“You know who the f*ck I am. Stop staring at me p*ssy or I’ll slap the sh*t out of you.”
Words that you wouldn’t hear at a high school basketball game were said by former NBA player Matt Barnes to Sports Managing Editor Jake Lancer ’24, when Crespi guard Carter Barnes received a technical foul in the third quarter.
The boys’ basketball team defeated Crespi Carmelite High School 72-54 at home to win their sixth consecutive Mission League title, despite finishing third in regular season play with two losses. Four starters for the Wolverines recorded double-digit scoring, led by Robert Hinton ’24 with 19 points, Nik Khamenia ’25 and Christian Horry ’24 with 14 points and Trent Perry ’24 with 12 points. The team finishes the regular season with a total record of 26-3 and a league record of 5-2.
The team was led by Horry in the first quarter, who shot three straight three-pointers on a 16-5 scoring run. Trailing by eight going into the second quarter, the Celts couldn’t find a response for the Wolverines’ offense, who extended their lead to 12 points at the half.
The Wolverines went on another 10-2 run to start the second half, pulling ahead to a 49-26 lead in the third quarter. However, tensions rose in Taper Gym after Crespi’s Carter Barnes, son of Matt Barnes, was called for a technical foul. Matt Barnes, who was in attendance, began to yell expletives at the officials and threatened Lancer who was commentating on the game. The incident prompted a timeout from the officials and the school’s athletic directors to calm down students and fans.
Assistant Broadcast Producer Bill Coleman ’24, who called the game with Lancer, said Matt Barnes deserved a greater punishment for his hostile actions toward a student.
“Athletic administrators broke up the incident but just let Matt Barnes remain in the game without doing anything,” Coleman said. “I don’t know why he wasn’t kicked out for threatening a student.”
The Wolverines would make quick work of the Celts in the final two quarters, maintaining a double-digit lead for the rest of the game. With the victory, the team would win their sixth consecutive Mission League title, as well as a guaranteed spot in the California Interscholastic Federation Southern Section (CIF-SS) playoffs.
In an interview with the LA Daily News, Boys’ Basketball Program Head David Rebibo said being able to succeed in a competitive league greatly reflects the character of the team and the school.
“The Mission League is one of the toughest, if not the toughest league in the country. For us to be on top of it for six years, it’s big time,” Rebibo said. “It’s a testament to our school’s commitment to helping foster great student-athletes and bigger than that, it’s a testament to our players who are committed and sacrifice for each other. I couldn’t be prouder.”
In a postgame interview with HWTV, Hinton said the team is focused on winning more than just Mission League this season.
“It’s onto the next goal,” Hinton said. “We’re always looking onto the next thing, and we got to work hard. I bet we’ll be back to it next week.”
The team will face Corona Centennial High School in the first game of CIF-SS Open Division group play at home Feb. 9.
