Pasadena Rains 2nd-Half Points on Crescenta Valley

In listing the reasons Crescenta Valley High lost, 79-67, to Pasadena on Friday night, add this one.

Rain.

Falcon guard Adam Jacobsen slipped in the rain Wednesday, slightly twisting his ankle. Falcon Coach John Goffredo said that made a difference in the game, which was the Pacific League opener for both teams.

Although Jacobsen still scored a team-high 24 points, he made only four of 14 three-point shots, including several misses during the final four minutes when Crescenta Valley needed him most to come back.

Pasadena coach Bill Duwe said he thought Jacobsen was just tired from the Bulldogs’ high-pressure defense.

“His legs were gone,” Duwe said. “He couldn’t get the ball to the basket.”

The state of Jacobsen’s legs notwithstanding, this game was Pasadena’s to win.

The Bulldogs (13-4) outhustled Crescenta Valley for most of the game, beating the Falcons (12-2) to loose balls and rebounds.

They also beat Crescenta Valley, which is ranked third in The Times’ area poll, to the free-throw line in the second half.

Crescenta Valley was called for seven personal fouls, putting Pasadena into the bonus just 4 minutes 38 seconds into the third quarter. Pasadena made 12 of 22 free throws and Crescenta Valley made four of eight after intermission.

The key stretch in the game came in the third quarter and early in the fourth, when Pasadena rallied to a 65-52 lead from a 39-35 halftime deficit.

The comeback was sparked by guard Donald Guyton, who led the team with 25 points. Guyton scored 11 of those points in the third quarter.

Another key for Pasadena was its rebounding. The Bulldogs were led by Wayne Allen with 14, Treyvone Towns with 11 and Marcus Crawford with 10.

Crescenta Valley’s comeback bid pulled the Falcons within 69-64 with 2:49 to play.

But several three-point attempts by Jacobsen and teammates missed the target.

Adam Jacobsen, normally an excellent free-throw shooter, also missed the front end of consecutive one-and-one opportunities in the final four minutes.

Pasadena began the game by dominating physically. Crescenta Valley was unable to get good shots and Pasadena was strong enough to move inside for easy layups, so the Bulldogs took a 9-0 lead.

But, from the middle of the first quarter, the Falcons picked up their play at both ends of the floor, forcing turnovers and getting rebounds during a 28-12 run that gave Crescenta Valley a 28-21 lead midway through the second quarter.

The Bulldogs rallied back into the game by using a Crescenta Valley weapon: the three-point shot. Pasadena made four straight attempts from beyond the arc in the final minutes of the first half and trailed, 39-35, at halftime.