Staff Writer
Photos by Tucker Judkins
The boys’ varsity basketball team dropped its last matchup of Rio Hondo League to Monrovia High School away by a score of 70-53 on Thursday, February 11.
The Wildcats came out determined to make a presence on its home court after previously losing to the Tigers earlier in the season. A 7-0 run for Monrovia hampered the Tiger’s momentum in the beginning of the game. Senior Ray Arismendez knocked down eight of the team’s ten points in the first quarter for a score of 13-10 with South Pas down.
Monrovia returned to the second quarter with a quick layup to hold the advantage over South Pas. Junior Matt Scholtz answered back the next possession with his own layup to keep the Tigers close on the scoreboard. The Wildcats responded back with another 7-0 run and gained all the intensity out on the court. Monrovia’s control of offensive rebounding and lockdown defense severely hampered the Tiger’s game. Sophomore Danny Rios ended the Tigers drought late in the quarter with two points of his own for a halftime score of 36-17.
South Pas returned to the third quarter with Arismendez opening up with a layup to try and crawl out of the Monrovia deficit. Senior Alex Nakagawa and Arismendez both knocked down three pointers, followed by Scholtz added two points of his own. Junior Lucas Fox completed an 8-0 run for the Tigers with a clutch three pointer to try and close the gap between the two teams. By the end of the third quarter, Monrovia still held the momentum on the court for a quarter score of 50-36.
Scholtz opened the fourth quarter with a three point play after being fouled. Sophomore Jaylen Park tallied up two points along with Fox scoring a three to bring the deficit to 10 points, with the Tigers shooting red hot. Arismendez sank a three pointer to close the gap to five points. The Wildcats fired back, gaining momentum in the last minute of the game and increased the deficit by scoring a back breaking three pointer in the final minute of regulation for a ending score of 70-53.
South Pasadena finished with a 3-7 Rio Hondo League record along with an 11-16 overall record, with its loss to Monrovia concluding the Tiger’s season.
