The562’s coverage of Long Beach Poly is sponsored by Bryson Financial.
The562’s coverage of Long Beach Wilson Athletics is sponsored by Joel Bitonio, Class of 2009.
No matter who’s on the floor for the Long Beach Poly girls’ basketball team, the Jackrabbits find a way to win. Poly was shorthanded coming into its matchup against Wilson on Wednesday but looked to key contributions from a handful of different players in a team-effort 44-34 win.
“It took a while to find the right combinations that worked but we were able to do it in spurts,” said Poly coach Carl Buggs of switching around players mid game. “We had some key contributors in certain situations in the game that helped us win today.”
The Jackrabbits were without leading scorer Joy Anderson but looked to a handful of other weapons including fellow senior Helena Vu. Vu opened the game up with nine of Poly’s 13 first quarter points and finished with a game-high 16 points. She also chipped in six rebounds and five assists.
“I knew that without Joy I’d have to step it up for my team and I’m really glad that we had girls step up from the bench as well,” said Vu. “A lot of the girls stepped it up and helped out a lot. I’m just so happy to be on this team and I want to work hard for them and our coach.”
“She was put into more of an aggressive role today and we needed her to score,” added Buggs. “She was more of a facilitator but we needed all of that and then some more today. She stepped up with a couple big shots when we needed it.”
Poly fought back from a handful of Wilson runs including a pair of six-point Bruin runs midway through the game that eventually cut the lead to just three. That run was led by Jordyn Davis and Paige Williams who contributed eight and 14 points respectively meanwhile Emily Alvarez Smith also chipped in 12.
“The challenge to our girls was to play hard and play hard for four quarters,” said Wilson coach Hank Waddles. “I was really proud of that and I think we did a great job of that. It’s a privilege to play them and to coach against Carl Buggs and they’re the measuring stick for all of us. So when we can come play with them and stay in the game it is a win for us almost. This is a step in the right direction for us.”
Poly poured it on in the second half including a 10-point run midway through the half. The Jackrabbits also relied on their defense which helped hold Wilson scoreless in the fourth quarter until the two-minute mark. Vu chipped in seven total blocks for Poly and helped seal the game on defense in the fourth quarter.
“That’s all we practice is defense,” said Vu. “We spend almost an hour on defense every practice and if you know Coach Buggs you know he’s a defensive guy. I always take pride in my defense because defense wins us games.”
The Jackrabbits also found great contributions from Milia Misher who filled in for Anderson and chipped in eight points. Nevaeh Lemons also added nine points alongside Vu’s game-high 16.
The Jackrabbits will look forward to Compton on Friday while Wilson will face Lakewood. The pair will cross paths again at Wilson later in the month on Jan. 27.
