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Boys’ basketball: Historic win for CALS

Los Angeles Times staff writer Ben Bolch
By Ben Bolch
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The California Academy for Liberal Studies Early College High was becoming the Caltech of boys’ high school basketball in Southern California. The program had been around for three years and compiled a 0-49 record.

Then came the season opener Tuesday. Behind Joseph Orozco’s 14 points and Jesus Lopez’s 13 points and 15 rebounds, CALS routed Bridges Academy, 57-30, to record the first victory in school history.

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‘More wins to come,’ said first-year Coach Steve Stokes.

--Ben Bolch

Varsity Times Insider
Ben Bolch

Ben Bolch has been a Los Angeles Times staff writer since 1999. He is serving his second stint as the UCLA beat writer, which seems fitting since he has covered almost every sports beat except hockey and horse racing. Bolch is also the author of the recently released book “100 Things UCLA Fans Should Know & Do Before They Die.” He previously covered UCLA basketball from 2010-11 before going on to cover the NBA and the Clippers for five years. He happily traded in gobs of hotel points and airline miles to return to cover UCLA basketball and football in the summer of 2016. Bolch was once selected by NBA TV’s “The Starters” as the “Worst of the Week” after questioning their celebrity journalism-style questions at an NBA All-Star game and considers it one of his finer moments.

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