Walczuk is back at full strength for Sharks

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Once Ryan Walczuk suffered a sprained ankle back in mid-December, things began to fall apart for the Malibu boys’ basketball team. Losses in six of the next seven games followed, including four consecutive over a six-day stretch. The postseason didn’t appear to be much of an option back then.

Slowly but surely, Walczuk recovered, and two weeks later, the 6-foot-3 senior made his return to the lineup. The Sharks turned things around quickly, won nine in-a-row and enter Friday’s semifinal game of the Southern Section playoffs against top-seeded Rosamond as one of the hottest teams in Division V-A. Tipoff is set for 7:30 p.m. at Oaks Christian High.

‘The turning point of our season was when Ryan came back,’’ sophomore Chandler Abbot said. ‘We needed him. He’s our leader, the guy with the most experience. Things started clicking for us once he was back out on the court. Now, we’re focused. Now, we feel like we can compete with anyone.’’

Walczuk put to rest any lingering doubt about his overall health with some steady play for the Sharks during the second round and quarterfinal games. He scored 21 points against Wildomar Cornerstone Christian on Friday and finished with 24 against Kern Valley on Tuesday, the first time he’s had back-to-back games with more than 20 points this season.

‘My ankle was pretty bad and I probably should have sat out longer than I did,’’ Walczuk said. ‘But I couldn’t. Sitting on the sidelines was driving me crazy. I knew I had to get back out on the court. If I didn’t come back and play, who knows if we would be in the position we are now.’’

--Sean Ceglinsky