Agoura Finally Breaks Under Pressure, 58-53
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With a 7-14 record, Agoura probably didn’t belong in the playoffs this year.
But Wednesday night the Chargers did a good job of faking it, leading for 3 1/2 quarters before losing to Monrovia, 58-53, in a Southern Section 2-A wild-card game.
Agoura, the Frontier League’s third-place team, controlled most of the game on its home court, but finally succumbed to the pressure of Monrovia’s full-court, trapping defense.
“I didn’t know if Agoura would ever wilt,” said Monrovia Coach Mel Sims, whose team was down by five points late in the fourth quarter. “It looked bleak. But our kids just didn’t quit.”
Reserve guard Terrance Ricks, a sophomore, scored five clutch free throws in the final seconds to clinch the win for Monrovia.
Meanwhile, Agoura’s Steven Duryea, who carried his team on offense all night long, missed the front end of a one-and-one and then threw the ball away in the final minute.
“They played hard and I’m proud of them,” Agoura Coach Bob LaBelle said of his team. It was LaBelle’s last game as coach of the Chargers. He is leaving the team after eight years to study full-time for a master’s degree.
Duryea led Agoura with 24 points and Frank Jacobellis had 13. Reserve guard Arnie Goldstein handled the press well all night, often bringing up the ball himself.
After a sloppy and sluggish start that befitted two third-place teams, play picked up in the second half. Duryea was the Agoura offense early, scoring his team’s first eight points and hitting a 25-footer at the first-half buzzer to finish with 16 points.
Agoura led by as many as seven during the third quarter. The Chargers, however, scored only eight points in the final period--all of those from the free-throw line.
Steven Mency sparked Monrovia’s comeback with three straight top-of-the-key jump shots and a steal midway through the fourth. He finished with 10 points. Byron Jackson led the Wildcats with 14, while Tracy Bourne added 10.
Monrovia (15-11), of the Rio Hondo League, faces Banning in the first round Friday of the playoffs.
