The Moorpark Raiders Men’s Basketball dropped a tough game on Wednesday, Feb. 13 against the L.A Pierce College Brahma Bulls by the final score of 91-78.
Shay Boloor lead the scoring for the Raiders with 19 points. Jordan Garrett also chipped in 10 points and played a physical offensive game.
Raiders Coach Remy McCarthy said that the fast-paced start to the game didn’t work the way they would have liked.
“I didn’t think that was in our favor,” said McCarthy. “I thought once it really started going up and down that favored them,”.
Indeed the first half was fast paced for both sides. The teams traded buckets up and down the floor and for much of the first half were neck and neck and kept the game close. Eight team fouls spelled trouble for the Raiders as the Brahmas were very efficient from the stripe and took a 57-46 lead into the half.
Boloor said that Coach McCarthy’s halftime message was a simple one; look forward.
“Coach just said next play,”said Boloor. “We should get ready for a big game in the second,”
The second half yielded some late momentum for the Raiders as in the late minutes of the game they would pull to within 11 points. Both Boolor and Spencer Levy shot very well late in the game combining for 33 total points
“I feel like our offense gives me a lot of opportunities to drive to the basket,” said Boloor. “In the first half I had a lot of opportunities and in the second half they started to guard me better and so I distributed to my teammates”.
The Raiders late offensive surge wouldn’t be enough as turnovers and 10 more fouls would ultimately give the Brahmas the victory.
Despite the loss, the coach and players alike felt that there are positives to be taken from the game and from the season thus far.
Coach McCarthy said that he was proud of the way that his team fought hard all the way to the final buzzer.
“We didn’t quit,” said McCarthy. “Anytime you get down by big numbers against a good team with so much firepower, there is a danger you could get blown out. And even though the score was double-digits, it wasn’t completely lopsided and we didn’t quit.”
The Raiders will play their next game on Saturday, Feb. 23, against Santa Barbara City College at Moorpark College.
