TEMPLE CITY – the Rio Hondo League’s most prolific scorer, La Ca ada High School’s Mike McGlashan, sat out because of flu-like symptoms, meaning points were going to be hard to come by for the Spartans.
As if that didn’t already make for an uphill battle, turnovers became an issue too.
La Ca ada uncharacteristically committed 13 turnovers, but its stifling defense came to the rescue in the fourth quarter, withstanding Temple City’s frantic effort for a 43-38 victory Friday night in the league opener for both schools.
Temple City (5-10) was held to two points in the fourth quarter and lost despite committing fewer turnovers (11).
Caleb Halverson’s 3-point attempt with 11 seconds left rimmed in and out. La Ca ada’s Sean Mintie grabbed the rebound and passed it to Mason Holle, who was fouled with three seconds left.
La Ca ada (13-2) is still adjusting to playing without McGlashan, the 6-foot-2 guard who averages 15.6 points and deftly handles the ball. He’s seen limited action since an ankle sprain early in the La Salle/Temple City Holiday Classic two weeks ago.
La Ca ada’s Matt Faber scored 13 points and grabbed 16 rebounds, and fellow senior Dario CiVon had 13 points. Faber’s aggressiveness inside was a big reason the Spartans outrebounded Temple City 27-17.
The Rams’ inability to find the basket in the fourth quarter ultimately proved to be their demise – Temple City shot a woeful 1 for 11 in that stretch. Brandon Lee provided the lone bucket on a driving layup to pull the Rams to within 41-38 with 1:09 left.
Jordan Hill scored eight of his game-high 16 points in the second quarter to lead the Rams. Lee provided the team’s only other points of the quarter with a 3-pointer.
Temple City’s Ryan Cosato made a 3-pointer with less than a minute left in the third quarter to give the Rams their biggest lead at 36-32, but it didn’t last long. Holle’s 3-pointer with 33 seconds left pulled the Spartans to within 36-35, and Mintie, who was fouled as time expired, converted 1 of 2 free throws to tie the score.
La Ca ada jumped to a 10-4 lead in the first quarter, but its momentum was disrupted when the Rams went into a zone defense and full-court press. the Spartans opened the fourth quarter with two consecutive turnovers and didn’t record a field goal until 3:43 left on a Faber layup.
Holle, who finished with seven points, also is battling the flu, but that wasn’t the reason he saw limited action. He got into early foul trouble and that, La Ca ada coach Tom Hofman said, is when the turnovers began.
“There was a little panic out there,” Hofman said. “That was the most turnovers we’ve had all season, but we’ll get it together.
“Give Temple City credit; they went after us.”
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