Bad start to 2nd half does in 7th grade

The road to a championship just got even tougher for the 7th grade boys.

They were outplayed in Pacifica Friday night and lost 49-39, dropping them to (3-2) on the season. It also marked the second time they have lost outside of San Francisco, making that drive home even longer.

What they must ponder is why they weren't ready to play to start either half.

For the second straight week, they came out flat and were trailing 9-4 minutes into the game. Leslie was forced to burn another early timeout to jump start the team. It did help briefly as they trimmed the lead to one midway through the 2nd quarter. But a few late buckets by the other team made it a 19-13 game at halftime.

Any thoughts of a second half comeback was erased minutes into the 3rd quarter when the other team went on a 7-0 run. They pushed their lead to as much as 16 and the 7th grade boys could never recover.

Jonathan had a rough first half, but pulled it together from long range in the second half, hitting four 3 pointers. But even that wasn't enough for the 7th grade.

Defensively, they were shredded, giving up easy passes to the basket, and another handful off of out of bounds plays. Too many times, they look like bad NFL cornerbacks who don't have vision on the ball. They stick to their man, but have no clue when the ball is coming. At least three times, the other team caught the ball by the basket, because a St. Mary's had his back to the ball.

Much like their handful of losses in the last few years, it was their defense that bit them. Giving up close to 50 points will rarely get the job done.

If they were hoping to outscore the other team, that wasn't going to happen because there aren't enough players on the team who can put up consistent points besides Jason Lei, Jonathan and Michael.

When this team loses, their turnovers, missed free throws and lack of rebounding are magnified.

They were able to cut the lead to seven midway through the 4th quarter, but nobody boxed out off a free throw. Instead of having the chance to make it a five point game, maybe even four, the other team scored and just like that, it was a nine point game.

Two more times in the fourth, the 7th grade failed to rebound off a free throw and the other team maintained possession.

Their two losses in the regular season are more than their losses in the last two seasons combined.

The margin of error is slim, and if they can't pull it together in the next few weeks, they might not even make the playoffs in this tough division.

CELEBRITY SIGHTING: The Great Vinette attended the game.