BHS Boys Basketball: Aztecs recharge vs. Burroughs

BARSTOW • Something needed to change.

Riding a four-game losing streak and having lost five of the last six games overall, Barstow coach Mark Hassell looked for new ways to uplift his Barstow High School boys basketball team.

He changed up the Aztecs’ practice routine Wednesday and it seemed to help as Barstow beat Burroughs 61-48 on Thursday at Don Bilsborough Gymnasium. The Aztecs closed out the season series against Burroughs with a 2-1 record.

Hassell took his two leading scorers, A.J. Jefferson and Kalani Magaoay, off the court and made them opposing coaches while their teammates scrimmaged during Wednesday’s practice.

While Jefferson and Magaoay combined for 19 points, it was the role players that came through on Thursday.
The Aztecs (10-9; 4-5 Desert Sky League) had 26 points from their post players and a 16-point performance from junior guard Nathan Lopez, who led all scorers.

“I changed what we did in practice in hopes we’d get a different result,” Hassell said. “I tried to get the other kids to do something in practice. I don’t know if that helped, but they seemed to be having more fun and we were able to get stuff accomplished. And it got A.J. and Kalani more focused and seeing what other people are doing.”

On offense, Barstow had its highest point total during a winning effort since Jan. 7. The Aztecs’ output during their most recent games had sunk to the mid 40s. The post players’ points helped revitalized the offense and create opportunities for others, Hassell said.

“It’s not necessarily points in the paint, but it’s those people scoring points which forces the other team’s big to come out of the paint. They can’t sag into the paint which gives other people like A.J. and Kalani driving lanes.”
Barstow made its biggest run in the second quarter, outscoring the Burros 19-6. Lopez spurred much of it with three 3s.

“He played a great quarter,” Hassell said. “It’s not just points. He was grabbing rebounds and he was just flying around.”

Almost everything Lopez touched swished effortless through the hoop.

“I was feeling it — a lot,” Lopez said. “I didn’t think about it. I just shot it.”

Ball movement became critical to getting those open shots, Lopez said. In previous games the Aztecs had become stagnant on offense but focused on passing more against the Burroughs.

Barstow took a four-point lead into halftime and then jumped out to a 15-point lead midway through the third and maintained a double-digit lead from there.

BURROUGHS (48)
Wooding 14, Park 9, Calderon 8, N. Trinh 6, Wirtz 6, B. Trinh 2, Ochoa 2.
BARSTOW (61)
Lopez 16, Jefferson 14, Barajas 9, Smalls 9, Magaoay 5, Dumas 4, Curran 2, Alvarez 2.

Burroughs    12    6    15    15    —    48
Barstow       13    19    14    15    —     61

3-point field goals — Burroughs 4 (Calderon 2, Wooding 2); Barstow 7 (4 Lopez, Barajas 2, Magaoay 1). Fouled out — B. Trinh (Bur.), Barajas (Bar.).

Contact the writer:
(760) 256-4124 or
mpeters@desertdispatch.com