Originally scheduled for Wednesday, January 22 in a game against South Pasadena, which the Titans would lose in both the boys and girls games, Hoopcoming was pushed back a week for a battle against Monrovia. Monrovia, not known to be a basketball powerhouse, fell to both the boys and girls basketball teams when they played a few weeks ago in Monrovia to open up Rio Hondo League play, with both teams winning by at least twenty points.
The girls game marked a low-scoring, defensive affair, with captains Kailey Woo, 12, Joleen Tanihaha, 12, and Chloe Linden, 12, all shining in their final Hoopcoming. The Titans only allowed 22 points while scoring 42, marking their best defensive performance in league play this season. After a rough loss against La Cañada last Tuesday, this win was exactly what they needed going into a Senior Night game against a bad Blair team.
Meanwhile, the boys team came out strong early, and after two games where they allowed their opponent to pull away late, the Titans ensured that would not happen. Zane Daoud, 11, starred with twenty points, while Casey Chan, 12, added thirteen and Mitch Mooney, 12, and Nick Chen, 11, each put up ten points. “I feel we did great as a team. Everyone played and the ball movement was great,” said Ethan Chang, 10. The Titans will hope to ride this momentum into a revenge game against Blair, with a win against Blair needed to secure a tie for third in league and a CIF berth.
Going into the game, there were concerns about attendance with the game being on a Wednesday night against a lackluster opponent. Many students, such as James Bercaw, 12, worried about tests the next day. “I wanted to go, but I was really worried about my AP Government test,” he said. Coach Papadopoulos too was worried about the attendance of the game, and although a few students showed up, turnout was not ideal.
Friday, both boys and girls basketball will play Blair on Senior Night, with the girls tipping off at 5:30 and the boys at 7:00.
