By Tim Peterson
(Pasadena) – Pasadena let a 19 point first quarter lead get away and went on to fall to Beverly Hills 61-53 in overtime Saturday at the Dog House in Pasadena.
The Bulldogs allowed just 4 points in the first quarter leading 23-4 after one but scored just 4 points themselves in the fourth quarter and 9 points in the fourth and overtime periods combined and came up short.
Pasadena still led 44-35 at the end of the third quarter but was outscored 13-4 in the final frame. The Bulldogs were outscored in every quarter except the first when they came out firing. However after the first it was struggle the rest of the way.
In the fourth quarter Beverly Hills began to get the ball inside to Vaq Mani. Mani knocked down six free throws in the quarter and when Blake Larder hit a short jump shot with 34 seconds left in the fourth to tie it at 48 it was the first time the Normans had been even since the opening tip off. Meanwhile Pasadena had just one field goal in the fourth, a basket by Teddy Reyes.
The Bulldogs had a chance to win it in at the end of the fourth but Zavier Smith’s jumper at the buzzer hit the rim and bounced off.
In the overtime Pasadena’s shooting woes continued. The Bulldogs had only two field goals and 5 points in the OT. Larder hit four consecutive free throws and Theo Brookman nailed a three and the Normans won it going away.
Pasadena came out in the first quarter looking to blow Beverly Hills out and were succeeding. The Dogs buried five from beyond the arc with Nigel McKay hitting two of them and scoring 8 points in the quarter. Smith also hit one from deep and had five in the first.
The tide began to turn in the second quarter as the Normans got off the floor. The Normans outscored Pasadena 19-7 in the second. Lior Baridaraian had 8 in the quarter and Larder had 6. McKay managed a couple of buckets for the Bulldogs but suddenly Beverly Hills was within seven at the half.
Pasadena maintained its lead in the third still up by nine heading into the fourth before things went South for Tony Brooks’ crew.
McKay, as he has all year, led the way in scoring for Pasadena with 19. Chase Chiseley scored 12 but no other Bulldog was in double figures. Smith had 9 points but nobody else had more than 3 points.
Beverly Hills had a more balanced attack. Larder was tops in the scoring column with 17 and Baridarain tossed in 12. Mani had 10 and Aaron Liberty added 8.
Pasadena fell to 4-3 overall with the loss but is still 3-0 in the Pacific League. Beverly Hills improved to 5-2.
BH 4 19 14 13 13 61
PA 23 7 12 4 5 53
@ Chains: That sounds like an ordeal; I’m glad you made it out of there. It’s a good thing that you were not only fully vaccinated, but also wore a mask while down on the field.
The Covid-19 vaccines have been great for almost everyone, but they’re still not quite 100% effective. You did the best you could to protect yourself, besides not being there at all.
I believe the situation will be much better by the time the next school year and the football season begin. (Hopefully, that will be in August.) More adults will have been vaccinated by then, and it looks like many school-age kids will get their shots this summer. Clinical trials are now well underway for Covid-19 vaccines that have been developed for young people who are under the age of 16.
As a volunteer chain squad member for a local high school, I was pretty amazed at how Co vi d protocols are handled. When I arrived I had my temperature taken, and was required to wear a mask (note I am fully vaccinated). The CIF allowed players to be from 10 yd line to 10 yd line so as to allow social distancing.
The players do not wear masks and many of the coaches do not either or if they do it is as a chin diaper so they can yell at their team.
So there I am on the sideline with 40-60 coaches players and other school officials on the sidelines most without masks yelling and if infected spewing aerosol-ed virus about 3 feet behind me as social distancing is a joke.
The most interesting strategy to use the guidelines to advantage are coaches that tell their bench players to go down to the 10 yd line so they can yell and try to disrupt the cadence of the other team or encourage their own. So instead of being social distanced as the rules suggest if it no social distancing and the entire bench down between the 10-25 yd line again yelling without masks.
The whole thing is a bunch of play acting in a theater of the absurd. There is one world in the stands for the fans and parents, and a completely different world on the sidelines.
Note Kids under 18 were not eligible or cleared to get the vaccine during the abbreviated football season.