Boys Hoops: Flintridge Prep Routs Mission Prep, Advances to Title Game

In its three wins leading up to Friday’s showdown with Flintridge Prep, 45 points was the best any offense could muster against Mission Prep. The Royals had made their living this postseason slowing down the pace, using up as much clock as possible and grinding out wins.

Well, right from the get go the Rebels made it clear the game would be played at their favored uptempo style. No. 1 Flintridge Prep exploded out of the gates and had 50 points halfway through the third quarter en route to an 86-72 win in a CIF-Southern Section Division 5AA seminal game that was not as close as the final score. The Rebels now face Muir (who beat Santa Clara in its semifinal) in the Division 5AA finals Saturday at the Meruelo Athletic Center at Mater Dei High School.

“Everybody came out on fire,” Flintridge Prep senior center Kenyatta Smith said. “Just shot after shot, nobody was missing, everybody was in a rhythm. We just used it as momentum to develop a huge early lead and try to carry that out through the end.”

With the packed gym at La Canada High School buzzing at tipoff, the Rebels delivered a first round knockout. Jedrick Eugenio hit his first three 3s of the game, and the Rebels pushed the ball at every opportunity to create a frenetic atmosphere on the floor.

Instead of trying to slow down the tempo and regain control, the fourth-seeded Royals played the game on Flintridge Prep’s terms and happily joined in with their own run-and-gun offense. Up and down the court the two teams raced, but it was soon clear that only the Rebels could maintain such a pace.

“That’s what we wanted to do,” Rebels coach Garrett Ohara said. “Being familiar with Mission Prep, we knew they would probably want to slow it a little bit. We wanted it more in the 70s than in the 50s.”

Flintridge Prep held a 24-14 lead after one quarter, and the Rebels pushed their lead to 18 at the 2:03 mark in the second period.

What might scare Muir coach Dr. Gamal Smalley as he watches tape from Friday’s game is that the Rebels did most of their damage in the first half without getting a major contribution from Smith. Instead of dumping the ball down into the paint to their big man, the Rebels torched the Royals with daggers from downtown.

Eugenio had 13 of his 18 total points by halftime, and Kory Hamane hit a 3 in the first quarter and had seven points through the first two quarters. Hamane buried three more triples in the third quarter to finish with 16 points.

“I was feeling it and I know Jedrick was feeling it, and that’s just what we needed to go to the championship,” Hamane said. “That’s all we needed, just someone to step up other than Kenyatta because he’s always doing well. If we keep doing that, we’re just going to go far.”

All those jumpers extended the defense and forced Mission Prep (18-11) to abandon its gameplan of double-teaming Smith. And matched up against single coverage, Smith easily got his.

Smith had 12 of his team-high 19 points in the third quarter, bulling his way to the hoop against smaller, overmatched defenders.

“The big man Kenyatta is there and they surround him,” Ohara said. "When he didn’t get the ball, guys were hitting their shots outside.

“ … So that was very balanced and makes it hard to key on him inside. When he’s guarded single coverage like that, you’re pretty much at his mercy.”

The Rebels (22-6) led by as many as 29, and with 7:11 left in the game Ohara opened up his bench and let his starters rest up for the finals. Mission Prep did mount a late charge against the Rebels’ reserves, scoring 34 points in the fourth quarter, cutting its deficit to 82-72 and forcing Ohara to reinsert his A-team into the game at the 1:25 mark.

Sam Cowitz and Andy Rowley each scored 14 points, while Connor Woolpert added 13.

But with its starters back on the floor, Flintridge Prep made certain there would be no miracle finish for Mission Prep.

Now the Rebels must turn their attention to the finals — the school’s first title game appearance since 2004. When asked what it feels like to be this close to a championship, Smith could barely contain his excitement.  

“Oh my god, the feeling is unbelievable,” said Smith, who also finished with 18 rebounds. “Especially with the school’s history of having only been in the finals twice. We’re the third team to do that, we have the chance to really leave our mark on this school and it’s just amazing. It’s a great feeling.”