Coronado took on the Scripps Ranch Falcons on Friday during senior night, with the Islanders knocking off their foes, 64-49, after a very defensively oriented game.
An early Islanders’ steal led to a Nolan Reuter layup which gave the home squad a 12-6 lead early in the first quarter and forced a Scripps Ranch timeout.
Reuter was a force in all phases of the game, leading the team in rebounds and steals, as well as contributing significantly on offense.
Head coach Anthony Ott said that during the timeout he made a defensive adjustment designed to put pressure on the Falcons in the areas of the court they felt the most comfortable.
“I wanted to allow them to catch it in the area they wanted to, and then we were going to trap that area,” Ott said.
Ott’s adjustment paid immediate dividends as the Islanders had no trouble forcing turnovers against the Falcons offense.
Although Coronado (21-7) was cold from behind the arc in the first half, they managed to build a 24-14 lead at one point in the second quarter, before Scripps Ranch surged back and entered the half trailing just 24-23.Â
Scripps Ranch (15-11) picked up the second half where they left off, taking the lead on an alley-oop to forward Micah Brickner.
The Falcons were able to build up their lead to five, 30-25, but the Islanders paid no mind.
A late defensive surge by junior guard Ben Lee gave Coronado a nine point lead with 4:53 left in the game.
The Islanders eventually extended that lead to 15, earning themselves a 21st win and completing an undefeated season at home.
Ott said that Friday night’s win was an important one, citing their season series victory over Scripps Ranch as somewhat of a moral victory.
“We’re currently undefeated at home, I think it’s 9-0 now. So that was huge to protect home court,” Ott said, “We played them three times this year. They technically won the league championship, but we’re looking at it like a league championship, beating them two out of three times.”
The Islanders will look to continue their success on Tuesday at home as they host a first round CIF playoff game on their quest for a state championship, with seniors Darren Hopkins, Justin Ayubi, Nolan Reuter, and Shane Gillard leading the way.
