Flintridge Prep girls’ basketball falls to top seed in semifinals
For the second straight postseason, the Flintridge Prep girls’ basketball team faced a top seed in the semifinals.
Flintridge Prep tried to make it two straight victories against a No. 1 seed when it faced host Lakeside in a CIF Southern Section Division II-A road contest Friday.
Despite a furious fourth-quarter rally, Flintridge Prep’s bid to accomplish the feat was foiled in a 61-50 defeat.
“We were fighting the whole way in the fourth quarter and our defense helped us go on our run,” Flintridge Prep co-coach Kevin Kiyomura said. “Lakeside just made some shots at the end to end our run.
“It was a good run by us. We gave it our all.”
Flintridge Prep (24-3) trailed, 46-32, entering the fourth quarter before pulling to within 54-48 with 45 seconds remaining. Lakeside (25-3) finished on a 7-2 run to advance to the championship game against Santa Margarita or Oxford Academy.
The Rebels received 27 points from Kaitlyn Chen, the reigning All-Area Girls’ Basketball Player of the Year, 13 from Sofia Gonzalez and eight from Ashlyn Zhang.
Flintridge Prep, which defeated top-seeded Oxford Academy last season in a Division III-A semifinal road game, saw its nine-game winning streak come to an end.
Lakeside, which won the Ivy League championship, held a 28-22 halftime advantage en route to winning its eighth game in a row.
Flintridge Prep, which won the Prep League for the sixth consecutive season, posted playoff victories against Thousand Oaks, Arroyo Valley and Chino Hills. The Rebels have advanced to the semifinals five times since the 2012-13 season, winning the program’s first championship in 2016.
Twitter: @TCNCharlesRich
