The562’s coverage of Lakewood Athletics is sponsored by J.P. Crawford, Class of 2013.
The562’s coverage of Long Beach Poly is sponsored by Bryson Financial.
It’s a common sports cliché that records and winning streaks are made to be broken. But the spirit and resolve within the Long Beach Poly girls’ basketball program is proving quite difficult to break.
On Thursday night at Lakewood, some may have viewed the visiting Jackrabbits as underdogs, despite the fact that Poly hasn’t lost a Moore League game since 2008. The matchup proved to be one of their toughest tests during that lengthy run of 201 straight wins (and counting), but when the dust settled it was another victory for the green & gold as they held on for a wire-to-wire 58-54 victory over the Lancers.
“We tried to take the emotion out of the game, and we did that early,” said Poly head coach Carl Buggs. “I expected them to make a run, which they did, and they live off of that emotion. They are a different team when they play like that. But we never let them get the lead, and that was huge … If Lakewood got that lead, we could have been in trouble, but (our team) withstood their run, so I was proud of them.”
The senior duo of Joy Anderson and Nevaeh Lemons each had 23 points to lead the way for the Jackrabbits, who also got a big lift defensively from senior Helena Vu. She was tasked with defending Lakewood star Nyemah King, and she did her job well; particularly in the first half when King was held without a field goal and had just three points.
“What (Vu) does and brings to this team is not always in the scorebook. It’s the unwritten things,” said Buggs. “It’s the things coaches love. You need to have that glue. She’s like the glue of the team.”
Anderson had 10 points in the opening quarter to help Poly out to an early lead, as they led 15-6 after the first 8 minutes and held a 30-16 lead at halftime.
“I just knew we had to come out very aggressively on offense,” Anderson said. “I knew that Lakewood would try to bring it, they try to bring it every year. And I had to be a producer for my team, and I have to be a leader for them too. I have to lead by example.”
Lakewood was able to storm back in the second half as the backcourt duo of King and Amy Rubio both got to work. King got her jumper going on her way to 12 points in the third quarter alone, and Rubio had a pair of three-point plays to help the Lancers cut the deficit to 44-41 after three.
A Rubio layup to start the fourth made it just a one-point game, as Lakewood rattled off 10 straight points to make it 44-43 Poly. The Lancers cut their deficit to one point on three different occasions, but could never get even or take the lead.
“I definitely believe it was because of team chemistry, we know we need to fight for each other,” said Lemons of how Poly was able to hold off Lakewood’s rallies. “We knew that we did not want to lose a Moore League game. We knew that if we have to put our life on the line, that’s what we have to do.”
Rubio scored 15 of her 20 points in the second half, while King had 18 of her team-high 21.
The Jackrabbits took their largest lead of the fourth quarter thanks to a steal from Vu on an inbounds play, which led directly to a Lemons lay-up. That made the score 56-49 with 1:39 left to play, but Lakewood wasn’t out of it yet.
A prompt three-point play from King cut the deficit down to four, then a bucket by Lakewood freshman Laylah Patterson made the score 56-64 with under a minute left. After a Lancers foul sent Lemons to the line, she hit one free throw to make it 57-54 Poly with 17 seconds to play.
Lakewood looked to King with a chance to tie the game, but her three-point try was partially blocked by Vu and went out of bounds. That left the Lancers with one more chance to tie it with 5 seconds left, but the next inbounds pass was intercepted by Lemons to secure the win.
That’s 201 consecutive league wins for the Jackrabbits, who are committed to keeping the streak intact to preserve the decades of history built under Buggs’ leadership, alongside his wife and assistant coach, Lakeisha.
“We talk about it a lot,” said Lemons of the Moore League streak, which is older than some of the players on Poly’s roster. “It’s definitely a big tradition that we have to keep on, and for me in my senior year, I want to help the younger ones to understand that it’s very important. It’s more than just about us as individuals. It’s about keeping the Poly legacy alive and making sure that we’re able to continue that and be part of the tradition.”
While Buggs said he doesn’t focus on the winning streak at all, he was surely aware of the importance of this game against Lakewood. He challenged his team this week during a lackluster practice, and was pleased to see how they answered the call.
“When the seniors were talking they were saying this could be a big game against Lakewood, and they’re probably picked to win the league based upon what everybody’s saying. And they didn’t want to be the first ones to lose,” said Buggs of how his senior class has risen to the challenge of history. “There’s a certain amount of representation you have to have when you put that jersey on. The fact that we’ve done this for so long is a testament to the type of kids I’ve had and how hard they’ve worked to achieve that.”
These teams will rematch on Jan. 24 at Ron Palmer Pavilion in what should be another entertaining showdown in the new year.
