SoCal Shootout: Walnut gets the best of San Dimas; La Canada also wins

San Dimas' Spencer Bandow (right) tries to push his way past Walnut's Agassi Goantara (24) during the SoCal Shootout at the Felix Center at Azusa Pacific University in Azusa Calif. on Saturday, Jan. 21, 2017. Walnut defeated San Dimas 54-49. (Correspondent photo by Trevor Stamp)

San Dimas’ Spencer Bandow (right) tries to push his way past Walnut’s Agassi Goantara (24) during the SoCal Shootout at the Felix Center at Azusa Pacific University in Azusa Calif. on Saturday, Jan. 21, 2017. Walnut defeated San Dimas 54-49. (Correspondent photo by Trevor Stamp)

By Stephen Ramirez
AZUSA — Walnut and San Dimas high schools are ranked Nos. 6 and 7, respectively, in this week’s San Gabriel Valley Tribune boys basketball rankings. Both lived up to that billing Saturday.Agassi Goantara scored 24 points and hit a key 3-pointer down the stretch and the Mustangs got the best of Saints with a 54-49 victory in a Southern California Shootout game at Azusa Pacific University’s Felix Event Center.Eli Ramos also had 15 points for Walnut (15-6). Donnell Leffridge IV and Ronny Rafeh scored 15 and 12 points, respectively, for San Dimas (13-8).

“It’s a good win,” Goantara said. “We all knew it would be a tough game. But we played through it. We played good defense to get the (win).”
Walnut, which led 28-26 at halftime, rallied from a 37-33 deficit in the third quarter. Ramos got the Mustangs even at 42 on a 3-pointer with 4:46 left in the fourth quarter before Goantara gave them the lead for good at 50-47 on a 3-pointer with 1:49 left.
Leffridge made two free throws to cut it to 50-49 with 1:37 left. But Eric Song followed with an inside shot for a 52-49 lead.
San Dimas was then called for an illegal screen with 24 seconds remaining, which allowed Andrew Lee to clinch it with two free throws with 23 seconds to play.
“I was feeling great,” Goantara said of his 3-pointer. “When I shoot the ball I see it going in. I just got the ball and trusted my shot.”
La Canada 74, Los Osos 69 >> Sean Estes scored 30 points and Patric Panoosi and Ryan Graves had 15 each for the Spartans, who rallied from double-digit deficit in this battle of ranked CIF Southern Section teams.
Justin Kouyoumdjian also had 14 points for La Canada (18-4), which is ranked No. 2 by the Pasadena Star-News and No. 4 in CIF-SS Division 1A. Iysaiah Rojas scored 20 points for the Grizzlies (12-8), ranked No. 12 in 2AA.
“We changed our defense intensity (in the second half),” Estes said. “We locked up defensively and the shots fell for us. We came back and kept pushing.
“It’s a good win. It’s good practice for us when we get to the playoffs.”
Los Osos, which also got 13 points from Obaro Ujor, led 42-31 at halftime before La Canada blitzed the Grizzlies with a 22-6 third quarter. The Spartans opened the quarter with a 16-2 surge and took a 47-44 lead following baskets from Graves and Estes with 2:57 left.
La Canada opened the fourth with an 8-4 run to take a 61-52 lead before Los Osos made one final push.
Shane Johnson made a 3-pointer and Phillip Young and Rojas made layups to key an 11-2 run to tie it at 63 with 2:38 left.
Ian Murphy then followed two free throws by Panoosi with a 3-pointer for a 66-65 lead with 2:23 left.
But La Canada closed with a Graves’ 11 footer before Estes and Kouyoumdjian hit two free throws each to clinch it at 71-66 with 23 seconds left.
St. John Bosco 68, Diamond Bar 54 >> The Brahmas got a sour taste of what it’s like to face a team from the Open Division.
Makani Whiteside scored 16 points and Alpha Okoli and Tarrean Brown had 15 each for the Braves (13-9).
Malik Corey had 20 points and Kelly Avery 10 for Diamond Bar (14-7).
Diamond Bar trailed just 23-23 late in the first half before the Braves closed the second quarter with an 11-4 surge to lead 34-26 at the break. St. John Bosco opened the third quarter with an 8-2 run for a 42-28 lead before going up 63-43 early in the fourth quarter on a consecutive baskets by JoJo Bush (14 points) and Okoli.

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