Pasadena and Keppel played before a packed house
“C’mon I just need two! Gimme a break. I need to get in,” pleaded a lady dressed in Pasadena Bulldog colors. “Aw forget it. They’ll blow them out anyway. I’ll catch them at the Honda Center next week,” uttered another guy as he stormed away from the gymnasium door and out into the night.
Then another guy stepped up and came up with maybe the best line of the evening. “My sister is a cheerleader for Pasadena,” he said. You sure you don’t have a ticket for me?”
But the lady and the Police officer guarding the door stood their ground and repeated the same line over and over. “There are no more tickets! It’s sold out!”
Yes even Pasadena’s finest were on hand last Friday night at Muir High School for the Pasadena – Keppel Semi Final playoff game. And it’s a good thing they were. They were needed for crowd control.
There’s a sentence that you don’t see written very often. Crowd control was necessary at a High School basketball game. Sure you might see that at one of the city games or maybe in the O.C. But here in the SGV the only crowd problems are that there are no crowds at all. I’ve sat in too many empty gyms in the middle of January wondering when football season was going to start that I care to remember.
That’s why Friday night at Muir was so cool. There was energy, excitement; a sense that this must be what high school basketball is like in Indiana. Muir only holds so many seats and every single one of them were filled.
It was indeed standing room only and even the standing room was few and far between. Every basket was met with a raucous cheer, an explosion that literally rocked the house.
Keppel wasn’t too happy about the location of the game and you could hardly blame them. The semi finals were supposed to be at a neutral site. Muir is in Pasadena! How is that neutral?
But don’t think Keppel fans didn’t show. They were there in full force –face paint and all. In fact at it times it was hard to tell who was more at home. When the Aztecs hit a three or forced a turnover the roar was just as loud as it was from the PHS faithful.
Area coaches littered the crowd. From my vantage point down near the north baseline I saw coaches from Temple City, Arroyo and Montebello looking on. Even former Alhambra Coach Joe Petralia was on hand- you know Petralia, the best dressed coach in the Almont. Muir football Coach Ken Howard was there but he was too busy working to give me any scoop.
The game didn’t disappoint. Pasadena was the favorite coming in but Keppel is well coached and hustles from the opening tip. You ever notice that Hung Duong has the Aztecs in the playoffs every year?
Keppel hung with the Bulldogs early trailing by only three after one quarter and ten at halftime. Timmy Wong, who has been the go to guy for Keppel all year, was again the man the Aztecs looked to. Wong scored 19 to lead all scorers but had to work for every point. He knocked down five three pointers to keep Keppel close.
Justin Young scored 11 but in the end Keppel just ran out of ammunition. Pasadena pulled away in the second half before eventually winning by 15. Keppel had Wong but Pasadena had Brandon Jolley, Chris Bridges, and Tyler Barber. They also had George Toyama who hit two huge threes in the second quarter.
In the end Pasadena iced it by sinking 12 free throws in the fourth quarter. But Keppel’s fans never stopped yelling and the Aztecs never stopped playing. And for both teams it was a memorable night.
And for that guy that said he’ll catch the Bulldogs at the Honda Center? He’ll have that chance when Pasadena faces Eisenhower there this Saturday at 12:30. In Pasadena basketball is very much alive.
That’s my principle.
Tim can be reached at tspeterson32@yahoo.com.
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