LONG BEACH \u2014 Through one half, the Long Beach Wilson boys basketball team struggled shooting from the field Friday.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s crazy because it felt like we couldn\u2019t throw it in the ocean,\u201d Bruins coach James Boykin said.<\/p>\n
Cabrillo, however, had its own issues at the free-throw line and led by just four points at halftime.<\/p>\n
Then, Wilson sophomore guard Nehamiah Parris got going in the third quarter to lead a second-half comeback.\u00a0Parris scored 12 of his team-high 16 points in the third to lead Wilson to a 54-48 victory over host Cabrillo in the Moore League opener for both teams.<\/p>\n
\u201cI think it was my teammates and coaches\u2019 encouragement,\u201d Parris said after scoring all of his points after halftime. \u201cMissed a couple shots early in the game and they were just telling me to keep shooting, keep shooting.\u201d<\/p>\n
Wilson (9-3, 1-0), which has won six of its last seven, trailed by 11 points in the third.<\/p>\n
With 5:46 left in the quarter, Parris then got a layup to fall to start his flurry. Two minutes later, his jump shot ignited a personal string of four consecutive baskets on as many possessions.<\/p>\n
\u201cI was telling my assistant that we need Nehamiah or Noah (Jaramillo) or Andre (Alvarez-Smith) \u2014 somebody has to wake up,\u201d Boykin said. \u201cLast game, (Parris) was a little off, then the first two and a half quarters off, then he saw one go in. That was that spark that we needed.\u201d<\/p>\n
It was part of a 16-5 run capped by senior guard Matthew Searles\u2019 layup to tie the game 37-37 with 51 seconds remaining in the quarter. Searles finished with 14 points.<\/p>\n
Cabrillo (2-5, 0-1) took a 39-37 lead into the fourth, but 13 missed free throws through three quarters prevented the Jaguars from building on the advantage. At one point in the third, they missed five consecutive one-and-one attempts.<\/p>\n
For the contest, Cabrillo was 18 of 31 at the line.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt was the first home game for a young team, we didn\u2019t expect any of the basketball to be pretty,\u201d Jaguars coach Chris Spencer said after his team\u2019s third consecutive loss. \u201cA lot of mistakes on both sides. Both teams really wanted to win, so it\u2019s going to lead to a lot of overzealous players and just playing out of character, at times.\u201d<\/p>\n
Aside from the game\u2019s opening basket, Wilson trailed through the remainder of the first 24 minutes. The Bruins opened 1 of 11 from the field, including nine consecutive misses.<\/p>\n
Senior guard William Waldrop connected on a 3-pointer to pull back in front 40-39 to open the fourth. It was just one of the Bruins\u2019 two baskets from beyond the arc and the first since Jaramillo\u2019s in the opening quarter.<\/p>\n
\u201cThey got a lot of long 3-pointers off blown assignments,\u201d Spencer said. \u201cThose guys shoot it really well, we knew they shot it well on film, and somehow we continued to leave them open.\u201d<\/p>\n
Cabrillo trailed 54-48 with 2:06 remaining, and senior guard Edward Steele missed a pair of open 3-pointers on consecutive possessions in the final push.<\/p>\n
Wilson settled into a better team rhythm after Jaramillo accounted for all seven first-quarter points and Searles had eight of the team\u2019s 12 second-quarter points.<\/p>\n
Boykins said the Bruins\u2019 press defense was the key to wearing down the Jaguars.<\/p>\n
Cabrillo had 11 of its 18 turnovers in the second half, allowing Wilson to get out in transition.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe talked about it before the game, we talked about it after the game \u2014 just keep pushing the ball,\u201d Boykin said. \u201cJust keep pushing, keep pushing, keep pushing.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2018s just a gritty win, and they keep growing as a team. We\u2019ve been in a lot of close games already this year.\u201d<\/p>\n
The Jaguars were paced by senior point guard MJ Reed Jr., who led all scorers with 22 points. Sophomore wing Ului-He-Lotu Eteaki chipped in 14.<\/p>\n
Spencer said it was Reed\u2019s \u201cbest game to-date, so far.\u201d He consistently got to the free-throw line, making 13 of 15 attempts.<\/p>\n
\u201cI hope he can build on it and we\u2019ll continue to have a good season,\u201d Spencer added.<\/p>\n
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