The Avalon boys varsity basketball team is half way through their league schedule and for the second year in a row they find themselves in the hunt for a league championship. They are currently 4-1 in league competition and have 5 games remaining on their league schedule, all at home. In other words, they control their own destiny and could use a little local support to help them in their quest for back to back titles.
Avalon opened their league schedule on Friday, Jan. 10 against La Verne Lutheran. The Lancers came out on fire and never looked back, winning by a score of 88-21. Everybody contributed in this game. Allen Arneson was unstoppable, scoring 28 points, mostly on the inside and Jesse Machado took care of business from the outside, scoring 15 points, mostly from 3-point shots. Rylan Flynn came off the bench to score a season high 10 points. Sol Vines had 9 points and Tony Ramos scored 8 points and had 5 steals. Ramos has been a welcome addition to the point guard position, allowing Machado to play the 2 spot and therefore get more shots, which is his expertise.
The following day Lutheran came ready to play and the Lancers were caught by surprise and trailed 36-29 at halftime and were in need of a wakeup call. The call came in the second half where the Lancers outscored the Trojans 40-12 and reassured everybody that they are an improved team that can now handle adversity much better. Once again Allen Arneson was the top scorer with 25 points.
He also had 6 rebounds. Sol Vines contributed 10 points to the cause. Tony Ramos and De Angelo Reyes led the defensive charge in the second half. Ramos had numerous deflections and was all over the court while Reyes had three steals. These two football/basketball players have brought a lot of mental discipline and physical aggressiveness to the squad.
On Jan. 14 the Lancers traveled to Santa Ana to face Samueli Academy and once again the Lancers came out on fire, scoring 29 points in the 1st quarter and 25 in the second to take a 54-9 lead at halftime. The final score was Avalon 79, Samueli 23. Everyone got in on the action in this game. Allen Arneson had 16 points and 8 rebounds. Daniel Madriz had 15 points on five three pointers. Point Guard Tony Ramos led the show with 13 points and eight steals. Ramos’ defensive tenacity has set the tone for Avalon’s future.
On Saturday, Jan. 18 the Lancers traveled to Huntington Beach to face Brethren Christian and unfortunately lost their first league game in two years. It was a tense game that came down to the wire. However, this time Avalon came out on the short end. The Lancers started slow and the Warriors jumped out to a 17-10 first quarter lead and a 27-18 halftime advantage.
The Lancers came charging back in the second half to make it a game for the ages, due to a pressing defense and Sol Vines’ dominate play on offense. Avalon took a four-point lead with 3 minutes remaining in the game but unfortunately lost that lead in the final seconds on a three-point bomb from the corner by their star player Jay Knowles. The Lancers missed a last second shot and finally felt the pain of a league loss for the first time in two years.
This loss means that the Lancers will have to continue to fight if they want to win another league title. They are still in first place and control their own destiny. On Monday, Jan. 20 the Lancers faced St. Michaels Academy at the beautiful Ladera Sports Center in Ladera Ranch, California. Avalon again started well, but so did St. Michaels. Both teams fought hard in the 1st quarter, but the Archangels fought harder and jumped out to a 21-13 lead.
However, Avalon came charging back in the 2nd quarter and took control of the game. The Lancers led at halftime 36-27 and felt good about their play. In the 3rd quarter Avalon couldn’t miss and turned a close game into a rout. The final score was Avalon 71, St. Michaels 42. Allen Arneson had 20 points, 18 rebounds and 4 assists. Arneson has become quite a force for the Lancers. Jesse Machado caught fire again from afar and drained six 3 pointers, finishing with 22 points in all.
Senior Dominic Hernandez came off the bench to provide a defensive spark with 7 rebounds. Sol Vines took care of the midrange, hitting four jumpers from the elbow. Again, Tony Ramos led the team with his lockdown defense.
The Lancers are in first place all by themselves. They have five league games remaining, all at home. Please come on up and support your local high school hoopsters. We play Acaciawood on Friday at 5:30 p.m. and then again on Saturday at 10 a.m.
