The562’s coverage of Cabrillo Athletics is sponsored by the Cohn Family.
After suffering their first Moore League loss of the season on Saturday, Millikan head coach Stephon Price wanted to get his team right back in the gym. The Rams had a light practice on Monday morning, and came ready to play on Monday night at Cabrillo.
Led by a combined 69 points from the backcourt trio of Joseph Wicker, Jeremiah Hunt and Tariq Bridges, the Rams shot their way to an 86-76 win over the host Jaguars, improving to 4-1 in league play.
“I knew we had to bounce back and get a fresh start from Saturday,” said Price of getting his team in the gym Monday morning. “We can’t take it back, so let’s just play to get better, and that’s what we did today. Today was one of those games where Hunt, Wicker and Bridges were all hitting at different times, and that’s why they’re here. They’ve got that winning pedigree, and they’re here for hostile games like this.”
Wicker led all scorers with 26 points, scoring 18 in the second half, but each of Millikan’s “Big 3” scored 20 or more. Bridges was perfectly balanced, scoring 10 in each half, while Hunt poured in 23 for the Rams.
The game had plenty of juice, as Price is longtime friends with Cabrillo head coach Chris Spencer, and both are graduates of Jordan High.
“It was a great win, especially in a hostile environment,” said Wicker. “The two coaches are best friends, so we knew they were gonna go at it. So we had to step it up for our coach.”
The Rams did a nice job making shots to cut off any attempted runs for the Jags, who are known as a streaky and potent offensive team. Their longest scoring run was just 5 points through the first three quarters. A 7-0 run in the fourth was their best of the night, but it only arrived after Millikan took its largest lead of 17 points.
“We just wanted to cut their water off early. No momentum,” Wicker said. “If they get momentum, they’re a solid team, so they could go on a good run.”
Cabrillo’s top two scorers–seniors Lincoln Dean and Mason Johnson–got off to a slow start, scoring just 8 points combined in the first half. Senior Aden Jones was instrumental in keeping the Jags close early on, scoring 8 points in the first quarter on his way to 18 for the night. His addition to the lineup following the sit-out period will be huge for the Jags moving forward.
Dean helped lead a 14-4 desperation run for the Jags in the fourth quarter, but they never got closer than seven as the Rams were too efficient offensively and put the game away. Dean led his team with 25 points, while Johnson added 11 (including a nasty dunk over a defender) and Irvin Choice chipped in 10.
Both teams will be in action on Wednesday as Cabrillo visits Poly and Millikan hosts Compton to close out the first round of league play.
The Jags have had a tough start to Moore League play at 1-3, but will look to regroup with a deeper and more talented rotation. Meanwhile, Millikan is set up nicely in second place as they look to secure a playoff spot and challenge for even more.
“I like what we did in the first part of the league, but I feel like we haven’t reached our peak yet,” Price said. “Right now, we’re about 50 percent of what we could be. We’re gonna be a deadly team late January and early February.”
