The Upland High School boys basketball team picked up a big win on Tuesday night when it upended Etiwanda 50-49.
The Highlanders looked much-improved early in the season, with that run highlighted by a victory at the San Gabriel Classic. But it had been a tough go in Baseline League play as Upland was 0-8 going into the game with Etiwanda. There were some close calls, three-point losses to both Los Osos and Rancho Cucamonga.
Upland coach Anthony Mason admitted his team was in need of a moral boost. Ironically, he says that probably came in a loss – the 91-60 loss to Chino Hills on Friday.
The Highlanders spotted the Huskies an 18-0 lead with players reluctant to shoot. After a timeout Mason had his team regroup and they were more competitive after that.
The first time the teams played Upland lost to Chino HIlls 106-54 in a game that wasn’t even that close.
“The big thing in that game (against Chino Hills) was that they competed and they didn’t back down,” he said. “It was much different than the first time we played them. It was a whole different feel and I think they took that into the Etiwanda game. They realized they didn’t have to be intimidated by anybody.”
The difference in the Etiwanda game was a 3-point play by Bryce Parker with 18 seconds left Nick Bates scored a team-high 22 points while Michael Flynn and Osys Stokes chipped in with 13 and 11 respectively.
The Highlanders close out league play on Thursday at Los Osos. The game could loom large for playoff seeding purposes as both are in Division 2-AA with Los Osos currently ranked 13th and Upland 14th.
