Mission Prep boys tops Nipomo 79-36 in basketball matchup as teams prep for league

The Mission Prep basketball team jumped out to an early lead against Nipomo and didn’t let up on its way to a 79-36 victory at home Tuesday night.

The Royals move to 4-0 on the season while Nipomo falls to 3-2.

The Royals turned defensive stops into offense throughout the game, speeding up the Titans and jumping out to a 21-12 first quarter lead.

Jamar Howard was a benefactor of the uptempo game. He got a dunk in transition and later on knifed his way to the basket for another finish above the rim. He scored 8 points for the game.

“We certainly want to start with the defensive presence. We do feel like we’ve got athletes who can who can guard hard on the defensive end and we want to set the tone in that way,” Head Coach Terrence Harris said. “I feel like it’s got to be a part of who and what we are as a team.”

On the offensive side, the Royals worked to create looks from beyond the three-point line. They converted on eight shots beyond the arc. Two of those belonged to Luke Jacobson, who led the team in scoring with 15 points. Wyatt Maulhardt chipped in 11 points and a three as well.

Despite Mission Prep’s edge, Nipomo fought back in the third quarter.

Lucca Hart hit two deep threes off the dribble to give the Titans momentum, but multiple unforced turnovers stunted the momentum, and the Royals pulled ahead.

Hart led the Titans with 14 points. Joshua Atkinson finished in the paint and scored 11 points for Nipomo as well.

For both teams, these preseason games are in preparation for what’s ahead.

“Anytime we play a good team like this, it’s going to help us because it’s hard to simulate anything like that in practice,” Nipomo Head Coach Stan Ikeda said. “It’s going to help us down the road as far as the things we talked about in practice.”

The Royals have a tough schedule ahead with the annual Mission Prep Christmas Classic and a trip to Washington where they will play high-level competition up north.

“We will play a very competitive schedule. We’re off to a great start, but there’s a banner on the wall in the gym that says ‘better every day,’” Harris said. ”That is what we’re focusing on. We try not to get ahead of ourselves, try and be better today than we were yesterday and focus on excellence.”

The Royals will take on Clovis at home at 7 p.m. Friday. Nipomo plays Frontier in the Taro Kobara Memorial Optimist Tournament at Arroyo Grande High School on Thursday at 3:30 p.m.