Wildcats Go 1-2 After Short Christmas Break

Monrovia’s men’s basketball team continues their preseason with three more contests

After a brief five day hiatus, the Wildcats continued their preseason schedule with three games between Friday and Sunday. All three contests were played on the Wildcats home court and by the end of the stretch the team added one win and two losses to their overall record.

The first game on Friday was against the Cathedral Phantoms, who hold an impressive 8-1 record on the season so far. The Wildcats didn’t start off strong, as they were outscored 19-7 in the first quarter. Monrovia responded with a 21-point second quarter; however, they were still down 17 by the end of the half.

Unfortunately, the opponent’s lead was too much to overcome, and when the final horn sounded the Wildcats lost on their home floor by a score of 88-65. Nevertheless, they were able to respond with yet another home game the next day against Foothill Tech.

Although only an 11-10 deficit was seen from the Wildcats after the first quarter, Monrovia’s offense went cold in the second quarter after only scoring nine points while allowing 16 to Foothill. The second half wasn’t consistent for the Wildcats either, as they only scored five points in the third. Despite a push in the fourth when they played their best basketball, the Wildcats were once again on the losing side after a second consecutive defeat.

Luckily, Monrovia had one more shot to be on the winning side by the end of the weekend. And this time, they took advantage of the opportunity. Against the Northridge Academy Pumas, who currently own a 2-10 record, the Wildcats offense thrived throughout the contest, accumulating a total of 82 points. That total number is the most points they have scored in a single game this campaign.

They ran away with the win in the fourth and final quarter when they advanced their lead even further thanks to a whopping 29 points in the eight final minutes. That strong period allowed the Wildcats to obtain the 82-50 victory, which was their first victory of the San Gabriel Valley Classic Tournament along with their eighth win of the 2019-20 season.

Monrovia got the day off on Sunday but continued tournament play on Monday with a win (75-70) against the Palmdale Falcons, who also entered the match with a 1-2 tournament record.

Following this contest, Monrovia will have one more preseason game on Friday against Fullerton until they begin Rio Hondo league play.

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