LAX Leader

A grudge match is on the horizon today for the boy’s basketball team against Edward R. Roybal Learning Center. The game is at home at 4 p.m.

Boys’ basketball ended the week with a big win over Esteban E. Torres High School 66-35. Although they did suffer a tough loss to Linda Esperanza Marques High School 54-51 in overtime, they made up for that with a considerable win against Felicitas & Gonzalo Mendez High School 56-35. 

The Sheiks now have a 4-3 overall record. Although the record may seem average for some, the Sheiks are perfect in the Central League with a 3-0 record against their bitter rivals including Helen Berstein High School. The Sheiks have scored around 56 points on average and are excited to see what they can do against a fierce opponent. 

“We are approaching this like a normal game,” said Evan Vargas SAS senior, “even though Roybal is the top dog.”

“The morale of the team is definitely high,” said basketball coach Ryan Simkhai, “the wins earlier in the season boosted the team.” Coach Ryan also said that “we take one game at a time” and he expects his team to start off aggressively as soon as the buzzer goes off, “we understand the importance of every minute.”

While the Sheiks are pretty confident about their upcoming matchup, the Titans will put up a fight. Roybal stands at a solid 5-0 record and is tied in the Central League with the Sheiks. They beat four out of the five teams they’ve played by 40 or more points. The Titans also average 77 points a game which doesn’t bode well with the Sheiks’ expectations. The Sheiks will need to play their hardest if they want to win. 

“We are expected to lose,” said Darius Lugo TCA senior, “but they don’t got the chemistry like we do.” Darius said that he plans to help this team go deep into the playoffs. 

“We go into every game with a winning mindset, 100 percent,” said Kristopher Willis, “you can’t go into a game thinking that you are going to lose.”

This game is pivotal for both schools because whoever wins this game will have a one-game advantage, especially Roybal since they play at the Sheiks’ home which could affect who wins the Central League.

“They never played us,” said Coach Ryan, “sit back and relax and buckle up your seat belts.”

Original source can be found here