The Alameda High School (AHS) boys’ basketball team rebounded after a tough loss to defeat Bethel High of Vallejo, 66-50, in a nonleague match up on Dec. 11 at the Hornets’ Nest.

The Hornets’ offense was humming from the opening tip. The Hornets scored the Jaguars, 17-10, in the first quarter spurred by two 3-pointers from senior point guard Ivan Yu. A steal and score by fellow senior Joseph Lemos gave the Hornets a 31-20 lead in the second quarter. Back-to-back 3-pointers by Lemos and senior power forward Nick Rondenet pushed the Hornets lead to 37-23 at halftime. AHS scored 20 points in the second quarter.

AHS increased its lead in the third period. Robel Binyam capped off a fast break early in the third quarter with a layup that gave the Hornets a 41-23 lead. They outscored the Jaguars, 12-8, in the third frame.
The Jaguars outscored the Hornets, 19-17, in the final quarter, but never made a serious threat in the game.
The Hornets record improved to 4-2 on the season, while the Jaguars record moved to 3-3 overall.
The victory over the Jaguars came after the Hornets suffered a last-second defeat to St. Mary’s High of Albany on Dec. 7 at home.

The game was tied at 56 with one second to play, and St. Mary’s senior Elijah James inbounded the ball from the halfcourt line to his teammate Blake Hudson under the basket. Hudson caught the long pass and shot the ball over an AHS defender just before time expired. The shot attempt went in nothing but net to give the Panthers the 58-56 victory.

The Hornets trailed 56-55 in the final moments of the contest. AHS used a full-court trap to force St. Mary’s into a turnover. Binyam stole the ball and as he drove to attempt a layup he was fouled. He made one-of-two free throws to tie the game at 56.

The two teams were relatively even for most of the contest. The Hornets trailed 29-27 at halftime. Rondenet led the Hornets with 13 points. Lemos scored eight points in the match up.

The Hornets will face Terra Linda High of San Rafael on Saturday, Dec. 18 on the road.