Pasadena Doing It With Defense

The Pasadena boys’ basketball team might be the best-kept secret in the Southern Section. Maybe it’s because the Bulldogs usually make their biggest statements on the defensive end of the floor.

Such was the case Saturday afternoon in the Reebok Southern California Shootout at Azusa Pacific University. Pasadena, ranked No. 21 in the Southland by The Times, trailed Pomona Diamond Ranch by four points with five minutes left, a signal that it was time to step up the pressure.

The Bulldogs followed by forcing six consecutive turnovers, facilitating an 11-0 run that cemented a 49-44 victory, their 16th in the last 17 games.

“We just really get after it on defense,” Coach Tim Tucker said. “It showed up here in the way we forced turnovers in the fourth quarter and won the game.”

Pasadena (18-2) was playing less than 24 hours after it defeated Pasadena Muir, 64-56, in a key Pacific League game. The Bulldogs trailed by three at the half against Muir, then went on a 26-10 run in the third quarter.

The victory made up for a two-point loss to Muir in the final of the Pasadena tournament on Dec. 4. Since then, the Bulldogs have knocked off currently ranked teams Moreno Valley Rancho Verde and Los Angeles Dorsey and lost their only other game to Cincinnati Moeller.

Tucker, who started for the Pasadena teams that won consecutive Southern Section titles in 1977 and ’78 and coached the Bulldogs to the Division II-AA title game three years ago, said this could be the best Pasadena team he has coached in his nine seasons.

“I think this team has more balance,” he said. “We have inside scoring and we have outside scoring and they’re a little more athletic.”

Kyle Austin and Artis Gant scored a team-high 12 points against Diamond Ranch (14-8).

Dan Arritt

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Girls’ Basketball

Coach Melissa Hearlihy may have recorded her 450th career victory when North Hollywood Harvard-Westlake defeated Flintridge Sacred Heart, 52-50, in a Mission League game Friday night at Harvard-Westlake, but another number stood out even more to her.

“It’s my sixth [victory] of the year,” said Hearlihy, whose team improved to 6-11, including 2-2 in league play. “That’s more important.”

The landmark victory did not come easily for the Wolverines and Hearlihy, who hasn’t had a losing season in her 20 years as coach at Mission Hills Alemany and Harvard-Westlake.

Cela Sutton made a steal, drove down the court, got fouled and made two free throws with 17 seconds left to provide the winning margin. The Wolverines trailed by 15 points, 37-22, after the first half and were down, 46-34, after three quarters. They scored the game’s last six points.

Ginger Schultheis led Harvard-Westlake with 14 points, Nikki Sisto had 10 points and 14 rebounds and Jameise Rozier finished with 11 points and 13 rebounds. Arielle Orona led Sacred Heart with 14 points.

Chuck Schilken

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Football

The honors keep rolling in for Mark Sanchez of Mission Viejo, who has been selected Parade Magazine’s national player of the year.

Sanchez, a 6-foot-4, 215-pound quarterback who was recently named to EA Sports’ All-American team, has committed to USC, where he will join sophomore Jeff Byers, a lineman from Loveland High in Colorado who was Parade’s player of the year in 2004.

Among those joining Sanchez on the magazine’s 42nd All-American team are running back Marlon Lucky of North Hollywood, receiver DeSean Jackson of Long Beach Poly, linebacker Luthur Brown of Lakewood and offensive lineman Aleksey Lanis of Los Angeles Crenshaw. Lucky has committed to Nebraska and Lanis to UCLA.

-- Bob Rohwer