By Nathan Cambridge
The Review
It was finally time for the San Marino and South Pasadena girls’ basketball teams to put their nonleague experience to the test in the two teams’ Rio Hondo League opener on Dec. 13.
On the strength of a supercharged start in the first quarter, South Pasadena bowled over visiting San Marino for an 81-22 victory to remain undefeated this season.
“San Marino is always competitive and gritty. Their coach doesn’t let them quit and they came out and really played hard,” South Pasadena coach Cody Masden said. “It’s tough when you are playing a team as good as we are right now, so we are grateful to be that team, but I thought [San Marino] played really hard.”
The good news for San Marino in the first quarter was that the Titans made all six of their free throws. The bad news was that was all the visitors would score in the opening frame while the Tigers scored 36 points.
Tigers senior Dylan Tse did the bulk of the damage, as the senior poured in 22 of her game-high 28 points in the first quarter. This included scoring six of her team’s eight 3-pointers in the frame.
“Dylan really was hitting her shot early, and when she gets going early it gives our team confidence,” Masden said.
After the game was tied at two following a pair of free throws from Titans junior Kailey Woo with 7:05 to go in the first, South Pasadena went on a 26-0 run that was fueled by 17 points from Tse, including five from long distance. Titans senior Chloe Lin ended the run with a pair of free throws with 1:34 left. Soon after, Tse made a steal in the backcourt and put in a layup. Another Tiger steal led to a 3-pointer by Tigers junior Katie Chung. Lin made two more free throws before Tse had another 3-point make to set the margin at 36-6 going into the second quarter.
Along with Tse, the Tigers had two other double-digit scorers. South Pas junior Kayla Boozer had 20 points, with 10 coming off putbacks, and the junior’s size and athleticism was a strong factor on both ends in the win. Tigers senior Jamie Rain Kim scored 15, including two of the Tigers’ 10 total makes from beyond the arc in the win. The other starters, Yuzu Harada and Madeline Park, scored four and two points respectively. The Tigers also got 12 points off the bench.
A smothering press on defense by South Pasadena throughout the game, which caused multiple Titan turnovers in the backcourt, limited San Marino’s offensive opportunities.
The Titans were led by Woo with nine points. Lin scored eight, was the only Titan to score in every quarter and was aggressive driving the ball.
“We’ve been challenging Chloe to be a bigger threat offensively,” San Marino coach Elizabeth Reuter said. “I thought today she did a really, really good job of that.”
The scoring for San Marino was rounded out by Titans junior Joleen Tanihaha and freshman Giuliana Reitzell with two points apiece, and senior Sophia Papadopulos with one.
San Marino scored the first three points of the second quarter, starting with a pull-up jump shot by Lin for the Titans’ first field goal. After that, the Tigers scored the next 14 points. Woo put in the next two baskets. The final four points of the quarter came on two putbacks on offensive rebounds by Boozer, who had 12 points in the frame. It was 54-13 at the break.
The trends continued in the third quarter, which saw South Pasadena go on a 17-0 run and extend the advantage to 75-19 going into the fourth quarter. The final period was played with a running clock, limiting the hosts to six points and San Marino to three to set the final tally.
“I think we know every year South Pasadena is going to be a tough matchup for us,” Reuter said. “The coaching staff, we really challenged our girls… to just come out and stand their ground, be tough, play hard from start to finish and I think we did a really good job of that, honestly.”
SOUTH PASADENA 53, LA CAÑADA 38
The Tigers improved their unbeaten start to 10 straight victories with a 15-point win over the Spartans in a Rio Hondo League matchup at La Cañada High on Dec. 15.
Tse racked up 22 points, nine rebounds, four steals, one block and one assist, while Boozer registered a double-double with 15 points, 14 rebounds, two blocks, one steal and one assist. Senior captain Jamie Rain Kim tallied seven points, five rebounds, one steal and one assist, while sophomore Madeline Park chipped in six points, three steals and three rebounds. Junior Mia Leach scored three points, while senior Ava Chang contributed two assists, one steal and one rebound. Junior Katie Chung recorded two rebounds, while senior captain Yuzu Harada had one rebound.
The Tigers (10-0 overall, 2-0 in league) will finish competing in the Glendora Tournament on Dec. 30 before hosting Palisades High of Pacific Palisades on Jan. 5 at 5 p.m. South Pasadena will resume league play at Temple City on Jan. 10.
—Sebastian Moore contributed to this report.
First published in the December 22 print issue of the South Pasadena Review.
