First published in the Jan. 27 print issue of the San Marino Tribune.
The table was set last year when the San Marino High School boys’ freshman basketball team streaked to an outstanding pandemic-abbreviated 17-1 record that included a perfect 10-0 record that included a perfect 8-0 mark in Rio Hondo League play.
Many of those same student-athletes have been elevated to this school year’s Titan junior varsity squad, which has amassed an 18-5 overall mark, including a 4-0 league record. The docket includes three marquee victories over West Covina, La Cañada and South Pasadena, the last of which included rallying from a nine-point halftime deficit.
“Coach Land and I were very upset,” said frosh coach Michael Duran, referencing his assistant, Land Ho. “We were upset because the team was hurting themselves with undisciplined defense and, quite frankly, South Pasadena was just tougher than we were. We reminded the team that we were undefeated at home for a reason. I asked the team, ‘Do you really want to lose our first home game of the year to those guys?’”
Apparently, the answer was a resounding “no,” as San Marino scored a remarkable 32 points in the eight-minute third quarter, pacing the Titans to a 74-59 win.
“We also had an amazing team effort on defense and held South Pasadena to just 24 points in the second half,” Duran said.
Offensively, Kyle Lei scored 21 points for the Titans, including nine in the third quarter. Jack Fuerst finished with 17 points, 12 of which came in the third stanza, and point guard Eli Chin led the offense masterfully and pitched in with 10 points.
The Titans opened league play by hosting La Cañada and also found themselves trailing by four points at the half. In the second half, San Marino bullied the Spartans with an aggressive full-court defense led by Lei and forward Alexander Parwar.
“This created a lot of turnovers and allowed us to get back into the game,” Duran said. Offensively, San Marino was led by Tyler Giddings, with 12 points, on 4-of-6 shooting from behind the three-point line. Parwar chipped in with 10 points and 10 rebounds and Chin spearheaded the victory with eight points — all in the fourth quarter — and clutch free-throw shooting down the stretch.
“Overall, this team is a joy to coach,” said Duran. “They are dedicated, work hard and play hard. They truly leave everything that they have on the basketball court. When you beat us, you truly have earned a victory.”
