Varsity boys basketball clinches 82-67 senior night win over Crystal Springs Uplands
Varsity boys basketball decimated Crystal Springs Uplands 82-67 during their senior night game on Friday at the Zhang Gymnasium.
Before the match began, the team celebrated their senior players Haden Andrews, Nolan Chen, Gary Jin, Advay Monga, Vyom Vidyarthi, Bowen Xia and Rohit Yalla and team managers Kai Hong and Caleb Tang. Each senior walked across the court with their friends and family as head coach Alfredo Alves read out advice each player gave to their teammates.
“Haden’s advice to the team is to get comfortable being uncomfortable because to him, that’s the key to improving at anything,” Alves said. “For players going to college or continuing at Harker, they will always see the result of basketball in vital ways. Haden hopes to continue playing basketball, no matter where he is.”
Power forward Rohit won the tipoff, gaining momentum for the Eagles as co-captain and shooting guard Advay put the first points on the board with a three-pointer 30 seconds into the quarter. After back-and-forth baskets from both teams, point guard Gary sank another three-pointer to widen Harker’s lead to 8-2, prompting Crystal Springs to call a timeout. Returning to the court, co-captain and power forward Vyom immediately stole the ball from a Gryphon, passing to shooting guard Caden Ruan (11) for a successful layup.
The Eagles pressured the Gryphons hard, converting steals and rebounds to baskets and increasing their lead to 19-4. Both teams capitalized on the others’ fouls, gaining over five points each in the quarter off of free throws. A swift layup from co-captain and point guard Bowen ended the first quarter 23-12.
Advay and Bowen opened the quarter with two layups, extending the Eagles’ lead to 27-12. After five consecutive points for the Gryphons, Caden responded with a layup. Following missed shots from both sides, Bowen sank a basket, bringing the score to 31-18. Two minutes before halftime, Bowen made a split-second pass to Vyom, who put in the shot and brought Harker into the lead by double 40-20. A few more baskets from each team kept the Eagles at a comfortable 45-21 lead at the end of the half.
When the game resumed after halftime, Rohit made a shot, and Vyom rebounded for another Harker basket. Bowen hit a three-pointer to widen the Eagles’ lead to 54-24. The Gryphons increased their offensive pace, taking advantage of Harker’s fouls and sinking free throws to narrow the gap to 57-34. Baskets from Advay, Vyom and Lucas rebuilt the Eagle’s confidence, ending the third quarter 63-44.
Crystal Springs immediately netted a three-pointer to open the fourth quarter, but Gary responded by sinking one for Harker. The two teams traded baskets, with Bowen making a layup off of a rebound from Rohit’s free throw. After a timeout, small forward Haden made a layup, maintaining Harker’s lead 76-56. Bowen and Nolan sank two shots, putting Harker’s last points on the board. The game concluded with a Harker victory 82-67.
Gary reflected on his last four years playing on the team, commenting on the significance of this match for the graduating class.
“It was really important in this game for everyone to go out and have fun, especially since it’s one of our last games,” Gary said. “It’s definitely sad that we at some point won’t have any more games to play, but at the same time, we’re moving on, and there are bigger and better things to come.”
Varsity boys basketball currently holds a league record of 5-4 and plays King’s Academy next on Tuesday in a home game.