Boys Hoops: Tempo the Key in Semifinal Matchups

To say the Flintridge Prep boys basketball team has had an easy time so far in the playoffs would be to vastly overstate the competitiveness of the Rebels’ first three opponents. 

No. 1 Flintridge Prep boasts wins of 36, 29 and 22 points and is the only team in the CIF-Southern Section Division 5AA playoffs to have won every game in the tournament by double figures. 

But Rebels coach Garrett Ohara expects the routs to end Friday night when his squad plays fourth-seeded Mission Prep in the semifinal round at La Cañada  High School. Tipoff is scheduled for 7 p.m.

“We obviously haven’t had a game to test us yet, so this will be the one,” Ohara said.

The Royals (Freelance) advanced to Friday’s game with wins over Costa Mesa, St. Genevieve and St. Monica Catholic. In each game Mission Prep held its opponent to fewer than 50 points, and the Royals’ grind-it-out style of play runs in stark contrast to the uptempo game favored by the Rebels.

“They’re going to be a little more deliberate — they want to do that,” Ohara said.

The Royals are just 2-5 in games in which their opponent eclipses 60 points, while the Rebels are 20-3 when they reach that benchmark. Flintridge Prep is just 1-3 when it scores fewer than 60 points.

For Flintridge Prep to speed up the game, Ohara said, the Rebels have to get stops on defense. That was certainly the case in the Rebels' quarterfinal win Tuesday over Blair. Every missed shot by the Vikings immediately was converted into a fast break opportunity, as Rebels big man Kenyatta Smith whipped outlet passes down the court to open guards for easy layups.

“The defense is key to us playing fast,” Ohara said. ”Taking the ball off the backboard as opposed to inbounding. It to allows us to fast break.”

Flintridge Prep had success imposing its preferred pace on Mission Prep earlier this season in a 77-61 win during the 21^st Annual Holiday Classic in San Diego. But Ohara was quick to point out that the intense nature of that event might have helped the Rebels run past the Royals.

“We were able to control the pace of the game,” he said. “It’s a whole different scenario when you’re playing that tournament; four games in three days. We were still able to get out and run.”

One other thing to watch for in Friday's game is the status of Mission Prep's Zach Allmon. When healthy, the 6-foot-6 Allmon is a tricky matchup for Smith and the Rebels. Allmon's knack for hitting outside jumpers forces Smith to defend out on the perimeter instead of in the paint where he's a deterrent to any would-be driver.

"The question mark is Zach," Ohara said. "He didn't play the first two games, he played sparingly last game”

A win over the Royals would send Flintridge Prep back to a CIF-SS title game for the first time since 2004 when the Rebels lost to Verbum Dei.

Mustangs Face Santa Clara in Semis

Muir boys basketball coach Dr. Gamal Smalley recently purchased a roll of duct tape to take care of a few household chores. He easily could have used some of that roll to piece together the Mustangs’ roster.

The Mustangs already have had to win without Deshawn Hayes and Tevin Polk, and as they head into Friday night’s CIF-SS Div. 5AA semifinal game against Santa Clara at Pasadena High School, they might be without another key piece.

Junior guard Dion Nelson, who Smalley calls an All-CIF candidate, will be a game-time decision because of a deep thigh bruise that has forced him to sit out practice since Muir’s 58-54 win over Don Bosco Tech on Tuesday.

“He’s not doing well, in fact, the deep thigh bruise has really hampered him,” Smalley said. “We have other guys willing to step up.”

Two players the Mustangs will look to are sophomores Jelani Mitchell and Taturs Mayberry. Mitchell and Mayberry combined for 24 points and seven rebounds in Muir’s quarterfinal win Tuesday, and they’ll be counted upon again to produce in the paint against a big Santa Clara squad.

“It’ll be different from what we’ve seen in recent games,” Smalley said. “They’re big strong and physical.”

Santa Clara (the fourth-place team from the Tri-Valley League) boasts a roster full of players listed at 6-foot-2 or taller, led by 6-foot-8 freshman Blair Orr.

Much like in Flintridge Prep’s game against Mission Prep, the Mustangs’ success will be contingent upon their ability to turn Friday’s game into an up-and-down track meet.

“We want to keep the tempo at our pace,” Smalley said. "In our league we’ve seen big teams — Pasadena, Crescenta Valley — that like to keep the tempo where they want it. We have to make sure that we have pressure defense and pressure offense. So fast break whenever we can.”

LCHS Goes on the Road

The La Cañada boys basketball team travels to face No. 2 Palm Springs in the semifinals of the CIF-SS Div. 3AA playoffs Friday at 7 p.m. The game will be played at Shadow Hills High School in Indio.

Palm Springs won the Desert Valley League with a perfect 12-0 record, and the Indians are 25-1 overall. Palm Springs boasts three players that average more than 10 points per game, led by 6-foot-9 center Dillon Floyd at 13.4.