Sharks Basketball Wins Big

The  boys varsity basketball team took care of business at home Wednesday night against a confident Grace Brethren squad. It was a strong and decisive win against a team that Malibu lost to at home last year. Sophomores Anthony Kodomichalos and Justin Holmes led the Sharks (12-7, 4-0 in the Frontier League) to the convincing 66-34 win that was never in doubt. 

The game was all but over midway through the third quarter when Sharks head coach Bobby Tenorio pulled the majority of his starters with the team up by 31 points. Holmes was the last starter to leave the game, with over five minutes left on the clock. Sophomore forward Harrison Kaplan led the bench and maintained the margin for the remainder of the contest.

The Sharks came out with aggressive defense from the opening tip. , Kodomichalos played in every position for Malibu; against the Lancers, it seemed he was all over the court, continually harassing the Grace Brethren guards. Senior guard Kyle Sandler and Kodomichalos maintained a full court press for most of the quarter and, with the assistance of junior forward Will Rosenthal, caused a number of turnovers and easy baskets for Malibu.

Senior guard Patrick Fontenette came in for Kodomichalos and picked up where the sophomore left off. The Sharks' defense allowed the Lancers to make only one field goal in the quarter, with Malibu closing the period up 15-5 (with 6 of 14 shooting).

The second quarter saw junior guard Andrew Yazdani and Fontenette continuing the pressure established in the first quarter. Also, senior Parker Smith's length caused Grace Brethren all sorts of difficulties under the basket. The quarter was punctuated by some exciting ensemble play by the Sharks, epitomized by one play in which senior guard Jack Platner drove the lane, dished to Holmes, who drew the defense and gave a diving Rosenthal an easy layup.

With Malibu's press, Tenorio maintained his guard rotations, giving sophomore Bryan Salcedo valuable court time and opportunity. Malibu headed into the locker room up 33-15 at the half. The only criticism from the coach at the half was unnecessary fouls by the defense. This has plagued Malibu in previous games.

It looked like the Sharks came out in the second half with only one thing in mind—to stomp on the Lancers and not let them get back into the game. To their credit, the Sharks did not let up. Kodomichalos and Sandler pressed again. Holmes scored the first four points of the half (finishing with 13 points and 13 rebounds) and then Kodomichalos chimed in with eight points, two fast break baskets, and two put backs.

Midway through the third quarter, Tenorio subbed out all his starters except Holmes. By that time, MVP for the game Kodomichalos had amassed 15 points and six rebounds, the Sharks were up by 31 and his services would not be needed for the rest of the game. The Lancers made a run at the end of the quarter, but Malibu continued to build on its halftime lead and ended the quarter ahead 54-27.

The fourth quarter saw Holmes play just two and a half minutes before he handed off leadership to Kaplan for the rest of the game. Kaplan led the bench admirably to finish with a game-high 16 points (and eight rebounds). The bench was able to gain valuable experience on the court and continued to extend Malibu's lead. The Sharks kept their foot on the accelerator and did not let go until they heard the final buzzer.

Next up for Malibu is an away game on Friday at Carpinteria. The Sharks are at home again next Wednesday against Santa Paula. The game begins at 7 p.m.