San Fernando Fails to Keep Up With Fremont

San Fernando Coach Dick Crowell isn’t sure what he saw Friday night. Everything went by him so quickly it all looked like a blur.

What Crowell attempted to witness was a running Fremont team that looked as if it were competing in a track meet instead of a basketball game. And speed prevailed, as Fremont ran away with a 73-52 win over the Tigers in a City 3-A Division semifinal showdown at Bell High.

“You call that a 3-A team?” laughed Crowell after the game. “That’s the best 3-A team I’ve ever seen. I don’t know how L. A. City school officials can justify that classification.

“There was no way to prepare our kids for what to expect. That just don’t have the experience of running with a team like that.”

Fremont Coach Sam Sullivan said the bigger and more physical opponent played right into his team’s hands.

“They tried to pound it on the boards and that doesn’t work with a team as quick as us,” Sullivan said. “Somebody once told me that speed kills. I think that definitely was the case tonight.”

Fremont improved its record to 29-2 and has a lot of people wondering if it isn’t the best team in the City Section.

The Pathfinders will attempt to defend their 3-A City title Friday night when they take on North Hollywood at the Sports Arena.

San Fernando, the West Valley League champion, finished the season at 16-7.

The Tigers obviously were intimidated by their quicker opponent because they committed 10 turnovers and scored only six points in the first quarter. San Fernando buckled down in the second quarter as center Lance Whitaker scored seven points and forward Russell Baldwin added four to pull the team within a more respectable 34-22 at halftime.

But every time San Fernando missed a shot, Fremont would have the ball downcourt before a defense could be set up.

The Pathfinders used a variety of weapons, with guards Lionel Pandy (19 points) and Robert Moore (14) and forward Lamont Conway (16) leading the way.