The MacArthur boys basketball team competed in the district tournament at Saddleback High School on January 11. They finished in third place with a record of 3-1.  

After games against Romero Cruz Academy, Lathrop Intermediate, Villa Intermediate, in the early games, MacArthur played against Henninger K-8 in the game for third place, which was 25-22 victory.  

MacArthur’s only loss came at the hands of Villa Intermediate, who won resoundingly by a score of 6-26.  “Villa was the hardest school to go against,” said seventh-grader Andre Macias.

The team prepared for the tournament by practicing every day except Wednesdays.  There were two coaches, Mr. George Cumpian and Mr. Victor Cardenas. There were five starters in total, which were Elijah Adisson, Nicholas Cervantes, Ignacio Melchor, Saul Orozco, and Jaiden Torres. 

After the group round, which included victories of 20-14 against Romero Cruz, and 44-12 against Lathrop, the team made into the semi-finals, which was the Villa loss.  

Seventh-grader Gilbert Peralta said, “To me, the most exciting part about the game was the beginning because we were excited and nervous at the same time.”

“Parents were excited for all their kids. MacArthur staff was really proud of them as they posted on the MacArthur social media,” said seventh-grader Jaymie Gomez.

 The game was supposed to be on December 14, but it had to be postponed over a month because of rain and Winter Recess.  The basketball team had an additional week to prepare and did hold a few additional practices.  

Cardenas thought that the delayed tournament may have affected the team’s momentum.  However, he also noted that the team did improve significantly over the course of the season.  “I do believe that they have improved in teamwork skills, and I do think that all the practice was worth it,” said Cardenas. 

Practices occurred from 2:30 PM until 4:00 PM on every weekday but Wednesday.  Usually, practices consisted of conditioning drills, like sprinting the length of the court, and skills such as dribbling and layups.  By the tournament, the players were prepared.

“It wasn’t nerve-wracking to play against other schools because we knew we were good,” said seventh-grader Jonathon Calvillo.