Flintridge Prep girls’ basketball falls to top seed in state competition
For the second time in the postseason, the Flintridge Prep girls’ basketball team faced a No. 1 seed.
After falling to top-seeded Lakeside in the CIF Southern Section Division II-A semifinals, Flintridge Prep tried its hand against top-seeded Mark Keppel in a CIF State Division II Southern California Regional second-round road contest Thursday.
Unfortunately for Flintridge Prep, it couldn’t overcome Mark Keppel and suffered a 73-58 defeat.
The Rebels received 21 points from Kaitlyn Chen, the reigning All-Area Girls’ Basketball Player of the Year, 11 apiece from Sofia Gonzalez and Ashlyn Zhang and nine from Andie Kim.
“Mark Keppel was as good as I thought it would be,” Flintridge Prep co-coach Kevin Kiyomura said. “We hung in there in the first quarter and led at one point. In the second quarter, we rushed some shots and they put a lot of pressure on us.
“It’s definitely a great season and our players gained some more experience in what its like to go up against a No. 1 seed. We wanted to make a good showing in the playoffs and I think we did that. Maybe we even gained a little more respect.”
Eighth-seeded Flintridge Prep, which began the tournament Tuesday with a 51-37 home win versus ninth-seeded Santa Margarita, finished 25-4.
Flintridge Prep, which won its sixth consecutive Prep League championship, tried to make a late rally against Mark Keppel (25-6).
The Rebels trailed, 51-36, at the end of the third quarter before they closed to within 58-52 with 1:42 remaining in the fourth quarter. Mark Keppel, which advanced to the Division I semifinals, finished up on a 15-6 run.
Mark Keppel, which won the Altmont League championship, held a 35-23 halftime lead.
Twitter: @TCNCharlesRich
