Lancers feed off fans, top Westlake
The noise in the Thousand Oaks gym was unsettling for the Westlake boys basketball team.
It threw off the Warriors' rhythm and made it tough to communicate. It even forced Westlake coach Kyle Kegley to run onto the court to get the referee's attention to call a timeout — twice.
For Elias Chin and Thousand Oaks, it was fuel.
The Lancers fed off the home crowd's energy Friday night on their way to a 72-59 win, bringing both teams' Marmonte League record to 2-1.
“It's everything. We can't do it without them,” Chin said about the home fans. “Our last game against Oaks, the energy was down, you could really feel it. Having the fans go right at the start and the bench going early, that helped us keep the energy up throughout the game.”
“It was the difference-maker in the game today,” Thousand Oaks coach Logan Baltau said. “I felt like the crowd had a big impact on the game. It's a blessing to get to be here.”
Chin led the way for the Lancers, doing it all from scoring to rebounding to playing hard-nosed defense.
He displayed his offensive versatility, scoring from the paint, on the block and from the perimeter. The senior finished with 29 points, seven rebounds, four assists and two blocks.
He was also tasked with guarding Westlake's leading scorer Austin Maziasz.
Maziasz came into the contest
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averaging more than 20 points a game, but the Lancers held him to four first-half points and 10 total.
“Number 24 (Maziasz) and 3 (Kayden Elsokary), either one of them can get you 25 or 30 very easily, so we knew playing them straight up wasn't the best idea,” Baltau said. “We just kept cycling new guys in to make it tough on them to even get the ball because once they have it it's pretty hard to stop them. I thought we did a really good job of not letting them get the ball and get their shots going.”
Trent MacLean had 16 points, nine rebounds and three blocks for Thousand Oaks.
In addition to anchoring the defense down low, the junior big man also showcased his long range ability hitting a pair of 3-pointers.
Luke Koren added 13 points for Thousand Oaks, including three 3-pointers.
Westlake was led by Dante Deshautelle's 14 points. Elsokary finished with 10 points and six rebounds. Maziasz added nine rebounds and two blocks to go along with his 10 points.
Thousand Oaks plays Agoura on the road Tuesday to continue its league slate.
Westlake will head home to play Newbury Park on Tuesday.