(La Canada) – Facing a must-win to stay in contention for the Rio Hondo League title, San Marino raced out to a 16-4 lead in the first quarter and held off La Canada 54-43 to stay within one game of league leading South Pasadena.
Behind the hot shooting of Leigh Kunitake in the first half, the Titans managed to take advantage of a shell-shocked Spartan defense as she scored 18 points. Kunitake finished with a game-high 23 points.
In its first two-games La Canada had only allowed a combined 59 points against Temple City and Blair, but gave up 35 points in the first half.
As well as San Marino was able to find the bottom of the hoop, the Spartans sputtered in the first quarter scoring only seven points and getting down by as many as 16 points.
La Canada began to battle back in the second half as they cut the Titans lead to ten points with 4:26 remaining in the third quarter as Courtney Chen made both free throws and Keilee Bessho stole the ball and scored.
On the next possession San Marino’s Felita Salim beat the shot clock with a desperation three-pointer from the corner to extend the lead to 40-27. Salim damaged any hopes of a La Canada comeback at the end of the third quarter with a buzzer-beating bank shot from the top of the arc after Chen had cut the lead to nine points.
The Spartans couldn’t get any closer in the final quarter as Kunitake and Salim scored from outside to extend the lead to 17 points.
With one final surge, La Canada went on an 11-5 run in the final two minutes, only to run out of time.
The loss drops the Spartans into a tie for second place with San Marino.
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