The Compton basketball program has been in plenty of lopsided games over the last few years.
But, the Tarbabes have typically been on the losing end of those contests. So, when time expired and Compton defeated Compton Early College 96-6 on Monday night in their home opener, senior Xavier Goodlow kept it simple about how it felt to be on the winning side.
“We haven’t had a win like this in a very long time,” Goodlow said. “It’s refreshing.”
It’s the largest margin of victory for C-High since they defeated Cabrillo 108-19 in Moore League play during the 2018-2019 season.
The Tarbabes (1-0) went right to work as freshman Suavius Denem scored six points to give Compton an early 6-0 lead. Denem didn’t stop there as he and Roman Sims went basket for basket on their way 25 and 31, respectively to lead the team.
“This was really good,” Denem said about his first varsity action. “Throughout the summer we’ve been working out every day on the track and come back into the gym working out hard. So, it feels really good.”
“It was good to work on all our plays,” Sims added. “That’s what our goals were.”
Jaelyn Nelson added two dunks early to push the lead to 12-0 and Compton cruised as they overwhelmed Compton Early College throughout the contest. Nelson had 11 points as the Tarbabes had six of their seven players score in double figures.
It was a great start to the season for C-High as they will be working with a short rotation while they wait for the sit-out period to end and some transfers to be cleared.
Compton pushed the lead to 30-3 after the first and then extended the lead to 62-3 at halftime.
“I just do the work for my brothers,” senior Jaelyn Nelson said. “This is for them, we gonna make sure we win all seven games until they come back. We want to make sure they have a great season just like us.”
In the second half, C-High slowed the pace down and worked on their outside shots after some early struggles. The Tarbabes made 11 three-pointers in the second half as everyone was able to get into the action.
“This was a good building moment,” Compton coach Tony Finley said. “Because a lot of these guys with a 7-man rotation might not get as many minutes once we have 14 people. So, you know it’s a big opportunity for these guys to get those minutes.”
C-High is a month away from having their transfer, so Finley is having the team focus on their stamina and avoid foul trouble as they deal with a short bench.
The Tarbabes will be on the road on Wednesday when they travel to take on cross-town rival Centennial.
