Singh’s hot hand keys Wolves win in tourney opener

A tweak to Harman Singh’sshooting technique has paid huge early dividends for the Livingston High senior.

Singh followed back-to-back 30-point performances earlier this week with 21 points Thursday as the Wolves defeated Atwater 50-40 in the opening game of the Atwater-Buhach Colony (ABC) Tournament at Atwater High.

“I changed my shot; I’m using more of my finger tips,” Singh said. “My shot was coming off my palm when we played (Atwater) the first time in the Foundation Game. I think I only scored 10 points that game.”

Not only did Singh only score 10 points that night, he shot just 4 of 14 from the free-throw line against the Falcons on Dec. 1.

Singh made all four of his free throws Thursday and just about every other shot he took. That’s the kind of week he’s had.

“He works hard and he knows how to find the open spots,” said first-year Livingston coach Ricardo Aguilar, whose team improved to 3-3. “He knows how to find the basket.”

Singh feels he has a unique relationship with Aguilar, who was a long-time assistant under former Livingston coach Angelo Naldi.

“He gets mad at me, but I don’t take it personally,” Singh said. “We don’t really fight, but we clash every day. I love him. It’s kind of a love-hate relationship. When he gets mad, I tell him I’m just young and immature.”

Aguilar has heard the excuse many times.

“That’s my job, to protect them from themselves,” the coach said. “It’s not really a love-hate relationship. I don’t want him (or anybody) to relax. I want him and everybody else to play hard for 32 minutes.”

The effort was solid against the Falcons (2-5) as Livingston scored the final five points of the first quarter and led the rest of the way.

Atwater struggled on both ends of the floor as they lost their fourth consecutive game. Despite their poor play, the Falcons trailed by only four points at halftime. The Falcons, however, turned the ball over 11 times in the third quarter and allowed the Wolves to stretch their lead to 40-29 heading into the fourth.

“There was nothing effective about what we did today,” Atwater coach Jason Boesch said. “We didn’t run an offense. We didn’t play defense. We turned the ball over a bunch. I think we’re in a little funk right now and we need to find a way to get out of it.”

Devon Sackett led Atwater with 14 points.

Anthony Deol and Damian Albores each chipped in with nine points for Livingston, which plays Elliot Christian today at Atwater at 6.

“We’re playing a little better on defense and the kids are executing a lot better,” Aguilar said. “We’re starting to believe we can play, and that’s a good thing.”

Atwater 72, Elliot Christian 64 in Atwater – The Falcons responded in the second game as Brody Patterson scored 25 points in a game that saw both teams combine for 22 3-pointers made.

Reggie Ricks added 14 points and Kyle Anaya 13 for the Falcons.

Mariposa 67, Buhach Colony 45 in Atwater – Dalton Rockwood led four Grizzlies in doube-figures with 14 points as Mariposa led from start to finish. Kama’re Bailey added 13 points for the Grizzlies.

Quian Newson played big inside for Buhach Colony with 11 points, 14 rebounds and two blocks. Aundre Sherman led the Thunder with 12 points.

Mariposa plays Roosevelt, which beat Escalon 63-50 on Thursday, tonight in the semifinals at 8. Escalon plays Buhach Colony at 6:30.

This story was originally published December 11, 2014 at 10:21 PM with the headline "Singh’s hot hand keys Wolves win in tourney opener."