By Christian Romo
The Lancers opened their season with a loss against the Rebels, but junior Julia Macabuhay (10) made sure it wouldn’t end in the same way.
Behind Macabuhay’s dominant second-half, the visiting La Salle Lancers (22-9) upset the Flintridge Prep Rebels (24-3), 68-61, in the Division 3A quarterfinals Wednesday night in La Cañada. Macabuhay scored 27 of her game-high 37 points in the second half, outscoring the Rebels by herself 16-14 in the fourth quarter. “She does it every game,” said La Salle coach Freedom McCullough. “She can score, she can attack, she’s smart, she’s a great team leader.”
Macabuhay added eight rebounds and five assists while sparking La Salle’s comeback from a nine-point halftime deficit. “We just needed to motivate ourselves and believe in ourselves, and that’s what we did,” she said. Her consistent penetration towards the basket paid off in the final minutes, where she hit eight of ten free throws to seal the victory.
Despite entering the tournament as the second-ranked team in the division, the Rebels quest for a second-straight CIF title fell short. Senior Renae Tamura (4) and first-year Kaitlyn Chen (20) led the way with 20 points each, but a quiet 4th quarter from Tamura and defensive pressure on Chen stalled the Rebel offense and gave the Lancers enough of a cushion to run out the clock late in the game.
Though Macabuhay took scoring responsibilities, others stood out in their roles. Lancers senior Grace Fallar (4) hit clutch baskets in the third quarter, and surprised herself by pulling a team-high nine rebounds. “I never rebound, ever. I pulled it out of nowhere,” she said. Junior Alyssa Arroyo kick-started the offense in the first quarter, hitting two straight three-pointers as part of a 12-point night. “We worked really well as a team,” said Fallar. “In the beginning of the season, we didn’t do that very well, but we were really cohesive tonight,” she added.
But the star of the game was Macabuhay, whose performance brings her team two wins away from a CIF title. “We’ve been planning for this since day 1,” said McCullough, “I knew we could beat them, could out-execute them.” The Lancers will face Lancaster Saturday night in the semifinals, and Macabuhay doesn’t plan on changing anything in her preparations: “Stay focused, stay humble, and just keep on working,” she said.
Westridge 51-50 Coachella Valley
Behind senior Juliana Favela’s 22 points, the Tigers (14-9) held off Coachella Valley’s late rally and advanced to the semifinals of the Division 5AA tournament. Westridge will host Crean Lutheran Saturday night at 7 P.M in search of their first-ever CIF title.
Pasadena 54-48 Whittier Christian
The Bulldogs (22-9) advanced to the semifinals of the Division 4AA tournament with a road victory over Whittier Christian. PHS next plays Village Christian Saturday night at 7 P.M., host TBD.
Polytechnic 42-47 Pilibos