SGV/Whittier Prep Sports Zone: Morning Briefing, Saturday, Jan. 14, 2023
Sonora boys and girls produce big wins on the road at La Habra; Glendora sweeps Bonita in boys and girls basketball.
“Yoda” Oke had a big game for Sonora with 15 points and 14 rebounds in a 58-42 win over La Habra. (Escarcega)
BOYS BASKETBALL
FREEWAY LEAGUE
Sonora 58, La Habra 42: Sometimes in basketball, it's all about adjustments.
After trailing 24-23 at halftime, veteran Sonora coach Mike Murphy decided to change the tempo of the game and make it a faster pace. The adjustment worked as the Raiders (18-4) went on a 12-3 run early in the third quarter for a 38-32 lead and never looked back in a huge road Freeway League win.
“We started to move the ball and that was the difference,” Murphy said. “We changed the offense in the second half and I think it really helped out.”
The best player on the court Friday night was Yaumife Oke. He has the nickname “Yoda,” which was given to him when he was in seventh grade, and the 6-foot-6 senior had a huge night as he produced an impressive double-double of 15 points and 14 rebounds.
“He has the length of a center and the ball skills of a guard,” Murphy said. “He is very talented with the ball and he is athletic. He is way under the radar and one of the best players in the county.”
He also did a great job on defense as he held one of the Highlanders’ best players Grayson Sinek to seven points and was scoreless in the fourth quarter. La Habra’s leading scorer was Jaedon Anderson with 12 points. Sonora was led by Troy Jenkins, who hit five 3-point baskets and finished the game with a game-high 17 points.
605 LEAGUE
Scores
Glenn 56, Pioneer 49
ALMONT LEAGUE
Schurr 60, Alhambra 55: In a tightly played game that was tied at 49 with three minutes left in the fourth quarter, the Spartans emerged with a win to remain in first place in the Almont League standings. Andrew Mata had a big night as he led Spartan scorers with 16 points and 6 rebounds. Ethan Ceniceros added 15 points.
Other Scores
Keppel 71, Bell Gardens 32
Damien basketball team photo after their win over Los Osos on Friday night. (Damien athletics)
BASELINE LEAGUE
Damien 52, Los Osos 24: It was another big night for Nate Garcia as he scored 20 points to lead the Spartans past the visiting Grizzlies in a Baseline League affair.
CAMINO REAL LEAGUE
Scores
Cathedral 85, La Salle 61
Bishop Amat 59. Salesian 45
DEL REY LEAGUE
St. Paul 82, Serra 73: The Swordsmen had four players in double figures in the Del Rey League home win over the Cavaliers. Senior Maurice Wright Jr. had a double-double (31 points, 10 assists), Tong Mawein and Osami Maciel each scored 12 points and Kameron Fontenot added 10 points,
DEL RIO LEAGUE
California 65, Santa Fe 48: Junior Luke Sanchez paced the Condors offensive attack as he scored 20 points in a Del Rio League win over the visiting Chiefs. Johnny Fuentes chipped in with 15 points and Trey Cabrera added 12 points.
Other Scores
La Serna 66, El Rancho 36
GATEWAY LEAGUE
La Mirada 58, Mayfair 41: When the teams first squared off at the St. John Bosco Tournament, it was a tight game that saw La Mirada emerge with a win. That wasn’t the case on Friday night as Athan Sierra and Julien Gomez scored 15 points apiece with Sean Cervantes adding 13 points. La Mirada will take on Foothill at the MLK Showcase at St. John Bosco on Monday.
HACIENDA LEAGUE
Diamond Bar 74, South Hills 51: The Brahams remain in the top spot in the Hacienda League standings as they held the Huskies to single digits in a home win. Max Gao scored 13 points and Alex Kim chipped in 19 points and eight rebounds.
Walnut 76, Los Altos 50: Malik Khouzam continues to show that he is one of the elite players in the region as he tallied 24 points and dished out 8 assists in a Mustangs home win over the Conquerors. Job Barnes added 13 points and Gavin Ibrahim tossed in 10 points.
Wilson 58, Rowland 55: The Wildcats rallied from a 9-point halftime deficit to defeat the visiting Raiders in a Hacienda League game. Ernie Jimenez had a double-double (16 points, 10 rebounds) and Eric Gurrola added 13 points.
MISSION LEAGUE
St. Francis 64, Chaminade 59: The Golden Knights bounced back from a loss to Sherman Oaks Notre Dame earlier in the week with a huge road win at Chaminade. Jackson Mosley turned in a solid effort for the Golden Knights with 24 points with Mazi Mosley adding 18 points and Luke McGrath pumping in 11 points.
MISSION VALLEY LEAGUE
Scores
Gabrielino 69, Mountain View 51
Marshall 49, South El Monte 40
MT BALDY LEAGUE
Scores
Chino 76, Baldwin Park 46
OLYMPIC LEAGUE
Scores
Maranatha 64, Whittier Christian 17
PACIFIC LEAGUE
Crescenta Valley 66, Arcadia 46: The Apaches trailed by 11 points in the first quarter and never recovered as they suffered a Pacific League home loss to the Falcons. Lavon Domino scored a team-high 21 points and Sky Clay added 13 points.
Other Scores
Pasadena 54, Muir 47
PALOMARES LEAGUE
Glendora 74, Bonita 39: The Tartans jumped out a 37-17 halftime lead and never looked back in defeating their archrival Bearcats in a road Palomares League win. Colton Grey had a big night as he scored 28 points for Glendora. Bonita was led by Jake Matsuo with 15 points,
PREP LEAGUE
Scores
Pasadena Poly 74, Rio Hondo Prep 32
Flintridge Prep 50, Providence 49
RIO HONDO LEAGUE
San Marino 80, Blair 79: it was a thriller, but the Titans narrowly prevailed on the host Vikings to take sole possession of first place in the Rio Hondo League standings. Adrian Huang spearheaded the Titans attack with a game-high 24 points. Jayden Tse added 20 points with Jack Fuerst pitching in 11 points and Bobby Reyes adding 10 points.
La Canada 73, Monrovia 44: The Spartans had four players in double figures in their home Rio Hondo League win over the Rams. Jack Reynolds had another solid night as he scored a team-high 15 points. Josh Procter added 13 points with Evan Mulcahey and Sam Guerrero each scoring 10 points.
South Pasadena 83, Temple City 69: Finny Ho came through win a huge performance for the Tigers as he scored a game-high 18 points to lead the Tigers past the Rams. Miles Nowe scored 14 points with Nick Chabot and Jack Madison each contributing 13 points.
SANTA FE LEAGUE
Bosco Tech 50 Mary Star of the Sea 44: In one of the biggest wins of the season, the Tigers went on the road and emerged with a narrow win over the Stars. Jaden Erami paced the Bosco Tech attack with 13 points and Ryan Osborne, Darius Benitez, and Dominic Gallardo each scored 11 points.
GIRLS BASKETBALL
Almont League
Keppel 55, Bell Gardens 27: Jada Ly is starting to get hot for the Aztecs as she scored 13 points, along with Jordan Lee, in a home Almont League win over the Lancers.
FREEWAY LEAGUE
Sonora 57, La Habra 47: There was a time when La Habra was nothing more than a minor bump on the road for the Raiders in their pursuit of a Freeway League title.
That’s not the case these days.
The Highlanders were not intimidated by the Raiders and matched them in the effort department for the majority of the game. However, the Raiders (19-2) went on a 9-0 run late in the fourth quarter and secured a huge road Freeway League win – not without a few anxious moments.
Larissa Robles, one of the top players in the league, had two personal fouls in the second quarter and was scoreless in that period. Mia Chavarin picked up her fourth personal foul in the third quarter and was held scoreless in that period. Robles would end up the night as the games leading scorer with 19 points, but Sonora got huge contributions from freshman Liana Hwang, who had a nice stat line of 8 points, six rebounds, and three steals. Another freshman, Amiah Lewis, who also plays on the varsity soccer team, added 6 points with rebounds.
“We knew that they were going to be super tough,” Sonora coach Melissa Barajas said. “I was impressed with our resiliency. They believed in the defense and stuck with it. We had two freshmen out there and they stepped up big time.
Kiana Graham tallied 10 points with seven steals and Chavarin finished with nine points. La Habra was led by junior Kennedi Cauley who scored 15 points with five steals. Megan Have and Lana Sarmiento each scored eight points.
DEL RIO LEAGUE
California 53, Santa Fe 31: Senior Katelyn Morales delivered an outstanding effort as she scored 19 points in a Del Rio League road win over the Chiefs. Tegan Liranza, a sophomore, added 10 points.
La Serna 56, El Rancho 39: The Lancers outscored the Dons 19-6 in the third quarter to easily snatch a home Del Rio League win over the Dons. Destiny Cruz was one of the high points for El Rancho as she scored 13 points.
Los Altos team photo after a road win over Walnut on Friday night. (Los Altos athletics)
HACIENDA LEAGUE
Los Altos 49, Walnut 37: Kamora Fletcher once again had a big night for the Conquerors as she scored 19 points with Hailey Lakey adding 14 points in a road Hacienda League win over the Mustangs,
Other Scores
Wilson 61, Rowland 43
PACIFIC LEAGUE
Muir 46, Pasadena 33: For the first time since 2014, the Mustangs defeated their archrivals for a big Pacific League win. Truth Evans and Amari Wilson each scored 16 points for the Mustangs.
Other scores
Crescenta Valley 70, Arcadia 55
PALOMARES LEAGUE
Glendora 64, Bonita 49: The Tartans had four players score in double figures as they took control of the Palomares League championship race with an impressive win over the host Bearcats. Rylie Anderson scored a team-high 14 points. Junior Addison Martin pitched in 13 points and Miriam Tont added 10 points (all of them in the first half). Bonita’s Amore Mason led all scorers with 17 points.
Other Scores
Claremont 56, Ayala 23
PREP LEAGUE
Flintridge Prep 66, Providence 25: Princeton-commit Ashley Chea had a triple-double (19 points, 10 rebounds, 10 assists) but it was freshman Maddie Smith that made the biggest contribution as she scored 32 points as the Wolves dominated the visiting Friars in Prep League action.
Other scores
Chadwick 53, Westridge 38
RIO HONDO LEAGUE
San Marino 48. Blair 18: Kailey Woo scored a game-high 16 points to lead the Titans past the host Vikings.
La Canada 42, Monrovia 28: Jennifer Musso had a huge night for the Spartans as she scored 24 points in a Rio Hondo League win. Mia Oakley Stilson pitched in with 11 points.