Sharks Basketball Takes Care of Santa Paula

The Malibu High School boys varsity basketball team met fellow Frontier League member Santa Paula at home on Wednesday night. Even with a slight hiccup in the third quarter, the Sharks (14-7, 6-0 in Frontier League) cruised home to win 58-32.

Including this game, Malibu has beaten its last four opponents by an average of more than 30 points per game. It was another fine team effort with each player sharing the ball, which resulted in the Sharks shooting 22 of 37 from the field (59 percent). Starting guards Kyle Sandler (senior, 11 points on four for four shooting) and Anthony Kodomichalos (sophomore, 11 points on three for three shooting) did not miss a field goal all night.

The first quarter saw Malibu execute its full court press that has been so effective in recent games. The Sharks did not press Santa Paula (8-12, 1-5 in Frontier League) , and the Cardinals were not prepared for the intense defense that Malibu threw at them. The Sharks forced five Cardinal turnovers in the quarter.

Malibu head coach Bobby Tenorio gave the guards a breather and inserted senior Patrick Fontenette and junior Andrew Yazdani. They were able to maintain the pressure on defense, limiting Santa Paula to just two baskets in the quarter. The Sharks also struggled a little at the offensive, ending the quarter up 12-4 on five for 11 shooting.

The Sharks started the second quarter the same way they finished the first, with a stifling defense that prevented Santa Paula from getting out of first gear. There were many highlights in the period, including the fact that the Malibu defense held Santa Paula to just one field goal and one free throw in the quarter, while Malibu did not miss from the field, making all eight attempts.

The only blemish on offense in the quarter was one missed free throw. The only major letdown for the Sharks in the quarter was an increasing number of turnovers (12 by halftime) slowed down what was otherwise a very efficient offense. Sophomore center Justin Holmes completed the half shooting six for eight from the field and 13 points (finishing the game with 18 points and 10 rebounds), helping the Sharks to a halftime lead of 30-7.

The Sharks had made 13 out of 19 shots from the field with 11 assists for the half.

The second half started with Santa Paula pressing in offense. The Cardinals were able to beat the press as the Malibu guards tired, and were beneficiaries of some sloppy ball retention by Malibu. Santa Paula was able to outscore Malibu in the quarter 16-12, but only closed the gap marginally as Malibu maintained the lead at 42-23.

The highlight of the quarter was delivered by senior forward Harrison Kaplan. In a scramble for the ball, Kaplan lost his balance and started falling out of bounds, but was able to acrobatically pirouette and throw the ball against his defender's feet from which the ball went out—allowing Malibu to maintain possession.

Tenorio brought the starters back in to start the fourth quarter. They were able to  push the lead back up over 25 behind junior forward Will Rosenthal's eight points (finishing with 10 points) and senior guard Jack Platner's four assists. At the mid-point of the quarter, Tenorio took out his starters and the bench took over, actively led by senior Parker Smith, whose height and length caused the Cardinal guards all sorts of troubles. He finished with four points and a block. 

"We played well for the first half and the fourth quarter, but we fell asleep during the third and we were lucky that all those turnovers (21 in total) did not come back to bite us," Tenorio said after the game.

Malibu next game is at 7 p.m. on Friday at home against Bishop Diego.  was an overtime thriller won by the Sharks. The outcome of this game will likely dictate whether Malibu wins the League outright or jointly with Bishop Diego. We expect to see you there to cheer on the Sharks.