Katie Von Behren
Staff Writer
The Mira Costa boys basketball team (4-1)started the Artesia Tournament with a win when it prevailed, 61-58, over South Gate at Artesia High School on Tuesday.
It was a close game throughout all four quarters, with the Mustangs trailing by only one point at the end of the first quarter.
“The boys have been great, especially with keeping energy levels consistent throughout the game,” coach Jeff Amaral said.
The boys closed the gap but continued to struggle, heading into halftime behind South Gate, 30-22.
“It was a tough first quarter for everyone, so we needed to focus on improving everything to comeback,” senior guard Chris Lebbin said. “We were all ready to take the court in the second half with a ton of energy, and our goal was to win.”
Junior guard Quenton Jackson led the team, scoring 22 points. Also contributing to Costa’s victory was senior center Gavin Reagan, putting up 11 points.
“We battled for the win with a rough start in first half but fought back in the third quarter,” Reagan said. “It felt great to help out my boys with the win, and we are excited to prove ourselves against tougher competition.”
At the start of the third quarter, the Mustangs were making consistent, successful shots to finally gain a close lead of 41-39 going into the final quarter. The fourth quarter then ended with a tie at 53-53, sending the game into overtime when Costa was able to finish the game on top, 61-58. The boys faced San Pedro on Thursday but scores were unavailable at the time of publication.
“The boys knew what they had to do going into the second half of the game if they wanted to have a chance of winning,” Amaral said. “I knew they had it in them, but it was up to each of them to come together as a team to make it happen. I couldn’t be happier with the strong finish.”
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