Finish is critical to Agoura’s playoff hopes

By Stephen Dorman Special to The Acorn

FLYING HIGH-Agoura senior forward Zack Cantor soars toward the rim during the Chargers' 70-53 loss to Thousand Oaks last Friday. Despite the defeat, Agoura remains in the thick of the Marmonte League playoff race.

With the Marmonte League regular-season schedule two weeks from its completion, the Agoura High boys’ basketball team knows it will have to improve its play down the stretch in order to qualify for the Division II-AA playoffs.

The Chargers entered Wednesday night’s contest against Newbury Park with an overall record of 9-10, including a 4-5 mark in the Marmonte League, putting the team in a two-way tie for fourth place in league play. According to CIF rules, Agoura must have a minimum of 11 victories overall to qualify for the playoffs.

"We could move up to possibly third place in the league if we play well in the next couple of games," head coach Joe Riccio said. "Each game—being at home or on the road—is going to be critical to how far we can go."

The top two teams in the Marmonte at the end of the regular season will host at least one first-round playoff game, while the remaining playoff qualifiers from the league will be forced to travel and play a top seed from an opposing conference.

"Finishing as high as you can is really critical to each team in our league," Riccio said.

But before Agoura can begin to make any preparations for the postseason, they have to string together some sort of winning streak, something the Chargers haven’t accomplished since winning four consecutive contest from mid December thru early January.

Since posting a 61-38 victory over Newbury Park on Jan. 7, the Chargers have lost four of six Marmonte League games, including a double-overtime defeat at the hands of Calabasas, the No. 16 ranked team in the latest Los Angeles Times’ high school basketball poll.

"We’ve got to continue to practice with the mentality that we are going to be ready to play," said shooting guard Tyler Acevedo. "That means keeping our heads in the game and always staying focused."

Acevedo currently leads Agoura with 17.1 points per game and has made 28 of the Chargers’ 66 three pointers on the season. His 324 points scored this year ranks third in the Marmonte behind only Jordan Cameron of Newbury Park (370) and Calabasas’ point guard Drew Housman (490).

"Tyler’s play has probably been the most consistent on the team," said Riccio. "He comes to play every single night, is one of the top players in the county, and could play on any team in the county and be a starter. That’s how good he is."

Center Kyle Faught battled an ankle injury during the early part of the season and was sidelined for several games. Since returning to the starting lineup, Faught has averaged 10.8 points and 6.6 rebounds per game. He also leads the team with nine blocks on the year.

"(Faught) is the key to our big man’s game on the inside," Riccio said. "He’s truly and outside player, a guard really, but he’s so fundamentally sound that we have to play him out of position. Every night he’s playing against guys sometimes six inches bigger than he is, and he’s been performing."

With Acevedo and Faught contributing the majority of the team’s points, Riccio is still looking for a consistent third scorer to help ease the pressure off the two, and help open up the floor for better looks at the basket.

Point guard Shawn Trowbridge is being counted on to be that player as the season winds down. Trowbridge, who is averaging eight points and 3.5 rebounds, was inserted into the starting lineup at the onset of league play after coming off the bench early in the season.

"All of us need to play to our potential down the stretch," Trowbridge said. "We just have to take it one game at a time and hopefully win them all."

Agoura’s schedule sets up favorably over the last five games, as they play only one team, Calabasas, with a record currently above .500.

"If we play well we should win our games," Riccio said. "If we show up and have an inconstant evenings, it’s going to be a long night for us and not favorable to make the CIF playoffs."