The Piedmont Highlander

The Student News Site of Piedmont High School

The Piedmont Highlander

The Piedmont Highlander

Men’s basketball falls to Castro Valley, 42-67

Guard senior Andy Slabaugh pushes into the Castro Valley paint with the help of senior James Ormond's screen.
Guard senior Andy Slabaugh pushes into the Castro Valley paint with the help of senior James Ormond’s screen.

The men’s varsity basketball team fell to Castro Valley 42-67 on Wednesday for their fourth consecutive loss, their third in-a-row in league. The game began with a scoring drought for the Highlanders, who finally got on the scoreboard at the 2:05 mark and ended the first quarter with five points.

The Highlanders struggled under the defensive pressure of the Trojan’s full court press, which created turnovers that led to easy baskets for the opposing team.  Piedmont went into halftime down 22-33.

“It was their pressure that sped us up and we didn’t make good decisions when we were forced with pressure,” assistant coach Cameron Quick said. “If we didn’t turn the ball over so much we’d have a better chance at winning.”

The second half began with the Trojans converting three steals to increase their lead to 17.

“We aren’t used to that kind of pressure and we’re not able to always practice with these really quick guards on us all the time,” captain senior Dylan James-Kavanaugh said, referring to the speed of Castro Valley’s guards.

Kavanaugh finished the game with 17 points and was the only Highlander to score in double figures.  Junior Joseph Powell scored seven points, and senior James Ormond contributed six.

The Highlanders sit at 12-9 overall, 4-4 in league with five league games to go. They will play at Tennyson on Friday, Feb. 1.

“There’s probably more urgency since we’ve lost four in a row, and we’ve got to get this [win] on the road where we haven’t played particularly well,” Quick said.

The Highlanders will play their final home game on Friday, Feb. 8 vs. Hayward, which is also Senior Night.

Leave a Comment
Donate to The Piedmont Highlander

Your donation will support the student journalists of Piedmont High School. Your contribution will allow us to purchase equipment and cover our annual website hosting costs.

More to Discover
Donate to The Piedmont Highlander

Comments (0)

All The Piedmont Highlander Picks Reader Picks Sort: Newest

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *