Murphy Passes Up Shot for a Victory

Center Jeremy Murphy of Oak Park High scored 47 points in the final two games of the Oak Park High boys’ basketball tournament, but the shot he didn’t take was the biggest.

With the Eagles trailing, 52-51, in the championship game against Dos Pueblos last Friday, Murphy, a 6-foot-4, 230-pound senior center, rebounded his own miss. Instead of putting it back up, he passed outside to guard Daniel Jensen, whose three-pointer with 12 seconds to play won the game.

“I expected him to put his own shot back in, but he sees the floor very well, even in the paint,” Oak Park Coach Rob Hall said. “Stuffing those rebounds is his game, but he made the right call. It was impressive.”

Oak Park (5-6) has won five of six games after starting 0-5. The Eagles lost three games to teams ranked in The Times’ regional top 10--Agoura, Moorpark and Oxnard.

Murphy scored 21 points against Alemany and 26 against Dos Pueblos. He was named most valuable player of the Oak Park tournament for the second consecutive year.

“He stepped it up when we needed him,” Hall said. “If he averages his 18 points and 10 rebounds, we’ll be fine.”

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It has been tough enough for Oaks Christian girls’ Coach Don McMaster to keep the Lions above water. Playing a freelance schedule with a team of freshmen and sophomores, McMaster has been without two starters because of injuries.

Despite that, Oaks Christian is 6-5 in its first season of varsity play.

McMaster, who was the coach at Westlake for three seasons, believes the Lions have the makings of a competitive team.

“I think we could compete with most everyone in Ventura County, except the very elite teams,” McMaster said.

The Lions are without starters Kaley McDaniels and Ashley Freeman. Cherhara Shields has played well in their absence, scoring 22 points against L.A. Baptist on Wednesday.