The Pumadome crowd cheered as the names for the starting lineup were announced for UPrep’s boys varsity basketball game against Eastside Prep. The cheers quickly turned into moans and groans as Eastside Prep won the opening tip off and swished the first basket of the game to get a 2-0 lead, the first of many baskets made by Eastside Prep on their way to a close win over the Pumas.

“Eastside Prep is tough,” coach James Johnson said. “They have really good athletes out on the perimeter. They were well coached. They knocked down an incredible amount of shots. They were really good at using their athleticism to drive into the gaps and disrupt our defense.”

The Pumas then stormed back, going on a 9-0 run, including a three by Lagunoff, to take a 9-2 lead.

It’s a shot I practice a lot, and a shot I’ve hit in the past,”  point guard Zack Lagunoff, a junior, said. “So I just said, ‘We have to get it up so let’s just do our best and hope it goes in.’”

UPrep led 11-8 at the end of the first quarter. Eastside Prep then made a three that tied the game.

“I don’t hit that many outside shots, but I just came out shooting the ball hot, which is always good,” Lagunoff said.

UPrep then made a layup and two free throws to take a 15-11 lead. Eastside Prep roared back, and the Pumas found themselves trailing by three at Halftime, 21-18.

“A couple of things were going through my mind at halftime,” coach James Johnson said. “How am I going to construct something to help these kids make some shots, and just how I can get my guys to continue to play hard?”

Eastside Prep won the second half tip off and swished the first basket of the half. UPrep then cut the Eagles lead to one, 27-26. 

“They went and drove and got to the lane pretty well,” Lagunoff said. “They did their thing enough on the defensive end, so we couldn’t really hit the shots we were looking for.” 

Eastside Prep pulled away, and the Pumas trailed by four, 36-32, at the end of the third quarter. Early in the fourth quarter, UPrep forward and senior Henry Wright fouled out.

“I thought the foul that fouled me out wasn’t a foul,” Wright said. “I thought I could have done a better job not putting myself in position to get fouled out. I felt like I was letting my team down by not being able to play the final quarter in a close game.”

The Pumas called a timeout down by three, 43-40, with 3:15 to play. UPrep tied the game up at 43 with a three by forward Emerson Weiss with 1:22 to go. The Pumas called another timeout.

“Playing in the Pumadome, where just a few people can make the gym feel loud, I think it excites our players,” Johnson said. “We could have used more fans.

After a Puma foul, Eastside Prep got two free throws. They made one to give themselves a 44-43 lead with 47 seconds left. 

After another basket by Eastside Prep, the Pumas called a timeout trailing by three, 46-43, with 12 seconds left. U-Prep got several shots off, but none went in, which sealed the 46-43 loss and snapped the Pumas four game win streak. 

“I thought Yoshi came in and did a great job in a role he doesn’t usually play in,” Lagunoff said. “I thought Mason did a great job, as a freshman, getting in there, being physical, and fighting for rebounds and positioning. I also thought Emerson had a really big shot at the end after just coming into the game.”