Half Moon Bay boys' basketball team has work to do

The good news for Half Moon Bay is that this wasn’t a playoff game and still have time to improve over the second-half of the season. The bad news is that King’s looks poised to defend that 2024 crown following an impressive 75-53 win over the Cougars in Half Moon Bay Tuesday night.

“We play one of the toughest (non-league) schedules around,” said HMB head coach John Parsons. “[This game] was a great opportunity for us. [King’s] is a talented team. … You just can’t simulate that talent in practice.”

While King’s wing Boss Mhoon was the featured player for King’s, the sophomore already holds multiple lower Division I college offers and was a finalist for a spot on the US U-16 national team this past summer, the Knights are hardly a one-man show.

While Mhoon did finish with 17 points, showing off a nice, mid-range fadeaway jumper and a pair of dunks, he wasn’t even the highest scorer for King’s (6-1 overall). That honor belonged to senior sharp shooter Claxton Ladine, who knocked down five 3-pointers on his way to a team-high 21 points.

Adrian Barnett gave the Knights a third player in double figures, finishing with 14 as King’s shot 51% from the floor.

But both Mhoon and Ladine were eclipsed by HMB shooting guard Gio Garduno-Martin. He also drained five 3s, including a rare four-point play conversion, on his way to a game-high 24 points. This after going for 37 points in a win over Menlo School last Friday.

“Gio is a helluva a player,” Parsons said. “He puts in so much work. … He’s our engine on offense.”

Garduno-Martin did not get a lot of help otherwise, however, as he was the only Cougar to finish in double figures. Levi Meighan added nine points, with six of those coming in the fourth quarter.

Half Moon Bay (3-4) struggled with the Knights’ length, which led to a 37% shooting night from the floor.

Despite their struggles, the Cougars kept pace with King’s for most of the game, but they fell behind early and could never really catch up. Every time they would get within striking distance, the Knights would push their lead back to double digits.

King’s threatened to put HMB away early, however. After both teams got off a bit of a slow start, the Knights hit the gas pedal. Leading 4-2, King’s went on a 10-2 run to open up a 14-4 lead with 2:48 left in the opening quarter.

But the Cougars, as they would do all game, showed some grit. Garduno-Martin made a free throw and then drained a 3-pointer. Meighan came through with a triple and when 6-9 center Owen Perez scored on a hook shot over a defender with 13 seconds left, the Cougars were down just six points, 19-13, after the first period.

Garduno-Martin opened the second with a pair of free throws, but King’s responded with a 3 from Ladine and a long 2-pointer from Mhoon to go up 24-15.

But HMB’s Caiden Guevara scored a layup on a Garduno-Martin assist, who then completed a three-point play and knocked down a 3 to tie the score at 24-all with two minutes remaining in the half.

Like they did in the first quarter, and throughout the game, the Knights responded, going on a 8-0 to close the half and lead 32-24 at the break.

The Cougars were still down eight early in the third period, 34-26, before the Knights spurted out again. Ladine hit a deep 3 and Mhoon followed with a fadeaway J and made one of two free throws to push the Kings’ lead to 14, 40-26, its largest of the game to that point.

But the Cougars responded with a Garduno-Martin 7-0 run. He was fouled as he drained a 3-pointer and made the ensuing free throw. He then came down on the next possession and buried another trey and HMB was right back in the game, down 40-33.

But the Knights, again, closed strong, outscoring the Cougars 8-3 over the final two minutes to lead by 12, 48-36 going into the fourth.

And then King’s finally put HMB away. Once again, a big run in the middle of the fourth quarter ended any hopes of a Cougars’ comeback. The Cougars were down eight, 51-43, when Meighan converted a backdoor layup. But the Knights responded with a 10-0 run to open up a 61-43 advantage midway through the final period.

“Basketball is a game of runs. Against a team that talented, you can’t have two-minute lapses,” Parsons said. “We need a more sustained effort over four quarters. We’ve played well in spurts this year.”