Men’s basketball loses 67-56 against Rocklin

PHOTO: Senior Ahmere Bradley goes in for a layup.

Photo by Cameron Pund

Article by Maya Davis

Davis High’s men’s varsity basketball team fell to Rocklin High, the sixth-ranked team in the league, losing 67–56 in a hard-fought matchup on Jan. 21. 

Davis started out strong, with sophomore Rhys Crawford putting the first 3 points of the game on the scoreboard. 

In the second quarter, a dunk by senior Ahmere Bradley cut the score to 23–16 with four minutes remaining until halftime.

Substitute players came off the bench and made an impact on the court. 

“In the second half, when we got down a little bit, our whole bench came in and just played with high energy and just got us in the lead,” head coach Stephen Smith said.

The third quarter featured back-and-forth action, with the game tied before Rocklin pulled ahead. A fast-break layup by junior Jude Robinson gave Davis a 42–37 lead, keeping the game close heading into the fourth quarter. 

Rebounding proved to be a challenge for the Blue Devils. “Every close game we’ve lost this year, we’ve lost because of offensive rebounds,” Smith said. “We have to box out, we’ve got to pursue the basketball harder than the other team, and we didn’t do that enough tonight.” 

Rocklin surged ahead in the fourth quarter, closing out the game to secure the victory.

Crawford pointed to late-game execution as a key issue. “In the fourth quarter, we just let them go on runs and fouled too much,” Crawford said. 

Robinson echoed Crawford’s sentiment. “Our team fell short in defensive and offensive rebounds, and we also fell short in moving the ball and getting our offense together,” he said.

Smith emphasized the opportunity to bounce back on Friday against rival team Jesuit High. “We’ve got one more chance in the first half of the league to try and scratch out a win,” he said.