Boys’ Basketball Faces Loss in Close Game Against El Toro High

Maya Tedini and Hannah Ko

Point guard and junior Lucas Ip fights to score a basket between two defenders. “I think one of our strengths is shooting,” Ip said. “We have a lot of good 3-point shooters, and then we have a lot of players that are able to drive and facilitate the offense, which allows us to get these 3-pointers.”

Boys’ basketball (5-5) lost 72-75 in a pre-league game against El Toro High on Dec. 5. Their next game is on Dec. 19 against Beckman High at 7 p.m. at home.

The Bulldogs started off in the lead and held that position throughout the first quarter, point guard and junior Lucas Ip and forward and junior Max Paulsen scoring several 3-pointers within the first three minutes. Boys’ basketball head coach Brian Smith said one of the team’s strengths is their fast, active style of basketball during offensive possessions.

“We’re gonna have to work on our defense and our rebounding and our desire to get loose balls because there’s a lot of times that there were balls out on the floor that we didn’t dive on, and we have to do that,” Smith said. “So we got to get a little bit tougher, but we’re gonna be okay.”

Throughout the second quarter, the Chargers caught up to the Bulldogs, getting several steals. Despite the Bulldogs initially widening their lead to 46-39 at the beginning of the third quarter, the Chargers also began increasing their offensive plays, closing the gap to 57-56 with just over two minutes left on the clock. By the end of the third quarter, the Chargers led 67-59.

“Offensive rebounds, that was something that really killed us that game,” point guard and junior Lucas Ip said. “And then the transition defense wasn’t great against El Toro, and I think that’s something we can work on.”

The game remained tight throughout the fourth quarter with both sides playing defensively. Guard and senior Brady Kim drew a foul with four minutes left on the clock, tying the game 69-69. Despite the valiant effort, the Chargers’ final stretch of 3-pointers led to a loss for the Bulldogs.

“Our team just needs to focus on playing for each other,” guard and senior Brandon Toorani said. “I mean, I speak for myself when I say this: there’s definitely times where I’ve kind of gotten sidetracked with the goal of our team and started to do too much myself. Like four shots up, make bad plays.”

With the 2023-24 season being the first time that the team did not make CIF playoffs, they aim to win the league championship and earn their spot back, according to Smith.

“If you dwell on one thing, it can weigh you down,” Smith said. “So the mindset is, if you make a mistake, make a positive thing next time down. And so the mindset is we want to try to win, but we have to do the things that we’re strong with doing to get to that win.”

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About the Contributors

Maya Tedini, Co-Editor-in-Chief

Maya Tedini is an Editor-in-Chief for her third and final year on the Portola Pilot. She’s looking forward to creating memories with this year’s wonderful staff and connecting with new groups in the community. When she’s not scouring through an interview recording of an inspiring student she has just met, you can find her listening to music, that may or may not all be by Gracie Abrams, reading, at cheer practice or deeply invested in crafting her Pinterest boards.

Hannah Ko, Opinion Editor

Hannah Ko is the Opinion Editor for her third and final year on the Portola Pilot. This year, she is excited to create meaningful opinion stories especially important to the Portola High community with the new Editorial Board. When she’s not hurrying to get interviews, she can be found on a run, at track practice, going to beaches or listening to Daniel Caesar (and the rest of her immaculate playlists).