The Arcadia High School Apaches came out of a five-game losing streak Tuesday, Jan. 20th, beating the John Muir High School Mustangs 57-50 at home.
Last-place in the Pacific league standings, the Apaches handed the Mustangs their second loss of league play, earning Arcadia High’s first league win in the process.
“It’s a big win for us, we’ve been really close,” said Arcadia High School head coach Ben Codeiro. “We know we weren’t perfect, we didn’t play a perfect game, but we believed in each other and we grinded out a victory.”
The game was tight from the get-go, and the lead never stretched to more than ten points for the night. The Apaches ended the half with a six point lead over the Mustangs, and kept their composure coming into the third and final quarters of the game despite a number of turnovers.
“We just told them to calm down,” said Codeiro. “We just had to settle down and do it.”
The Apaches lost their lead at the 4:46 mark in the fourth quarter as a pair of free throws and a 8-0 drive lifted the Mustangs to a 45-44 lead over Arcadia. But a few turnovers sparked by sophomore point-guard Andrew Quon helped Arcadia high regain their lead in a matter of seconds.
“I tried to make up for my mistakes,” said Quon. “I got a little out of control with the ball, so I tried to make it up for the team by getting some steals.”
Quon’s efforts lead the Apaches on a 6-0 run, and gave them a lead they comfortably kept for the rest of the game.
“We talked a lot about believing in ourselves and the guys hung in there and I thought they did a great job,” said Codeiro.
Photos and Article by Vincent Nguyen
