Boys varsity basketball: Cowboys continue their undefeated streak with a win against South Broward

BY ETHAN MUNCAN

The Cooper City Cowboys played against South Broward on December 14, continuing their undefeated run . The Cowboys struggled to find a rhythm at the beginning of the game, but began scoring quickly midway through the first quarter. The Cowboys are now 6-0 overall and 4-0 in their district.

The game started with the Bulldogs winning the tip off and pushing up the court. Ryan Curbelo blocked the first shot of the game and quickly set the tone for the beginning of the game. The Cowboys put up the first points of the game, despite struggling to move up the court and find a game plan to score on the Bulldogs. Junior Damien Forbing had multiple layups to increase the Cowboys lead in the first quarter and Dylan Graziani sunk an early three-point shot that got the stands roaring for the rest of the quarter. With solid defensive plays from Curbelo and the Cowboys ended the quarter 23-10 with a solid 13 point lead.

“The defensive plays from us helped us score on fast breaks and boost the team’s morale early on,” Forbing said. “If we start off every game strong and hungry for a win, we will continue to win and progress.”

In the second quarter, the Cowboys continued to score. Curbelo and Dylan knocked down two three-pointers each and continued to lock down the Bulldogs on defense. South Broward converted on a few shots but were pressured into taking bad shots by the Cowboys. Dallas Graziani swiped a pass from the South Broward PG and capitalized on an easy layup. The Cowboy’ defense scored many times from turnovers and missed shots. At halftime, the score was 36-28, with Cooper City in the lead.

“The game was close in the first half so we knew we would have to step up our game in the second half,” Curbelo said. “The blocked shots and steals gave us crucial points needed to win the game.”

In the second half, the Cowboys started off shaky and were missing shots and layups. As a result, the Bulldogs scored and brought the game closer. The Cowboys didn’t give up their lead once, pressuring the Bulldogs, forcing turnovers and scoring easy buckets. The substitution rotation had new players coming in with fresh legs each round and helped the Cowboys keep their intensity for the rest of the game. The Cowboys began to miss wide open shots and take contested shots towards the end of the game. The Bulldogs began to knock down open shots and cut the deficit of the score. The Cowboys finished the game strong and won the game 58-47.

The next game is on December 18, against South Plantation at home. The Cowboys now look to keep a perfect record and make it 7-0 overall.

Photo by Casey Chapter