Story by Gavin Bartolome & Owen Hou
Staff Writers
Photo by Sunny Choi
Staff Photographer
The Tigers came out victorious in a close game against the La Cañada Spartans, winning 63-59 on Wednesday, Jan. 29. Both teams maintained high energy and showcased strong defense and offense throughout the game.
“You want a collective showing to happen, right? And it just becomes energetic, that becomes contagious, that makes everybody want to work hard,” Head Coach Ernest Baskerville said.
Going into the first quarter, the Spartans wasted no time, quickly netting a two-pointer. However, the Tigers refused to stay down, with senior point guard Miles Nowe setting up for a two- and a three-pointer to thrust South Pasadena into the lead, 5-2. The energy the Tigers had brought to the game only seemed to grow as the team got more comfortable, quickly jumping for any rebounds and overcoming their opponent through grit and skill.
Forced to meet the Tigers’ enthralment, the Spartans took their first timeout and picked up the pace going into the back half of the first quarter. Both teams used personal fouls from aggressive layups to stay neck-and-neck in the score. Soon, after numerous personal and technical fouls, the score had risen to 16-15, the Tigers leading by only a single point. Despite the spirit that players such as Nowe put up for the Tigers with a diving two-pointer, the Tigers lost the lead, as the Spartans received a free throw to tie the score 16-16 at the end of the first.
As the second quarter began, the Spartans took an early lead, quickly putting four points on the board and making the score 20-16 in La Cañada’s favor. Undeterred by their opponents’ burst of progress, the Tigers held their ground for a few more plays, slowly gaining traction until senior power forward Jack Madison laid the ball up into the net, evening out the game 22-22. Right after, senior guard Sebastian Martinez made two free throws, pushing the Tigers just in front of the Spartans, 24-22.
From there, the Tigers continued to hold their lead while trying their best to hold off the Spartan offensive. Throughout the rest of the quarter, both teams were locked in a chaotic struggle, but the Tigers never gave up their advantage. After the dust settled, the Tigers arose with a 28-26 lead to end the second quarter.
The third quarter began with a back-and-forth cycle of defense and offense. Madison broke the stalemate by scoring a layup, widening the gap between the Spartans and Tigers to 30-26, with the latter in the lead.
Despite constant scoring by the Tigers, the Spartans eventually began to stage a comeback. Right after Madison dunked the ball to make the score 38-33, the Spartans retaliated with a three-pointer, and began an assault on the Tiger defense while simultaneously bolstering their own. By the end of their scoring streak, the Spartans were on the Tigers’ tail, 39-38, and it appeared that they could take the lead at any moment.
This was not what happened however, as Madison shattered their defense, scoring seven points before the quarter ended, while the Tiger defense remained airtight. By the end of the quarter, the Tigers held a 46-41 lead to go into the final period of the game.
Despite the palpable unease within the Tigers, Madison met the demand, netting the first two for the Tigers in hopes of wrestling free of the Spartans. Gradually, the gap widened. With the lead dangling right in front of them, the Spartan offense began to deteriorate, resulting in far-off passes and missed free throws that set La Cañada further back 52-45. Even when the Spartans managed to score a two-pointer, Madison immediately followed up, not only making a layup but going cross-court after the Tigers rebounded with a shattering slam dunk for a score of 56-45.
However, the rule the Tigers had held over the quarter was soon tested as the Spartans made a desperate final push to reclaim the lead. Turning the tables, the Spartans netted two three-pointers from the corner while the Tigers focused defense in the key, closing the gap 58-53 after minimal scoring by the Tigers. The Tigers led by five points.
At the last minute, the game ignited again. The Tigers held a dominating defense, chipping off precious seconds for the Spartans. Trying to buy themselves time, the Spartans took the last timeout of the game, just inches away from pulling into the lead at 61-59.
In the final moments, Nowe was fouled, giving the Tigers a chance to set the Tigers’ victory. With two shots, Nowe steeled himself, sinking both in, finalizing the score at 63-59 to end a thrilling match.
“This is a huge game for us, locking out a big-time rival…I’m sure we’re all very confident going into the next couple of games,” senior forward Trevor Cohen said.
The Tigers hope to continue their momentum, going into their next game away on Monday, Feb. 3 at 7 p.m. against Monrovia.
