RANCHO SANTA MARGARITA – Some believe that a good defense can trump a good offense. The Santa Margarita boys basketball team made a case for that Friday by beating St. John Bosco, 64-46, in a Trinity League matchup.
The Eagles had 12 steals and forced many other turnovers.
“We played some of our best basketball of the season tonight,” Santa Margarita coach Jeff Reinert said. “Bosco runs maybe the best offense in the league. I was proud of our defensive effort tonight.”
Kaden Rasheed led the fourth-ranked Eagles (15-5, 6-2) with five steals.
“A lot of people don’t realize that Kaden is an excellent defender. He’s not a one-way player at all,” Reinert said. “All three of our guards defended really well tonight.”
Santa Margarita also got the job done on offense. Four players scored in double figures, and they were able to get good shots throughout the game.
Noah Rasheed was the catalyst for Santa Margarita. The senior had a game-high eight assists and added 10 points.
“Noah is the one of the best, if not the best, point guard in the league,” Reinert said. “When he is aggressive and penetrating like tonight, we become a much better team.”
Adrease Jackson led Santa Margarita’s frontcourt with a team-high 16 points and added six rebounds and two blocks.
“We were able to get good offensive rebounds at the end of the game and run clock, which was crucial,“ Reinert said. “They (Bosco) could make threes, so we needed to keep the ball in our hands.”
JJ Watson led the Braves with 20 points.
