Arcadia’s Title Hopes Shattered with Defeat to Chino Hills
By Aaron Valdez
One of San Gabriel valley’s most interesting stories in high school basketball came to an end on Saturday as Arcadia fell short to Chino Hills 37-33 in the second round of CIF Division 2A playoffs.
The stars had aligned this year for Apache basketball as the team put together one of its best seasons in school history. Arcadia dominated the competition, accumulating a 25-4 overall record while taking the Pacific League crown with a 9-1 record.
This feat is all the more impressive considering the Apaches didn’t even finish above .500 in 2018. Despite their remarkable play this season, Arcadia dreams of winning a CIF title will have to be put on hold as it couldn’t overcome a seasoned Huskies team in the second round.
Both Arcadia and Chino Hills comfortably prevailed over their opponents by double digits in their respective first-round match-ups. Unfortunately for the Apaches, they had met their match as the Huskies did a great job of slowing down Arcadia’s key players.
Ashley Sue and Sahana Saikumar struggled to get it going, each scoring below their season average of 14.8 points a game. As a team, Arcadia tallied well below their season scoring average of 59.1, albeit, in a very slow-paced affair.
The Apaches played from behind for the entire contest as their deficit grew larger and larger with each passing quarter. While Chino Hills executed its game plan to near perfection, Arcadia can walk away from this one with their heads up high for showcasing class, grit and teamwork throughout the entire season.