Hoopsters Begin Title Defense With Third Place Tourney Finish [ArticleImageHyperLink] Wednesday, January 28, 2009 By Russell Esmieu Advertising Last week’s 3-1, third place finish in the Burbank High School Tournament should serve as a spring board for the rest of the season for the Varsity Boys’ Basketball squad. The Hoopsters manhandled their opponents in the three victories, winning by an average margin of victory of 23 points.  The most impressive feat by the Hoopsters in their victories over the Glendale Nitros, the View Park Prep Knights and the Royal Highlanders was the effectiveness with which they opened and finished each game.  The Cats were able to establish a lead over the opposition, outscoring them by a combined 58-42, before pouring it on in the fourth quarter. The Cats outscored their opponents by a combined score of 65-31 in the final period of their wins. The trio of seniors Andre Harris, Alex Brooks and sophomore David Nwaba have lived up to the early expectations, leading the team by scoring 19, 14.8 and 17.8 points per game respectively.  “We just all find a way to chip in, in anyway we can for a win,” said Brooks.  Head Coach Steve Ackerman noted how tt was a smooth transition on the court for the Hoopsters from offseason to regular season. “The stakes and intensity are raised, because these are games that matter,” he said. “There wasn’t anything different in the way we played besides making adjustments when we saw different styles of play.” Against the Agoura Chargers a potential weakness was exposed. The Chargers were able to use their pressing and trapping style of play to disrupt the Wildcats offense and jump out to a 40-33 lead by halftime.  The Cats would adjust to the Chargers style of play but still struggled to contain their big men.  With no starter taller than 6-3 the Cats face problems trying to match-up with taller and bulkier opponents. The Chargers used their size to survive with a 77-75 win. Despite the hiccup against Agoura, Ackerman feels his team is in perfect position for the rest of the season. “We always strive to get better, and tournaments are the time to get better and workout the kinks,” he said. We are pretty much where I thought we would be after our first tournament.” The Hoopsters began play in the Beverly Hills High School tournament last night against View Park Prep for their second match against the Knights in five days but the score was unavailable at Wildcat printing time.

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