The MacArthur’s Boys Basketball team did not advance in their tournament on Saturday, December 8.  The tournament was held at Valley High School, and the boys’ basketball team played against four other teams, finishing with a 2-2 record.

Boys’ Basketball Coach Mr. Jesus Lozano said, “The greatest challenge during the game was during the semi-finals. The boys were having a tough time scoring.”

The boys’ basketball team formed during after-school tryouts.  After the team was chosen, there were a total of 15 players on the roster.  Practices were held four days a week, Monday through Friday, except for Wednesdays, from 2:30 PM to 4:30 PM.  During practices, they did a variety of shooting, playmaking, and other basketball drills. The boy’s basketball season was six weeks long.

Assistant Principal Mr. Ray Gonzales said, “I wish they would have won because they played well and I want them to experience the thrill of victory and not the agony of defeat.”  

MacArthur played against Saddleback High School’s eighth-grade basketball program in the first game, winning 48 to 6.  Their second game was against Advanced Learning Academy, which they won with the scores being 63 to 3, taking MacArthur on a two-game win streak.  They lost their third game, which was against Villa Fundamental Intermediate, by a score of 18 to 25. In their last game against Santiago K-8, they lost 25 to 32.

There were many expectations to be on the team but Lozano said, “The main expectations were that grades come first, skills come second.”  

Lozano instilled in his team MacArthur Fundamental’s mission statement: “Our mission is to provide a balanced, comprehensive, standards-based core curriculum with a steadfast emphasis on high expectations and accountability for all students.”  

In the history of MacArthur, boys’ basketball played in 26 tournaments. They won a total of 19 out of the 26 tournaments and lost 7 of them. The boys lost their winning streak two years ago, but hopefully, they will return to their winning ways next season.