Flintridge Prep basketball teams have championship fever

Whether it’s flocking to the tiny campus gymnasium for a home game or heading to an unknown environment on the road, there’s been plenty of buzz surrounding the Flintridge Prep boys’ and girls’ basketball teams throughout the CIF Southern Section Division V-AA playoffs.

Fresh off winning Prep League titles, both squads have used their talent to post exciting playoff wins to arrive on the doorstep of winning championships. It’s come with unwavering support from a vocal student body and faculty and both teams cheering each other when it’s their turn to take the court.

On Saturday afternoon, there will be plenty to cheer about as Flintridge Prep descends on Santa Ana. The girls’ team will meet San Luis Obispo Mission College Prep at 2 p.m. and the boys’ team will face Santa Maria St. Joseph at 4 with both games taking place at Godinez High in Santa Ana.

“There’s been so much excitement and inspiration,” said Flintridge Prep Headmaster Peter Bachmann, who has held the position since 1991 and been a faculty member since 1980. “In the semifinal games, both teams had to come back [in the second half] and you can see how they refused to give up because they want to win so badly.

“If they have a bumpy quarter, they don’t let it get to them. They just come back focused the next quarter and do what they have to do. There’s been a lot of success with the baseball team winning last year and our two cross-country teams [winning CIF titles]. It’s been really special to see our basketball teams doing so great.”

The fourth-seeded girls’ team, coached by Kevin Kiyomura and Jayme Kiyomura Chan, rallied from a seven-point halftime deficit to record a 37-27 semifinal home win against Village Christian on Saturday in front of a packed house. The third-seeded boys’ team overcame an 11-point deficit in the fourth quarter to earn a 70-67 overtime victory against second-seeded Saddleback Valley Christian on Friday in San Juan Capistrano.

“I think both teams are peaking right now,” Kiyomura said. “The girls’ team is much different now compared to the one at the start of the season when we didn’t have Tala [Ismail] because of an injury. We got better as the season went along. When we saw the playoff brackets, we thought we’d have a shot.

“There’s a great vibe going on with the boys’ team. They have a lot of maturity and leadership. There’s that attitude of let’s do well.”

The boys’ team will participate in their first championship game since 2011, when the Rebels beat Muir, 47-44, at Mater Dei High. The girls’ squad last took part in a title contest in 2007, falling to Laguna Hills, 57-42, in the Division IV-A game at Long Beach State University.

Players from the current teams have been buoyed by the success on the court and from many of the 400 students at the high school level.

“It’s the first time in the same season that the two teams are in the finals,” Flintridge Prep senior forward Andrew Tsangeos said. “There’s definitely a lot of emotion from having played and watched the games throughout the playoffs.

“It will also be fun to look back on what we ere able to do. I have a lot of friends on the girls’ team. It would mean a lot if we could both win.”

Ismail, a senior center and reigning All-Area selection said she can feel the build-up around campus.

“It’s great when you get that support and have people coming to the games and make it a real home court advantage,” she said. “There’s a lot of excitement going around and we feed off it when we are playing.

“You have to put in the work at practice and in the games and you have a chance to do something special. That’s what you point at.”

Ohara, a 1984 Flintridge Prep graduate and former guard, will coach in his third championship game since the 2003-04 season.

“It’s always something special when you can get to the championship game,” Ohara said. “You do the things that have gotten you there and you see what you can do.

“We’ll be able to see some of the girls’ game before we start our game. These are moments that you take in and will remember.”