Thursday’s Games

San Marino 3, Monrovia 1 — Titans ace Jeff Bain tossed a one-hitter and kept his team’s hopes for third place in the Rio Hondo League, and a guaranteed playoff spot, alive. Meanwhile, Monrovia’s league title hopes just took a big hit. The Wildcats will enter the final week a game behind first-place La Canada in the league standings … and the Spartans own the tiebreaker after taking two out of three from the Wildcats this spring.

South Pas 10, Temple City 3 — South Pas staved off third-place elimination. I have no deets, but the Tigers finished the regular season 11-13 overall and 5-7 in league.

Wednesday’s Results

Monrovia 5, San Marino 1 — Wildcats get one win closer to pulling even with La Canada in first place at 7-3 in league. Pitcher Chris Burkholder was fantastic and a three-run fifth inning blew the game open. San Marino got a decent start from Jeff Chan, but three errors did in the Titans.

Temple City 5, South Pas 1 — Rams frosh pitcher Zechariah Jarrard was filthy and got the win to put his team right in the thick of the race for third place and a guaranteed spot in the D-4 playoffs.

STAR-NEWS TOP 10

1. La Canada (12-6)
2. Monrovia (15-4)
3. Arcadia (16-6)
4. Alhambra (15-6)
5. Flintridge Prep (13-6)
6. Pasadena Poly (11-6)
7. Maranatha (10-10-1)
8. Pasadena (11-10)
9. Duarte (10-11)
10. San Marino (12-8-1)

CIF Polls

Division 4

1. Oaks Christian
2. Kaiser
3. Laguna Beach
4. Northview
5. Sonora
6. San Dimas
7. Baldwin Park
8. Montclair
9. Nogales
10. Don Lugo

Others:Monrovia, Ramona, North Torrance

Division 6

1. Desert Christian Academy
2. Malibu
3. Webb
4. Capistrano Valley Christian
5. Sierra Canyon
6. Flintridge Prep
7. Crean Lutheran
8. Sage Hill
9. St. Margaret’s
10. Pasadena Poly

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When the Monrovia High School football team opens spring practice in two weeks, head coach Ryan Maddox will have an embarrassment of riches at the running back position.

Things were already looking up for the Wildcats’ ground attack with the return of last year’s second-leading rusher Darione Jones, who ran for 977 yards and 10 touchdowns.

Coaches were also expecting the emergence of sophomore-to-be Cameron Johnson, who was a dynamic runner for the Wildcats’ freshman team last fall.

But then came the arrival of Kurt Scoby, one of the top running backs in the state, who landed at Monrovia after several other brief stops this offseason.

Local fans will remember Scoby for what he did as a sophomore at Charter Oak in 2011. He played part of last season at St. Paul midway through his junior season.

Scoby is academically eligible to play, according to Maddox and is taking classes to catch up on his course load. Maddox said the final hurdle will be to get Scoby cleared with CIF.

Monrovia appeared to be in store for a rebuilding year after graduating a dynamic senior class. It now looks like the Wildcats won’t skip a beat given Scoby’s arrival.

“We’re excited about it,” Maddox said. “It’s just exciting to have two quality backs and athletes. I can imagine you’ll see some pretty creative sets.

“They will be a big part of the offensive packages and probably a part of the defensive packages as well.”

Although it’s early, Maddox said he can envision both Jones and Scoby playing linebacker on defense.

Fans can get an early look at Monrovia on May 18 at the Charter Oak Passing Tournament.

PHOTOS OF ALL OF FRIDAY’S ACTION

BOYS: Tribune 113, Star-News 110 — The Star-News erased a double-figure deficit in the second half but missed two 3-pointers that would have tied the game in the final minute. The series is now tied 5-5. Pasadena’s Andre Spight scored 32 points and was the Star-News team MVP. Spight also won the 3-point contest.

GIRLS: Tribune 78, Star-News 68 — The Star-News lost touch in the closing minutes and had no answer for the Tribune’s size advantage. Keppel’s Alyson Lock scored a game-high 21 points to earn team MVP honors. The Star-News’ series lead is now 6-4.

Got a feeling the Tribune boys/girls are going to sweep the Star-News at Friday’s All-Star Classic. Not just a feeling, guarantee it.

— Fred J. Robledo (@SGVNSports) April 24, 2013

Damien’s Matt Dunn coaching the Boys and Bishop Amat’s Richard Wiard coaching the girls is a sweep waiting to happen #TRIBUNESWEEP

— Fred J. Robledo (@SGVNSports) April 24, 2013

What: 10th annual Tribune/Star-News All-Star Boys/Girls All-Star Classic
Where: Damien High School
When: Friday
Time: Girls, 6 p.m., Boys, 8 p.m.

TEMPLE CITY’S FELIX AWUJO COULD TURN HEADS ON FRIDAY NIGHT.

Perhaps the best kept secret in the San Gabriel Valley when it comes to boys high school basketball is Arroyo’s Primitivo Gomez.

Gomez, who will play for the Tribune all-stars in Friday’s 10th Tribune/Star-News All-Star Classic, may be ready to get the word out in a big way in his final prep game on Friday night.

And there should be an audience of next-level coaches there to watch it.

“An hour into practice, I started calling (college) coaches I know telling them they better be over here on Friday night to see this kid,” said Damien coach Matt Dunn, who will coach the Tribune team. “He’s really good, but nobody ever gets to see those kids.”

The boys all-star game is set for 8 p.m. at Damien High while the girls game is at 6 p.m., also at Damien.

Gomez, a 6-foot-5 combo forward/guard, led Arroyo to a 20-win season and the Mission Valley League championship. He averaged 25.7 points per game and 10.7 rebounds.

The Star-News has had no shortage of eye-opening players in practice either. Star-News Player of the Year Andre Spight has shined, scoring from just about anywhere on the floor. Spight will play at UTEP next season, so he’s not in need of any late-stage scouting.

But there are several other talents who have turned heads at Star-News practice, according to Flintridge Prep coach Garrett Ohara, who will coach the west-side all-stars.

“Spight is so good on the ball, he’s such a threat on the perimeter and getting to the basket, but we have several guys flying under the radar here who can get after it,” Ohara said. “Tyler Shimamoto (Gabrielino) and Felix Awujo (Temple City), this was the first time I got to see them.

“They have such great defensive tenacity, so we’re going to commit to defending well. This isn’t going to be an NBA All-Star Game.”

SHOOTOUT EXPECTED

It’s no secret that 3-point shooting was the catalyst of Temple City’s breakout season this winter. The Rams won the Rio Hondo League behind sharpshooters like Eric Olivas and Felix Awujo. Olivas hit 114 3-pointers this season and Awujo added 44. Both will be in the 3-point shooting contest at halftime of the boys game along with Pasadena’s Andre Spight.

The Tribune team will be represented in the 3-point shooting contest by Jared Dizon (Damien), Jordan Stokes (San Dimas) and Joseph Dionisio (Rowland).

TRIBUNE’S SECRET WEAPON

Dunn has pulled former legendary Northview coach Ron Rice out of retirement to help him coach the Tribune all-stars.

Rice retired this winter after 41 years. And if the game’s close, Dunn said he knows who he’s going to turn to.

“The most important piece of the puzzle is that we have a legend on the sideline,” Dunn said. “He’s fully prepared. I told him that if we’ve got a tied game with seven seconds to go, he’s going to have to draw up the game winner.”

ROSTERS

STAR-NEWS BOYS

Ryan Wiley, Rio Hondo Prep
Spencer Briglio, Keppel
Raymond Jackson, Pasadena
Andre Spight, Pasadena
Evan Bynum, Muir
Taturs Mayberry, Muir
Tyler Shimamomoto, Gabrielino
Spencer Hwang, San Marino
Jeremy Major, Maranatha
Mike DeMeester, Maranatha
Felix Awujo, Temple City
Eric Olivas, Temple City
Jack Anderson, La Canada
Kareem Ismail, Flintridge Prep
Aaron Cosme, Alhambra

STAR-NEWS GIRLS

Melody Gauthier, Rosemead
Sydney Hua, Rosemead
Dariel Johnson, Pasadena
Kayla Pounds, Blair
Emma Wong, San Marino
Leigh Kunitake, San Marino
Alyson Lock, Keppel
Leslie Tan, Keppel
Samantha Lee, Keppel
Carina So, Keppel
Melody Chang, Arcadia
Julissa Aguirre, Arcadia
Amber Partida, South Pasadena
Ari Tagdis, San Gabriel
Lili Lim, Westridge

Crescenta Valley High School’s bid to join the Rio Hondo League beginning with the 2014-15 school year, thus creating a domino effect that would have led Arcadia and Hoover to seek the same thing, was voted down on Friday when the Foothill Area held its re-leaguing meeting at Hart High.

Thus, the Rio Hondo League and Pacific League will remain the same for the next four-year cycle of league play. Elsewhere during the meeting, the area voted to send Marshall from the Alpha League to the Mission Valley League in a move that has soured the Mission Valley League, which vowed to appeal.

As far as the Rio Hondo League and Pacific League were concerned on Friday, the bigger story was what didn’t happen, rather than what did.

Last week, the Rio Hondo League agreed to a proposal that would move Crescenta Valley from the Pacific League to the Rio Hondo and get rid of Blair, which has put a weight on the league with its struggling athletic programs.

That proposal prompted Arcadia to propose that it would also like to join the Rio Hondo League if Crescenta Valley was voted in. The Rio Hondo League was not in total agreement about the proposal, with San Marino opposed to the idea.

That number must have grown in recent days because when Friday’s motions to put proposals to a vote were made, the Rio Hondo League decided against going forward with its Crescenta Valley proposal.

“There wasn’t a united decision from the Rio Hondo League anymore as far as adding a team or two,” La Canada athletic director Craig Franzen said. “It was just the best option at this point for the league. If the Blair problem gets worse, you have another opportunity in four years to do something.”

With schools given the opportunity to put forth their own proposals for a vote, Crescenta Valley went forward with its bid to join the Rio Hondo League despite the idea no longer having support from the league. The proposal did not gain enough votes.

With Blair staying put, the Rio Hondo League must again cope with a league mate that could not field a varsity baseball team this season and sent out a varsity football team last fall that was shutout in every league game last season by an average score of 62-0.

Another option for the Rio Hondo League would have been to add Marshall. Instead, the Eagles were voted into the Mission Valley League, which immediately made clear that it will appeal that decision to the CIF-Southern Section.

Marshall would join current Mission Valley League teams Arroyo, El Monte, Gabrielino, Mountain View, Rosemead and South El Monte to form a seven-team league.
“In my opinion, all the other proposals — Crescenta Valley, Arcadia, the Rio Hondo League — were all just posturing so they didn’t have to take Marshall,” Arroyo varsity football head coach and athletic director Jim Singiser said. “Obviously, geography was not an issue because you have to pass every Rio Hondo League school to get to a Mission Valley League school.

“Neither was school size (an issue) because I think Marshall may be a better fit size-wise in the Rio Hondo League.

“We will appeal and see what happens. If it sticks, so be it. I know a lot of people over there and they are good people.”

aram.tolegian@sgvn.com
aram.tolegian@sgvn.com
aram.tolegian@sgvn.com

IF YOUR NAME, OR FOR COACHES, YOUR PLAYERS’ NAME, IS ON THIS LIST AND I HAVE NOT SPOKEN TO YOU EITHER VIA TEXT OR EMAIL OR PHONE, THEN YOU NEED TO CONTACT ME VIA EMAIL ASAP FOR INFO REGARDING THE ALL-STAR GAME.

aram.tolegian@sgvn.com
aram.tolegian@sgvn.com
aram.tolegian@sgvn.com

Brandon Jolley, Pasadena
Jeremy Major, Maranatha
Jelani Mitchell, Muir
Ryan Wiley, Rio Hondo Prep
Perris Hicks, Pasadena
Taturs Mayberry, Muir
Felix Awujo, Temple City
Tyler Shimamoto, Gabrielino
Jasper Hwang, San Marino

Samantha Lee, Keppel
Melody Chang, Arcadia
Sydney Hua, Rosemead
Melody Gauthier, Rosemead
Kayla Pounds, Blair
Lauren Barsamian, La Canada
Leigh Kunitake, San Marino
Emma Wong, San Marino
Dariel Johnson, Pasadena
Leslie Tan, Keppel
Lili Lim, Westridge
Julissa Aguirre, Arcadia

By Aram Tolegian
Staff Writer

Organizers have settled on April 26 as the date in which local hoops fans will find out exactly which side of the Valley plays the best high school basketball when the 10th Tribune/Star-News All-Star Classic is played at Damien High.
The girls game will take place at 6 p.m. and the boys game will be played at 8 p.m. There will be a 3-point shooting contest at halftime of each game.

“It’s a great opportunity to showcase the fine athletes we have in our Valley from the Pasadena area all the way out to La Verne and Claremont,” game organizer Gordon Hamlow said. “It’s an opportunity for our seniors in the Valley to get one more chance to compete in front of their fans. For some, it will be their last competitive game and for others who are going on to college, it’s a neat opportunity to give people a taste of what to expect in the future.”

So far, the Star-News holds a slight edge in both series. The Star-News girls have a 6-3 series lead while the boys have a 5-4 series advantage.

The game is contested between the top seniors in the area. Any senior player who made the first- or second-team All-Area team for the Star-News or Tribune are automatically qualified to play in the game. The rest of the roster, up to 15 players, will be rounded out by the coaches and game organizers.

For the Star-News, that means both boys Player of the Year Andre Spight of Pasdena and girls Player of the Year Alyson Lock of Keppel will be the headliners of their respective teams.
For the Tribune team, both area Players of the Year are underclassmen, but there’s plenty of other talent to choose from. The Tribune boys team will be coached by Damien’s Matt Dunn, who led the Spartans to a CIF-Southern Section championship this season. The Tribune girls are coached by Bishop Amat’s Richard Wiard, who has won five CIF championships and two state titles in his career.

The Star-News boys team is coached by Flintridge Prep’s Garrett Ohara, who led the Rebels to a sweep of the Prep League and a trip to the Southern Section playoffs semifinals. The Star-News girls team are coached by Joe Kikuchi, who led the Aztecs to the Almont League championship and the semifinals of the playoffs.

Kikuchi will not only have Lock, who will play at Loyola Marymount next year on his roster, but fellow Aztecs Samantha Lee and Leslie Tan as well.

The Star-News All-Area Boys and Girls Basketball teams were released this morning. Pasadena’s Andre Spight and Keppel’s Alyson Lock are the respective Players of the Year. Flintirdge Prep’s Garrett Ohara and Keppel’s Joe Kikuchi are the boys and girls Coach of the Year, respectively.

Boys All-Area Team gallery.

Girls All-Area Team gallery.

BOYS

Player of the Year
Andre Spight, Pasadena, Sr.*

Coach of the Year
Garrett Ohara, Flintridge Prep

Brandon Jolley, Pasadena, Sr.*
Robert Cartwright, Flintridge Prep, Jr.
Jeremy Major, Maranatha, Sr.*
Jelani Mitchell, Muir, Sr.*
Josh Ajayi, San Gabriel Academy, Jr.
Ryan Wiley, Rio Hondo Prep, Sr.*
Eric Olivas, Temple City, Sr.*
Kyler Lee, Keppel, Jr.
Vance Jackson, La Salle, Fr.
Milan Acquuah, La Salle, Fr.

Second Team

Kyle Leufroy, St. Francis, So.
Perris Hicks, Pasadena, Sr.*
Taturs Mayberry, Muir, Sr.*
Dejon Williams, Muir, Jr.
Koko Kurdoghlian, La Canada, Fr.
Felix Awujo, Temple City, Sr.*
Arnas Dautartas, San Gabriel Academy, Jr.
Tyler Shimamoto, Gabrielino, Sr.*
Miles Ford, Alhambra, Sr.*
Jasper Hwang, San Marino, Sr.*

GIRLS

First Team
Player of the Year: Alyson Lock, Keppel, Sr.*
Coach of the Year: Joe Kikuchi, Keppel

Samantha Lee, Keppel, Sr.*
Tala Ismail, Flintridge Prep, Fr.
Melody Chang, Arcadia, Sr.*
Sydney Hua, Rosemead, Sr.*
Melody Gauthier, Rosemead, Sr.*
Alexis Parker, Rio Hondo Prep, Jr.
Courtney Chen, La Canada, Jr.
Sophia Hathaway, South Pasadena, So.
Kiki Yang, Pasadena Poly, So.
Kandyce Smith, La Salle, Jr.

Second Team

Kayla Pounds, Blair, Sr.*
Lauren Barsamian, La Canada, Sr.*
Lexie Scholtz, South Pasadena, So.
Leigh Kunitake, San Marino, Sr.*
Channon Fluker, Muir, So.
Dariel Johnson, Pasadena, Sr.*
Caira Benton, Arcadia, So.
Leslie Tan, Keppel, Sr.*
Lili Lim, Westridge, Sr.*
Caroline Knop, La Salle, Jr.

* — Automatically qualifies to play in Tribune/Star-News All-Star Classic on Apr. 26.

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