Lindbergh boys basketball falls to Kentridge

So far in 2024, the Lindbergh Eagles boys basketball team has gotten off to a shaky start.

The Eagles are now 1-3 after a loss to Kentridge, 63-51, on Dec. 3 on the road. That’s after starting with a 78-49 win over Hazen in their first game of the season.

Lindbergh has now dropped three in a row: a loss to Liberty where Jackson Whitaker dropped 40 points, a loss to Sequim on the road, and now Kentridge.

This stretch of tough games, followed by an even tougher game against Eastside Catholic on the horizon, serves a purpose for the Eagles.

“We set this up intentionally because our league schedule is going to be different than it has in the past. Setting up these non-league games where we play quality teams, we know they are going to be tough games… It is going to help us get better in the long run,” Head Coach Abraham Garcia said.

Slow starts have been a pattern so far this year for Lindbergh, and that pattern continued against Kentridge, falling behind 13-0. It took seven minutes for Lindbergh to score, and right as the clock hit one minute, Oliver Talmadge hit a three-pointer from the left wing. The Talmadge three-pointer led to a 7-2 run, putting Lindbergh right back in the game.

“We’re trying to figure it out. We are missing a couple of pieces, but that’s not an excuse. The guys are just trying to figure out their roles because guys have to step into a role that they aren’t used to,” Garcia said.

“It’s the second game in a row we have been down 15-20 points and we had to fight our way back,” he added.

In order to change that, it comes down to the Eagles’ mentality, according to Garcia. Even how they enter the gym when preparing to play.

“When we come into the game, we need to be ready to go… We can’t sit back and relax. We need to be ready from the jump,” Garcia said.

The second quarter was Lindbergh’s best quarter of the game. A quarter that began with the Eagles trailing 21-9, but James Huff IV found his groove. Huff scored six points and totaled seven blocks in the first half, which led to the Eagles cutting the Chargers’ lead to just two at halftime, 23-21.

Huff can be the catalyst to taking Lindbergh to the next level. He is a phenomenal athlete and possesses basketball skill that can bring Lindbergh basketball out of the basement and into the promised land.

“James just has to work on his mentality a little bit. He needs to realize he is better than he thinks. He can be one of the best defenders in the state, to be honest. He’s hungry to get better. Now he has to take that next step mentally,” Garcia said.

It’s not just Huff this year either — he has a supporting cast. This year seniors John Chuol, Lukas Lutthans and sophomore Trinidad Valentino English are shaping to all complement each other.

English came into the season expecting to be a role player, but now because of other circumstances, he is playing a much larger role.

“Trinidad is going to be a stud. He’s a sophomore and a vocal leader. First one in, last one out of the gym… We trust him, coaches and his teammates believe in him. We are just going to keep rolling with him,” said Garcia.

In the third quarter, Chuol opened up his scoring with seven points. But the Chargers pulled away in that third quarter, outscoring Lindbergh by four and taking a 42-36 lead into the final frame.

Both Chuol and English scored five points in the fourth quarter, but it wasn’t enough as their 15-point fourth quarter was outdone by Kentridge’s 21-point quarter.

Chuol is without a doubt the vocal leader of the Eagle team. But with English’s development, he is shaping up to pick up right where Chuol leaves off with the Eagles.

“I have told John that he is the guy John needs to take under his wing… I am excited for them,” Garcia said.

Lindbergh’s final non-league game leading up to league play is on Dec. 10 on the road against Inglemoor, with tip-off at 7:15 p.m. against the Vikings.