Comeback forces tie-breaker, but Avalon comes up short
The Avalon boys basketball team ended its season on Wednesday, Feb. 5, against Webb High School 52-39 on the mainland, but they did not go down without a fight.
The Lancers earned a 3rd place tie with Webb in league play by beating them at home in a comeback thriller on Saturday, Feb. 3, thus forcing a playoff game to decide who would go to the CIF Playoffs. Before the game on Saturday the team honored its senior players Joe Ruiz, Brandon Tamayo, and Jacob Mello with flowers, gifts, and kind words; all in the company of family, friends, and fans.
After the pregame ceremony it was game on and the Lancers fought for 3 and half quarters but to no avail. Avalon entered the final 4 minutes of the game down by 13 points and facing a season ending defeat. However, they dug down deep into their tank and orchestrated a comeback for the ages, behind the spectacular offensive play of Jacob Mello, Erick Madriz, and Jackson Garcia and the lockdown defense applied by Joe Ruiz and Morgan Curiel.
The victory meant that The Lancers would have to play Webb again to decide who got the 3rd and final playoff spot for the Academy League. Unfortunately, Avalon came up short in the tiebreaker game against Webb and will now have to wait until next season to wage revenge on the Gauls. Congratulations to our seniors for really stepping up to the plate in their last home game and giving their fans a performance they will never forget.
