Scott Vulgaris of San Marcos pulls up for a short jumper during the Royals’ win over Long Beach Millikan at the D-1-Bound Classic.
Kele Mkpado scored 23 points, and San Marcos received outstanding play from its bench in a 77-64 boys basketball win over Long Beach Millikan on Saturday at the D1-Bound Southern California Christmas Classic in Pasadena.
The Royals jumped out to an early first-quarter lead, maintained it for the rest of the game and posted its second straight victory in the 32-team tournament.
Ryan McCarthy scored 15 points and Scott Everman added 11 points, eight rebounds and five assists. But it was the bench that made the difference, according to coach Landon Boucher.
“Yes, Scott, Kele and Ryan were huge for us, but our bench was magnificent,” Boucher said. “We had about five guys off the bench that made the difference for us by playing hard, unselfish basketball early in the game.”
Boucher was pleased how his players maintained their poise under Millikan’s pressure.
“Millikan put a lot of defensive pressure on us but our guys continued to share the ball to find open shots down the stretch,” he said.
The Royal later Saturday played Concord De La Salle and lost 47-44. They held the Spartans to just four points in the third quarter and led 31-23 going into the fourth.
De La Salle rallied and pulled out the win in the final seconds.
“It was a hard fought battle for the guys,” Boucher said. “The problem wasn’t in our effort or passion, but in our mental and physical fatigue from playing two games in one day. We played two very good teams in one day, and we felt like we took a few steps forward as a team by it.”
