At halftime on Jan. 8, the Fremont Firebirds were flying both fast and furious, and up and away from the Monta Vista Matadors. The varsity boys’ basketball team closed out the second quarter on a 12-0 run, turning a tie game into a 12-point advantage heading into the break, 32-20.
The third quarter, however, was not nearly as kind to Fremont. The Firebirds were cooled off to the point of being completely ice cold. After scoring the aforementioned dozen points in just the final two minutes of the second, Fremont managed to score just six points the entire third quarter.
After three stanzas, the Firebirds still held a double-digit lead thanks to their defense, led by senior forward Leonard Wilson. Most notably, Wilson showed off his defensive prowess with an offensive rebound, stealing a possession for his team after a missed free throw.
The stolen possession was an example of the gritty, under-the-radar plays that teams need from role players to win games.
“He might not score as much as other guys, but he plays the best defense out there,” chimed junior guard Kai Daron on Wilson’s impact on the team. “He gets all the dirty balls, all the tips, and 50-50 balls. He’s a big rebounder on our team, really helps hold down our defense, which allows our offense to flow.”
Role players like Wilson doing dirty work help the stars shine. One of the brightest Fremont stars is shockingly just a freshman.
Kota Xu was a key figure in the 12-0 run to close out the second quarter. Xu squashed the momentum from Monta Vista, tying the game at 20-20 by draining a three-point shot with a defender right in his face.
“He’s honestly an outstanding player, and he’s only a freshman; it’s great to have someone like that,” praised junior forward Kishan Shah. “As a freshman, to be calm under tough situations like that, it just shows how talented he is, and he’s just gonna get better.”
Led by the shooting of Xu, Wilson’s rebounding, Daron’s speed on fast breaks and Shah’s dominance down in the paint, it felt like the Firebirds should put the Matadors away with ease. The fourth quarter, though, would be even uglier than the third.
Despite holding an eight-point lead with under a minute to go, a couple of bad fouls led to the Matadors cutting the deficit to just four points and possession with eight seconds left. A poor Monta Vista turnover bailed the Firebirds out of a potential one-possession game in the final seconds.
Despite the sloppy ending, Firebirds Head Coach Tony Kikuta was pleased with his team’s performance, getting the first win of the league season by a 45-41 final.
“I was very happy with how we played. I thought we executed our game plan in terms of what we were trying to accomplish,” remarked the head honcho. “I lost my top nine players from last year, so for most of these kids, it’s really their first time playing at this level. We’ve also had some people out with injuries and being sick, so we are still just getting better and learning how to play. And this was a really positive step for us.”
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