The first playoff game for the boys basketball team was triumphant. On Friday, February 9, 2024 at 7:00 PM the North Hollywood High School boy’s basketball team won their first playoff game against the Roosevelt Senior High Riders. 

The Huskies are playing in the 2024 CIF LA City Section Boys’ Basketball Championships – Division II tournament. They are ranked at the 18th seed. The Riders were ranked as the 9th seed, and the game was on their court. They had every advantage, and they were stumped by our Huskies. 

This game was a once in a lifetime experience. The first quarter ended with a score of 21-14 and the Huskies were up, however in the second quarter the score was 29-30. The adrenaline in the arena was out of the room. The riders had caught up to the Huskies, so now we were in trouble. The third quarter ended with a score of 33-36. However, the game isn’t over until the clock runs out. 

The fourth quarter arrived, and there were eight minutes left in the game. With three minutes left in the game both teams were tied at 41-41. There were 47.9 seconds left in the game, and the riders were up 44-43. The teams were taking their time outs seriously to devise a plan. There were 18 seconds left and it was still 44-43. There were 7.8 seconds left and the ball was in number 30, Darell Cervantes’ hands, and he passes the ball to number 20, Lucas Gonzalez, and he fakes out one of the Riders, and he shoots from mid range, but he misses. Number 4, Jayson Cooper gets the rebound and with two seconds left in the game he releases the ball, it hits the rim, it hits the backboard, and the ball goes through the hoop at the buzzer! 

The Huskies with a last second shot won against the Riders 45-44, and they advanced to the quarterfinals to go against Manual Arts. Their next game is on Wednesday, February 14, 2024 at 7:00 PM. Come support, so you don’t miss out on opportunities like this one. 

The season isn’t over for these boys, and number 20, Lucas Gonzalez, explains how “Team morale is definitely very high, last night’s win was for sure super exciting. Right now we feel rejuvenated and we honestly feel like we can beat anybody. If we just play with the same defensive intensity and effort then we can win next week.”

However, Number 0, Alexander Espinoza juxtaposes this idea by explaining that “With all honesty, my mindset is actually not all over the place and filled with emotions as you would think, I’m happy but at the same time the job is not done, this is only one game. I’m going to use this as fuel and motivation to give it my all and relate that to my teammates so we’re all on the same page.”

Number 3, Caymen Smith, has an epiphany about how “With Jayson hitting that crazy shot at the end of the game, we’re now the lowest seed still left in the division. And we realize that our next game/s are all going to require an underdog mentality that won’t give up.”