Photo by Jayden Eden
Staff Photographer
The Tigers dropped their third consecutive league game on Friday night, falling 58-33 to the defending league-champion La Cañada Spartans. South Pas was overmatched and unable to shoot well enough to keep pace with the efficient Spartans. La Cañada’s height and athletic advantages were apparent, as they were able to rebound and finish over the smaller Tiger players.
South Pas got off to a slow start on the road, and after a first quarter with miscues and missed shots, they found themselves in an 18-6 hole. In the second quarter, the Tigers began to settle in and compete with the talented Spartan team. A three pointer from senior Ryan Chuang and a steal and fastbreak layup from senior Kai Jones helped the Tigers gain momentum, but they still trailed 32-16 at halftime.
In the second half, the Spartans came out of the locker room with better execution than the Tigers. A thunderous dunk from Spartan forward Ryan Graves electrified the home crowd, while on the other end of the floor the Tigers had issues taking care of the ball on offense. In the fourth quarter senior Matt Mayemura and junior Michel Winkler both knocked down jump shots, but it was too little too late for the Tiger offense. Despite senior Sebastian Au-Rivera’s team-leading 11 points, the final score ended in a lopsided 25 point loss for South Pas.
“We played with a lot of heart tonight and kept our composure,” senior guard Kyle Tashiro said. “But with a couple injuries, we ultimately couldn’t get the job done.”
South Pas will shift its focus to a matchup with the Blair Vikings on Tuesday the 15th. A struggling Viking team will give the Tigers a likely opportunity to pick up their first league win.
