First published in the Jan. 26 print issue of the Pasadena Outlook.
The Flintridge Prep varsity girls’ basketball continued its dominance on the court after defeating rival host Polytechnic, 65-47, in a Prep League game last Friday.
The first-place Wolves picked up their 15th consecutive victory against the Panthers dating back to the 2013-14 season while also remaining undefeated in league play. Meanwhile, Poly dropped its third consecutive game and fell to fourth place in the standings.
“It always feels good to play Poly. No matter who has a more skilled team that year, we always know that this is going to be a good game. We bring out the best in Poly,” Flintridge Prep head coach Jayme Chan said.
Flintridge Prep scored the opening basket and outscored Poly in each of the first three quarters. The first quarter saw the Wolves quickly take a commanding 21-11 lead on a 10-2 game-opening scoring run. Senior captain Ashley Chea, who drained four of her five 3-pointers and finished with 14 points in the first quarter, racked up a game-high 25 points, eight assists, seven rebounds and six steals.
“Ashley doesn’t get tested every single night so I think tonight she was excited about the game and the rivalry but this is the last time she is going to play [in this gym],” Jayme Chan said. “She is this great player that we are sending off to Princeton [University in New Jersey]. I always say she could have transferred anywhere she wanted but she committed to Prep and our school. She doesn’t view this league as any less than any other league so it just makes me really proud that people get to watch her play.”
Freshman Maddie Smith also had a terrific game and finished with 16 points, eight boards, three steals and one assist. She scored the final two field goals of the first half to swell Flintridge Prep’s lead over Poly to an 18-point margin.
“Maddie is great, young and driven. She can hit inside [and] out, she rebounds well for us — it’s crazy to think she’s only 14 years old and her ceiling is so high,” Jayme Chan said.
Flintridge Prep freshman Akemi Fu registered nine points, five boards, one steal and one assist while sophomore Gigi Mastras tallied eight points, one rebound and one assist. Junior captain Izzie Chan sank a 3-pointer with four steals and one assist, sophomore Olivia Childs scored two points with three boards and freshman Pressley Huie recorded two points, four rebounds, two assists and one steal. Meanwhile, junior Kassidy Huie collected six boards and two steals.
“I have to credit all of our players because day in and day out they play with great teammates and they have a hard task of not being fans,” Jayme Chan said. “I think it’s really easy to sit back and watch so they have to remain engaged. As a whole, I think our team is doing well and this rivalry will continue for many, many years between the two best schools in Pasadena.”
Poly faced an uphill battle against the undefeated Wolves right from the start despite Paige Lim’s stellar opening-quarter performance. Lim, who posted a team-high 20 points with six rebounds, didn’t start on the court but drained three 3-pointers in the first quarter to tally nine of Poly’s 11 points.
“Paige is a very capable scorer and rebounder,” Poly head coach Steve Beerman said. “She leads us in a lot of categories and she will play a big part if we get to where we want to be.”
Poly’s Sammie Yen scored five of her 13 points from the charity stripe and drained a pair of threes in the fourth quarter. Lim and Yen racked up double-digit points while Poly’s Alex Lentz worked the glass and posted a game-high 10 boards.
“When she stands next to you, she’s not the biggest person but she’s got the biggest heart,” Beerman. “She puts her body on the line for us every night, she gives us everything she’s got, we all love her to death, and she’s improving by leaps and bounds from November until now.”
Poly’s Chloe Jeng scored nine points, Akira Brown won the opening tip and collected five rebounds, Juliet Lord had two points, and Luciana Piro tallied one point and two boards.
Flintridge Prep (20-2 overall, 7-0 in league) will visit sixth-place Westridge School for a league game today at 5 p.m. before visiting Palos Verdes Chadwick on Friday, Jan. 27.
Meanwhile, Poly (9-10 overall, 3-3 in league) will visit fifth-place Palos Verdes Chadwick for a league game today at 6 p.m. before hosting Mayfield Senior on Friday, Jan. 27, at 5:30 p.m. The rematch between the Wolves and the Panthers will be at Flintridge Prep on Monday, Jan. 30, at 6 p.m.
FLINTRIDGE PREP
The Wolves crushed visiting Palos Verdes Chadwick, 60-23, in a league game on Saturday as Chea racked up 25 points, four rebounds, two steals and two assists. Smith poured in 10 points with one assist while Izzie Chan scored nine points. Mastras registered seven points, three boards and one steal, Childs tallied four points and five rebounds, and Kassidy Huie recorded three points, one steal and one assist. Senior Kat Zirn finished with two points and two boards, Fu collected four rebounds, two steals and two assists, and junior Catherine Baldocchi had three boards.
Flintridge Prep routed host Mayfield Senior, 79-27, in a league game last Thursday. Chea amassed a double-double with 32 points, 11 rebounds, six steals, six assists and one block while Smith racked up 23 points, nine boards, four assists and three steals. Mastras registered seven points, three rebounds, two steals and two assists, Kassidy Huie tallied five points, six boards, two steals, one block and one assist, and Pressley Huie finished with four points, two steals and two assists. Fu recorded three points, three rebounds and two assists while Izzie Chan produced three points, three assists, two boards and one block. Baldocchi scored two points with one rebound while Childs collected three boards.
The Wolves recently dominated visiting Providence High of Burbank, 66-27. Chea racked up a triple-double with 19 points, 10 rebounds, 10 assists and three steals while Smith amassed 32 points, eight boards, four steals and three blocks. Pressley Huie registered six points, four steals, one block and one assist, Fu finished with five points, 12 rebounds, two steals and one block, and Baldocchi tallied four points and one board. Kassidy Huie scored two points with three steals and one assist while Izzie Chan posted two rebounds and one assist.
Flintridge Prep previously returned to action after a nearly two-week break and lost a nonleague game at Village Christian in Sun Valley, 73-55. Chea registered 23 points, nine boards, two steals and one assist while Smith poured in 16 points with six rebounds, three assists and two steals. Fu recorded nine points, three boards, three assists, one block and one steal, Pressley Huie scored seven points with four rebounds and one steal, and Kassidy Huie had six points, two boards and two assists. Meanwhile, Izzie Chan collected one steal and one rebound.
POLY
The Panthers lost a league game at Providence High in Burbank, 54-34, last Tuesday as Yen racked up 20 points. Lim scored eight points while Jeng tallied six points.
Poly recently lost a league game at Rio Hondo Prep of Arcadia, 56-45. Lim registered 19 points while Jeng poured in 14 points. Yen and Brown each scored four points while Piro and Lentz each recorded two points.
The Panthers recently collected a 48-26 league victory at Westridge School as Lim, Piro and Yen each poured in 12 points. Jeng finished with eight points while Brown and Lentz each had two points.
Poly previously won a league game at Mayfield Senior, 53-22. Lim poured in 14 points, Yen scored 12 points and Jeng tallied nine points. Brown produced eight points, Lentz posted six points and Evelyn Kim had four points.
