Blake Hamilton slams home the CIF Southern Section 3AAA title.
(Anaheim) – Pasadena started slow but finished fast and eventually put away Arroyo Grande 50-35 Saturday to win the Division 3AAA Championship at the Anaheim Convention Center.
The Bulldogs led only 9-2 at the end of the first quarter and 20-10 at halftime. Arroyo Grande battled back to cut the lead to four at 27-23 at the end of three. Pasadena nearly equaled their output in the first three quarters outscoring Arroyo Grande 23-12 in the fourth qaurter to finish it off.
Brandon Jolley led all scorers with 18 including ten in the final quarter. Blake Hamilton added eight and Ajon Efferson had nine. Efferson, only a sophomore, hit a big three pointer in the second quarter and Hamilton had a steal and a jam to help the Bulldogs extend the lead.
“I was a little concerned (with our offense in the first half),” said Pasadena Coach Tim Tucker. “But as long as our defense was playing well I was okay with it.”
Brandon Jolley lead all scoring with 18
After managing just seven in the third Pasadena finally separated itself from Arroyo Grande with a big fourth quarter. Jolley went to work inside and Pasadena was able to get out on the break.
- “I’d been hearing a lot about the matchup coming in and I was looking forward to it, ” Jolley said of going against Arroyo Grande’s 6’5″ Brent Vanderveen. “I wanted to stick him and I thought I did a pretty good job.”
- For Tucker he now has two CIF titles as a player and two as a coach.
- “To do what George Terzian did is special. You want to leave a legacy and hopefully we’ll be able to do that.”
- Gunnar Gomez had eight of Arroyo Grande’s 10 points in the first half including two from long distance but he didn’t score again. Vanderveen led the Eagles with 12 points and junior guard Matt Willkomm added 11 but no other player was in double figures and Arroyo Grande didn’t get a point off of the bench.
- Neither team was prolific from the field. Pasadena shot 35 % and Arroyo Grande was at 31. The Bulldogs were 10 of 17 from the line and the Eagles were 5 for 8. It was not the kind of game that Pasadena was used to winning but ultimately the Dogs got it done.
- “I think Pacific League play really prepared us for playoffs,” Tucker said. “In years past we had our way in league and always went undefeated but this year we were tested.”
- As far as the win maybe being referred to as ugly?
- “In ten years nobody will remember how we won but just that Pasadena won the championship,” Tucker addded.
- P 9 11 7 23 50
- AG 2 8 13 12 35
- P- Jolley 18, Hamilton 8, Efferson 9, Haywood 9, Johnson 3, Hicks 2, McClendon 1.
- AG- VanderNeen 12, Willkomm 11, Gomez 8, Rivera 2, Zimmerman 2.
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