On the court, the Jordan Panthers used an aggressive, attacking full-court press and impressive athleticism to defeat the Cabrillo Jaguars by a score of 78-69 in the first Moore League game of the year on Saturday.

Off the court, the Cabrillo Jaguars took a huge leap forward as a program by serving as the host of the Pangos Dream Classic, an annual showcase that consistently features the best local teams and has included many future pros – among them Lebron James, Dwight Howard and Sebastian Telfair.

“We’re trying to put Cabrillo basketball on the map,” said first-year head coach Jim Nielsen, adding that the school is best known for its soccer program – a winning reputation that he would like to add to with a winning basketball team.

“We want to get [the basketball program] built up, and that’s the whole reason for hosting this.”

The successes were not all moral for Cabrillo.  The Jaguars showed very real potential against Jordan, playing spirited ball and cutting a double-digit lead down to four in the third quarter despite the Panthers’ suffocating defense.  Jordan pulled away in the final period thanks to 17 points from senior forward Stephan Heard.

“Jordan is a very explosive, pressing team,” Nielsen said.  “In the beginning, it was too much for us.  But we adjusted in the second half.  We moved the ball and did a better job of getting it to our shooters.”

Jordan joins Wilson and Poly as the three favorites to win the Moore League this season, and Cabrillo showed that they have the ability to play right alongside Long Beach’s best on Saturday.

The much-heralded Heard played well but did not dominate the undersized Jaguars.  The Panthers rely on speed and athletic big men, and Cabrillo could not sustain their third quarter pace.