.

.

Saturday, February 27, 2010

8th grade girls prevail in OT

The 8th grade girls played their best basketball of the tournament and were rewarded with a 23-22 victory in overtime.

Tianna hit one free-throw in overtime and that was the only scoring from either team. They played some good defense and took care of the ball good enough and came away with win number one.

The girls were much more aggressive in this game in taking it to the basket and the results showed. 23 points is the most ever this team has scored in their now two plus years of playing basketball.

In the first two games of the tournament, the girls just could not hit their shots. Each game, they got open looks and lay-ups, but were unable to get the ball in the basket in the previous two games. Today, they did so early on and the girls were able to generate some momentum offensively.

Melinda, who had a career-high 8 points, did a great job today and has looked strong the last two games after a tough outing in game one of the tournament. She's been pushing the ball a lot more this year and taking it more to the hoop. Tianna had 9 points to lead the way. Emily scored 4 points and Tiffany scored for the first time this year on a beautiful lay-up in the first half.

This win should do a lot for their confidence as they struggled the first two games. Today, they slugged it out against a very physical and rough team and were able to hold their ground and make shots.

It was an early start, but the girls were ready from the get go. They trailed 13-12 at the half, and took a one point lead into the third.

Derek was not at this game.

Friday, February 26, 2010

8th grade girls can't find basket

The 8th grade girls lost for the second straight game, this time a 21-6 defeat in round two of the CYO preseason tournament.

Their offense simply cannot score. They have opportunities to, but they can't. The girls missed countless wide open lay-up by the basket and could not get any momentum going the entire game.

In the first half, they turned the ball over too many times to generate any type of rhythm. Their passing was poor and most of their turnovers led to easy baskets by the other team.

The defense has managed to hold teams in check the last two games, but when the score is stuck in single digits, it's hard to feel confident and make shots.

They play tomorrow morning at 9 a.m. in round three of the tournament.

Thursday, February 25, 2010

7th grade takes second in the tournament

The 7th grade girls fell back down to earth a bit tonight as they were dominated in the CYO Tournament Championship.

Not one part of there game was in sync in the third game of the tourney and they only mustered 7 points in the entire game, all scored by Marissa.

Despite the loss, they took second place in the preseason tournament, a St. Mary's first.

Wednesday, February 24, 2010

Happy Birthday to Jeremy

8th grade girls lose in tournament debut

The 8th grade girls kept it close at the half and were trailing only 8-4, but a third quarter meltdown that saw them outscored 14-2 in the quarter lead to a 27-10 loss in round one of the CYO Tournament.

They had a lot of good looks early in the game, but were unable to make their lay-ups and open shots. They eventually wore down and the other team went on to dominate the second half.

Tianna scored 6 points to lead the way. Emily had 2 points and Tiffany had 2 points, both on free-throws, where she was 2-for-2.

They play in round two at 5 p.m. Friday night.

Tuesday, February 23, 2010

7th grade girls take two in a row, will play for Tournament Championship Thursday

**HIGHLIGHTS UPDATED**
There's a certain aura about the Epiphany gym that brings out the best and strange out of St. Mary's teams.

The 7th grade girls, who like the 7th grade boys Red Team, have only five players. And at a little over two minutes left in the game, one of their players fouled out and they were left to play with only four players.

Beverlyn, who scored 4 points tonight, picked up her fifth foul late in the game and left the other girls 4-on-5 for the rest of the game.

It didn't matter, as the other four picked up the slack for the duration of the ballgame and won 14-8. They will now play in the CYO Preseason Tournament Championship this Thursday night.

Marissa had 9 points to lead the way for the second straight game, while Serina got on the score sheet for the first time this season with a free-throw in the second half.

The game was a lot slower and messier than yesterday, a sign that maybe the girls were a little fatigued from the day before. They had opportunities to really blow the game wide open, but they were unable to and let the other team just hang around. They got away with it today, but it's not something that should become a habit.

Their defense was strong throughout, holding a team to single digits in scoring, a sign of really good work on the defensive end. They pitched a shutout in the third quarter.

This will be the first time in school history that a St. Mary's team will play for the CYO Tournament Championship. The tournament is in its third year.

Monday, February 22, 2010

7th grade girls take round one on someone's birthday, Derek wins in Achievement Game

**Derek's Achievement Game Highlights Updated** See end of the post

The 7th grade girls picked up where the 7th grade boys left off and won round one of their CYO Tournament game 25-19.

Marissa had a game-high 19 points, including a three in the second half. She also shot 8-for-14 from the free-throw line.

Beverlyn, who celebrated her birthday today, scored 6 points. Happy birthday to her!

It took a while for the girls to get going but they took a 12-6 lead into halftime. Amanda, in her debut, made several steals on defense and looked pretty good in her first career CYO game.

This team has not had too much time to practice, so for them to win by seven in their first game was quite a feat. They played against OLP, the same team they beat last year for the championship.

They play in round two tomorrow night at 7 p.m. from Epiphany.

DEREK'S TEAM WINS ACHIEVEMENT GAME
Derek scored 4 points as his team won 50-47 at the CYO Achievement Game. Derek made a nice finger roll as he went to the basket and scored his other two points with a nice putback by the basket.

He ran the court well and did a lot of dribbling and distributing, setting up his other teammates for easy buckets.

Sunday, February 21, 2010

Quick All-Star Sunday Recap

It was probably one of the most eventful and fun weekends in the history of St. Mary's sports. Warriors game, championship and then All-Star Sunday today.

Onto today's results.

The Red Team dominated the White Team in the Young Stars Game. Justin was named the game's MVP. Ryan K. made his first basket ever on an And-1 in the first half.

Brandon T. wins the Young Stars Shootout, defeating Jonathan, who had a crazy first round. Jonathan hit his first five shots from the corner.

The coaches knockout game came down to two people who aren't officially a coach. Larry Wong, who did a tremendous job reffing the All-Star game, along with fellow alumni Donald Lee, went head to head at the end with Michael Chan, who stops by practice to help out with several teams. Michael outlasted Larry and won the contest.

I beasted Garrick with ease 3-0 in my first 1-on-1 contest of the day. Then I went up against Miles and felt the worst I've felt physically in quite some time. After tying it 1-1 on a shot just inside the 3-point arc, Miles drove by me twice and beat me 3-1.

I was physically too tired and was unable to compete in the third scheduled 1-on-1 match-up. My apologies.

The 3-point shootout went to Mark, who shot last in the first round and then first in the final round. Jeremy was the runner-up.

The 2-Ball Challenge for the younger grades went to Matt and Justin. This is the second win in a row for Matt, who won with Olivia last year. Andrew and Anthony were the runners-up.

And in the older grade 2-Ball Challenge, John Wang and Michael F. bested James and Michael N. This is the second 2-Ball win in a row for John Wang, who won it last year with Jeremy.

In the main event, the White Team beat the Red Team. Tommy was named the All-Star Game MVP.

A more detailed result will be available either later tonight or some time tomorrow.

I am tired and my back hurts, time to shower...

Derek selected to Achievement Game

Derek will represent St. Mary's at the CYO Achievement Game tomorrow night, featuring an 8th grader from every team in CYO.

The game will be played tomorrow night, 6:30 p.m. at St. Emydius. Be there to see Derek play his final basketball game in a St. Mary's uniform.

Saturday, February 20, 2010

7th grade wins the championship


The journey is complete.

Needing to win out, the 7th grade Red Team, consisting of only five players, did just that. They picked up wins in their last three regular season games to clinch the final playoff spot in the division, upset the number one and undefeated team in the semi-finals, and then went out this morning and won their first championship 41-37 over Cathedral.

It was a slow start to an otherwise exciting game, but the 7th grade boys pulled out to an early 7-0 lead. They closed out quarters with some huge baskets. Jeremy made a lay-up to end the first, and Miles had a buzzer-beater put back right before the half to make it a 25-15 game going into the break.

Miles had a game-high 14 points, was named the Round Table Pizza MVP and collected another double-double. He averaged 16 points in two playoff games.

But Miles put a scare into everyone by committing his fourth foul midway through the third quarter. But their offense was well spread throughout the game and the boys closed the game out for the title.

Their ability to respond was what put them over the hump today. Every time Cathedral made a big shot, the 7th graders would respond.

Michael N. drained three three-pointers and had 9 points, with each three coming at a crucial stage of the game. Jeremy had 11 points and hit a huge three pointer in the second half, as well as a lay-up toward the end of the game that sealed the deal.
Michael F. hit the first shot of the game again, and had two clutch free-throws down the stretch.

Justin had 3 points in the first quarter which gave them an early cushion and some confidence. He ran the point better as the year went on and cut down his turnovers by a huge margin.

They got away with some careless mistakes in this game, such as lob passes and not hitting some fast-break lay-ups. But they did enough in all the other aspects of the game to pull this one out to complete their dream season.

To even get to the playoffs was a struggle for this team, as they sat at (2-3), most likely needing to win every game from that point to even have a shot at winning the championship.

They played three teams on their home courts to close out the year, and then went to Epiphany to upset the previously (8-0) first place team.

Against Holy Name, they were down 13 points in the first half, and if they didn't make that comeback that game, we might not be talking about a championship today. They were only up three against St. Monica's in their final game heading into the fourth and played the final two minutes without Miles against Epiphany in last week's playoff game.

This team faced adversity and beat it every single time. Tonight, they will be cemented in history as one of the few teams that had only five players and won the championship.

CHAMPIONSHIP GAME BOXSCORE
Miles - 14 points
Jeremy - 11 points
Michael N. - 9 points
Michael F. - 4 points
Justin - 3 points

3-Pointers: Michael N. 3, Jeremy 1


Full Game Recap


RAW Video: Trophy Presentation



The Team Celebrates Outside -- James gets soaked


RAW HIGHLIGHTS PACKAGE



CHAMPIONSHIP VIDEO RETROSPECT

Friday, February 19, 2010

Friday Update

Warriors game tonight, 7th grade championship tomorrow and then All-Star Sunday on Sunday! Lot of stuff.

Be sure to be out there tomorrow to see the 7th grade's quest for the title.

Sunday practice schedule
7th grade - 10:30 a.m. - 12:30 p.m.
3rd grade - 11:30 a.m. - 1 p.m.
4th/5th grade - 12 p.m. - 1:30 p.m.
8th grade - 6 p.m. - 7:45 p.m.

Thursday, February 18, 2010

And the Warrior is...



As of right now, it is Anthony Marrow. So do your homework, read his bio, make sure you ask him some good questions when you meet him.

Be as quick as possible so everybody gets a chance to meet him. To save time, I encourage everyone to take group photos with him.

Also, limit your autographs to one per person. He may be around for only 10 minutes.

**Player subject to change without notice

All-Star Sunday Selections

The entire All-Star Sunday line-up has been released, and here is the rundown for the big shindig on Sunday.

• 1:30 p.m. – Young Stars Game
o Bryan’s 1-on-1 Challenge Game 1
• 2:30 p.m. – Young Stars Shootout
• 3 p.m. – Coaches Knockout Game
o Bryan’s 1-on-1 Challenge Game 2
• 3:15 p.m. – 3-Point Shootout
o Bryan’s 1-on-1 Challenge Game 3
• 3:45 p.m. – Million Dollar Shot
• 3:50 p.m. – Yus vs Lins
• 4:10 p.m. – Coaches/Players 2-Ball
• 5 p.m. – Coach Blindfold Shot
• 5:05 p.m. – All-Star Game

Young-Stars Shootout
Jonathan, Raymond, Justin, Brandon T., Aaron Pham

3-point Shootout Contestants
Hartman, Mark, Jeremy, Michael N., Tommy, Brandon

Yus vs Lins
Tommy/Gavin/Daniel vs Tiff/Marissa/Jonathan

2-Ball Teams

Freddy Ng – Daniel
Thanh Truong – Derek
James Chiu – Michael N
Vinette Ly – Justin
Tiffanie Vuong – Garrick
Alex Kawashima – Elliot
Matthew Chung – Justin
Jeffrey Hong – Mark
John Wang – Michael F.
Ronnie Leung – Gary
Andrew Chuong – Anthony
Clarissa Lee – Aaron

Million Dollar Shot

A player from grades 3-8 will be chosen at random to shoot a free-throw or 3-pointer for $50

Coach Blindfold Shot

A coach will be blind-folded and shoot a shot from half-court

Bryan 1-on-1 Challenge
3 random selected players from grades 6-8 will be selected to play Bryan 1-on-1

Young Stars Game
Team Red – Justin, Aaron, Brandon K., Willard, Ryan K., Justin L., Jonathan
Team White – Raymond, Daniel, Brendan, Brandon, Jason, Justin L., Ryan Q.

All-Star Game
Team Red – Derek, Justin, Mark, Gavin L., Hartman, Jason
Team White – Tommy, Elliot, Jeremy, Miles, Gavin C., Garrick

Wednesday, February 17, 2010

All-Star Selections, 8 picked...Warriors ticket update, baseball and Happy Birthday



All Warriors tickets will be distributed tomorrow at school. Please read the memo that was handed out word for word as there are many important details.

We need more players for baseball in every grade. Let's grow this sport like we did for basketball, so sign up or please sign your kids up to play.

And today we wish Tiffany a Happy Birthday.

Tuesday, February 16, 2010

Olympic Hockey

Sunday night, the NBA hosted the All-Star game, a collection of the best players in the NBA, playing in an exhibition game. The big names are a huge draw, but the game itself is nothing more than a circus act. Nobody plays defense, nobody cares if they win or lose.

The same could be said for pretty much any All-Star game in professional sports. It's basically a scrimmage and the intensity level is nowhere close to where it should be.

Enter Olympic Hockey.

At the current Olympic games in Vancouver, almost every team in the hockey tournament features NHL stars, like Sidney Crosby, Alexander Ovechkin and a plethora of San Jose Sharks. Most of you have never watched hockey, BUT this is hockey at its finest.

Imagine if you could have two NBA All-Star teams, playing 100%, fighting for the ball, trash talking, elbowing each other hard down low and wanting to win the game. Well, this is exactly what the Olympic hockey tournament is about.

Earlier today, Team USA's Bobby Ryan of the Ducks scored against his teammate Jonas Hiller, who plays for Team Switzerland. Only in hockey will you see these type of matchups where teammates go up against each other -- unless Carlos Boozer vs Mohmet Okur makes you lick your lips.

In 1992, the USA formed the Dream Team, the 11 best basketball players in the world and Christian Laettner, to compete in the Summer Olympics. They absolutely crushed everybody. It was an All-Star team that steamrolled their way to the gold medal.

Team Canada and Team Russia in hockey are almost assembled the same way, two powerhouses that are likely and favored to meet in the Gold Medal Game when it is all said and done.

Before 2009 ended, I went down to the Shark Tank and got some interviews with some of the Sharks who are representing Team Canada in the Olympic Games.

Sunday, February 14, 2010

Playoffs fallout...

Happy Chinese New Year and Valentine's Day to everybody. Slight tweaks in the practice schedule for the older teams, so please take note of that. Also, a 7th grade wrap-up video from their incredible game Friday night is at the end of this post, so please check that out!

SO...It was a pretty hectic and crazy three playoff games and now that we had some time to digest, let's take a look back at what went wrong, and what went right.

Read this post back from April of 2009, where I breakdown the keys to winning a basketball game. How do you win?

Three basic things that need to be done that can pretty much assure you a win in CYO.

Making Lay-Ups

The 8th grade missed countless lay-ups, -- their opening sequence featured 3-4 missed lay-ups. The 5th grade did not have that many opportunities at lay-ups, but the few they did have, they didn't convert.

Moving onto the 7th grade game, Miles made almost all his lay-ups by the basket off of the rebounds. Justin and Jeremy converted on most of theirs, and Michael Fong hit all four of his shots by the basket.

Free-Throws
The 8th grade did not make a free-throw until mid-way through the second quarter and shot 5-for-16 for the game. The 5th graders went 0-for-6.

However, the 7th grade did not shoot too much better from the line either, 6-for-18. But two of their free-throws that were made came at crucial times. Both times, they were up by only 3 points, a one possession game. Both times, Jeremy and Justin hit the free-throw to make it a 4-point game.

Not making free-throws killed Epiphany as they were down 45-42. They could've cut the lead down to a point, but their kid missed both of the shots.

Don't turn the ball over
The 8th grade had so many turnovers that led to fast break points for the other team. Lob passes, lazy passes, getting stripped, etc...The 5th grade also turned the ball over too much, dribbling into traffic, throwing a ball into a pool of defenders, getting the ball wrestled away from them.

Turnovers lead to easy baskets and that's what happened in those two games.

The 7th grade took care of the ball. They had a few turnovers, like all teams do, but they limited their mistakes.

So there you go. Unfortunately the 5th and 8th grade seasons came to an end, but keep the game of basketball simple and your team will be fine. Think back to the games you have lost in the past, were you able to make your lay-ups, free-throws and take care of the ball?

7TH GRADE WRAP



And in case you still haven't seen the highlights from Friday night's incredible game.

Saturday, February 13, 2010

5th grade offense stalls, fall short in playoff

The 5th grade boys knew their task ahead of them was difficult, playing the undefeated at number one ranked team in their division. For three quarters, they kept it close, but their offense went silent when they needed scores the most. The end result was a 24-12 loss in their first playoff game in team history.

Justin had 8 points in the first quarter, pushing the 5th grade out to a 8-6 lead after one. The other team had 10 players, a team that played the first and third, and a team that played the second and fourth. The 5th graders were able to handle the first and third quarter teams, but fell way short of the second and fourth quarter squads.

Case and point, they outscored the first and third quarter teams by a combined 10-6 in the game. Second and fourth quarter team came in and bested St. Mary's by a 18-2 margin.

The other team was bigger and stronger than our 5th graders. On several occasions, they would just rip the ball away from our players and head out on the fast break.

The 5th grade needed to play a perfect game in order to pull off an upset and they fell short of that.

Despite their loss, this was a pretty solid season for these boys, as they made the playoffs for the first time. Because of the potential and the skill level that they play at, they are placed in pretty tough divisions.

"This team is really good," said coach Matthew Chung. "They are really talented, everyone can score, everyone wants to play. They just need to focus a little more. I know they'll mature in this next year and be ready to play again."

Happy Birthday to...

In the midst of all this playoff action, we have a birthday today. Happy Birthday to Tianna.

Friday, February 12, 2010

Down to four, 7th grade still wins, championship bound

**HIGHLIGHTS BELOW**

In almost a mirror image of how the girls in the 7th grade won their championship last season, the boys, who were down to four players for the last two minutes of the game, won the most exciting St. Mary's game in the last several years 49-45, and are going to the championship.

The Red Team stormed out to a 16-8 lead and the undefeated (8-0) Epiphany had no clue what hit them. They extended their biggest lead a few minutes into the second quarter 23-10, but that's when Epiphany came storming back.

Epiphany was incredibly fast and their quickness showed in their 13-0 run to end the first half. They were able to push the ball off of some turnovers and rebounds, and just like that, the game was tied 23-23 at halftime.

A big factor in their run was when Miles picked up his fourth foul of the game midway through the second.

To start the third, the Red Team jumped right back on top, thanks to some great rebounding and outlet passes, which lead to numerous fast breaks. They played a solid third and went into the fourth quarter with a 33-30 lead.

This team seems geared for the fourth quarter, and they came out storming in the final and most important seven minutes of their season. Again, Miles was dominating the glass. Jeremy and Justin were running the fast break like it was practice. They pushed their lead to 11 points midway through the fourth.

Hanging on to a 45-40 lead with less than two minutes to go, Miles fouled out, committing his fifth foul of the game. The 7th grade played the final two minutes short-handed 5-on-4.

Epiphany split a pair of free throws, to make it a four point game. Then Michael F. hit a bank shot to extend the St. Mary's lead to six. Michael F. was 4-for-4 from the field and had 8 crucial points.

An Epiphany three would cut the lead in half, but Justin iced the game when he split his free-throws with 10.9 seconds left.

A desperation three ball went wide and the celebration began. The St. Mary's faithful who outnumbered Epiphany fans in their home gym went ballistic.

This game was an instant classic -- a roller coaster ride for the ages that everyone will remember for years to come.

Miles had a career-high 18 points. Justin also netted a career-high with 12 points, while Jeremy poured in 11 points.

Their championship game is scheduled for next Saturday.

Thursday, February 11, 2010

The end of an era

The 8th grade boys have played their last basketball game as students of St. Mary's.

There will be no fourth straight championship appearance for the 8th grade boys, as they fell in their playoff game tonight 45-31.

The theme of the game was the missed opportunities throughout. They simply had too many missed lay-ups, free-throws and turnovers to overcome.

It also didn't help that Derek picked up his fourth foul mid-way through the second quarter. The fourth foul was the most horrendous when it didn't appear that Derek even touched the other play, who took a basketball facial when the ball hit his face. The referee appeared to guess what happened, and he guessed Derek into his fourth foul. When Derek came out of the game, the wind was sucked out of the team and the score reflected that.

Trailing 19-11 at halftime, the 8th grade cut the lead to seven points midway through the third, but that's as close as it got. Gary grabbed several difficult rebounds, Brandon and Elliot were hustling all over the place, but nobody other than Derek was able to score, and that's what hurt them the most tonight.

From the free-throw line, they shot an anemic 5-for-21, and only made one free-throw the entire first half.

There were plenty of good looks on the night but the ball just did not cooperate and go in the basket. It all added to a frustrating way to end their careers at St. Mary's, but as a whole, this team did as much as it could. Every year they were faced with stiffer competition and year after year, they answered the bell.

And as they look back at their time at St. Mary's, they still will have three championship appearances under their belt, and that's nothing to be ashamed of.

Derek had a game-high 20 points in his final St. Mary's game.

Wednesday, February 10, 2010

8th grade playoff preview

At this time tomorrow night, we'll know the fate of the 8th grade boys and whether they will be playing for the championship for the fourth straight season.

What they have done the last four years is nothing short of remarkable, making the playoffs year after year. They have moved up divisions and still maintained strong play in the regular season and into the playoffs.

This year, however, is a bit different as they lost both Zach, one of their ball handlers, and Tom, who was a staple in the middle of that defense. Without Zach, other players on the team have been asked to step up and handle the ball. And with no Tom, others have been forced to rebound more than they are accustomed to. For the most part, each player has handled the challenge.

Tomorrow's outcome will hinge on how well they can break the press. The last time these teams met, the 8th grade was absolutely disastrous on the press break, unable to move the ball past half court. Nobody was making good cuts to get open and the inbound passes were terribly poor. They have had an entire season to rectify this and should be pumped up for the game tomorrow.

They did after all hold a lead going into the fourth, and were shutout. 30-24 was the final so the 8th grade definitely knows that this game is winnable. If they go out and execute, they should be fine and feel that oh so familiar feeling of playing in a championship come February.

GAME TIME
5 p.m. @ SVDP
Address: 2350 Green St

Tuesday, February 9, 2010

Video Tuesday, Science Fair and Happy Birthday

Playoff schedules are below. PLAY BASEBALL EVERYONE! The sign-ups went home today.

First video of the night, is the Science Fair video from last Wednesday and a Happy Birthday!



Monday, February 8, 2010

Playoff Schedules Released, 5th grade makes the playoffs

The playoff schedules have been released. These are official as of right now, but always subject to change.

5th grade sneaks into the playoffs virtue of a tie-breaker, when the 5th graders beat the team they shared an identical record with in the regular season. They take the fourth seed and make the playoffs for the first time in team history.

PLAYOFF SCHEDULE
8th grade, Thursday, February 11 @ 5 p.m. vs St. Vincent de Paul @ SVDP
Address: 2350 Green St

7th grade, Friday, February 12 @ 6:15 p.m. vs Epiphany @ Epiphany
Address: 827 Vienna Street

5th grade, Saturday, February 13 @ 1 p.m. vs FAIS @ St. Emydius
Address: 255 Jules Ave

**Practice schedules will be changed to accommodate the teams.

Sunday, February 7, 2010

Playoffs?



The playoff schedules will be announced some time tomorrow most likely. They will be on the blog as soon as they become available.

Saturday, February 6, 2010

7th grade going to the playoffs

**HIGHLIGHTS UPDATED**


After the 7th grade Red Team lost a heart-breaker less than a month ago, the message was simple: Win out and get to the playoffs. Saturday -- mission accomplished.

The 7th graders fell behind early 6-0, but played some decent basketball the rest of the first half. They were tied 18-18 going into the break.

They took a 24-21 lead late in the third, but gave up four straight points to end the quarter. Going into the fourth, they trailed 27-26. In their biggest quarter to date, they needed their biggest performance. And they got it.

Michael F. made a putback to put them up by one and they never looked back. Miles was a beast again on the offensive glass, and had a game-high 12 points. And with a five point lead, Jeremy hit a three to give the 7th graders an 8-point lead with less than three minutes to go.

They stretched it out to as much as 10 points and they sealed it in the final two minutes when Michael N. hit a jumper, and Jeremy found Justin for an easy lay-up.

Their defense woke up and their transition game was too much for the other team to handle. The final score was 41-31, as the 7th grade clinches the fourth and final playoff spot in their division.

At (5-3), they won three straight to close out the regular season. Their opponent today, had the same record going into today's game. This was essentially a playoff game, with the victor going to the post-season and the loser going home.

With only five players on the team, they are at an incredible disadvantage and have had to fight back in the last two games. In their last game, they overcame a disastrous first half, trailing by as much as 13 points at one time. In Saturday's contest, they shook off an early lull when they were sleep walking through the first few minutes of the game.

Jeremy had 11 points, while Justin and Michael N. had 8 points a piece. Once again, everybody on the team scored.

In addition to the players, the coaching staff of James Chiu, Vinette Ly and John Wang deserve a great pat on the back, keeping this team focused game in and game out when they were faced with elimination.

Like Vinette's Facebook status says, "Playoffs, are you ready for us?"



Other Results
The 8th grade won their final game of the season, blowing the other team 41-21, while the 3rd/4th graders, playing without Jonathan and Grant, lost 10-6 to close out their year.

5th grade's playoff hopes in limbo

On the bright side, there will be at least one more game.

The 5th graders, mired in their worst slump of the season, now find themselves awaiting their playoff fate, after losing 24-19, their third straight loss after starting the season (4-1).

At (4-4), they will now await the result of a game tomorrow afternoon to find out if their next game is a playoff game or a tie-breaker game. If the team that needs to lose tomorrow loses, they are automatically in. If that team wins, they may have to play a tie-breaker as early as Monday, depending on what CYO rules.

In their latest setback, they spotted the other team an 18-7 lead at halftime, with many of those points coming in the first quarter. They looked completely flat to start the game, unlike yesterday, where they came out roaring.

Justin had 15 points, but he was not at 100% and looked bothered by his ankle, which had been giving him trouble the last week or so.

Though the point differential was five, they easily could've been in this game if they had made some shots. They had at least three point blank wide open lay-ups that did not go in. And when their offense falters, their defense needs to pick it up and they didn't.

On too many instances, they simply did not hold onto the ball. Too much slapping and balls slipping through their hands, leading to easy buckets for the other team.

Perhaps early success in the season has made them a little complacent and they play their best basketball when their backs are up against the wall. Well, the wall is here.

6th grade close out season

The 6th graders finished their season on the losing end of a 19-3 game early this morning. They end the year with a (1-7) record.

This game had a similar feeling to the one last week, as they trailed 6-1 going into the half. Defensively, they are getting a lot more rebounds, and forcing the other team to take difficult shots. They have also found a way to cut down on turnovers, that led to many easy baskets at the beginning of the year.

But just like last week, the press hurt them badly and as the came went on, it seemed like they started to wear down. They had a lot of turnovers that generated fast break lay-ups for the other team. Their fouls also started to catch up with them, a sign of fatigue and being out of position.

On the offensive end, they had a lot of good looks at the basket, but were unable to make the shots when they needed to. They had several lay-ups and short range jumpers, but most of them did not go in.

Jason scored the lone basket of the second half for the 6th grade.

Friday, February 5, 2010

5th grade falters in fourth

The 5th graders will need a win tomorrow if they want to guarantee themselves a playoff berth.

Leading 9-7 going into the fourth quarter, they were unable to break the press and outscored 8-1 in the final six minutes. The final was 15-10, which will set up another win and in scenario for tomorrow's season finale.

They looked good out of the gate and jumped out to a 5-0 lead after one. But the other team, who had 10 players, saved their better squad of five for the second and fourth quarters, the two quarters that the 5th graders were outscored.

On offense, they were able to get clean looks, but didn't cash in on their opportunities. Their lead was a little too close throughout. Justin had 5 points to lead the way. Brendan and Brandon T. had a bucket a piece, while Daniel had a free throw.

When they were pressed, they were nervous and that lead to several turnovers. They started to wear down and were unable to grab rebounds, something they did well the first three quarters.

But tonight's game can be easily erased with a victory in tomorrow's game.

Thursday, February 4, 2010

7th grade preview

We caught up earlier this week at the 7th grade practice and got their insights on the big game this Saturday.

Wednesday, February 3, 2010

The lost art of writing

With my infatuation with putting up new videos, I haven't been able to write much in the last few weeks, so today's blog will be video free. But who knows, maybe we return to the videos tomorrow.

So a few things to touch on...

7th grade red team game this Saturday
The 7th grade red team's game this Saturday is the biggest regular season game our teams have had in the last several years. This is essentially a playoff game. Both teams have identical records and are fighting for the fourth and final playoff spot. The winner goes to the post-season and the loser goes home.

It's a shame that we have two other games going on at the same time, because everyone should be going to this game to show their support for the five boys on the team. Win and they're in -- that simple. They have what it takes to do it and we look forward to them having the game of the year.

Baseball is coming
With the basketball season coming to an end, we turn to baseball. The league rushes things because of their schedule so right when basketball ends is when baseball begins. My hope and dream is to have more than one team, even possibly three this year at the school.

For all the boys who are nagging girls about joining basketball, it's time you walked the walk and joined baseball too.

Details will drop shortly.

ALL-STAR SUNDAY
All-Star Sunday will be on February 21, 2010. This will be an all-day event starting at 1 p.m. Shootouts, games, contests, mini-events and a lot more, plus many surprises will be in store for this day. Do not miss out on this annual event.

Tuesday, February 2, 2010

7th grade scrimmage and knockout

Some little highlights from the Red vs White team scrimmage Sunday. And they participated in our weekly knockout game.

7th grade Red vs White and Knockout from Bryan Cheung on Vimeo.

Monday, February 1, 2010

Happy Birthday

Today, we wish the 7th grade white team coach, and Tianna's brother, Jeffrey a Happy Birthday.

8TH GRADE CHAMPIONSHIP TONIGHT

8TH GRADE CHAMPIONSHIP HIGHLIGHTS

LATEST LIGHTS

3/15-3/23 Lights

6th Grade Championship

VOLLEYBALL CHAMPIONSHIP