First published in the Feb. 10 print issue of the Pasadena Outlook.
For the second night in a row, the crosstown rivalry between the Polytechnic and Flintridge Prep varsity boys’ basketball teams exceeded expectations as the Panthers edged the Wolves, 54-52, in a Prep League game last Friday.
Polytechnic (5-3 league record, 14-6 overall) extended its home win streak over Flintridge Prep (11-12 overall, 4-4 in league) to seven games dating back to the 2015-16 season, as senior Trevor Shin scored a team-high 15 points.
“Trevor did a nice job,” Poly head coach Brad Hall said. “We were pretty sure [Flintridge Prep] couldn’t stay in front of Trevor, and part of that was they had to deny Justin Odibo and Jack Williamson, and they weren’t going to leave big Jack Adkins open.”
The exciting back-and-forth game saw nine lead changes and seven ties, including two deadlocks and a pair of lead changes in the final two minutes of the fourth quarter.
Poly senior Jack Adkins, who finished with 13 points, tied the game 50-50 with 2:01 remaining.
“Jake is a guy that just worked his tail off and really developed his game,” Hall said. “He’s just a big, strong, dominant force and he is a rock for us. He has been our unsung hero this year.”
Shin made two critical free throws to give the Panthers a narrow 52-50 advantage.
It didn’t take long for the Wolves to respond as Flintridge Prep shooting guard Josh Kim scored two of his team-high 15 points to tie it, 52-52.
“Josh has been a leader for us,” Flintridge Prep head coach Ramses Barden said. “He’s been really dependable down the stretch, he hits tough shots, he stepped up his defense, but he’s not unique in that way on our team. Everybody is finding ways to contribute and play hard.”
Shin ultimately scored the deciding basket with 33 seconds remaining. However, Flintridge Prep had one final opportunity with less than a second remaining on the clock but the Wolves missed the potential tying shot.
Point guard Andrew Jordan, who tallied eight points, scored two consecutive 3-pointers to spark a 12-4 scoring run toward the first quarter’s end.
“Fantastic team effort,” Barden said. “Guys were looking for each other; they were trusting teammates to get to open spots. Andrew was able to knock down a couple and he was able to find guys.”
Poly junior Justin Odibo ended with 12 points, senior Jack Williamson scored 11 and sophomore Justin Wang had three points.
“We just want to work hard every day and work to get better,” Hall said. “We just want to work and improve, and I think the boys are doing that.”
Meanwhile, Flintridge Prep senior John Stetson and junior Caleb Bowne registered 11 and eight points, respectively. Sophomore William Bigby and junior Theo Kuo had three points each, while senior Sean Mealey and junior Geoffrey Stetson each ended with two points.
“Every single player on our team contributed to a fantastic effort,” Barden said. “Today, we were not the better team by two points.”
The second-place Panthers are scheduled to open the first round of CIF-SS Division 2A playoffs by traveling to Lakewood on Friday, Feb. 11, at 7 p.m.
Meanwhile, the third-place Wolves are scheduled to visit Oxnard Rio Mesa in the first round of the CIF-SS Division 4AA playoffs on Friday, Feb. 11, at 7 p.m.
