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Long Beach Poly girls basketball tops Alemany with stifling defensive effort in CIF playoffs

LONG BEACH — Defensive intensity. That’s what the Long Beach Poly girls basketball team relied on when they held Alemany to six points in the third quarter on their way to pulling off a 54-47 comeback win at home in the first round of the CIF Southern Section Division 1 playoffs Thursday.

Poly, the Moore League champions, improved to 23-7 overall and will play at Esperanza (24-4) in the second round of the Division 1 playoffs Saturday.

As the buzzer sounds, Long Beach Poly’s Helena Vu celebrates their 54-47 win over Alemany in Long Beach on Thursday, Feb. 9, 2023. (Photo by Scott Varley, Contributing Photographer)

Long Beach Poly’s Nevaeh Lemons looks for a teammate to pass the ball to in Long Beach on Thursday, Feb. 9, 2023. Poly won 54-47 to advance to the second round of the CIF-SS Division 1 girls basketball playoffs. (Photo by Scott Varley, Contributing Photographer)

Long Beach Poly’s Nevaeh Lemons grabs a loose ball in Long Beach on Thursday, Feb. 9, 2023. Poly won 54-47 to advance to the second round of the CIF-SS Division 1 girls basketball playoffs. (Photo by Scott Varley, Contributing Photographer)

After a rebound, Alemany’s Khali Sowell is swarmed by Long Beach Poly’s Brooklyn Taylor, left, and Nevaeh Lemons in Long Beach on Thursday, Feb. 9, 2023. Poly won 54-47 to advance to the second round of the CIF-SS Division 1 girls basketball playoffs. (Photo by Scott Varley, Contributing Photographer)

Long Beach Poly’s Brooklyn Taylor drives to the basket Long Beach on Thursday, Feb. 9, 2023. Poly won 54-47 to advance to the second round of the CIF-SS Division 1 girls basketball playoffs. (Photo by Scott Varley, Contributing Photographer)

Long Beach Poly’s Brooklyn Taylor is swarmed by Alemany players before sinking a basket in Long Beach on Thursday, Feb. 9, 2023. Poly won 54-47 to advance to the second round of the CIF-SS Division 1 girls basketball playoffs. (Photo by Scott Varley, Contributing Photographer)

Alemany’s Kate Hackney is chased up the court by Long Beach Poly’s Brooklyn Taylor in Long Beach on Thursday, Feb. 9, 2023. Poly won 54-47 to advance to the second round of the CIF-SS Division 1 girls basketball playoffs. (Photo by Scott Varley, Contributing Photographer)

Long Beach Poly’s Jazmyne Shamburger is fouled by Alemany’s Kate Hackney as she takes a one-handed shot in Long Beach on Thursday, Feb. 9, 2023. Poly won 54-47 to advance to the second round of the CIF-SS Division 1 girls basketball playoffs. (Photo by Scott Varley, Contributing Photographer)

Long Beach Poly’s Sydney Boyd gets some pressure from Alemany’s Alondra Lizama as she looks to take a shot in Long Beach on Thursday, Feb. 9, 2023. Poly won 54-47 to advance to the second round of the CIF-SS Division 1 girls basketball playoffs. (Photo by Scott Varley, Contributing Photographer)

Long Beach Poly’s Jaleina Taluaili is defended by Alemany’s Amirah Muhammad in Long Beach on Thursday, Feb. 9, 2023. Poly won 54-47 to advance to the second round of the CIF-SS Division 1 girls basketball playoffs. (Photo by Scott Varley, Contributing Photographer)

Long Beach Poly’s Helena Vu brings the ball up the court as she’s shadowed by Alemany’s Kate Hackney in Long Beach on Thursday, Feb. 9, 2023. Poly won 54-47 to advance to the second round of the CIF-SS Division 1 girls basketball playoffs. (Photo by Scott Varley, Contributing Photographer)

Long Beach Poly’s bench erupts after a Jackrabbit 3-pointer in Long Beach on Thursday, Feb. 9, 2023. Poly won 54-47 to advance to the second round of the CIF-SS Division 1 girls basketball playoffs. (Photo by Scott Varley, Contributing Photographer)

Under pressure from Alemany’s Khali Sowell, left, and Kate Hackney, Long Beach Poly’s Jaleina Taluaili was able to sink this basket in Long Beach on Thursday, Feb. 9, 2023. Poly won 54-47 to advance to the second round of the CIF-SS Division 1 girls basketball playoffs. (Photo by Scott Varley, Contributing Photographer)

Long Beach Poly’s head coach Carl Buggs watches an Alemany player drive to the basket in Long Beach on Thursday, Feb. 9, 2023. Poly won 54-47 to advance to the second round of the CIF-SS Division 1 girls basketball playoffs. (Photo by Scott Varley, Contributing Photographer)

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Poly trailed 13-9 at the end of the first quarter. Alemany opened the second quarter on a 7-1 run, which extended their lead to 10 points, and forced Poly coach Carl Buggs to call timeout down 20-10 with 5:43 left in the first half.

However, the Jackrabbits fought back behind the inspired play of sophomore reserve guard Nevaeh Lemons, who provided a much-needed defensive spark off the bench.

“Poly is all about defense and my number one pride is defense,” Lemons said. “Defense turns into offense so no matter what, I’m going to bring the energy and help my team.”

Long Beach Poly’s Nevaeh Lemons grabs a loose ball in Long Beach on Thursday, Feb. 9, 2023. Poly won 54-47 to advance to the second round of the CIF-SS Division 1 girls basketball playoffs. (Photo by Scott Varley, Contributing Photographer)

Lemons, who finished with six points and two rebounds, refused to back down, which energized her entire team.

“She played her butt off,” said Long Beach Poly girls basketball coach Carl Buggs. “She’s always been capable of doing that but she had to get her endurance up and her confidence up. Now it’s up because now she’s just playing and that’s all she has to do.”

The 5-foot-5 point guard’s defensive tenacity helped the Jackrabbits cut Alemany’s 10-point lead to 22-21 with less than two minutes to go in the first half.

“We had to make some adjustments, a couple of different subs who brought the D… and once we found that right group playing together, it started working in our favor,” Buggs said. “I’m really proud of the girls.”

Poly still trailed 28-25 at halftime but went on a 15-6 run in the third quarter, securing a 40-34 lead heading into the fourth quarter.

Junior guard Jaleina Taluaili’s spinning layup put Poly up 44-35 with 4:22 left in the game, and they ultimately won 54-47.

The Jackrabbits’ stifling defense held Alemany to 19 points in the second half.

“Long Beach Poly has always been about defensive energy and that is what I stand on,” Lemons continued. “That’s my pride, so no matter what, even on a bad day when my shot is not falling like (Thursday night), I’m still going to bring that energy to help us win, so everybody else can have their flow going.”

Poly junior forward Brooklyn Taylor finished with a game-high 17 points and 11 rebounds.

“I have to help my team in any way that I can,” Taylor said. “Whether that’s being inside or whether that’s just rebounding and kicking it out to open shooters because I’ve been finding that a lot and that’s being freeing me up. Being double-team it’s hard to always be the scorer so being able to have trust in my teammates and then when I’m open I have to take my shots regardless of what the circumstance is, so being able to be confident in myself and penetrate, that’s big.”

Long Beach Poly’s Brooklyn Taylor is swarmed by Alemany players before sinking a basket in Long Beach on Thursday, Feb. 9, 2023. Poly won 54-47 to advance to the second round of the CIF-SS Division 1 girls basketball playoffs. (Photo by Scott Varley, Contributing Photographer)

Meanwhile, Taylor said she always thought of Lemons as a difference-maker.

“I’ve always thought from day one, she was the defensive person,” Taylor shared. “She was always in people’s faces. She had aggressiveness that I thought that’s what I came to Poly for, everybody was known to be aggressive and she’s the definition of that and I’m glad to have somebody like her on my team.”

Long Beach Poly junior forward Brooklyn Taylor scored 17 points and grabbed 11 rebounds in Poly’s 54-47 win against Alemany in the first round of the @CIFSS Division 1 girls basketball playoffs. @brooklyn_tay24 said she’s glad to have a tenacious defender like Nevaeh Lemons on… https://t.co/PMSomfYoHs pic.twitter.com/Cn7dCIqFUy

— John W. Davis (@johnwdavis) February 10, 2023

Poly sophomore guard Jazmyne Shamburger finished with 13 points and four rebounds off the bench, including two key three-pointers during the Jackrabbits’ 15-6 run in the third quarter.

Alemany (13-13) was led by freshman point guard Amirah Muhammad with 12 points. Senior guard Alondra Lizama added nine points and a team-high nine rebounds.

Halftime: Alemany 28, Long Beach Poly 25. Poly junior forward Brooklyn Taylor leads all scorers with 13 points and 7 rebounds at halftime. @presstelegram @BeachVarsity pic.twitter.com/BpgrSfbkQC

— John W. Davis (@johnwdavis) February 10, 2023

Final: Long Beach Poly 54, Alemany 47 in the first round of the CIF Southern Section Division 1 girls basketball playoffs. Poly junior Brooklyn Taylor with a game-high 17 points and 11 rebounds. @presstelegram @BeachVarsity #LongBeachVarsityReport pic.twitter.com/SAM7UGSwi5

— John W. Davis (@johnwdavis) February 10, 2023

 

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