First published in the Jan. 26 print issue of the Outlook Valley Sun.
The La Cañada High School varsity boys’ basketball team took over first place in the Rio Hondo League after beating host San Marino, 71-59, in a Rio Hondo League game on Monday.
Junior Anders Petersen registered a double-double with 10 points, 10 rebounds, four assists, three blocks and one steal. Senior Samuel Guerrero racked up 18 points, five boards and one assist, junior Jack Reynolds finished with 16 points, four rebounds, three assists and one steal, and sophomore Josh Proctor poured in 12 points with nine boards. Senior Evan Mulcahey scored eight points with seven rebounds and two blocks, senior Jacob Pastor tallied four points and five boards, and junior Matthew Plocher recorded three points, two rebounds and one block.
The Spartans defeated host Pilibos High in Los Angeles, 59-56, in a nonleague game on Saturday. Proctor registered his third double-double in as many games with 17 points, 14 boards, one block and one assist. Reynolds poured in 13 points with three rebounds and two assists, Petersen sank four 3-pointers with four steals, three boards and one assist, and Guerrero tallied eight points, four rebounds, two assists and one steal. Plocher recorded four points, seven boards, one steal and one assist, sophomore Josh Pastor finished with three points, three rebounds and two assists, and Pastor scored two points with three boards, three assists, two blocks and two steals. Meanwhile, Mulcahey collected two rebounds and one block.
LCHS defeated visiting Blair High of Pasadena, 72-63, in a rematch last Friday as Proctor turned in a fine effort with 22 points and 17 boards. Reynolds poured in 17 points with seven rebounds, four assists, one block and one steal while Guerrero registered 13 points, four boards, three assists and one steal. Mulcahey produced eight points, six rebounds and one block while Plocher tallied six points, five boards, three assists and one steal. Jacob Pastor finished with three points, three rebounds, one block and one steal, Josh Pastor scored three points with two boards, one steal and one assist, and Petersen recorded two rebounds and one steal.
The Spartans previously defeated host Temple City in a league game, 51-48, as Proctor posted a double-double with 15 points, 16 boards, one block and one assist. Plocher poured in 11 points with seven rebounds while Jacob Pastor registered nine points, two assists and one block. Reynolds tallied six points, five boards and three assists, Guerrero produced five points, three rebounds, three assists and one steal, and Mulcahey finished with five points, three boards and one assist. Petersen collected three rebounds, Josh Pastor had one steal and one assist, and senior Danny Evans notched one board.
League-leading La Cañada visited second-place South Pasadena last night; the game ended after the Outlook Valley Sun’s press deadline and will be included in next week’s issue. The Spartans (16-7 overall, 5-1 in league) will visit Monrovia on Friday, Jan. 27, at 5 p.m. before visiting Marshall High in Los Angeles for a nonleague game on Saturday, Jan. 28. LCHS will conclude the regular season next week by hosting a pair of league games against San Marino on Tuesday, Jan. 31, and Temple City on Thursday, Feb. 2.
FLINTRIDGE PREP
Under first-year head coach Robert Cartwright, the Wolves broke a six-year losing streak on rival Pasadena Poly’s home court by posting a 59-35 Prep League victory last Friday.
“We haven’t beaten Poly here for a while,” said junior Will Bigby, who finished with 11 points and a pair of rebounds. “It was personal so I just wanted to come in and show them we got it this time.”
Senior Andrew Jordan, who had seven points and four boards, scored the opening field goal from behind the arch to give the Wolves a lead they maintain for the rest of the contest. The Wolves outscored the Panthers in three of the four quarters while both teams recorded nine points in the third.
Senior Caleb Bowne was great from behind the arch as he drained three of his four total threes to score nine of the Wolves’ 21 points in the fourth quarter. He also added a pair of field goals in the second quarter to finish with a team-high 14 points.
“Caleb struggled a little bit the last few games and we knew he was due to breakout. We have a lot of faith in him as a shooter,” Cartwright said. “He had a great game and I am really happy for him.”
Junior Henry Morrison controlled the glass by posting a game-high 12 rebounds with eight points, six of which came from the charity stripe.
“I wish he had been a little more aggressive at times but he’s been a really solid player for us game in and game out,” Cartwright said. “He’s going to continue to be a really important piece for us as we go through league and into the playoffs.”
The Wolves had nine players make at least one basket, which Cartwright has boasted as being one of the foundational strengths of his team. Senior Geoffrey Stetson registered six points and six boards while senior Marvin Furuta drained a pair of threes with one rebound. Senior Theo Kuo sank a 3-pointer, senior Chris Fung produced two points and three boards, and senior Jack Jones had two points and one rebound.
“The great thing about our team is we believe we can have a different leading scorer just about every single night. We don’t do it with one or two people,” Cartwright said.
Flintridge Prep junior Noah Willingham tallied a pair of boards while junior Steven Ng and freshman Owen Willingham each collected one rebound.
First-place Flintridge Prep (15-6 overall, 4-0 in league) will visit fourth-place Palos Verdes Chadwick for a league rematch on Friday, Jan. 27, at 6 p.m. The rematch between the Wolves and the Panthers will be at Flintridge Prep on Monday, Jan. 30, at 7:30 p.m.
ST. FRANCIS
The Golden Knights posted a 75-64 overtime victory against Fairfax High of Los Angeles in the State Preview Classic at Colony High in Ontario on Saturday as senior George Tupy racked up a team-high 21 points with nine rebounds and three assists.
Senior captain Luke McGrath registered 15 points, three boards, one steal and one assist, sophomore Mazi Mosley tallied 14 points and two rebounds, and junior Chris Kalachian poured in 13 points with three boards, one steal and one assist. Senior Brandin Dantzler recorded four points, eight rebounds, six assists, three steals and one block while junior Kennedy Mitchell-Egbo finished with four points, two boards and one block. Junior Ethan Childs produced two points, two rebounds and two steals while junior Greg Gazarian had two points and one board.
The Golden Knights defeated host Alemany High in Mission Hills, 52-37, in a Mission League game last Friday. McGrath poured in 12 points with one steal and one assist, senior captain Jackson Mosley registered nine points and four rebounds, and Tupy finished with eight points, five boards and five assists.
SFHS lost to visiting Sierra Canyon High of Chatsworth, 61-43, last Wednesday. Jackson Mosley poured in 12 points with two steals and two assists, Dantzler registered nine points, four rebounds and one steal, and Tupy tallied nine points, one steal and one board. Mazi Mosley finished with six points, four rebounds and one assist, McGrath drained a pair of threes with two boards and one steal, and Mitchell-Egbo recorded two points and one rebound.
The game was played in front of a capacity crowd which anticipated watching Sierra Canyon’s highly-touted lineup, which includes All-American Bronny James, the son of Lakers’ superstar LeBron James. However, the younger James was injured and did not play.
The fourth-place Golden Knights (18-8 overall, 3-2 in league) will finish their league schedule by hosting first-place Harvard-Westlake High of Studio City on Friday, Jan. 27.
