11/28/04
Alumni Cagers Run and Roll to 92-82 Hoops Victory
November 27th
by Mike Arbunich, Aragon Sports Booster Correspondent

Alumni Basketball Coach Lou Murgo may not be a gambling man. However, the retired Aragon English teacher and long-running boy’s frosh/soph coach knows a little bit about rolling the proverbial dice during a basketball game.

Dealing hands of snake eyes, pairs and three-of-a-kinds, Murgo’s Alumni squad defeated the Boy’s Varsity 92-82 in the 2004 Alumni Basketball game.

“I wasn’t going to make the same mistake as last year”, declared Murgo after his alum group avenged last year’s exhibition loss. “Tonight was nothing but run and gun”.

The snake eyes that Murgo rolled let loose number “11” Justin Rollolazo (2000) whose
fast breaks, pull-up jumpers and three-pointers resulting in an alum-high 12 points.

“It took me four years to learn the pull-up jumper”, said Rollolazo, referring to the shot that made him infamous. “I owe it all to coach here (Murgo)”.

On the Varsity end, Coach Huxford could not quite find her team’s roll with the absence of key players currently helping the heralded Dons football team. Huxford relied on her own number “eleven” senior Matt Arbunich. Arbunich dazzled the crowd with five three-pointers, one in each quarter, to lead the Varsity with 24 points.

However, this game was won by players of recent past. Coach Murgo began the game with his high-octane quintet of Run THICH – Kenny Takahashi (2002), Grant Horn (2002) Kenya Iwamoto (2002), Bryant Chang (2003), and Dane Horn (2000). Run THICH got the Alums off to a quick 16-6 start thanks to treys by Iwamoto and Grant & Dane Horn. Follow-up baskets by Tom Skervhim (1998), Paul Debellis (1994) and aging wonder Pete Paffrath (1992) paced the Alumni to a 26-19 first quarter lead. The Alumni never looked back.

The game was highlighted by a number of “relative” pairs Dane & Grant Horn, Paul & Steve (1998) Debellis and Pete & John (1995) Paffrath. Dan Moroni (2002), a dotted-line cousin to the Arbunich clan, wowed the crowd in the second half with his patent stutter hook.

The Varsity charged back in third quarter thanks to Arbunich, sophomore Matt Ramirez and returning gridiron star Sean Mosman. Down by three points, Ramirez alertly picked an oxygen-depleted John Paffrath near mid-court and toed an uncontested lane to the basket. However, Paffrath stopped the fleet Ramirez with a reach, a grab and an inspection of Ramirez’s #10 jersey. The ensuing technical foul and two free throws brought the Varsity to within one, 54-53. However, a timely three-of-a kind, three-pointers by Brendan Fallis (1990), Paul Debellis and Jacob Fuata (2000), gave the Alumni a 65-59 third quarter advantage.

In the fourth quarter, it was all Run THICH, some Rollolazo razzle-dazzle and a slick pair of buckets by Matt Freeman (2002) that elevated the Alumni to a commanding fifteen-point lead. At that point, the Alums were breathing easier knowing that life would soon return to their weary legs.