Offensive struggles sink playoff run for Crescenta Valley boys’ basketball
LA CRESCENTA — A push from the Crescenta Valley High boys’ basketball team to reach the quarterfinal round for the first time in five seasons was derailed by visiting Riverside Poly in Friday evening’s CIF Southern Section Division II-A second-round match.
The No. 5-ranked Bears led by 14 points after one quarter and never allowed Crescenta Valley within single digits in a 57-40 victory.
With the defeat, the Falcons finished the season with a 16-13 mark, a third-place finish in the Pacific League and picked up a postseason win.
Friday’s point total marked a season low for the Falcons, who previously scored 41 in a 13-point defeat to Los Angeles Salesian on Dec. 28.
Poly sophomore guard Lamont Butler was sensational in leading all scorers with 34 points, while teammate Tobin Kund added 10 points.
Senior guard Arman Pezeshkian scored a team-high 20 points in his swansong, while senior center Austin Novak finished with 12 points and 13 rebounds for the Falcons.
“I’ve been with this team for four years and I wouldn’t trade the bond we have for anything,” Novak said. “We faced a good team and we cut the deficit as much as we could. I’m proud of how we played today.”
Down by as many as 20 points, Crescenta Valley made one last stand in the fourth quarter and pulled within 45-35 on an inside bucket from Novak with 5:27 left.
Poly countered with a pair of free throws from Butler as the sophomore scored all 14 of his team’s fourth-quarter points.
An emotionally-charged contest was ratcheted up even more when Pezeshkian was fouled shooting a three-pointer and Crescenta Valley coach Shawn Zargarian was assessed a technical foul arguing a separate call.
The teams traded two made free throws as the Bears led, 49-37, with 5:05 left.
Poly came out of the sequence stronger as the Bears finished the game with an 8-3 run to take home the win.
“I tried to focus our players as much as I could, but I don’t know if I affected them or not because they looked out of it, especially early on,” Zargarian said. “In the first quarter, the guys didn’t look engaged.”
At no point did Riverside Poly look better or Crescenta Valley worse than the final five minutes of the first quarter.
Crescenta Valley’s last lead, 4-3, came after a free throw from Christopher Arzoumanian with 5:57 left.
The Bears responded with a crushing and spectacular 17-2 run to close the quarter with a 20-6 advantage fueled by 12 points from Butler.
The Falcons lost the second quarter, 13-9, and trailed, 33-15, before going down, 43-29, after three.
“[Butler] started off pretty quick and I think he scored like 10 points,” Crescenta Valley senior guard Arzoumanian said. “The guy could shoot, he could drive and he could do everything. Some good players are just tough to stop.”
