Calabasas Ready to Renew Hoops Success

After a blazing start that saw start the boys basketball season 10-0 while winning two tournaments and climbing to No. 20 in MaxPreps’ state rankings, the Coyotes got tripped up at the Oaks Christian tournament last week in Westlake Village.

Calabasas went 2-2, including a 68-51 opening loss Dec. 27 to Oaks Christian, followed three days later with a 47-34 loss Friday to Rancho Verde.

“We’re going to work as hard as ever now and do our best to get back on the pedestal that we fell from last week,” forward Josh Cohan said.

Nobody was expecting Calabasas to go 30-0, so it’s not a big shock the Coyotes have lost a couple of games at this point in the season. Calabasas (12-2, 2-0) remains tied for first place in the Marmonte League heading into a league game at 7:30 p.m. Wednesday against visiting Moorpark (11-3, 1-1).

“After winning the Palm Springs tournament on the host team's floor and getting to No. 20 in the state, we let down with inconsistent play in the Oaks Christian tournament,” Calabasas coach Jon Palarz said. “We fell apart in the second half against Oaks, righted the ship with two wins, then faltered again down the stretch against Rancho Verde.

“We’re determined to play tough and disciplined against Moorpark on Wednesday.”

Moorpark is a program on the rise. After winning a total of four games two years ago, the Musketeers went 19-9 last season, losing in the second round of the playoffs to eventual state champion L.A. Lutheran.

“We’re playing pretty well. It’s been a good season,” Moorpark coach Eddie Gutierrez said.

The key for Calabasas is maturity and improvement. If the Coyotes can benefit from tough losses, it’s a good a sign.

“We have to learn from last week, and now our focus is on Moorpark,” Calabasas guard Spencer Levy said. “We are a tough and resilient team, and that’s what we will prove.”

Cohan, Levy, Jeremy Lieberman and Holden Israel are among Calabasas’ top players.

From this point forward, Calabasas is locked into league competition, playing two Marmonte League games a week until the finale Feb. 9 at Westlake.

VIEWPOINT PRIMED FOR HOOPS SUCCESS

For the third consecutive time, boys basketball team advanced to a tournament final – and for the third time in row, the Patriots finished as a runner-up after falling to Ponderosa 65-52 on Friday in Palm Desert in the final of the MaxPreps Holiday Classic.

It’s been tough not getting the big trophy, but on the bright side, what was particularly impressive was a 67-66 overtime win over high-powered Fairmont Prep two nights earlier – a performance that could turn out to be just the push start Viewpoint needs heading into Liberty League competition and the likes of league favorite Buckley, one of California’s top small-school programs.

“That win against Fairmont Prep demonstrated our team’s strong desire for league and playoff success,” Viewpoint coach J.J. Prince said. “Now we have to focus on winning a league title.”

After scoring 34 points in the season opener before going down with an injury, Viewpoint’s Jonny Paul rejoined for the Palm Springs tournament, averaging 15 points over four games.

“The return of Jonny Paul is a tremendous boost for our ball club,” Prince said.

Viewpoint (9-4) opens Liberty competition at 7 p.m. Wednesday against visiting Buckley – and that’s no picnic. The visiting Griffins (10-2) advanced to the state tournament last season, and they’ve won 20 games or more three years in a row.

This season, Buckley has defeated several larger programs including North Hollywood, Reseda, University and Needles.

The other strong competitors in the league are Yeshiva (13-0) , which already owns a win over Viewpoint on Dec. 1 at the Milken tournament, along with Providence (11-3) and Holy Martyrs (7-6). Providence features high-scoring Marcus LoVett (32.8 points) and Patrick Gonzalez (19.8 points, down from 37.8 last year).