Arroyo Grande basketball falls to skilled Fresno team: ‘A fun four years’
Arroyo Grande’s boys basketball team displayed a well-run offense in a highly skilled, first-round CIF-Central Section playoff matchup Tuesday against Hoover High of Fresno — but they came up just short in a 68-63 loss at home.
The Eagles moved the ball efficiently and worked to set up open shots — but they faced a team that flat shot the lights out.
Hoover buried 12 three-pointers against Arroyo Grande and rarely missed an open look.
The Eagles came in as the No. 6 seed in a bracket of upper tier Central Section schools.
Arroyo Grande (16-10) held an early 7-0 lead to start the Division 2 playoff game.
Down by as many as 12 points in the second half, Arroyo Grande used its press to trap No. 11 Hoover and forced turnovers. Arroyo Grande fought its way back to a three-point difference in the final couple of minutes against Hoover (13-13).
A steal on the Pirates’ end of the court nearly set up a chance for Arroyo Grande to take a crack at a 3-pointer down 64-61 with about a minute left. But the Eagles threw the ball away in a mad scramble to gain control. Free throws iced the contest for Hoover.
“We knew what was coming in,” Glanville said. “As the game went on, I thought we adjusted and got better and better and we certainly had our opportunities at the end. It comes down to little things, but credit them. They’re really good and they shoot the ball. They shot the heck out of the ball.”
Arroyo Grande was led by Lucas Juarez, with 19 points, and Dylan Schmidt had 16 points.
Arroyo Grande stars limited
Two of Arroyo Grande’s regular top-scoring players, Brody Naber and Josh McCune, were limited in points, which Arroyo Grande Coach Ryan Glanville attributed to scouting reports.
Naber added 11 and McCune had six. But McCune threw down a flat-footed dunk that electrified the home ground after gathering the ball below the basket in the second half.
Naber, typically a lights out shooter, was hounded throughout the game by defenders.
“Everyone has been scouted at this point,” Glanville said. “And it’s a compliment to Brody that everybody guards him so tightly. He was having a hard time getting open looks the last month of the season because that’s what happens when you can shoot it.”
Seniors end AG careers
McCune, a 6-foot-4 senior, said he thought the Eagles played extremely hard.
“I’m bummed go out that way, the last game of our senior year but we all had fun and it’s been fun four years,” McCune said.
McCune — a high vertical leaper who has offers to play volleyball in college but hasn’t decided yet — said it came down to a couple of shots at the end of the game that didn’t go the Eagles way.
Asked about his dunk, he said: “It’s always fun to have a dunk in a game. It’s definitely fun.”
Glanville said he’ll miss the group of seniors he called “really just terrific kids that showed some great leadership.”
McCune, Naber, Juarez, Schmidt, and Kedrick Lee all graduate this year.
“They’ll definitely be missed,” Glanville said. “It’s always tough when the season ends.”
Hoover was led by point guard Jaylan Walton with 18 points and five assists; Nate Moua with 12 points, Demar Monson with 11, Anthony Swillis with 10 points, eight rebounds and four blocks.
Other SLO County Boys Basketball Scores
Mission Prep 59, Liberty 44
Atascadero 69, Coalinga 50
Monache 63, Nipomo 59
This story was originally published February 15, 2022 at 9:55 PM.
%20Cropped.jpg)