Cypress’ boys basketball team took sole possession of first place in the Empire League on Tuesday with a 58-54 home win over Kennedy.
The teams took 4-0 league records into the game played in Cypress’ packed and loud gym. Cypress (14-5 overall) defeated all five league opponents in the first round of league. Kennedy (14-7) is in second place by two games.
Brad Belshe led Cypress with 21 points. He got most of those at the free-throw line, where he was 12 for 17. The 6-foot-4 senior guard, averaging 23 points a game, missed his first three throws of the game.
Cypress 6-4 junior Myles Jones scored 15 points. He was responsible for the Centurions’ first eight points. Senior guard Trent Rothman added 13 points, and 5-9 senior guard Noah Maschhaupt scrambled for a team-high six rebounds.
Jordan DeCarlo led Kennedy with 16 points, including two clutch second-half 3-pointers. Marcus Proctor scored 13 points, seven in the fourth-quarter, for the Fighting Irish.
The game featured numerous lead changes in the first three quarters. Cypress took a 38-37 advantage into the fourth quarter. Maschhaupt broke a 44-44 tie with a driving layup, and Rothman turned a steal into a breakaway layup for a 48-44 lead with 1:28 remaining.
The final minute was mostly an exchange of free throws. Belshe made a pair with 17 seconds left to give Cypress a 55-49 lead. Six seconds later, DeCarlo made a 3-pointer to make it a three-point game. From there, Rothman made one free throw and Maschhaupt added two to keep Cypress on top.
“This was the most fun, most intense game I’ve ever played in,” Belshe said. “It was close the whole way. An amazing game.”
Cypress and Kennedy play their Empire League rematch at Kennedy on Feb. 11, the final scheduled game of the regular season.
In the Pacific Coast League:
Northwood 66, Corona del Mar 58: Jake Linsky and Akshay Harishankar scored 20 and 19 points, respectively, for the visiting Timberwolves (17-5, 5-0).
Beckman 51, Woodbridge 50: Michael Yee scored 16 points and Josh Keogh and Justin Reinhardt added 10 points apiece for the visiting Patriots (16-5, 4-1). Their only league loss in the first round of league games was to Northwood.
In nonleague games:
No. 7 Foothill 55, Brea Olinda 39: Eleven players, led by Paulo Araujo’s 14 points, scored for the visiting Knights (16-5).
Canyon 50, El Dorado 41: Daniel Krahl and AJ Perry each scored 12 points for the visiting Comanches (13-10).
