Staff Writer
Photos by Tucker Judkins
The boys varsity basketball team dropped its first home game after a frustrating 72-51 loss to Gabrielino High School Wednesday, December 9.
It was the Eagles who drew first blood on the court with a nine point lead before the Tigers could come up with a stop on defense. The Tigers first points came from senior Ray Arismendez as he knocked down a corner three pointer to put South Pas on the scoreboard. After halting the Eagle momentum with a charge the next possession, the Tigers quickly reformed their offense to set senior Alex Nakagawa in position for back to back three point conversions.
Another stop on defense placed the Tigers in perfect position to take the lead in the first quarter. With a three point corner shot from junior Lucas Fox alongside a layup from Nakagawa, South Pas came out in the first quarter with a 14-12 score.
Gabrielino fired back in the second quarter with red hot shooting the Tigers couldn’t stop. After lockdown defense from the Eagles came into play, South Pas went cold from the arc with the Eagles bouncing back to end the first half 30-22.
The Tigers came back into the half with a slow start. The Eagle press defense forced multiple turnovers on the flustered Tigers. After a three pointer from junior Stone Franco reached the basket, South Pas desperately tried to crawl back on the scoreboard. Another corner three pointer from Nakagawa revived the Tiger intensity, but with Eagles center Grant Kirchhoff converting numerous putbacks and a three pointer from the arc, the South Pasadena’s drive faltered under the Gabrielino pressure after a 53-35 third quarter.
South Pasadena fired back in the fourth quarter to attempt a significant comeback, Arismendez contributing two threes to the effort. Although the Tigers’ intensity did not slow down, the deficit that the opposing team had established proved to be too large for South Pas to overcome. Sophomore Jaylen Park knocked down a buzzer beater three pointer for the Tigers as regulation ended. The game came to a close at the score of a 72-51 in Gabrielinos favor.
The boys look to bounce back from their loss in the team’s upcoming road matchup against Rowland High School on Tuesday, December 15.
