Girls’ Basketball Preview: Opportunities abound for city trio
If there’s a pressing concern the La Cañada High, Flintridge Prep and Flintridge Sacred Heart basketball teams share, it’s that each will be looking to see which players will step up this season.
In her third campaign at La Cañada, coach Sarah Beattie can no longer count on familiar names like the Kurdoghlians, Amber Graves or Zoe Williams.
It’s indeed a season of change. Beattie’s 13-girl team will only include five returners and no All-Area players back from a squad that finished 23-6 and advanced to the second round of the Division I-A playoffs.
The Spartans are also the two-time reigning Rio Hondo League champs and have won 23 straight league contests.
“The last couple of years we’ve had a big group of seniors with lots of playing experience,” Beattie said. “This year, we have a smaller group of seniors who are still bringing a lot to the floor.
“It’s going to be very different this year. We haven’t emphasized positions as much; it’s more position-less basketball. We’re working on getting everyone up to a certain standard of play.”
La Cañada graduated All-Area Girls’ Basketball Player of the Year Zoe Williams and doesn’t have that one dominant player as has been the case the past few seasons.
Beattie will look for leadership and productivity out of senior guard Tess Oakley-Stilson (five points, 3.6 rebounds and 1.5 steals per game off the bench) and junior guard Brooke Yasuda (6.4 points, 2.6 rebounds and 2.3 steals per game), both league second-team honorees.
Senior Sydney Lew and younger sister and sophomore Emmie Lew will also be counted upon with senior Sophia Austin, all returners.
Senior forward Georgia Cervenka’s role is in question after she was named to the Tournament of Roses Royal Court and has had to juggle those responsibilities.
“Except for Georgia and Brooke, most players who will see extended time came off the bench,” Beattie said. “They were role players. This year I’ve challenged them to define their roles and what they want out of this season. We’re going to need them to really step up, which they have so far.”
It’s year No. 6 for the sibling coaching duo of Kevin Kiyomura and Jayme Chan at Flintridge Prep.
Last season the Rebels were stout again in finishing with a 24-3 record, which included a fourth straight Prep League title in a season in which guards Taylor Yoshida and Renae Tamura eclipsed the 1,000-point mark.
Flintridge Prep advanced to the quarterfinals of the Division III-A playoffs and such a run this season will have to be done without graduated All-Area guards Yoshida and Tamura.
“We’re very, very young and we’re only bringing back one senior,” Kiyomura said. “So, ‘young’ is the big word, but we’re hungry. I think we have a good upward trajectory and this will be a team on the rise.”
Flintridge Prep’s 12-girl roster will boast six returners and four freshmen.
The squad has an immediate go-to player in sophomore guard Kaitlyn Chen, who earned Prep League first-team honors after averaging 12 points, 7.6 rebounds, 2.8 assists and 2.3 steals per game.
Sophomore guard Andie Kim is also back after being named to the second team while averaging 5.5 points, 3.3 rebounds, 1.6 steals and 1.1 assists.
Other players to watch are junior forward Madison Manning and junior guard Alison Fujimoto, both team captains, along with freshman Sofia Gonzalez.
“I expect a lot of energy and I expect them to play with a sense of urgency,” Kiyomura said. “I’d say with us being in the middle of the division, making the playoffs and maybe even getting a first-round win would be good for this team. Our focus is on league.”
The city’s most veteran team is Flintridge Sacred Heart.
The Tologs have 13 players with seven returners.
“We don’t really have any superstars, but I have about five to six kids that on any given day can do what’s needed,” Flintridge Sacred Heart coach Ty Buxman said. “It will be really interesting to see who steps up on any given day.”
For a second straight season, the Tologs will play in the relentless Mission League.
Last season, Flintridge Sacred Heart finished 8-18 and 1-7 in league.
Buxman will lean on a trio of sophomores in guard Janna de Vera (5.2 points a game) and twin forwards Kysa (6.1 points per game) and Manami Hayashi.
Junior guard Ryan Dubb, the team’s leading scorer who average nine points and 5.2 rebounds a game last season, and senior forward Claudia Ruder are also expected to carry the load.
“We’re really trying to set the defensive tone,” Buxman said. “We’re not big by any means and we’re really guard heavy. We’re just trying to work on setting our offense and getting offense generated by defense.”
Twitter: @campadresports
