The CIF Southern Section released its remaining All-CIF winter selections on Monday, recognizing the best basketball and soccer players in each division. Athletes from Flintridge Prep, Polytechnic, Flintridge Sacred Heart Academy, Maranatha, La Salle and St. Monica Academy were among those listed by CIF.
Continue reading “Local Athletes Earn All-CIF Accolades”
Local Athletes Earn All-CIF Accolades
La Cañada’s Tess Oakley-Stilson (white jersey) was named the Rio Hondo League MVP and earned a spot on the All-CIF Division 2A second team.
The CIF Southern Section released its remaining All-CIF winter selections on Monday, recognizing the best basketball and soccer players in each division. Athletes from La Cañada High School, Flintridge Prep and Flintridge Sacred Heart Academy were among those listed.
The lone Spartan to be honored was senior Tess Oakley-Stilson, who made the All-CIF Division 2A second team in girls’ basketball. Oakley-Stilson, who was also named the Rio Hondo League’s Most Valuable Player, was a consistent performer for La Cañada and averaged 14 points, five rebounds, 2.1 assists and 3.1 steals per contest. The senior guard stepped up in the postseason, scoring 25 points in the Spartans’ win over La Verne Bonita and 19 points in a second-round loss at Newbury Park.
Oakley-Stilson helped La Cañada finish its season with a 23-5 record, including a perfect 10-0 record in Rio Hondo League play to bring home the program’s third straight league crown.
Continue reading “Local Athletes Earn All-CIF Accolades”
Flintridge Prep Advances to Championship Game
Sofia Gonzalez netted 10 points in the Rebels’ semifinal victory over Oxford Academy. Flintridge Prep will take on Beverly Hills in the title game.
The Flintridge Prep varsity girls’ basketball team is headed back to a CIF Southern Section championship following a 45-40 victory over host Oxford Academy of Cypress in a Division 3A semifinal last Saturday.
The Rebels overcame a 10-point deficit in the first quarter and dominated in the second half to come away with a big win and clinch their second championship berth in the past three years. Flintridge Prep will travel to Ontario to face No. 1 seed Beverly Hills at Colony High School this Saturday at 6 p.m.
Prep co-head coach Kevin Kiyomura credits the girls’ willingness to learn and adapt on the fly.
“The maturation process went a lot quicker than we had anticipated,” said Kiyomura, who guided the Rebels to a CIF-SS championship in 2016. “They basically just said what do we need to do, and they’re doing everything exactly the way we’re telling them to do it. The best thing is that they’re doing it together and for each other. They’re reaping the benefits of playing that way.”
Kaitlyn Chen led the Rebels (24-5 overall record) with 20 points, and Sofia Gonzalez added 10 points. Alex Kyriakakis netted seven points, and Maddy Manning and Andie Kim finished with four points each.
LC Girls’ Volleyball, Boys’ Water Polo in New Playoff Divisions
The CIF Southern Section recently updated its playoff divisions in football, girls’ volleyball, boys’ water polo and girls’ tennis, and only two La Cañada High School teams were affected by the new placements.
Using a formula to develop a power ranking that is based on regular-season record, strength of schedule and playoff performances the past two seasons, CIF moved up the LC girls’ volleyball and boys’ water polo squads.
The LCHS water polo team was bumped up to Division 3 after head coach Josh Rodriguez guided the Spartans to a stellar playoff run that ended in in the Division 5 semifinals. They are the highest-rated team in the Rio Hondo League. South Pasadena is the next best team in the league and was placed in Division 4. San Marino moved down to Division 5, Monrovia is in Division 6 and Blair will be competing in Division 7. Continue reading “LC Girls’ Volleyball, Boys’ Water Polo in New Playoff Divisions”
Local Athletes Earn All-CIF Honors
The CIF Southern Section released its All-CIF winter selections last week, recognizing athletes from Polytechnic, Flintridge Prep, Maranatha, La Salle and Westridge.
Poly senior Colleen Woo took home the highest honor in being named the girls’ water polo Division 5 Player of the Year. Woo was the most well-rounded Panther, scoring 95 goals, recording 67 assists and 116 steals in 29 matches. Freshman Talie Wilmans, who led Poly with 104 goals and 164 points, made the first team, as well as Natalie Clark, who was one of Poly’s top defensive players.
Senior Colleen Woo was named the CIF-SS Division 5 Player of the Year after helping the Poly girls’ water polo team win the CIF championship.
Polytechnic Erases Deficit to Win 2nd CIF Championship
The Polytechnic varsity girls’ water polo team is no stranger to adversity. The squad opened the season ranked last out of 33 teams in CIF-Southern Section Division 5 and clawed its way to the No. 1 seed in the postseason.
That resiliency was on full display in the CIF-SS Division 5 championship match Saturday with the Panthers overcoming an early three-goal deficit to defeat No. 3-seeded Xavier Prep of Palm Desert, 10-5, at Woollett Aquatics Center in Irvine on Saturday. Continue reading “Polytechnic Erases Deficit to Win 2nd CIF Championship”
Rebels Knocked Off by La Salle
The Flintridge Prep varsity girls’ basketball team looked well on its way toward another semifinal with a double-digit lead over visiting La Salle in the CIF-Southern Section Division 3A quarterfinals last week, but Julia Macabuhay scored 27 points in the second half to rally her team past the No. 2-seeded Rebels, 68-61. Continue reading “Rebels Knocked Off by La Salle”
La Cañada Denied Championship Bid by Dunn
The La Cañada High School varsity boys’ soccer team found itself in a familiar situation on Tuesday. For a second consecutive match, the No. 8-seeded Spartans were involved a penalty kick shootout, but the outcome didn’t favor them in the CIF-Southern Section Division 6 semifinals. La Cañada struggled to find the back of the net and fell to No. 4-seeded host Los Olivos Dunn, 4-1. Continue reading “La Cañada Denied Championship Bid by Dunn”
LCHS Star Beasley’s Ineligibility Upheld
The CIF-Southern Section announced Monday that Drake Beasley Jr., a La Cañada High School senior who is one of the top football players in the state, will remain ineligible for what’s left of the season, denying an appeal by his family last month.
‘Undue Influence’ Renders LCHS Star Ineligible
Rosa Beasley and her son, Drake, a highly touted football player, met La Cañada High School football coach Ryan Zerbel for the first time at the school in early August, according to the coach. Continue reading “‘Undue Influence’ Renders LCHS Star Ineligible”