By Matt Schuler
Two Loss Teams…
Montebello (20-2), Damien (18-2), and La Canada (18-2) all have only two losses on the season and are making their mark as they are all undefeated in their respective leagues.
Montebello is 4-0 after a 56-42 win over Keppel, which makes it 13 in a row for the Oilers and 15 victories out of their last 16 matches. Their only losses on the season have come to Capistrano Valley (18-5) and St. John Bosco (17-5).
The Oilers are averaging 63 points, 23 rebounds, 15 assists, and 9 steals per game, and have reached the 80 point mark twice; an 83-63 victory over Gahr and an 80-63 win over Arcadia.
The talented team has four players that are averaging double digits in points. John Michael Carabes is scoring 15 points, 6’11 center Antonio Worthy averages 14, assist leader Darius Middleton knocks in 12, and Richard De la Cruz adds 11 points per game.
The Oilers will be hard to knock off in the Almont League. Keppel stands next in line at 3-1, with their only league loss coming to Montebello.
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Damien recently lost to power house and undefeated Mission Viejo (22-0) in the Azusa Pacific Tournament, but only by a mere five points. The Spartans only other loss came to Gahr 66-58.
Besides that, Damien has been running the table and is averaging 65 points per game as a team. The Spartans also play a team facet game and average 17 assists to go along with 38 boards, eight steals, and six blocks per game.
One of their impressive standouts has been junior forward Chris Reyes, who drops in 17 points, grabs 9 boards, and rejects 4 shots a game. And he’s only a junior.
But Reyes is no ordinary underclassmen. The kid stands at 6’7, 210 pounds and commands the paint with various post moves and strong rebounding skills. His defensive presence is a key component to the team’s success.
Reyes rebounding skills and four blocks a game allows the Spartans to jump out in transition to get easy points off fast break opportunities.
That’s when players like Gian Demano and Clayton White reap all the benefits and take the ball coast to coast for easy buckets because of his defensive efforts.
Demano is a 5’10 senior who is averaging 10 points per game and is the speedster for the Spartans. When Demano gets the ball, he kicks it into gear and only knows one speed; fast. Demano is also a deadly three point shooter and has buried 36 three point buckets from beyond the arc.
Clayton White, who averages 8 assist per game, is ranked number two in the southern section among all assist leaders. In 20 games, White has accumulated the most assist of any player at 170.
Christian Lenzen of Capistrano Valley is ahead of White, but has only played in 15 games with 128 assists.
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La Canada sports a 7-1 home record and started off the season with 11 straight wins before loosing to Montebello, a 4-point defeat in the La Salle/Temple City Tournament. Since then the Spartans have put together a 7-1 record, losing again to their now safe to say rival Montebello.
La Canada’s only two losses have been both to top ranked Montebello, with the second loss becoming a 57-64 defeat. Since their second loss the Oilers, the Spartans have won six straight led by the dynamic duo of Michael McGlashan and Dario CiVon.
McGlashan is averaging nearly 17 points a game to go along with four boards, and three assists. The 6’2 senior has also had 3 games nearing the 30-point mark. He dropped 29 on Arcadia, 27 in a win over Crescenta Valley, and 29 in a recent 58-50 victory over Blair.
The other edge of their double sided sword, CiVon, is averaging 15 points per game and actually scored 33 points in a 71-47 victory over Montclair. CiVon also scored 25 twice this season, against Marshall and in the loss to Montebello.
The combination of the two athletes makes the Spartans a tough team to handle in the Rio Hondo League, with Temple City looking to alter that feat with a match upcoming with La Canada on January 28.
Temple City is 4-1 in league and looking for an upset to keep their hopes alive for a possible share of the league title.
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