Even though they had gotten off to a slow start, when Blake Hamilton threw down a slam dunk in the second quarter and Ajon Efferson hit a three you got the feeling it was over. Pasadena had committed a ton of turnovers and missed even more shots and the Bulldogs were still up by ten at halftime.
They were simply too athletic and too big for Arroyo Grande. The truth is had they played a perfect game they would have won by 30.
The prevailing feeling in the interview room was that the Bulldogs wanted Damien, who had been ranked number one by most websites all year.
“We really wanted a shot at Damien,” said Pasadena Coach Tim Tucker. “But when Arroyo Grande beat them we knew how good they were.”
Brandon Jolley, who led all scorers with 18, also said he wanted a crack at Damien, but when he heard he was going to be matched up with a 6’5” “Football Player” in Arroyo Grande’s Brent Vanderveen he took it as a personal challenge.
Don’t expect Pasadena’s championship run to be a one hit wonder. Efferson, Jolley, Perris Hicks, DeAngelo Stowers, and Freshman Jeffrey McClendon are all back next year and ready for a repeat performance. Pasadena loses key players in Hamilton and John Haywood, but make no mistake, the Bulldogs are loaded.
While watching the Pasadena put it away in the fourth quarter I couldn’t help thinking about Muir. There’s no doubt in my mind that the Mustangs would have flattened Arroyo Grande or any other team not named Pasadena in Division 3AAA. A matchup between Muir and Pasadena in the playoffs would have been classic.
Anaheim Convention Center was a nice setting for a CIF Basketball Final. There was grubb in the press room and
Tucker and all five Pasadena starters were made available to the media in an interview room after the game. The only thing I would ask for next year is that a power outlet is available on press row. The seats behind the baseline were cool but my laptop went dark in the fourth quarter.
If you get a chance check out Duane Barker’s picture of Hamilton’s jam on our site. Incredible shot!
For Tucker it was his fourth CIF title overall. He won two as a player for Pasadena in the seventies and has now won two as a coach.
Who said winning a CIF title is hard? For Efferson, it was his second straight CIF title. He won one last year for Taft (Woodland Hills) as a freshman.
After Pasadena’s victory, Mayfair got 20 points from Dion Wright and his younger brother Brian scored 13 to lead the Monsoons to a 60-45 win over Righetti in the 2A Championship game. Mayfair was down eight early before blitzing Righetti 24-5 in the second quarter. The Monsoons ran the Suburban League table before completing their title march.
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Okay basketball is over now it’s on to baseball. Well maybe eventually but how about some football first. Former Alhambra DC Jacob Ochoa, once a candidate for the HC positions at Alhambra and La Canada, has accepted an assistant coach position at Glendale College.
El Rancho and Schurr have decided on their coaches but Keppel could still be weeks away from hiring a new HC. Mt. View
has turned down several applicants and has been rejected by others. The Vikings could be close to naming a new coach but other reports suggest it could be awhile.
As for La Canada? The names we were hearing are no longer on play. Matt Koffler?
That’s my principle.
Tim can be reached at tim@midvalleysports.com.
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