Boys Hoops: Muir Falls to LACES in First Round of State Playoffs

Fresh off its last-second loss to Flintridge Prep in the finals of the CIF-Southern Section Division 5AA playoffs, the Muir boys basketball team suffered another disappointing loss Tuesday night.

The Mustangs fell 60-52 at LACES in the first round of the CIF State Division IV Boys Basketball Championships. LACES previously lost to View Park in the title game of the Small School playoffs of the Los Angeles City Section.

“We just fell short in every aspect of the game tonight. It’s disappointing,” Muir coach Dr. Gamal Smalley said.

Muir shot out to a huge lead early, and it looked like it was going to be a long night for LACES. The Mustangs’ patented pressure defense forced turnovers, and they jumped ahead 9-1. 

Muir kept the streak going, hitting two 3s to make it a 15-3 game. Dion Nelson had seven of his 13 points during this span, but it all soon fell apart for the Mustangs.

LACES went on a 10-0 run on and trailed just 17-13 after the first period..

“I think we just lacked concentration tonight. We started playing great defense, but then we just stop rotating. We lacked fundamentals on the defensive side and paid for it tonight,” Smalley said.

LACES continued to slowly take over in the second quarter, taking its first lead at 27-26. After knocking down two 3-pointers in the first, Muir didn’t hit another shot from beyond the arc. At halftime, LACES led 29-26.

Mustang fans that hoped to see a rejuvenated Muir team after halftime were sorely disappointed.  LACES dominated the quarter, holding Muir to just three points. LACES put up 16 points of its own and led 45-29 heading into the final period.

“I feel like after we started out really hot, we settled down and started playing down to them. We lost intensity, and just couldn’t get anything going,” Smalley said of his team’s struggles.

It wasn’t until they had fallen behind 49-32 with four minutes left that Muir showed the same intensity it had in the first quarter. Applying a tough full court press, Muir was able to close the gap to 51-42 with two minutes left, but four straight points for LACES put an end to the run.

Muir ends its season with an 18-12 record.

“We have a very young team," Smalley said. "We start two sophomores, and only have two seniors. This spring and summer, we need to get back to what led to our success earlier in the year."