Exciting history was made near the northern border of Santa Clara and San Jose on Saturday night, Feb. 22. The MacDonald Condors boys’ basketball team took part in the school’s first-ever Central Coast Section (CCS) playoff game—and won.
Now, there are some within the CCS community who question the validity of lower-division playoff brackets. Five divisions worth of CCS Champions is a lot, and in the case of the MacDonald Condors boys’ basketball team, it does sound a bit odd to say a team with a 1-13 record “earned” a playoff game.
However, these are kids. We’re not talking about professionals nor collegiate athletes, but kids. And if there ever was a 1-13 high school sports team that needed a playoff game, needed an opportunity, needed a moment to celebrate, it was this year’s MacDonald Condors.
In year three of its existence, the Condors are still playing without a senior class. The league the team plays in, the El Camino, is much tougher than the league that its playoff opponent, KIPP San Jose Collegiate, plays in. KIPP went 9-1 in the Private School South League, and on Saturday night, the Condors ran the KIPP Wolfpack out of the gym with a 56-34 victory.
Not to mention, the Condors community has been dealing with the fallout from Athletic Director Darrin Garcia’s arrest for allegedly having sex with a student while previously working at Santa Clara High School.
“We know the school needs a light at this time and the kids know that the light goes through them,” responded Condors Head Coach Elijah Rodriquez after the big playoff win. “We are happy to spark some happiness for the school. It means a lot.”
The biggest on-court contributors to a happy Condors locker room postgame were captains Anthony Paralles and Yaqub Arale. Paralles, a 5-foot, 11-inch guard, used his quickness and sharp-shooting abilities to lead the Condors’ attack from beyond the arc.
Arale, meanwhile, used his 6-foot, 3-inch frame to attack the rim.
Arguably, the dagger sequence for the Condors came at the end of the third quarter. KIPP had managed to pull within eight points (after trailing by as many as 15 earlier in the quarter), but the Condors would respond with a five-point flurry to close out the quarter.
After Dominic Hunt drained three free throws, Arale delivered the highlight of the night with a tough buzzer-beating layup off the glass.
“I’m not shocked in any way because I feel like our team should be able to play like this 100% of the time,” chimed Arale on his team’s performance. “I feel like you could see our energy from beginning to end. Even the guys on the bench who didn’t get as many minutes or didn’t score, everyone brought the energy, and that was huge for us.”
“It is a crazy feeling considering we are all young guys, no seniors,” added Paralles on the emotions after the big win. “Doing this on the varsity level, to come away with such a big win, it’s a great feeling.”
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