Eggplants Mash Avocados

By Griffin

The Eggplants turned a big comeback into a win over the Avocados Thursday at Burbank Elementary in Belmont.

For the Eggplants, Luke had 14 points, 11 rebounds and five steals, along with teammate Jake, who had 14 points, six rebounds and three steals. Luke scored the game-winning basket off a steal from the Avocados' Leela to give the Eggplants a 32-30 win.

Despite the loss, Danny had a great game for the Avocados, scoring 18 points, grabbing 13 rebounds and nicking the ball two times. With two seconds remaining, Danny fired a far shot from the sideline, which bounced in and out, while Danny fell into a big pile of hula hoops.

Danny had the best overall game, but Luke and Jake each had 14 points, which helped the Eggplants win this well-matched game. The game was very close, and there were quite a few fouls, but both teams played very well.

Eggplants Mount Comeback With Defense

By Dylan

The Eggplants claimed a big comeback against the Avocados with a huge game from Luke. Luke had a double-double with 14 points, 11 rebounds, 1 assist and five steals. He also scored the game-winning layup with under a minute remaining.

Danny missed the potential game-tying shot with two seconds left on the game, and the Eggplants won 32-30. The Eggplants went on a 16-4 run to overcome a 26-16 deficit and seal the win. Danny's game was one of the best, with 18 points, 13 rebounds, and one steal. The Eggplants run was made with a lot of steals, and the Avocados had poor transition defense.

Jake helped the Eggplants with 14 points, six rebounds, and five steals. On the Avocados, Alex kept them alive with 12 points, nine rebounds, one assist and four steals in a losing effort.

Avocados Fall Short After Big Lead

By Jason

With two seconds left in the game, Danny missed his last should which would have tied the game. The Eggplants won by two points by the score of 32-30. Luke and Jake led the Eggplants with 14 points each.

Earlier in the game, the Avocados led 26-16, until the Eggplants made a big comeback and won on Luke's steal and layup late in the game. Luke added 11 rebounds and five steals, and Jake had six rebounds and five steals of his own. Danny had 18 points and 13 rebounds in the loss for the Avocados, and Alex added 12 points and 9 rebounds.

#HotSportsTakes

By Dylan, Griffin, and Jason

Controversial, incendiary opinions on current sports stories:

On Tom Brady:
Dylan: Robert Griffin III will win more Super Bowls than Tom Brady. Tom Brady is too old.
Griffin: Geno Smith is better than Tom Brady.
Jason: Tom Brady is the best football player in history.

On Jacoby Ellsbury:
Griffin: He will be better because he is now playing for the Yankees.
Jason: The Yankees will beat the Red Sox next year because they have Ellsbury.
Dylan: Ellsbury is selfish because he wanted more money instead of winning another World Series.

On Rajon Rondo:
Jason: They should trade Rondo for a bunch of players.
Dylan: Danny Ainge doesn't care about his players, so he'll trade Rajon Rondo.
Griffin: Fire Danny Ainge because he doesn't care about his players.

On The 2014 Sochi Olympics:
Griffin: U.S. Figure Skating and Hockey will crush the Russians and Canadians.
Jason: The Sochi Olympics are the most embarrassing thing ever.
Dylan: The Olympics shouldn't be in Russia because there is a threat of terrorism.

On Tim Tebow:
Jason: Someone should sign Tim Tebow because attention is good and fun.
Dylan: I'm surprised Tebow even made it to the NFL in the first place.
Griffin: Nobody should sign Tim Tebow because he can't throw.

On Derek Jeter's Retirement:
Dylan: He should have retired after last season - he's as old as Yoda.
Griffin: If he kept playing he would ruin his legacy.
Jason: He should keep playing because he makes the Yankees an elite team.

Best Athlete of The Decade: LeBron James

By Dylan

LeBron James is the best athlete of the last ten years. He's won a lot of awards in his NBA career.

He has won two back-to-back championships and was Finals MVP in both of them. His is so good that he has been an All-Star in every season he's played in his career. His PER (Player Efficiency Rating) led the league six years in his career. He has only won one scoring title but he has come close, finishing in the top five every year in the past five years. He has led the Miami Heat to a 27-game winning streak, the second-longest streak in history, and has won four MVP awards.

This proves that LeBron James is better than Michael Phelps. Phelps swims, which is just using your arms and legs. Basketball also has a mental aspect, LeBron has to use his arms, legs, and brain. Phelps is in an individual sport in which you only depend on yourself. In basketball you depend on yourself and your teammates. LeBron has to pass to his teammates, who may not be very good. Phelps has an easier job, which is just swimming across a pool. Phelps can get an award by himself, but basketball is a team sport which is more difficult to win. LeBron plays with Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh, who are good players, but might prevent LeBron from getting the ball. He has to succeed even while sharing the ball.

Best Athlete of The Decade: Michael Phelps

By Jason

Michael Phelps is the best athlete in the last decade. This is because he has dominated the Olympic pool. Phelps has won the most total medals in history with 22. 18 of those medals were gold, which is also the most ever. He also set the record for most gold medals in one Olympics, with eight, set in the 2008 Beijing Olympics. Phelps set his first world record in 2001, when he was just 16 years old. He has set four Olympic records. He has set a total of 39 world records, including times that he broke his own record.

Michael Phelps is better than Sidney Crosby because Phelps has 22 medals and Crosby has just one gold medal. Also, Phelps has won gold medals in three different Olympics. Crosby has never set a record for goals or points, he is just another great player. Phelps has proven that he is absolutely the best, thanks to his world records. Finally, Phelps is proficient in many parts of his sport, winning medals in eight different events, while Crosby is mainly an offensive player and isn't very good on defense.

The Best Athlete of The Decade: Sidney Crosby

By Griffin

Pittsburgh Penguins star Sydney Crosby is the best hockey player of the last 10 years. He is not only the best hockey player, he is also the best athlete, making his teammates better by passing to them.

His great passing skills have led to him once leading the NHL in assists, and twice leading the NHL in total points. He led his team to winning the Stanley Cup Finals in 2009, and is a great teammate. He has led the league in points per game in four different seasons. He has won one Olympic Gold Medal as a member of team Canada.

Sidney Crosby is better than LeBron James because hockey is a harder sport, with everybody checking you, and with the goalie covering up three-quarters of the net. In basketball, there is no goalie, and checking or shoving is a foul. Also, in hockey, you can't use your hands, only your stick, and skating is harder than running, so that means Crosby is more skilled. He was 19 years old when he won the MVP award, which tied him with Wayne Gretzky for the youngest MVP winner in NHL history. LeBron James has won four MVP awards, but Crosby was much younger when he won.

Cooper Leads Blueberries in Win

By Griffin

The Blueberries were powered by Cooper in a blowout win over the Flames.

Cooper had 20 points, 20 rebounds and five steals. Teammate Andrew pitched in 17 points and 17 rebounds, along with two steals in the 45-12 victory.

Cooper and Andrew led all scorers in the game, and Nico and Daniel helped them defeat the Flames. The Flames tried to come back, but did not succeed in Tuesday's game, which marked the beginning of a new season.

After the game, Cooper answered some questions.

"When I'm shooting, I always look at the basket. I always think about making it in, not banking it," Cooper said. "I think it's a lot easier to make it in without a bank shot. Also, I practice a lot."

Andrew, meanwhile, never let his guard down, and was ready in case the Flames got the ball. He kept up his energy on offense and in rebounding.

"I thought that my defense was pretty good but the person I was guarding didn't really get the ball much so it didn't really pay off," Andrew said. "I thought it was my offense that was effective."

After the game, the Flames' Kayson was unhappy with his performance, and wanted to improve.

"I don't think I was that persistent," Kayson said. "I'd like to take a lot of shots back that I took... I'm going to pass more. In that game I took a lot of bad shots."

Blueberries too Much for Flames

By Dylan

Cooper and Andrew carried the Blueberries to a comfortable win against the Flames Tuesday at Burbank Elementary in Belmont.

Cooper had 20 points, 20 rebounds and five steals, leading the Blueberries with a ton of help from Andrew, who had 17 points, 17 rebounds and two steals. Both players finished the game with monster double-doubles, helping their team win 45-12.

Cooper discussed shooting after the game.

"When I'm shooting, I always look at the basket. I always think about making it in, not banking it," Cooper said." I think it's a lot easier to make it in without a bank shot. Also, I practice a lot."

The person Andrew was defending didn't get a hold of the ball very much, but he kept his defense to the side and played hard on offense on his way to a great game.

"I thought that my defense was pretty good but the person I was guarding didn't really get the ball much so it didn't really pay off," Andrew said. "I thought it was my offense that was effective."

After the game, the Flames' Kayson said he didn't play up to his expectations, and took some blame for the loss.

"I don't think I was that persistent," Kayson said. "I'd like to take a lot of shots back that I took... I'm going to pass more. In that game I took a lot of bad shots.

Cooper and Andrew Power the Blueberries Past the Flames

 By Jason

The Blueberries had no trouble defeating the Flames, led mostly by Cooper and Andrew, who each had double-doubles.

Cooper scored 20 points and grabbed 20 rebounds, while Andrew scored 17 points with 17 rebounds in the Blueberries' 45-12 win. The game was played Tuesday at Burbank Elementary in Belmont, and marked the beginning of a new season.

After the game, Cooper explained his offense.

"When I'm shooting, I always look at the basket. I always think about making it in, not banking it," Cooper said. "I think it's a lot easier to make it in without a bank shot. Also, I practice a lot."

Andrew said he played hard on defense, but that he was more guarding off the ball, keeping it away from other players, since the person he was guarding rarely touched the ball.

"I thought that my defense was pretty good but the person I was guarding didn't really get the ball much so it didn't really pay off," Andrew said. "I thought it was my offense that was effective."

Meanwhile, Kayson, a player from the Flames wasn't very pleased with his own performance. He thought he could have played better, and had ideas for the next game.

"I don't think I was that persistent," Kayson said. "I'd like to take a lot of shots back that I took... I'm going to pass more. In that game I took a lot of bad shots."

All-Star Game Recap

 By Jason, Griffin, and Dylan (with help from Joe and Jeremy)

The East and the West played in the All-Star game and the East made a giant comeback when they were down by 18, setting an All-Star game record.

On Sunday night, the best players of the East and West played in the game, and it went down to the wire. Kyrie Irving and Carmelo Anthony led the way for the East, Anthony with eight three-pointers and Irving with 31 points. The East won the game 163-155. Anthony had 30 points, and his eight three-pointers were an All-Star game record.

Kyrie Irving took home the MVP award, and had 14 assists in addition to his scoring.

Kevin Durant and Blake Griffin each scored 38 points, and that helped to set a record for the most total points in All-Star game history. 20 out of Griffin's 38 points came from his 10 dunks, and that was the highest number of dunks in the game. Meanwhile, LeBron James scored 22 points and had seven rebounds for the East to help them win the game.

Chris Paul helped the West with 11 points and dished out 14 assists. Kevin Durant helped the West to build the lead with 10 rebounds, but the East out-scored the West 87-66 in the second half to complete the comeback and win the game.

Welcome to the BASEC Sports Network

By BSN Staff

The BASEC Sports Network is the product of work done by the sports journalism students at BASEC at Chenery and Burbank. During a week-long camp, students are taught the basics of statistics, game reporting, opinion pieces, video reporting and more.

On this site you will be able to see the progress of our students as they write stories from NBA games and press conferences, report on games from BASEC's basketball camp, give their spin on the biggest national sports stories of the day, and work on camera for the first time.

If you have any questions, you can reach instructor Joe Parello at jparello86@gmail.com, and be sure to check back frequently for updates!