Mustangs Get Revenge, Trounce Freedom
Photo by Chris Jackson
By Chris Jackson Tuesday December 17, 2013
ALAMO, CA-After falling to Freedom (2-2) in the NCS
quarterfinals last year, the host Monte Vista Mustangs (6-0) exacted
revenge, romping the Falcons 71-54 on Tuesday night.
“It feels great,” said senior guard Trevor John on
the victory. “We practiced and had this date circled on our calendar
for a long time. We just wanted to come out and play hard. We have a great crowd
here that helps us. We had to go there twice last year. It was nice picking up the win.”
A quick start helped define the victory. The Mustangs took an
early 22-12 lead the end of the first quarter, paced by 7 points from guard
Grant Jackson during that span.
Jackson finished with 17 points, and teammate Rishi Satoor had
19. Both converted a combined 21 of 22 free-throws, and helped
tread the way for the clear victory.
“This victory happened in the offseason,” said John. “Offseason
work stuff. All the preparation. The 6 AM lifting, we went to Berkeley playing
seven games. It’s just all the hard work and preparation. It’s a great group. We
all love eachother. It was definitely our offseason preparation.”
Trevor John contributed 11 points, including a key 3-pointer in
the fourth quarter to help seal the victory. John didn’t
need to do as much, with all of his teammates dispensing crucial
minutes.
“As an overall team player I think I played very well. My shot
wasn’t going, but the main object is to win the game. I felt
like I did all the other little things we needed to win.”
Defensively, this was another strong performance for a
defense allowing an average of 44 points per game.
Two-star recruit Elliot Smith was held to five points
in the first half, but closed out with 19. However, he converted 7-of-12
free throws and only 11-of-17 as a team.
“Everyone played their part,”said John on his team’s
performance. “Elliott Smith is a great player.”
Rodney Pope, another sought-after recruit on
Freedom, was contained to eight points, and big-man Kendall McIntosh,
finished with a meager four points by a tenacious Mustangs defense.
Foul trouble was the only area of concern for Monte
Vista as they committed 22 fouls, with two players fouling out. Despite the
foul trouble, they excelled at the line converting 25-of-26.
Despite the lobsided victory over a paramount Freedom squad,
players believe there is still room for improvement, especially with the Modesto
Christian Tournament lurking.
“I think we can improve in every facet of the game,
as every team should,” said John. “Every team should be working to play
better, help defense, better team defense, and everyone needs to be able to
score the ball on the court. Team rebounding is a huge focus for us.”
Check out our video interview with Cal Poly commit Trevor John below
ALAMO, CA-After falling to Freedom (2-2) in the NCS
quarterfinals last year, the host Monte Vista Mustangs (6-0) exacted
revenge, romping the Falcons 71-54 on Tuesday night.
“It feels great,” said senior guard Trevor John on
the victory. “We practiced and had this date circled on our calendar
for a long time. We just wanted to come out and play hard. We have a great crowd
here that helps us. We had to go there twice last year. It was nice picking up the win.”
A quick start helped define the victory. The Mustangs took an
early 22-12 lead the end of the first quarter, paced by 7 points from guard
Grant Jackson during that span.
Jackson finished with 17 points, and teammate Rishi Satoor had
19. Both converted a combined 21 of 22 free-throws, and helped
tread the way for the clear victory.
“This victory happened in the offseason,” said John. “Offseason
work stuff. All the preparation. The 6 AM lifting, we went to Berkeley playing
seven games. It’s just all the hard work and preparation. It’s a great group. We
all love eachother. It was definitely our offseason preparation.”
Trevor John contributed 11 points, including a key 3-pointer in
the fourth quarter to help seal the victory. John didn’t
need to do as much, with all of his teammates dispensing crucial
minutes.
“As an overall team player I think I played very well. My shot
wasn’t going, but the main object is to win the game. I felt
like I did all the other little things we needed to win.”
Defensively, this was another strong performance for a
defense allowing an average of 44 points per game.
Two-star recruit Elliot Smith was held to five points
in the first half, but closed out with 19. However, he converted 7-of-12
free throws and only 11-of-17 as a team.
“Everyone played their part,”said John on his team’s
performance. “Elliott Smith is a great player.”
Rodney Pope, another sought-after recruit on
Freedom, was contained to eight points, and big-man Kendall McIntosh,
finished with a meager four points by a tenacious Mustangs defense.
Foul trouble was the only area of concern for Monte
Vista as they committed 22 fouls, with two players fouling out. Despite the
foul trouble, they excelled at the line converting 25-of-26.
Despite the lobsided victory over a paramount Freedom squad,
players believe there is still room for improvement, especially with the Modesto
Christian Tournament lurking.
“I think we can improve in every facet of the game,
as every team should,” said John. “Every team should be working to play
better, help defense, better team defense, and everyone needs to be able to
score the ball on the court. Team rebounding is a huge focus for us.”
Check out our video interview with Cal Poly commit Trevor John below