The La Cañada High School, Flintridge Prep and Flintridge Sacred Heart Academy varsity girls’ basketball teams are preparing for the 2023-24 campaign with aspirations of contending for league titles and securing postseason appearances. Included is a detailed look at each team’s season outlook and goals.
LA CAÑADA
The Spartans finished last season as the Rio Hondo League runner-up with a 7-2 record (13-9 overall) and secured another postseason appearance with a spot in the CIF Southern Section Division III-A playoffs, extending the streak to at least 19 years when MaxPreps began keeping track of records in 2004.
“Our goals are to continue to grow and connect as a team, to win a league title and win more than one playoff game,” La Cañada head coach Jonathan Saavedra said. “We will achieve this by overcoming adversity together, caring for one another and playing as a team. Additionally, we will need to continue to push ourselves and each other at practice, along with holding one another accountable on a daily basis.”
Leading the team are three distinguished four-year varsity returners: Andrianna Pitsos, Isabella Chividjian and Talia Miyamoto. Pitsos, last season’s third-leading scorer with 8.7 points and top rebounder with 5.3 per game, along with contributions from Chividjian and Miyamoto (3.7 and 1.6 points per game, respectively), are expected to provide leadership both on and off the court, according to Saavedra.
“They’re all important pieces for us from a mentorship and leadership standpoint, along with players we expect to play key minutes for us,” Saavedra said. “We look for them to help with our team chemistry and overall cohesiveness. It’s comforting to hear from someone who has gone through similar experiences and struggles, and we look for them to guide our younger players that may be facing challenges on or off the court.”
Alongside the seniors, the Spartans will rely on junior returner Jennifer Musso, a key player who averaged 15.8 points, 4.3 rebounds, 2.8 steals and 2.1 assists per game last season. Saavedra highlighted sophomore Madison Hunt’s improved skill set, anticipating a significant leap forward in her second varsity season. Additionally, a core of returners, including juniors Ella Magtoto and Sydney Magtoto, and sophomores Natasha Sadhwani and Emma Sengul, bring valuable varsity experience to the underclassman-heavy roster.
“We like the quality of our depth,” Saavedra said. “We want our players to play at 100% when they’re in the game, so they should be tired after a few minutes of action. Having a strong supporting cast off the bench is something that should set us apart from other teams.”
La Cañada anticipates tough competition in league play, particularly from defending champion South Pasadena and a formidable Temple City squad. The Spartans are also eagerly looking forward to hosting their annual tournament from Dec. 26 to 29.
The Spartans opened the regular season by hosting Crescenta Valley High of La Crescenta on Nov. 15; the nonleague game ended after the Outlook Valley Sun’s press deadline and will be included in next week’s issue. The Spartans will host Crean Lutheran High of Irvine for a league game on Nov. 18 at 6 p.m. before competing in the San Marino Tournament, which starts on Nov. 27.
FLINTRIDGE PREP
The Wolves enter the 2023-24 campaign aiming to defend their CIF Southern Section title, having beaten Los Osos High of Rancho Cucamonga in the Division III-AA championship game last season.
“Our first goal is to win league. Our second goal is to make our presence known in CIF Division II-AA,” Wolves coach Jayme Chan said. “The competition is going to be really tough. We’re hoping our young team will be able to upset a couple of folks.”
Flintridge Prep returns almost every single player from the championship team following the graduation of standout Ashley Chea.
The returning Wolves players include Maddie Smith, Akemi Fu, Pressley Huie, Izzie Chan, Kassidy Huie, Catherine Baldocchi, Gigi Mastras, Olivia Childs and Caydence Acker. Flintridge Prep also welcomes four freshmen to the roster: Addie Lee, Hailey Louie, Megan Quoch and Miya Naruko.
“We are carrying 13 players on our varsity team this year. Our four freshmen are very talented, and we are deeper in all positions than we’ve been in a long time,” Jayme Chan said. “Integrating the freshman and building team chemistry will be essential to our success this season.”
This year’s captains are Izzie Chan and Kassidy Huie, both four-year varsity players who are expected to play key roles in the development of the underclassmen. Meanwhile, Smith will be taking over the heavy workload in the scoring department. She amassed 579 points as a freshman and, if she has a similar season, could surpass the 1,000 career points milestone in her second varsity season.
Keeping with tradition, Jayme Chan is excited to play rival Pasadena Poly. The Wolves aim to extend their 17-game win streak against the Panthers dating back to the 2013-14 season.
Flintridge Prep, which finished last season as undefeated Prep League champions with a 12-0 record (30-3 overall), will open the regular season by competing in the Redondo Union Tournament on Nov. 20 before hosting Mark Keppel High of Alhambra on Nov. 30.
FLINTRIDGE SACRED HEART
The Tologs concluded the previous season in a three-way tie as the Angelus League runner-up with a 4-4 record, sharing the position with Immaculate Heart High of Los Angeles and Notre Dame Academy of Los Angeles.
Additionally, under the guidance of first-year head coach Wes Stewart, the Tologs strive to improve last season’s 14-13 overall record and clinch a postseason bid for a third consecutive campaign. Stewart did not respond to the Outlook Valley Sun’s questionnaire before its press deadline.
Flintridge Sacred Heart opened the regular season with a narrow 43-41 overtime loss at Glendale on Nov. 13; detailed game coverage will be included in the next issue.
First published in the November 16 print issue of the Outlook Valley Sun.
