By S.T. | Staff Writer

   On Jan. 7, the Gabrielino High School boys basketball team will compete against South El Monte High School at 4:45 pm. This home game will be the first league game of 2022, welcoming in the new year. 

    Gabrielino and South El Monte have been playing each other off for approximately 16 years,  revealing strong affiliations with each other. 

 “It is a lot of fun to compete against them, but more fun to beat them,” said Coach Carney in an email. 

Gabrielino and South El Monte’s last game with each other was on May 10 where GHS took home the win, and the league championship. 

   On Dec. 15, the boys basketball team played a league game against Marshall Fundamental Secondary School. This away game fell on the first day of final exams, requiring athletes to prioritize accordingly. Scores were unavailable at press time.  

   “It is incredibly hard to balance school and sports,” stated Darius Eslava, sophomore. “My studies definitely come first in priority but basketball is almost as close.” 

   The Eagles were invited to play in the Polytechnic Varsity Boys Basketball Invitational from Dec. 8 to Dec. 11 in which they competed against Polytechnic School and San Gabriel High School. The team finished 2-1 in  the tournament. 

   On Dec. 6, the Eagles won against Ontario High School in a non-league home game, 58-41. This was their first time competing against the Ontario Jaguars. Gabrielino started strong and was able to carry their momentum throughout the game.

   Four days before that, GHS scored another victory in a non-league home game against San Gabriel High School, 48-42. The team had beat San Gabriel by a large magain in the summer, but struggled against them this time. In the end, they were still able to pull out a close victory.

   “Before a game, we occasionally spend our time reflecting and [pondering upon] what it is that we’d like to accomplish on game day,” said Trent Shimazaki, junior.

   The Gabrielino varsity boys basketball team also competed in a neutral tournament against four other schools. On Nov. 27, the eagles faced Charter Oak High School and lost, 43-49. On Nov. 26, Gabrielino lost to Herbert Hoover High School, 34-66. 

   Before the loss against Herbert Hoover High, on Nov. 23, Gabrielino played against Bishop Mora Salesian High School scoring another loss, 30-40. The team’s loss against Salesian High followed another against Gahr High School, 49-87. 

    “All the players have such unique playing styles which can be an advantage but at times it becomes challenging for us to balance each other out,” stated Kyle Chung, junior.

   On Nov. 19, Gabrielino played Bishop Amat Memorial High School and lost, 32-69. 

    “Despite our setbacks, we’re all very close,” said Darren Banh, senior. “The more we play together the stronger our relationship becomes.”