The Avalon Boys Varsity Basketball Team finally got to experience a victory at home on Tuesday, Jan. 13, against First Baptist of Long Beach.
The Lancers opened up their league season on Wednesday, Jan. 8, against Samueli Academy, on the road. The Firewolves came out on fire, no pun intended, and the Lancers could never catch up, even though they played pretty even after falling behind 23-11 in the first quarter. The final score was 58-36 and some good things happened. Senior Erick Madriz led the way with 17 points, 6 rebounds, and 6 blocked shots. Freshmen Elijah Hernandez added 8 points to the cause.
In their second league game of the season the Lancers returned home to play against longtime rival Southlands Christian. This time the Lancers came out sizzling, outscoring the Eagles 23-6 in the first quarter. Unfortunately, Southlands came roaring back to make a game of it and a young Avalon squad lost in a heartbreaker 50-49. Senior Erick Madriz was the leader for the Lancers again, scoring 21 points, grabbing 8 rebounds, and blocking 3 shots. Freshman Caidon Hall joined the party by adding 11 points and 5 rebounds.
The next morning the Lancers had to board a boat and go to the mainland and play another league game, this one against Acaciawood Academy. Avalon came out ready to play against an even tougher opponent than the night before and took a 25-19 lead into halftime. However Senior Madriz took a nasty spill on a cement like floor and was physically limited in the 2nd half. He no longer was able to soar through the air and dominate like he did in the first half. Nevertheless, the Lancers fought valiantly until the end but unfortunately came up short by a score of 51-44. Madriz finished with 17 points, 10 rebounds, and 6 blocked shots. Elijah Hernandez contributed 8 points to the cause.
Our next game took place on Tuesday, Jan. 13 and that’s when the Lancers finally put together four good quarters of basketball and emerged with their first win of the season. It was a total team victory as everyone who played contributed something positive to the cause. Once again Erick Madriz was the leader with 20 points, 6 rebounds, 3 steals, and 2 blocks. However, in this game there was a strong supporting cast. Birthday Boy Caidon Hall celebrated his birthday in fine fashion, scoring a career high 19 points and grabbing 5 rebounds. Senior Point Guard Morgan Curiel played his best game of the season, scoring 9 points, dishing out 5 assists, and leading his team to victory with poised play at the end to seal the deal. Junior Brandon Tejeda dominated the defensive boards with 8 rebounds and Freshman Elijah Hernandez came alive in the 3rd quarter scoring 5 points and hitting a critical three-pointer in the third quarter. Sophomore Jackson Garcia, and Freshmen Allen Tamayo and Miguel Murillo came off the bench in the first half and all three played well and preserved our starters from foul trouble, which has been an issue all season long. This also provided Hall and Tejeda with a much-needed rest and were able to save some of their energy for the second half.
The Lancers have 3 home games remaining on their regular season schedule: Friday, Jan. 15 at 5 p.m., Friday Jan. 23 at 5 p.m., and Saturday, Jan. 24 at 1:30 p.m.
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