First game score (Lorin Griset): 52-57
Second game score (Chavez): 49-44

On game day:
For the annual basketball game, the Middle College High School basketball team had been training for a little over a month. Their usual practice days began at 6:50 am, where they ran the track until the coaches arrived. After Mr. Kaneko or Mr. Ramos arrived, they went to the gym and began their drills. Their drills consisted of lay-up drills, crab walks, and eventually ended with suicides. The team practiced every Tuesday, Thursday, Friday, and occasionally Saturdays in order to prepare for the game.

On the day of the actual game, the team felt prepared and confident as they went into their first game against Lorin Griset. Team captain, Leandro Garcia, said “We were all feeling really confident going in. We felt we were going to win” As the game began, it was clear the Middle College High School basketball team came to give it their all. All eyes were on our basketball players, as they held the lead, always ahead of Lorin Griset. Throughout the entirety of the game, the team held their score, making basket after basket. The team looked confident, as they took the win with a score of 52-27.

With only about thirty minutes of rest, it was time for the team to begin their second and final game against Chavez High School. The second game grew more tense, as Chavez players looked eager to beat our team. This game would define whether our team would win or lose the tournament, which is why both teams began the game with a high intensity in them. Shot after shot, the MCHS basketball team was ahead of Chavez, by only a few points this time. The room was silent as the game continued, MCHS slightly hanging on to their score. Towards the last few minutes of the game, something happened which caused anticipation for the MCHS crowd – Chavez caught up with our team. Slowly but surely, Chavez was coming for the win. At the last moments, Chavez’s basketball team took the win, with a score of 49-44. It was a close game, but the last minutes redefined who we thought would win. When asked after the game on how he felt, Senior Matthew Barrera, said “There was really no excuse. They outplayed us at the end and I’m not gonna blame it on anyone except ourselves. We honestly tried our best.” As unfortunate as it was for their loss, the team did their very best and all their practice truly did pay off. Everyone was proud of our basketball team, including both coaches Mr. Kaneko and Mr. Ramos. Mr. Ramos felt truly pleased with the team, as he happily said, “Kaneko and I were really proud of them. They’re performance definitely exceeded our expectations.” Overall, it was a great tournament, as this was the closest our team had ever come to winning.