Boys Hoops: Spartans Win 2OT Thriller

The La Cañada boys basketball team has recorded a number of big wins in coach Tom Hofman’s 26 years as its head coach.

Tuesday night’s win certainly ranks amongst the biggest as the Spartans knocked off one of the top programs in the state in Bishop Montgomery of Torrance 72-68 in double overtime in a CIF-Southern Section Division 3AA quarterfinal matchup. The Spartans face the winner of Tuesday's Palm Springs-Sonora game in Friday's semifinals.

“This is great. This is what these kids play for. They hope to get in a situation (like this) in front of the home crowd,” Hofman said. “They played very hard and they stuck to the game plan.”

La Cañada (26-3) sealed the victory with five seconds left in the second overtime when Riley Moore hit a free throw to give the Spartans a four-point lead.

Bishop Montgomery (20-7) almost closed out the Spartans in the first overtime when it led 63-62 with two seconds left. But Leon Jacobs fouled Matt Faber under the basket with 0.6 left on the clock. Faber, who finished with 16 points and 16 rebounds, made one of two free throws to send the game into a second overtime.

“That is a great, well-coached team and our kids did a nice job. They’re very young so now was the time to beat them,” Hofman said. “I think the game was won on the defensive end. We did a nice job containing their athleticism. They’re a very fast team.”

The Knights featured several players who figure to play major college basketball one day including sophomore Lamond Murray, the son of the former NBA player of the same name, and freshman point guard Justin Bibbins.

La Cañada was clearly the more dominant team in the first half, as it took a 33-22 lead into the intermission. Mason Holle scored all 12 of his points in the first half. Michael McGlashan scored 10 of his game-high 28 points in the first half.

But the Knights fought back despite foul trouble for Murray, who picked up his fourth foul at the 5:19 mark of the third quarter and fouled out with 2:56 left in regulation.

“I didn’t think we played very well in the first half,” said Knights coach Doug Mitchell, who has won four CIF-SS and two state titles at Bishop Montgomery. “I thought we played better in the second half. I thought (La Cañada) came out more calm, playing more like themselves. I thought we were a little passive and we weren’t attacking the basket.”

Bishop Montgomery finally caught up to the Spartans to tie it at 46 on a 3-pointer by Larry Taylor.

But La Cañada answered the Knights every time it needed. McGlashan helped push the Spartans back in front, before the Knights rallied again.

Faber hit a huge 3-pointer with just under two minutes to play to give La Cañada a 54-53 lead. Another McGlashan basket gave the Spartans a 56-53 lead, before Bishop Montgomery’s Tyler Harvey hit a 3 with 1:06 to play, which turned out to be the final basket of regulation.

“Last year we got to the same point and we lost, so it’s great coming out knowing we were able to get this win,” McGlashan said.