San Marino High School varsity boys’ basketball coach Mihail Papadopulos said it was a matter of “the stars aligning” for a special experience, and it would be hard to argue with that statement after last Thursday night’s regular-season closer. For it is rare that the final game takes place at home and includes rival South Pasadena and the annual salute to seniors — factors raising the evening’s emotional pitch. Add the possibility of a playoff spot hanging on the line and you have, well, kismet.
And it all eventually went in San Marino’s direction as the Titans avenged an earlier loss in defeating the Tigers 55-42 to sneak into a three-way tie for third place in the Rio Hondo League. Though the league’s final playoff slot went to Monrovia, San Marino received an at-large bid and traveled to Pomona on Wednesday night for a game that was played after The Tribune’s deadline.
If the game against South Pasadena represented the final time the home fans get to see the Titans, it will leave pleasant memories. San Marino exited the locker room ready for action and took a 22-12 advantage after the first quarter. The Titans seemed bent on stopping Billy Reed, South Pasadena’s 6-foot-8 star, who torched San Marino for 46 points during their first meeting. Credit Trond Grizzell, the Titan’s 6-4 junior forward, for challenging Reed the entire game and holding his foe to 32 points this time.
San Marino’s guards repeatedly sagged into the key whenever the ball went into Reed, further frustrating the highly recruited senior.
“Trond did a great job, and defending [Reed] took a team effort,” said Papadopulos. Everyone seemed to take it personally, and that is the best way to play defense.”
Grizzell also contributed 11 points — two coming on a crowd-igniting dunk — with Joey Fuerst (14 points), Ethan Deng (12), Brian Zhang (10) and Sean O’Brien (four points) rounding out the scoring for San Marino, which improved to 4-6 in Rio Hondo play and 14-11 overall.
“I was super proud of our boys on Thursday, loved how they competed for each other and fought for San Marino, period,” said Papadopulos. “The seniors to us were the absolute story. They made the ultimate gesture of the night as they opted to forgo our tradition of starting all seniors in hopes of maintaining a consistent feel since we were playing for third place and an opportunity to clinch an automatic bid in the playoffs. That to me says it all — selfless, team first and sacrifice.”
Papadopulos praised Zhang, a senior, who hit two crucial three-pointers and took a crucial charging foul that swung the momentum of the game in San Marino’s favor.
“It was fun seeing the seniors in the game and just trying to let them know how much we appreciate and love them,” Papadopulos said. “We are all proud of the resilience of this group.” 
Titans Top South Pasadena, Earn Playoff Berth
