Eagle boys also get first round win

ADAM DAVIS/The Acorn UP STRONG-Grant Smith takes the ball to the hoop vs. Crespi in the Oak Park boys' basketball team's win last Friday night.

The Oak Park boys’ basketball team defeated Crespi, 70-55, in a game played in Oak Park last Friday night. Crespi is the team that defeated the Eagles in the California Interscholastic Federation (CIF) semifinals last year

Down 16-11 late in the first quarter, Oak Park mounted a run, 25-3, which ended at halftime when the Eagles owned a commanding 36-19 lead. With slightly more than two minutes left in the first quarter, Grant Smith, a senior guard/forward, scored two baskets (seven in the quarter, 15 for the game) to end the first period, then Oak Park scored the first 11 points of the second quarter.

Nick Smith, a senior forward/center, scored the first two baskets of the second quarter to give the Eagles a 19-16 lead, then baskets by Grant Smith, a 3-pointer from junior guard Kyle Daley and another hoop by Nick Smith after a nifty spin move, increased the lead to 26-16.

Oak Park then outscored Crespi 10-3 the remainder of the second quarter.

"I think you saw tonight, we had a lot of assists," said Oak Park’s first-year coach Ed Chevalier, formerly the coach at Thousand Oaks. "That’s been characteristic of us, pretty much all year, where we’re getting points from players passing to other players."

Indeed, while Nick Smith led with 20 points, nine in the second quarter, senior guard Monte McNair (eight points) and junior guard Pete Winningham (six points) were effectively chewing up the Crespi defense with crisp passes to their teammates.

"That’s been the key to the whole deal," Chevalier said, in reference to his team’s unselfish passing. The Eagles improved to 20-6 with the win while Crespi’s season ended at 12-15.

Chevalier added, "I think we should be feeling good after this win. We missed some easy shots early, we missed some free throws late, but we made the free throws when they counted, and I think that’s a good sign."

In the fourth quarter, Crespi rallied to close the gap to eight, 58-50, (it was 52-35 after three quarters) but it was way too little, too late for the CIF titleholders.

"It looked to me like a couple of guys were nervous early," said Chevalier, "so I’m glad we got this game out of our system."

The Smiths (unrelated) and fellow senior Casey Tom, a guard who scored two points vs. Crespi, said the Eagles’ success this year can be attributed largely to hard work and the team meshing more and more as the season progresses.

"We work hard on defense," said Grant Smith. "If we just come out and play like we did tonight, play like we have all season, we’ll win."

Added Nick Smith, "We’ve really come together as a team, and everyone has put in a lot of hard work and we’ve just gelled towards the end of the season."

Said Tom, "Our chemistry is unbelievable. We don’t have all the talent in the world, but we all work together."

The goal for the postseason is an obvious one.

"We’re going for that CIF ring," said Tom.