The562’s coverage of Long Beach Poly is sponsored by Bryson Financial.
The562’s coverage of Lakewood Athletics is sponsored by J.P. Crawford, Class of 2013.
Three minutes into Friday’s Moore League girls’ basketball title showdown, Long Beach Poly head coach Carl Buggs implored his team to calm down.
Both teams had gotten off to a shaky start, and when you’ve won 205 league games in a row, you tend to know the right thing to say.
Buggs’ Jackrabbits went on to win that opening quarter by 10, and despite a valiant comeback attempt from the visiting Lakewood Lancers, Poly never surrendered their lead in a 56-39 victory at Ron Palmer Pavilion.
“They had us beat in the fourth quarter twice last year, and we were able to pull it out, so I know (Lakewood) is a team capable of beating us. There’s no doubt about that,” said Buggs after his program’s 206th consecutive league victory. “We just needed our kids to step up and just relax and play ball, and try to take advantage of what they were giving us. And we did that enough tonight to get the win.”
Again it was the senior 1-2 punch of Joy Anderson and Nevaeh Lemons that led the Jackrabbits to victory. Anderson had a monster double-double with 20 points (10/20 FGs) and 17 rebounds, with eight of those coming on the offensive glass.
“I’m just where I’m supposed to be,” said Anderson of her prowess on the offensive glass. “I gotta read the ball, and I know my teammates and how their shots normally are, so I tend to follow it.”
Lemons was a consistent scoring threat and made a couple key three-pointers on her way to 20 points of her own. She said the team wasn’t worried about losing the league winning streak, and was more focused on playing their best game against a quality opponent in Lakewood.
“We know the potential we have. We know the fight that we have, we know the team that we have–the squad, the heart, the chemistry, so there was no worry about it at all,” said Lemons. “Now, can I sleep good at night? Yes, I can..”
After leading 14-4 at the end of the first, the Jackrabbits pushed their lead up to 15 points midway through the second period. But that’s about the time that Lakewood senior Nyemah King took the game over and put the Lancers on her back. She scored all 17 of Lakewood’s points in that second quarter, and quickly cut that 15-point deficit down to 26-21 at halftime.
The Lancers pulled to within one thanks to a bucket by Tristin Foafoa early in the third, but Lemons responded by drilling a clutch three on the other end, and helped push the Jackrabbit lead back up to 40-31 after three.
Poly was able to hold King to just three made field goals in the second half, and their dominance on the glass helped them separate themselves down the stretch. Senior forward Aaya McLyn provided a great lift off the bench, scoring six points while controlling the glass and getting the ball quickly ahead to Poly’s guards.
McLyn hasn’t been able to practice with the team much due to her other commitments to flag football and girls’ soccer, but her athleticism and competitiveness certainly helped the Jackrabbits on Friday.
“This was probably our best game we played in about three weeks, so hopefully we can continue to grow,” said Buggs. “I think with Aaya there, it makes a difference.”
As usual under Buggs’ leadership, the Jackrabbits seem to be getting better with each passing week as they hone in on another Moore League championship and CIF-SS playoff appearance.
“Honestly, it’s chemistry being built, and we’re learning to have more fun with each other and learning to be creative,” Anderson said. “I feel like a lot of us are developing that creativity and just exploiting it.”
King led all scorers with 31 points for Lakewood, to go along with four rebounds and four steals, but she needed 26 shots to get there, and was just 2/9 from beyond the three-point line. It wasn’t easy to find her shot outside of that second-quarter surge, but she made some highlight reel plays throughout to remind everyone why she’s the reigning Moore League Player of the Year.
With the win, the Jackrabbits are now just five wins shy of a 17th consecutive unbeaten Moore League season, dating all the way back to 2008. It’s the second-longest league winning streak in state history, and one that’s a great source of pride within the Poly community.
Boys’ basketball head coach Shelton Diggs was the JV coach for the Jackrabbits the last time the Poly girls suffered a league loss (Jan. 7, 2008 against Millikan), and he’s had a front row seat to watch Carl and his wife Lakeisha lead the program with peerless consistency.
“Buggs is a great coach/teacher, he really teaches those girls,” said Diggs. “That’s something I could really take from him, is being a better teacher of the game rather than just a basketball coach. That’s why he’s able to continue to win and has that streak, because he teaches them how to play the right way. It doesn’t matter who they have, how much talent he has or whatever, he’s going to teach those girls how to play the right way. And it’s shown by him winning that many games.”
Lakewood (16-7, 6-2) will be back in action on Monday at Millikan as they look to secure their spot in second place, while Poly (16-5, 7-0) will play King/Drew on Saturday and then travel to Wilson on Monday.
There’s still another two weeks left for this Poly team to keep the winning streak intact, but Lemons believes that the chemistry of this team is what’s keeping them on the right side of things so far, and they’ve shown no signs of letting up now.
“We’ve grown so much from the last two years, and we’re definitely playing for each other,” said Lemons. “Nobody is trying to make a big name for themselves. We’re making a big name for Poly. And as much as people were doubting us, we knew we couldn’t let that happen.”
