Workman beats Duarte (again) in Montview classic …

“Imari can have a game like that every single night. That’s a dream player. We have other players beside Imari, who normally all year long have been putting up 17 points a game. We don’t want to call it ‘The Imari Show’, but sometimes the girls get caught looking. I tell the girls to stop looking like they do with Kobe (Bryant). Sometimes they just watch her play and you can’t do that.”— Duarte coach Mark Smith

By Aram Tolegian
DUARTE — After ending Duarte’s Montview League win streak at 39 games last Friday night, the Workman High School girls basketball game was out to prove the victory was no joke … and maybe start a prolonged league winning streak of its own.

Mission accomplished on the both ends.

Freshman guard Leslie Rivera score 25 points, including several clutch 3-pointers in the second half, as Workman took another giant step toward the Montview League title with a 74-68 victory over host Duarte on Monday night.

Workman (18-4, 10-0) led 57-47 late in the third quarter, but Duarte (17-2, 7-2) rallied behind standout Imari Brown to forge a 64-63 lead with 2:50 to play. That’s when things got a little too crazy in the stands as a packed house of Lobos and Falcons fans mixed it up enough to the point that the game was delayed a few minutes while sherriff’s deputies calmed things down.

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SoCal Shootout Results: Glendora ends four-game skid, Damien battles, then falls to Centennial; Bishop Amat girls still best in the Valley

Saturday’s Southern California shootout
Glendora 58, La Canada 44Four-game losing streaks are a rare thing for the Glendora High School boys basketball program.
That’s why the Tartans were leaving nothing to chance on Saturday afternoon against perennial power La Canada in the Southern California Shootout at Azusa Pacific University.
Glendora jumped all over the Spartans in the first half and never looked back in a 58-44 win – ending a four-game skid it endured in the rugged Baseline League.

Corona Centennial 72, Damien 66 The Damien High School boys basketball team knows right where it stands.
The Spartans now know they can compete with Southern California’s best. That was evident in the 11th annual Southern California Shootout on Saturday evening at Azusa Pacific University.
In one of the shootout’s marquee games, Centennial of Corona went on a 3-point barrage to defeat Damien, 72-66.

Girls, Bishop Amat 49, Bonita 42 Strong defense at the start of the third quarter was enough to send the Bishop Amat High School girls basketball team to a win over Bonita in a battle of the area’s top two teams Saturday at the Southern California Shootout at Azusa Pacific University.
The Lancers put the clamps on Bonita early in the third, and held the Bearcats scoreless for the first four minutes of the quarter to build a comfortable enough lead that ultimately resulted in a 49-42 victory.

Rio Hondo Prep 56, Alta Loma 49 After being held to just two points in the first half, Robert Cartwright scored 16 points in the second half to lead Flintridge Prep to a come-from-behind 56-49 win over Alta Loma (8-13) in the Southern California Shootout at Azusa Pacific University.
Other Scores:
Etiwanda 56, La Costa Canyon 51
Rowland 69, Saddleback 26

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Legendary coaches Mike LeDuc and Tom Hofman talk about today’s legendary meeting, and how they’ve done it all these years

SATURDAY’S SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA SHOOTOUT
AT AZUSA PACIFIC UNIVERSITY

Flintridge Prep v. Alta Loma, 9 a.m.
Rowland vs Saddleback, 10:30 a.m.
Bishop Amat vs. Bonita (girls), Noon
La Canada vs. Glendora, 1:30 p.m.
Colony vs. Murrieta Valley, 3 p.m.
Claremont vs. Rancho Verde, 4:30 p.m.
Damien vs. Corona Centennial, 6 p.m.
La Costa Canyon vs. Etiwanda, 7:30 p.m.
Los Osos vs. Maranatha, 9 p.m.

By Aram Tolegian

It seems nobody knows for sure when the last time was that the storied Glendora and La Canada high school boys basketball programs played each other.

Spartans legendary head coach Tom Hofman speculated it was in the early 1990s, but didn’t know the exact year for sure. Tartans legendary head coach Mike LeDuc said he had it in a book somewhere, but didn’t seem in a rush to find it.

The fact is that it hasn’t happened nearly enough, according to this fan/writer and most area hoops fans. But that will change, at least for one year anyway, on Saturday when La Canada takes on Glendora in the Southern California Shootout at Azusa Pacific University. Tipoff is at 1:30p.m.

Saturday’s game figures to be one of those rare events in which the score of the game or talent on the court may not matter as much as the spectacle of seeing two of the best coaches not only in Valley history, but state history as well, square off against each other.

LeDuc has won a staggering 779 games in his 33 years as a head coach. Hofman has won 587 games in 27 years.

LeDuc has four CIF-SS championships. Hofman has two.

A big reason for those impressive numbers is that both men have mastered the art of maximizing the talent they have to work with, whether it be players who went on to the NBA, blue-chip recruits or the kid whose career ended after the 12th grade.

“I would hope that my impressions (of him) are the same as anybody’s in the coaching community, he’s an incredible coach,” LeDuc said of Hofman. “He gets the most out of his players every single year. Sometimes, they win CIF titles when their players are a little bit better than other years. Then, other years, they maybe win 20 games and win the league. He maximizes his talent, and every kid who’s ever played for him has had a great experience.”

The feeling was mutual when Hofman was asked his thoughts on LeDuc.

“He’s a great coach, an outstanding coach,” Hofman said. “He really knows how to coach offense. When I get a chance to watch them play, I’m studying the game more than I’m being a fan. I’m more of a student when I watch those guys play.”

In an era in which most of the top coaches are out hustling for talent on the travel ball circuit, Hofman and LeDuc are throwbacks. They prefer to let their record and expertise be the selling point for their programs. And if that doesn’t lure the next big prospect in the area, then so be it.

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Friday Scoreboard: Glendora falls to Rancho Cucamonga, 67-60, San Dimas beats Baldwin Park 52-51

That was some atmosphere at the Duarte-Workman girls hoops game. Loud, passionate it, into it .. my kind of crowd. Check out Keith Birmingham’s photo gallery of the game.

Boys Basketball
Baseline

Rancho Cucamonga 67, Glendora 60
Mission Valley
South El Monte 65, El Monte 52
Valle Vista
San Dimas 52, Baldwin Park 51
Covina 65, Wilson 46 — Covina is now 16-5 and 8-0
Girls Basketball
Bonita 62, Diamond Ranch 45 — Nikki Wheatley scores 23 points in 2nd half, finishes with 29 and 9 rebounds.
Montivew
Workman 77, Duarte 68 — Lobos snap Falcons’ 39-game league winning streak, and end their undefeated season.
Boys Soccer
Sierra League

Damien 3, Ayala 0 – Sam Williams scored and drew a PK to pace the league leaders on the road.
Chino Hills 3, Charter Oak 0 – -The Huskies got goals from Chandler Cullum, Jaie Peshawaria & Thomas Neel.
Claremont 1, South Hills 0 – Steven Macia scored a goal in the 86th minute for the winner.
Girls Soccer
Sierra League

St. Lucy’s 1, Ayala 0 – Sami James scored to keep the Regents in the playoff hunt, next up second-place Claremont.
Claremont 2, South Hills 1
Chino Hills 3, Charter Oak 0 – Ashley Gonzales scored twice for the Huskies.

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Workman’s young girls basketball team is the real deal, shocks undefeated Duarte 77-68 after the Falcons’ Imari Brown fouls out with 33 points

By Fred J. Robledo, Staff Writer
Workman High freshman Leslie Rivera went nuts in the fourth quarter to help the Lobos pull off a comeback thriller over undefeated Duarte in front of packed house that never stopped shouting on Friday.
Rivera scored 15 of her 21 points in the fourth quarter to help Workman rally past Duarte 77-68 to snap the two-time Montview League champions 39-game league winning streak.
Workman improved to 18-4 and 9-0 while the Falcons dropped to 17-1 and 7-1.
Rivera is one of three super freshman that start for the Lobos. Freshman combo guard Alize Williams finished with 18 points and sophomore sharpshooter Denise Gonzalez finished with a team high 24 points.
Duarte led 58-51 going into the fourth, but Rivera opened the quarter with back-to-back 3-pointers, then got a steal and layup to give the Falcons a 59-58 lead. (click to continue reading)

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Friday’s Big Games: Undefeated Duarte at league undefeated Workman in girls hoops, 6 p.m.

Boys Basketball
Valle Vista

Covina (15-5, 7-0) at Wilson (11-11, 5-2), 6:30 p.m.
Baldwin Park (16-7, 5-2) at San Dimas (11-9, 4-3), 6:30 p.m.
Baseline League
Rancho Cucamonga (18-4, 4-1) at Glendora (15-6, 1-4), 6:30 p.m.
Girls Basketball
Montview League

Duarte (17-0, 7-0) at Workman (17-4, 8-0), 6 p.m.
Hacienda League
Diamond Ranch (15-6, 6-1) at Bonita (17-4, 7-0), 5 p.m.
Boys Soccer
Sierra League

Ayala (10-7-3, 3-2) at Damien (10-2-3, 4-1), 5:30 p.m.

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