The buzzer rings and the crowd begins to cheer as players of the Boys Varsity Basketball team pump their fists triumphantly into the air, claiming the title of Rio Hondo League Champions against Blair on Feb. 7.
After attaining the title of leaguechamps, the Rams were eliminated in the second round of C.I.F. losing to Temescal Canyon last Friday.
One of the toughest games during league was against the La Cañada Spartans. The Rams were undefeated and the Spartans had suffered one loss coming into the game.
Therefore, La Cañada came out with high energy and intensity, wanting to beat Temple City. But with home court advantage, the Rams were able to hit their shots taking a 38-21 lead at halftime. In the third quarter, the boys outscored their opponents by 10 points, securing a victory.
“We knew La Cañada was the only team standing in our way of an undefeated season because of their experience and size,” Senior Felix Awujo said. “We won the game because we pressured the ball forcing the other team to turn the ball over.”
The boys kept their streak with a win against the Monrovia Wildcats on senior night by a margin of 10 points. During the next game, the starting unit played with high intensity closing the season, crushing the Blair Vikings with a final score of 79-53.
“I feel our starting group this year is really strong because we have played together for two years,” Senior Kasmir Khaliq said. “Our experience really helped us advance past the first round of C.I.F.”
The Rams added many new offensive and defensive strategies this year. Another factor that helped the team suceed was having an injury-free season.
“Our summer workouts along with long practices in the gym finally felt worthwhile,” Junior Andrew Pau said. “We had some close games because of players getting sick, but luckily we were all healthy before C.I.F.”
In the first round of C.I.F., Temple City played the West Valley High School Mustangs. The Rams came out shooting the ball well and playing tight defense giving them an early edge of 47-24 at halftime.
However, the Mustangs bounced back, cutting the lead to four points in the fourth quarter, but the Rams made free throws at the end allowing them to win by seven points.
The Rams were not as fortunate in the second round suffering a loss to the Temescal Canyon Titans 61-67. The boys had an early lead, but lost it and were never able to recover from the halftime deficit of five points against the Titans.
“It was a great season and I am sad it had to end this way,” Senior Brandon Lee said. “I really wanted to win, but we missed the shots we usually make and we didn’t rebound the ball as well as we have in other games.”
Boys Varsity Basketball finished in third place last year in league, but were eliminated from C.I.F. in the first round. The boys improved compared to last year, finishing first overall and losing in the second round of C.I.F.