By Alex A. Gonzalez
Temple City — On the final day of the Duarte/Temple City Holiday basketball tournament, the Hoover Tornados were crowned consolation champions Monday night at Temple City High School after they went on an 8-0 run to start the second half to come back and win 46-43 behind Justin Herrera’s 21 points and three assists.
Throughout the first half, both squads traded turnovers and struggled to make any shots from the field. Both defenses perfectly executed their half-court traps and caused fits for the opposing offenses. After the end of the first quarter, the Rams held a 9-6 lead.
The second quarter was the same primarily, as the teams missed easy lay-ups and could not find the net from the 3-point line. But then with 4:29 remaining in the frame, the Rams offense started to break through Hoover’s trap defense and make their shots.
Elkan Lai’s driving layup and cross-court pass to Dylan Lam for three points gave the Rams momentum and a 21-16 lead before intermission. Herrera and Jaden Duncan kept the Tornados within striking distance, but the rest of the offense struggled to find the bottom of the net.
But then, when the third quarter started, Hoover’s defense tightened up, creating easy buckets on the other end. At the start of the third period, Hoover was able to force five turnovers and stole the ball three times, which led to an 8-0 run to give them a 24-21 lead before Temple City called its first time out.
Herrera and Mark Khatchoyan had a steal in the run, and both could go coast-to-coast for easy scores. Brandon Kwan and Mason Collins found their way to the basket to keep the Rams within arm’s distance, but Herrera and CO. maintained a 33-28 lead after three.
Hoover’s defense in the half court also caused fits for the Rams, especially when they would try to post up Tornados’ big men, Ilan Genachteleball and Arin Tahmasian. The two outrebounded the Rams as a team and closed any window at second opportunities.
The Tornados closed the door on any comeback when both Herrera and Harout Godzhoyan went 5-7 from the free-throw line to finish the game at 46-43.
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There’s no such thing as a “consolation champ.” Call it what it is, they choked in the early rounds and lost.