Written by Abigail Swanson
This article was written by Lebanon High School junior Abigail Swanson, as part of LebCoSports’ mission to give students a platform to develop their college and career skills.
Friday night at Lebanon High School showcased some high energy from the rivalry schools Lebanon and Cedar Crest boys basketball. The 0-7 Lebanon Cedars and 4-4 Cedar Crest Falcons played an aggressive game with the visiting Falcons victorious 65-35.
The Cedar starters were Emanuel Suarez #4, Ben DiScuillo #11, Jalik Hill #12, Malachi Briddell #15, and Colby Robb #11. Starting for the Falcons were Leo Tirado #0, Fernando Marquez #1, Owen Chernich #2, J’Veon Reyes-Vega #3, and aiden Schomp #14.
From the jump, the Falcons made their presence known. Momentum quickly tilted towards the Falcons with the jump ball, and a Leo Tirado #0 scored in the first 12 seconds forcing a very early timeout from the Cedars in an attempt to regroup. Coming back, DiScuillo and Suarez carried up the court, opening DiScuillo to make a 3 pointer off the glass. The Falcons established their tight defense early on, making it a challenge to get into the paint. Quick, aggressive gameplay from the Falcons pushed DiScuillo to draw the first of many offensive fouls. Coming off the bench, Cedars’ Braylon Beaver #2 and Jonnathan Rodriguez #3 stepped up offensively and defensively, with Beaver taking a charge from Falcons’ Nolan Groff #12. At the end of the first quarter, it was DiScuillo and Suarez who represented the Cedars 8 points, as opposed to the Falcons 22.
Cedars back-ups Beaver, Briddell, and Rodriguez started the second quarter off with teammates Antonio Scaramuzzino #1, and Nate Trace #13. The Falcons had a strong group of Tirado, Owen Chernich, J’veon Reyes-Vega, Jack Waranavage, and Aiden Schomp. Dominic Lao #50 scored the first Cedar points from Traces’ assist early on in the period. The Falcons’ Schomp ran the length of the court and dunked on a fast break. Battling on, the Cedars’ Rodriguez was able to drive to the rim, despite the Falcons strength in the paint. Beating the half court press, Beaver pulled a fast break assist to Briddell. Overall, Briddell’s presence wasn’t made from scoring points, but from setting up screens and assists, along with making hustle plays by chasing down loose balls. The half time score was in the Falcons favor, 33-20, but the Cedars managed to win the quarter with 12 points shared by Scaramuzzino, Beaver, Trace, Lao, and Rodriguez. The Falcons put up 11 points compared to the Cedars 12.
The Falcons energy soared in the third quarter, which created an issue for the Cedars. 5 fast points were made by Schomp and Vega with 6:25 left in the quarter. With active hands and domination of the offensive glass, the Falcons score shot up. Regardless, Suarez and Beaver were persistent in tying up the ball, resulting in a Falcon timeout. With 3:45 remaining, the scoreboard showed 43-24. Mimicking his previous quarter, Briddell’s energy on the court did not slow. With little time remaining, DiScuillo saved an attempt at a fast break with a deflection. The two scorers from Lebanon were Beaver and Lao with a shared 4 points. During this quarter, the Falcons suffered an unwanted setback when their lead big, Schomp, twisted his ankle on a block. However, the Cedar Crest scoring far outpaced that of the Cedars, as they ended the quarter with a shared 18 points from the likes of Groff, Jackson Custer #21, and Danny Speaks #24.
The final quarter had all players on court filled with pure adrenaline. Scaramuzzino, Beaver, DiScuillo, Hill, and Robb were the face of the Cedars beginning the final quarter. Beaver had a steal following Robb knocking the ball loose. Unlike the others, the Cedars started this quarter with aggressive gameplay in the glass along with a press on the Falcons. Hill ran the court with an easy fast break, followed by a hard steal from backcourt. DiScuillo balanced the Cedars with distribution from passes, opening the court for offensive opportunity. With the time ticking at 1:10 to go, the fight for the ball grew, with Hill in the middle. In spite of great efforts from the players paired with enthusiasm and support from Cedar supporters, the Falcons came out on top with a 30-point lead, 65-35.
Box Score
