Millikan’s Joseph Wicker (3) and Quali Giran (5) try to block Long Beach Poly’s Kamarie Smiths (3) shot in Long Beach, CA, on Friday, January 16, 2026. (Photo by Tracey Roman, Contributing Photographer)
Millikan’s Christian Parron (21) tries to block Long Beach Poly’s Jonas Owares (13) shot in Long Beach, CA, on Friday, January 16, 2026. (Photo by Tracey Roman, Contributing Photographer)
Millikans’ Christian Parron (21) tries to shoot around Long Beach Poly’s Jonas Oware (13) in Long Beach, CA, on Friday, January 16, 2026. (Photo by Tracey Roman, Contributing Photographer)
Long Beach Poly’s Jakobi Oware (4) tries to steal the ball from Millikan’s Jalen Stewart (1) in Long Beach, CA, on Friday, January 16, 2026. (Photo by Tracey Roman, Contributing Photographer)
Millikan’s Jeremiah Hunt (12) shoots for two as the Rams take on Long Beach Poly in Long Beach, CA, on Friday, January 16, 2026. (Photo by Tracey Roman, Contributing Photographer)
Long Beach Poly’s Jonas Oware (13) puts the pressure on Millikan’s Jeremiah Hunt (12) in Long Beach, CA, on Friday, January 16, 2026. (Photo by Tracey Roman, Contributing Photographer)
Long Beach Poly’s Kamarie Smith (3) shoots for two as the Jackrabbits take on Millikan in Long Beach, CA, on Friday, January 16, 2026. (Photo by Tracey Roman, Contributing Photographer)
Long Beach Poly’s Jonas Oware(13) tries to get around Millikan’s Christian Parron (21) in Long Beach, CA, on Friday, January 16, 2026. (Photo by Tracey Roman, Contributing Photographer)
Long Beach Poly’s Isaac Hagens (23) shoots for two as the Jackrabbits take on Millikan in Long Beach, CA, on Friday, January 16, 2026. (Photo by Tracey Roman, Contributing Photographer)
Millikan’s Jeremiah Hunt (12) and Joseph Wicker (3) try to block Long Beach Poly’s Nana Ofoegbus (2) shot in Long Beach, CA, on Friday, January 16, 2026. (Photo by Tracey Roman, Contributing Photographer)
Millikan’s Jeremiah Hunt (12) looks to get past Long Beach Poly’s Nana Ofoegbu (2) in Long Beach, CA, on Friday, January 16, 2026. (Photo by Tracey Roman, Contributing Photographer)
Long Beach Poly’s Jakobi Oware (4) tries to block the shot of Millikan’s Christian Parrot (21) in Long Beach, CA, on Friday, January 16, 2026. (Photo by Tracey Roman, Contributing Photographer)
Long Beach Poly’s Julian Calderone (5) shoots for two as the Jackrabbits take on Millikan in Long Beach, CA, on Friday, January 16, 2026. (Photo by Tracey Roman, Contributing Photographer)
Long Beach Poly’s Isaac Hagens (23) goes up for two as the Jackrabbits take on Millikan in Long Beach, CA, on Friday, January 16, 2026. (Photo by Tracey Roman, Contributing Photographer)
Long Beach Poly’s Jonas Oware (13) shoots for two as the Jackrabbits take on Millikan in Long Beach, CA, on Friday, January 16, 2026. (Photo by Tracey Roman, Contributing Photographer)
Long Beach Poly’s Nana Ofoegbu (2) tries to get around Millikan’s Jeremiah Hunt (12) in Long Beach, CA, on Friday, January 16, 2026. (Photo by Tracey Roman, Contributing Photographer)
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Millikan’s Joseph Wicker (3) and Quali Giran (5) try to block Long Beach Poly’s Kamarie Smiths (3) shot in Long Beach, CA, on Friday, January 16, 2026. (Photo by Tracey Roman, Contributing Photographer)
LONG BEACH — The showdown for first place in the Moore League boys basketball standings was delayed but it did not disappoint.
The game was tied at 36 heading into the fourth quarter.
The Rams drained five 3-pointers in the final period and outscored Poly by a 25-15 margin to secure a 61-51 victory at home Friday night.
Millikan used an 11-0 run, led by freshman guard Quali Giran and senior guard Jeremiah Hunt, to seize control and take a 50-43 lead midway through the fourth.
Senior guard Jalen Stewart’s corner 3-pointer pushed Millikan’s lead to 53-46 with less than two minutes to go.
“It’s not how you start, it’s how you finish,” Millikan second-year coach Stephon Price said.
Millikan improved to 15-6 overall and 6-0 in the Moore League.
“It’s really good because we’re aiming to finish 12-0 (in league),” Hunt said. “We want to win Moore League.”
Hunt and Giran combined for 44 points. Hunt, a three-year varsity starter, scored 12 of his game-high 24 points in the fourth quarter. He also grabbed seven rebounds and dished out six assists.
Giran scored 20 points, including consecutive 3-pointers to put Millikan up 45-43 midway through the fourth.
Junior forward Christian Parron added 10 points and six rebounds.
“The whole team is a big help for me,” Giran said. “I can’t play this game by myself and this is a team effort.”
Center Jonas Oware, a 6-foot-9 senior who signed with Yale, led Long Beach Poly (14-7, 5-1) with 13 points and 14 rebounds.
Senior guard Nana Ofoegbu had 12 points and six rebounds. Senior guard Kamarie Smith added 10 points off the bench.
The Jackrabbits had 18 turnovers. The Rams went 15 of 15 from the free throw line.
“We’re going to continue to grow,” Price said. “We haven’t done anything yet. We have six more games in a tough Moore League, but I feel like this game was a big milestone for the program, for the school, for the team so we will continue to build from it.”
The sold-out game was delayed by nearly an hour due to scoreboard and clock issues in the preceding junior varsity and girls varsity games.
In the boys varsity contest, the game clock and shot clock were announced to the crowd from the scorer’s table.
Poly senior guard Julian Calderone scored on a layup to go up 2-0 early. Giran’s fastbreak dunk tied it at 2.
Consecutive buckets by Giran put Millikan up 13-12 at the end of the first.
Ofoegbu’s backcourt steal and layup cut Millikan’s lead to 28-26 at halftime.
Hunt and Giran both had 10 points in the first half.
Jonas Oware’s putback closed the gap to 34-32 and he tied it at 34 all with two made free throws. Hunt’s jumper made it 36-34. Hagens tied it at 36 at the end of the third quarter.
“I think that it was just we all trusted each other and our coaches trusted us,” Hunt explained after his first career win over Poly. “They told us to keep shooting.”
Hunt’s 3-pointer put Millikan up 39-36 early in the fourth quarter.
Giran’s 3-pointer cut it to 43-42. Giran’s next 3-pointer put Millikan up 45-43. Hunt’s 3-pointer made it 48-43.
Parron’s layup made it 50-43. Ofoegbu’s three-point play cut it to 50-46 but Millikan pulled away late.
Guards Jeremiah Hunt, Quali Giran and coach Stephon Price on Millikan’s 61-51 victory at home over Long Beach Poly Friday night.
Hunt and Giran combined for 44 points, including three 3-pointers during an 11-0 run in the fourth quarter. @jeremiah_hunt26 x @qualigiran2029 pic.twitter.com/WgRldEgo5p
— John W. Davis (@johnwdavis) January 17, 2026