Recap: Basketball vs. SM South

From the start, when senior Max Danner lined up against a player four inches taller than him, it was a lopsided game. SM South was coming off a high from defeating the fourth-ranked team in the state, while the Lancers were still reeling from the loss of senior post Lucas Jones. The result was a high-intensity game that remained physical to the final moments, resulting in a 55-39 loss for the Lancers.

The loss of Jones was the focus of the night for the Lancers, as the team tried to adapt and find a way to combat South’s post players. With three players over 6-foot 7-inches, South provided a physical presence in the paint that the Lancers couldn’t match. The team attempted to rely on outside shots, but the guards struggled to hit anything from outside the arc. Junior Jay Guastello, who is typically a score-leader for the squad, didn’t score until the second half.

While the Lancers struggled to connect, South’s squad found room to score both from the outside with junior CJ Hill and from the inside with senior Anei Anei. Both players benefitted from a deadly pick-and-roll combination, but the Raiders’ main success came from capitalizing on free throws and turnovers.

By the second half, the Raiders pulled away by 13 points. The Lancers chipped that down to seven before a turnover and a quick three-point shot invigorated the South players and their student section, which was packed to capacity in the East gym. By the end of the third quarter, the team was dug too deeply into a deficit to avoid the loss. In the final seconds of senior night, head coach Shawn Hair cleared his bench to allow Danner and fellow seniors Gunnar Englund and Jack Flint a final moment of recognition.

Both teams will face off again next Friday in the first game of the regionals tournament. Can’t make it to the game? Catch all the live action here.