Yesterday, CHS boys’ basketball defeated the Moorpark Musketeers at home, 69-58. The Coyotes improved their overall record to 4-4 while also breaking the Musketeers’ 4-game win streak. This win marks the third in a row for Calabasas against Moorpark
The Coyotes drew first blood with a Payden Banuelos layup, but the Musketeers immediately responded with an early 3-6 lead, eventually creating an 8-point deficit. The Coyotes called timeout, although it appeared that Moorpark wouldn’t be slowing down, as is evident by the eventual score of 10-18.
Calabasas kept fighting, but Moorpark kept their foot on the Coyotes’ necks, establishing their biggest lead of the night at 10-20. This consistent pulse was dampened by a buzzer-beating three from junior guard Tristan Cardoso, which put the 1st quarter score at 13-20.
The 2nd quarter began to parallel the previous in many ways. Calabasas again scored first – this time from a Calvin Goetz 3-pointer – and the Musketeers immediately grabbed hold of the lead. A 6-point deficit became 10 points again, but this time, the Coyotes seemed ready to pull themselves up by their bootstraps and attempt a comeback. Sophomore guard Noah Simon hit a three to cut the deficit to 4 points, which was followed up with another Goetz three. Both teams found the score at 29-31, until Cardoso drove down the left-hand lane to sink a layup and tie the game with 7 seconds left.
Going into the second half, Calabasas went into another gear. Within only a few minutes, they had taken a 10-point lead, highlighted by plays like a Josh Ness three and a Banuelos steal. 43-33 turned into 48-33 from 2 made Cardoso free throws, which then turned into 50-33 from a Ness layup. It was as if the Coyotes in the first quarter and the Coyotes in the third quarter were different teams. The teams traded points back and forth before the Coyotes miraculously beat the buzzer again – Goetz, this time, having the magic touch. The 3rd quarter saw a score of 58-42, and with only 8 minutes left to seal the game, the Coyotes entered the 4th looking to do just that.
Noah Simon immediately started the 4th with a quick three, giving the Coyotes the biggest lead of the entire night at 19 points. From there, both teams became hyper-focused on not messing up, which led to minute-long back-and-forths without scoring. The Musketeers eventually responded with a 3-pointer, bringing the score to 63-53. The Coyotes scored their final points of the night from a Ness dunk, which served as an undeniable stamp in a game that saw the Coyotes post their largest point total of the season so far. However, according to assistant coach Matt Gruskin, there is always room for improvement.
“We need to come out hotter than that, start strong, and not dig ourselves in a hole early,” said Gruskin. “It was a sloppy first half. Still, it’s always nice to get a win.”
