and did not score for a long stretch of play. They trailed 40-23 at halftime but never quit. In the fourth quarter the Lancers came storming back by using a full court press. Avalon was behind 60-45 with a little over 4 minutes remaining in the game and before you knew it they trailed 66-60 with a little under 2 minutes remaining in the game.
Unfortunately, the Lancers came up short in their comeback bid but they definitely showed a lot of heart and some newfound skill. They were led by Darren Hall, who scored 21 points and grabbed 8 rebounds. Brandon Moreno contributed 10 points to the cause and Jacob Mello sparked the comeback by scoring 12 points and grabbing 3 steals. The Lancers next set of games are at home Thursday, Dec. 21 at 5 p.m. versus Norwalk High School (past press time) and Friday, Dec. 22 at 6 p.m. versus Ocean View High School. Come on up and support your local high school hoopsters.
