Varsity cagers anticipate success in league games
by Viviana Rodriguez & Ivy Xu
photo taken by Kaitlyn Do
Hoping to start the season strong, varsity cagers have a preseason record of 11-3 and will have their first Almont League game on Jan. 7.
The varsity cagers won their game on Dec. 12 against La Serna High 61-42.
“We want to be as competitive as possible in every game we play and since we have the players that know what they are doing we should have a pretty successful year. We have a lot of experience. I hope that they will come together and hopefully contend for league title,” said Rick Ronquillo, head varsity coach.
The cagers won the El Rancho Blue Pride Classic Tournament Dec. 8 at El Rancho High. In the tournament opener Dec. 4, the Spartans defeated West Covina High, 50-41. Next they faced Claremont High, Dec. 6, which the Spartans won, 66-57. On Dec. 7, the cagers played Marina High in the semifinals, winning 47-45 and advancing to the championship game against the Diamond Bar Brahmas.
“I think the most important thing for us to remember as a team is to not get too high on a win and not too low down on a loss,” said Jordan Pacheco. “As long as we stay composed and play the way we have to play, we should be fine.”
The Spartans defeated the Brahmas, 75-74, in a triple-overtime finish. Omar Olivas made a corner three-pointer allowing Spartans to lead with six seconds left.
“We always need to have each other’s backs on and off the court. We need to act like we’re poor, driven and hungry which is important to remember during a game,” said Olivas, senior.
Steven Davalos, senior, received MVP of the tournament for his play.
JV basketball has a preseason record of 6-1. They defeated La Serna at Wednesday’s tournament, 42-40.
Frosh basketball has a preseason record of 7-3. They were defeated by the La Serna Lancers, 69-60 at Wednesday’s game.
“I expect their best effort from the minute they walk into the gym until the moment they leave, whether it’s rivalry week or just a shoot-around practice,” said Freshman Coach Alex Noriega. “No one is perfect but we strive to be the closest thing to that.”