On January 18, Mayfair’s boys basketball team had their first league game of the season, beating Norwalk by a landslide with a score of 66-25. So far, Mayfair has had a pretty successful season in their previous games with a total of 15 games won and 5 lost. Mayfair started league off with a win, a motivator to keep pushing and work toward getting that CIF title.
Due to the major setbacks these past two years have brought because of the COVID-19 pandemic, the team has certainly been affected, but this game revealed everything but that. Mayfair started off strong and maintained that energy throughout the entirety of the game. The first basket was made by sophomore Desman Botts after the referee announced a foul for Norwalk within the first minute. After getting that first point out of the way, Mayfair was on fire. It is clear that these boys have great chemistry due to the close relationships they have built despite the struggles they have faced. Norwalk was in a rut. They struggled to keep up with Mayfair’s endurance. At the end of each quarter, Mayfair held about a 15-point lead until the second half in which Norwalk was left in the dust while our Monsoons were reaching the 60s.
Although the score was never tight, the game was nothing short of a tell-tale of hard work. This year, the Mayfair basketball team has a total 10 players which means that the entire team needs to work extremely hard to stay fit and build up the stamina to be able to play a full game. Because the team is so small and half of the team is on the court during a game, each and every one of the players needs to be ready to be put out on the court at any point throughout the game. Although this seems like it would be a big issue, it has noticeably prepared the team amazingly, making them stronger and closer with one another. Point guard and senior Devin Lane said, “This season has really just been a grind to stay healthy and have everyone there… we just want to play together and take advantage of each day that we have.” Because of the new COVID variant, it is crucial for the team to maintain their health in order to prevent losing practices and postponing games. At one point, half of their team was positive for COVID which called for canceling practice.
Next, forward and junior Jaylen Baker expressed that his goal for this season is to “win another ring for the program,” and at first sight it looks like Mayfair definitely has a chance at winning CIF. Their collective skills give them a huge advantage for that big win. Lastly, the youngest on the team, sophomore Jaybe Tayor, who has been playing since the 4th grade, revealed that he truly just feels lucky to be surrounded by teammates who are conditioning him to be a better and stronger player for the future. When asked about the bond he has formed with his teammates he jokingly said that they playfully “bully” him for being the youngest. He added: “It’s okay…I just take it as, I’m the youngest so I still have to give [it] my all and go after what I want.”
After speaking to multiple members of the team, it is obvious that this team has a strong relationship in which they are all just trying their best to better each other for each other. Each of them is determined to create a fun yet hard working environment in order to reach their goals and win CIF.
