The boys varsity basketball team hosted the Crawford Colts Tuesday night in a contest that should secure Coronado a spot in the upcoming CIF Playoffs. The game started slowly for both teams, with Coronado getting on the board first when Jack Rinko found DJ Jackson inside for a lay-up. Rinko then came back to drain a 3 pointer to put the Islanders up 5-2. Pushing the ball inside to Jackson was a winning combination for the Islanders as Crawford could not stop DJ in the paint. And with the ball in the hands of Myles Manning, Coronado had little trouble with Crawford’s full court press. The Islanders slowed the quick Colts down by playing a 1-2-2 zone all night. The end of a back-and-forth first quarter had Crawford leading 14-13.
The pace in the second quarter picked up for both teams. Coronado surprised Crawford by employing a full court press themselves which led to several Colt turnovers. DJ Jackson had a steal and put back basket, a few seconds later Wyatt Montague got free for a lay-up, then stole the inbound pass for another lay-up. The theft ring grew with another steal and lay-up by Jack Rinko. When DJ Jackson posted down for 2, Coronado had themselves a 10-0 run. To Crawford’s credit, they never gave up, hitting enough baskets to scrap their way to a 35-27 halftime deficit.
In the third quarter, the Islanders continued to flex their defensive skills. DJ Jackson had a big block inside, followed by a clean block by Rinko on a driving Colt lay-up. Coronado’s offense sputtered, while Crawford sunk a few 3 pointers keeping the game close. At the end of three, the Islander lead was trimmed to 40-38.
DJ Jackson continued his dominance in the fourth quarter getting basket after basket with good, low-post footwork. Jack Rinko sank another three pointer with 3 minutes left and the Islanders made just enough of their free throws to keep the game out of reach. Final score Islanders 57, Colts 52.
DJ Jackson led all scorers with 24 points. DJ also had 20 rebounds and 4 blocked shots. Caden Gentry had 11 points with Jack Rinko and Wyatt Montague pitching in 8 points apiece. The final regular season game for the Islanders is this Friday when the Islanders host Clairemont. Tip off is at 7:30p
