Ryan Graves played his final game as a Spartan on Tuesday. He averaged 17 points per game and shot better than 50% from the field, helping to make him one of the best players to compete at LCHS, according to head coach Tom Hofman.
The La Cañada High School varsity boys’ basketball team fell short of adding another CIF Southern Section plaque to its mantle as top-seeded Ontario Colony edged the Spartans, 50-47, in the Division 2A championship game at Azusa Pacific University’s Felix Center last Saturday.
La Cañada led by as many as eight points, 19-11, in the second quarter, but Pepperdine-bound Sedrick Altman helped the Titans fight back and recapture the lead in the third quarter. Timely shots and free throws allowed Colony to pull away for the victory in the final quarter.
LCHS head coach Tom Hofman guided the program to its fifth CIF-SS championship appearance in the school’s 56-year history. The Spartans won titles in 1992 and 2011, both under Hofman.
Despite the defeat, the Spartans (27-7 overall record) earned a No. 5 seed in the CIF State Division 2 playoffs. However, their run was cut short as they fell to visiting Cathedral Catholic of San Diego, 67-55, in a first-round game on Tuesday.
La Cañada was technically a favorite as the No. 5 seed going into the contest, but the Dons were the 12th seed in the playoffs only because they were not placed in the San Diego Open Division. Cathedral Catholic won the Division 1 crown in the San Diego Section, and advanced to the second round of the state playoffs with a big win over LCHS.
Extensive coverage of La Cañada’s final two games begins on page 26 in Sports.
