Normans Suffer Lopsided Loss

The Beverly Hills High boys basketball team lost an ugly game on the road against Morningside, 58-40, in an Ocean League contest that was a struggle from the beginning for the visitors Wednesday night.

The Normans (12-12 overall, 2-5 league) were never really in the game as they struggled offensively all night. Morningside (12-10-1, 4-3) held the Normans to just six points in each of the first two quarters and built a 23-12 halftime lead. 

The Monarchs’ University of Hawaii-bound Gerry Blakes missed a breakaway dunk to begin the game, but ultimately it was the Normans who couldn’t find the bottom of the basket.

Beverly Hills stayed in the game by making it difficult for the Monarchs to score as well. Several of Morningside’s first-half baskets came on fast-break chances started by missed Norman baskets. Despite this, Beverly Hills head coach Jarvis Turner was clearly frustrated and didn’t take any positives away from Wednesday night’s performance. 

“We didn’t come out at all to compete,” Turner said. “Nobody showed up to play, bottom line. Didn’t compete, didn’t give a good effort.” 

The Normans didn’t score their first basket until Julian Dakdouk hit a corner three-pointer midway through the first quarter. They didn’t score again until Malik Blades converted a three-point play with less than a minute remaining in the quarter.  

It took the Normans nearly half of the second quarter before they would score another basket, on a Tory Lubkin putback. Morningside switched between a man-to-man and zone defense throughout the night. 

“I don’t think it was x’s and o’s, I just think the guys came out and didn’t compete today,” Turner said. “They weren’t hungry to play, they weren’t excited to play, they didn’t have the passion.” 

Again, it was the battle of the rebounds that sank the Normans. Second-chance opportunities were slim and the Monarchs crushed good defensive sequences by making Beverly Hills do it twice. 

In the second half, the Normans became more aggressive, trying to draw fouls to get to the free throw line, but Morningside used its length effectively, blocking shots while avoiding contact. 

Turner pulled his regulars just a few minutes into the fourth quarter, enabling the Monarchs to stretch their lead to as high as 57-34.  

Not a single Beverly Hills player scored in double digits on Wednesday. Julian Dakdouk came the closest with nine points and Austin Mills added seven points.