CLOVIS, Calif. – Clovis North Boys Basketball defeated Oakland Tech 78-60 on Saturday night to win the Valley Children’s Tip-Off tournament organized by Clovis North. Terri Miller was the MVP of the tournament and led the Broncos offense with 16 points on the night.
“In the first half we got rattled a bit and in the second half we did a lot better job and kept our composure and that’s when we went on our run,” head coach Tony Amundsen said after the game.
A 25-point third quarter propelled the Broncos to a comfortable lead that they never relinquished.
Malachi Henry and Sammy Al Saber both made 3-pointers in the third quarter and Miller added eight points.
Oakland Tech, meanwhile, was held to just 13 points in the third quarter. The key to the Broncos’ defensive success in the quarter came down to the team playing better in transition and making more rebounds, Amundsen explained.
“We finally started blocking in transition and got a lot more rebounds, which allowed us to get down on the offensive side and score a few more points. It was a great effort and out guys never gave up and they pushed through the entire game.”
The Broncos have now started their season 3-0 and outscored opponents 249-164 throughout those first three games. The busy start to the Broncos season is just what Amundsen was looking for to prepare his team for league play later in the season.
“I want to be in as many championships you can be in so you know what it feels like and you can get used to it and then hopefully you’re winning the league championship, a section championship, and so on,” Amundsen said.
The Broncos’ third-quarter momentum carried into the fourth quarter where they held Oakland Tech to just eight points — a total that Clovis North’s Al Saber matched on his own in the quarter.
Miller was pleased with the honor of tournament MVP but wanted to focus more on the overall team performance rather than his after the game.
“MVP, I mean it’s cool, but winning with the team is a lot better, it’s a better feeling,” he said. “We’re just trying to get this chemistry right because we lost a lot of seniors last year that were a big part of the team. But we look really good and we’re ready for league,” Miller added.
Rahsaan Young-Jones was the top-scorer for Oakland Tech with 13 points. Oakland Tech’s Tejaun Hale was the only player to foul out of the game. He earned his fifth foul with 1:38 left to play in the fourth quarter.
The Broncos have five tournaments still to play before they begin TRAC action against Clovis West on Jan. 10.