It was a rotation of six players. Junior Nathan Lee. Sophomore Ethan Hong. Junior Lincoln Bang. Sophomore June Jee. Junior Matthew Yoon. And Sophomore Mason Sugimoto. For the first time in Geffen Academy history, in an intentional display of Asian pride, five Asian players took the floor. And then, a few minutes later, they followed suit with five Korean players. It was no doubt a special moment for those players, and they all ended the game with positive plus-minus totals.
But as far as the actual game itself, it was an annihilation. The Bruins spent thirty-two minutes absolutely obliterating their opponents. To put it bluntly, the Lakeview Lions looked like the fool in the equation. Of their 20 points, nearly half came in the 4th quarter when the Bruins were basically jogging up and down the floor. The Lions, incredibly, had more than twice as many turnovers than they did shot attempts, and Geffen Academy decided to twist the knife by applying a full-court press throughout most of the game. They say it ain't over until she sings, but folks, this one was all but over when the Bruins walked into the gym.
Stevan Markovic added once again to his brilliant tournament, outscoring Lakeview by himself with 23 points, as well as five rebounds and assists. Unsurprisingly, he was named the Bruins' 2024 De Toledo Invitational All-Tournament player, averaging 21 points a game in four contests. (Check out my game story from two years ago on Noah Saucedo being named the De Toledo Invitational All-Tournament player, including a huge go-ahead three pointer with just under forty seconds left to beat New Roads). :https://www.sportsmediamax.com/post/geffen-academy-bruins-win-nailbiter-as-sharpshooter-noah-saucedo-comes-through-in-the-clutch
Head Coach Devon McNairy (left) with Junior Stevan Markovic (right)
Still, the Bruins shouldn't be that happy with the results of the tournament. Going 1-3 in four games isn't a particularly great record, if I've done my math right. And on top of that, their one triumph was against a Lakewood team who had only five players, none of whom were better than anybody sitting on the Geffen Academy bench. But a win is a win, and you'd rather win than lose. As the saying goes, you gotta beat whoever's in front of you. But they've got a lot of work to do yet. Of course, getting healthy is the first priority.
(This was my 12th and final time reporting on a game from the De Toledo tournament. It was an awesome atmosphere, and I met a lot of kind people. For those of you (if any) who've been following since my first story, thanks for reading!)
Post the Saucedo statline