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Sports

Elk Grove Represented in Common Good Classic

Three area high school teams strutted their stuff in the boys basketball tournament at Antelope High School Monday.

Elk Grove area high school boys basketball teams made their presence known at the fourth annual Common Good Classic tournament at Antelope High School on Monday.

The Common Good Classic tournament helps raise funds for local communities and charities, with the goal of bringing to light the importance of helping those in need. Many schools took part in the tournament and Elk Grove schools were well represented.

Laguna Creek 73, Bradshaw Christian 54: The first game on Monday was the Laguna Creek Cardinals taking on the Bradshaw Christian Pride, with the Cardinals picking up an easy victory over the Pride.

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Laguna Creek held the lead over Bradshaw Christian through most of the game and the lead increased bit by bit after each quarter. By the third quarter, the Cardinals were already leading 56-39.

Cardinals coach Paul Casey said his main goal for the game was for every player to get some playing time.

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“I wanted everyone to get a chance to play since some of the kids didn’t get a chance to play in the past,” Casey said.

Casey credited the defense for getting points on the scoreboard, but he also said his team focused too much on blocking shots as opposed to altering them.

“Our defense did create some turnovers and gave us some points,” Casey said. “We did have a lot of blocked shots but I think there were too many. I’d rather see us creating difficult shots for the opposing team and then grabbing the rebound.

“It’s something we’re working on. I try to give the kids some playing minutes, and they can get a little too exuberant on the court.”

Laguna Creek senior guard Chris Carvin said the win does help give his team momentum for the rest of the season.

“We’ve just been clicking lately,” Carvin said. “Defense first, offense second because our offense comes from our defense.”

Carvin, who leads Laguna Creek with an average of 17.9 points per game and earned player of the game honors for his performance against Bradshaw Christian, said the Cardinals should have been an undefeated team by now.

“There were too many games that we lost only by one point, two points and buzzer beaters,” Carvin said. “I feel that we are underrated because of our losses; we just have a lot to prove during every game we play.”

Laguna Creek has won eight games in a row and is tied with Franklin for the lead in the Delta Valley league at 2-0 (11-5 overall). Bradshaw Christian falls to 10-5 overall but still leads the Sierra Delta league with a 2-0 record.

Pleasant Grove 68, Davis 54: The Eagles soared over the Blue Devils in the second contest of the tournament.

The Eagles led throughout the game but were held to just 12 points in the third quarter.

Pleasant Grove coach John DePonte said despite the win, his team did not play as well as it should have.

“Our energy level wasn’t quite there today; it was a little sporadic,” DePonte said. “Our commitment to rebounding wasn’t there, we weren’t blocking out, but Davis played hard, to their credit.”

DePonte said if the team brings the energy it is supposed to on the court, then it will be better prepared for league play for the rest of the season.

“We just need to continue to play hard and good things happen when you play hard,” DePonte said. “No matter what you bring onto the offense or defense, if you bring the energy onto the court then good things will happen.”

Pleasant Grove’s overall record improves to 12-6, but it is still winless in Delta River League play at 0-2, while Davis is 7-11 overall and 0-2 in Delta Valley League play.

 Antelope 59, Monterey Trail 49: It was not a happy ending for all of the Elk Grove teams on Monday. The host Titans let the Mustangs know whose house it was with the 10-point victory in the tournament finale.

Monterey Trail did have a 26-23 lead at halftime, but Antelope regained its lead in the third quarter outscoring the Mustangs 16-7.

Monterey Trail faced tough competition with Antelope winning its 14th game in a row and boasting a commanding 15-3 overall record and a 1-0 record in the Capital Athletic League. The Mustangs fell to 13-5 and are in third place in the DVL at 1-1.

Monterey Trail coach Ken Manfredi said his team did not perform well in the second half.

“There’s some team concepts we’re trying to improve on and we didn’t do a really good job of that,” Manfredi said. “Antelope is a solid team, though. When we faltered, they capitalized.”

Manfredi also said his team is struggling with helping each other improve.

“If we want to be in the conversation to be a competitive team in the league, all of our players need to help make each other better, whether that’s in practice or in the game,” Manfredi said. “Today I don’t think we did a good job of that.”

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