Flintridge Prep girls’ basketball falls to No. 1 Orangewood Academy in CIF quarterfinals
For the second straight season, the Flintridge Prep girls’ basketball team saw its postseason run come to an end at the expense of a top seed.
That’s nothing for the Rebels to be ashamed of after making another deep postseason run.
Flintridge Prep saw its season conclude Wednesday evening with a 74-60 road defeat against top-seeded Orangewood Academy in a CIF Southern Section Division II-AA quarterfinal contest.
“It’s a tough loss and you get a lot of good experience from playing a No. 1 seed, like Orangewood Academy,” said Flintridge Prep co-coach Kevin Kiyomura, whose team fell to No. 1 Lakeside in a Division II-A semifinal contest last season. “We got down early, and, to our credit, we fought back to make a game of it.”
Flintridge Prep (24-5) received 19 points apiece from Kaitlyn Chen and Sofia Gonzalez. The Rebels, who captured the Prep League championship and had won 15 consecutive games, got 11 points from Ashley Chea and eight from Ashlyn Zhang.
Orangewood (24-6), which finished tied for first in the San Joaquin League with Fairmont Prep, held a 48-43 lead after the third quarter.
Flintridge Prep trimmed the deficit to 56-53 with just under five minutes left in regulation. However, the Mustangs closed out the game on an 18-7 run.
“We were stronger in the third quarter and that played a big part in being able to cut into their lead,” said Kiyomura, whose team registered playoff wins against Arcadia and Los Altos. “We got to within 56-53 and then we had some turnovers along the way. They made some big baskets down the stretch and they made a lot of free throws.”
Orangewood held an 18-11 lead after the first quarter and led, 32-28, at halftime.
Kiyomura said the Rebels gained some valuable experience throughout the postseason.
“We had a great season and it went quickly,” said Kiyomura, who shares the coaching chores with Jayme Kiyomura Chan. “I think we’ll be able to learn from this and the future looks bright. I’m already looking forward to next year.”
Orangewood, which has won five games in a row, had a first-round bye before defeating Valencia Valencia in the second round.
