Long road brings Flintridge Prep, St. Joseph boys’ basketball teams together for CIF final
Flintridge Prep senior Andrew Tsangeos leads the Rebels on a fast break against Chadwick in a Prep League boys’ basketball game on Wednesday, Jan. 6, 2016. Tsangeos and the Rebels take on the top-ranked Division V team in California, Santa Maria St. Joseph, in the CIF Southern Section Division V-AA championship Saturday in Santa Ana.
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Upon first glance, it would seem that the Flintridge Prep boys’ basketball team has one immediate advantage versus Santa Maria St. Joseph.
When both squads meet at 4 p.m. on Saturday at Santa Ana’s Godinez Fundamental High for the CIF Southern Section Division V-AA championship, it would appear the Rebels have a distance edge.
The nearly 190-mile, three-hour-and-15 minute trip is so long for the top-seeded Knights that they will begin their trek to Orange County on Friday afternoon after the dismissal of school and will stay the night.
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Such a journey may sound like an extra hassle, but jumping on a bus is nothing new for St. Joseph (28-3), the top-ranked Division V team in California, according to Calhisports.com.
“If you look at their schedule, they’ve been all over the place,” Flintridge Prep Coach Garrett Ohara said of the Pac 8 League co-champion Knights. “They’ve gone to other states and up and down this state. To me, they’re the clear favorite. I’m not counting us out by any means, but there’s a reason why they’re No. 1.”
St. Joseph is in its seventh title game in program history and is 3-3, although this is the team’s first trip since 2004. Third-seeded Prep League champion Flintridge Prep (21-4), on the other hand, is 1-2 in title games with its last appearance a 47-44 victory over nearby Muir in the 2011 Division V-AA championship.
Talk of travel doesn’t faze seventh-year St. Joseph Coach Tom Mott, whose team won the Las Vegas Invitational in December and the White Mountain Holiday Classic in Pinetop, Ariz. in January.
When Mott references his schedule, he believes it’s not just distance, but quality of opponents that’s prepared his team to battle for Saturday’s title.
“We’ve played a wide variety of teams and we’ve traveled a lot and think that’s been really beneficial,” Mott said. “When you play so many types of different teams, it makes you a better team. And when you’re on the road like we are, you become a tight-knit team.”
As for Mott’s team, like Flintridge Prep, St. Joseph boasts a dynamic pair in junior guard JoJo Walker and senior guard Gabrys Sadaunykas.
Walker averages 18.6 points, 5.3 assists, 3.8 rebounds and 2.4 steals per game, while Sadaunykas averages 16.3 points, 7.4 rebounds, 3.7 assists and 2.2 steals.
Flintridge Prep senior Dante Fregoso drives to the basket against Chadwick’s Xavier Proctor in a Prep League boys’ basketball game on Wednesday, Jan. 6, 2016.
“JoJo is our point guard, our motivator who gets us going and he does a great job of both scoring and sharing the ball. He’s taking the big shots for us,” said Mott, who also has a strong No. 3 player in junior Scott McBeth (11.7 points per game). “Gabrys is kind of our do-everything kind of guy. He’s not the tallest or most athletic guy in the world, but makes up for it with his hustle and energy.”
Flintridge Prep, which is ranked No. 4 in Division V in California by Calhisports.com, will counter with seniors Andrew Tsangeos (20 points and 9.1 rebounds per four playoff games) and Dante Fregoso (18 points and 10.25 rebounds per four playoff games), but also with a strong bench.
“[St. Joseph] has some quick players who can get around on the court,” Fregoso said. “We will have to do a real good job at taking care of the basketball and continue to do the things we’ve been doing well throughout the playoffs.”
While Flintridge Prep’s schedule may not be quite as formidable as that of St. Joseph’s, the Rebels are still beaming after rallying from a double-digit fourth-quarter deficit to force overtime and defeat host No. 2 San Juan Capistrano Saddleback Valley Christian, 70-67, in overtime in Friday’s semifinal.
In that contest, the Rebels also held Orange Country’s top scorer, Trey Smith, to his average of 25 points.
“I think that’s the kind of game that certainly gives us confidence,” Ohara said. “We played a very good team with a great player in adverse conditions and we won. Now, we’ll have a neutral floor and a great environment and we’ll see how it goes.”
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Andrew J. Campa, andrew.campa@latimes.com
Twitter: @campadresports
Reporter Charles Rich contributed to this article.
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