It’s almost here: Bishop Amat-South Hills at Mt. SAC on Wednesday for King of the Valley

With Glendora going down this week to Damien, South Hills will jump back to No. 2 in our rankings next week, setting up a Classic 1 vs. 2 matchup at Mt. SAC. If anyone tells you it’s not important because it’s not a league game, a playoff game, etc, etc, don’t buy it. Bragging rights mean something to kids, coaches, parents, and these two teams know the Valley is looking forward to it, and ready to dissect the result right after. Remember when Northview beat Amat two years in the Glendora tournament and they both went on to win CIF championships. That Northview win helped settle our debate on who was the Valley’s top team that year, and this will do the same. Prediction: Bishop Amat 3, South Hills 1.

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All-Star Classic: Tribune boys end streak, win 118-111 in OT; Star-News girls edge Trib 72-70


Chris Adams drained five 3-pointers, won the 3-point contest and finished with 22 points to lead the Tribune to a thrilling 118-111 victory over the Star-News, ending their four-game winning streak and cutting the Star-News’ series lead to 5-2. Bishop Amat’s Tyler Goldston won the slam-dunk contest with some bounce passes from the rafters. South Hills’ Melinda Gomez earned Tribune MVP honors for the girls with 15 points and six rebounds as the Star-News extended its lead in the series over the Trib to 5-2. Walnut’s Diana Wang won the 3-point contest, totaling 17 points.

Boys Game Story: The Tribune All-Stars had had enough of Pasadena’s dominance of the Tribune/ Star-News All-Star Classic. Saturday night they did something about it. Damien’s Chris Adams scored a game-high 22 points, including four in overtime, and South Hills’ Ify Umodu had 21 and the Tribune team got a little revenge on its West San Gabriel Valley counterparts with a 118-111 victory in overtime in the boys game of the seventh annual contest at Damien High School.

Girls Game Story: The defending champion Pasadena Star-News girls All- Star basketball team survived a frantic finish and hung on for a 72-70 win over the San Gabriel Valley Tribune All-Stars on Saturday. The win gave the Star-News team a 5-2 lead in the series. The annual game raises money for the Jimmy V Foundation for cancer research. The Tribune team trailed 72-67 when Erica Greer (Diamond Ranch) hit a 3-pointer with 22 seconds left. She then stole the ball, but the Tribune team couldn’t get a shot to fall and came up just short.

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Baseball: Glendora takes the series from Damien 5-2, back in first in the Sierra

By John Honell, Correspondent
Glendora High School followed the same pattern it has used all year to take a firm hold on first place in the Sierra League. The Tartans (16-2-1, 7-2) got solid pitching from their ace, Adam Plutko, and solid defense to beat Damien 5-2 on Friday. The win gave the Tartans a 2-1 edge in the season series between the teams and a one-game lead over the Spartans (13-5, 6-3) and Diamond Bar.

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Scouting Guru on how coaches and players should deal with college recruiters, plus much more

The Scouting Guru has been all over the San Gabriel Valley and beyond, and like always, he’s offered to share his thoughts, free of charge. Don’t hate, enjoy it for what it’s worth, which is one man’s opinion on the talent in the San Gabriel Valley.


“Great leaders don’t use people so that they can win. They lead people so that they all can win together. If that is truly your motivation, you can become the kind of person others want to follow – whether they are beside, above or below you in the organizational hierarchy.” — John Maxwell in his book “The 360 Degree Leader

Guru says: I think the great high school coaches follow the paragraph above. I was watching the NFL Network one night and they were profiling the 1969 Minnesota Vikings. And they were led by one of the greatest NFL coaches of all-time Bud Grant. Anyone that can get a team to FOUR Super Bowl’s can be called “one of the greatest.” They had a team motto for the year that was simple – 40 for 60. 40 players were committed to each other for the 60 minutes of a football game. There were signs all over the place at the old Metropolitan Stadium that had those words. And those words led them to Super Bowl III that year. Too bad they ran into a coach in Hank Stram that was way ahead of his time. So who will be the 40 for 60 team this year? Time will tell….

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Kacy Barlow returned to Diamond Bar after CIF denied his transfer to Diamond Ranch … Now he will show his stuff in the All-Star game

“There’s extra motivation because I want the (Star- News’ four-game win) streak to end. I know we can play with those guys and maybe even beat them. I don’t think it’s talent. I just think over in Pasadena they just think we’re softer. It’s really mental.” — Kacy Barlow

Kacy Barlow took a gamble and lost. It nearly cost him his senior season. Barlow, a 6-foot-5 guard/forward who played at Diamond Bar High School for his first three prep seasons, decided to transfer to Diamond Ranch for his senior season. CIF had other ideas, though, and denied him eligibility, and for a while it looked like one of the area’s top talents would be sidelined for the season. But who says you can’t go home again.

Girls Notebook: Walnut’s Ella Rodriguez and El Monte’s Sandra Gutierrez among surprises at Tribune girls all-star practices.

Boys and Girls Basketball All-Star Game
Seventh Annual Tribune/Star-News All-Star Classic
Saturday, April 24, Damien High School

Girls game: 4 p.m.
Boys game: 6 p.m.
SERIES RECORD
Boys Star-News leads series, 5-1
Girls: Star-News leads series, 4-2

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Track: We can’t get enough of Beejay Lee and Remontay McClain, who clash again at the San Gabriel Valley Championships at West Covina HS

By Steve Ramirez
West Covina High School’s Beejay Lee and Remontay McClain have been the featured local attractions at invitational track and field meets the past few weeks. It will be no different during the San Gabriel Valley Championships, which are scheduled for Saturday at West Covina. The meet, which includes 36 schools, including some of the best athletes in the area, begins at 10 a.m.

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