Keppel girls basketball coach Ib Belou is not making excuses. But it’s hard not to look past the Aztecs’ lineup, which includes two freshman who have started in the last three games. All together, Keppel has four freshman, a sophomore, four juniors and four seniors. Nine of those players, however, never had played varsity prior to this season. By contrast, Alhambra has eight seniors and Schurr has seven.

“It’s taken them a little longer to get their feet wet and understand this is the main stage,” Belou said. “We stopped using the ‘We’re a young team, still learning’ excuse right before league started. The freshman really had to grow up, and I’m pleased with the maturity of how much our team has grown. Our youngsters have really started to turn the corner, which is nice.”

Alyson Lok is a bright spot for the Aztecs. The freshman guard averages 15.3 points, 5.3 rebounds and 2.8 steals per game.

Keppel’s loss to Alhambra, which snapped an 87-game league winning streak, was followed by another loss to Schurr.

“That was a tough week for us,” Belou said. “Two road games, back-to-back against two of the toughest teams in league. I believe that definitely had something to do with it.”

Keppel still has a shot at clinching a share of the league title, but they’ll need some help. The Aztecs need to beat San Gabriel today and hope Bell Gardens upsets Alhambra. That would setup a showdown on Friday when Keppel hosts rival Alhambra.

“It’s definitely a goal, but it’s out of our hands,” Belou said. “We need a little help, but all we can do is focus on San Gabriel and have two good practices and be ready for them Friday.”