The Boys Varsity Basketball team ended the season finishing second place in the Rio Hondo League with a league record of seven wins and three losses, and an overall record of 15-9.
The Rams started off strong winning their league opener against Blair by 36 points. The boys went on to extend their winning streak by defeating San Marino 52-36.
“We had a good start as our preseason games prepared us well,” Senior Andrew Pau said. “We knew that we needed to play efficiently if we were going to win against our rivals La Cañada.”
The visiting Spartans topped the scoreboard early, but the Rams bounced back to claim a six point lead at halftime. Despite the preparation and the support of the home crowd, the Rams fell short at the end and suffered a six point loss to the La Cañada Spartans.
The boys rallied to beat the South Pasadena Tigers by a narrow margin of six points. Then the team continued on in their pursuit to be RHL champions by defeating the Monrovia Wildcats 77-58.
“We were halfway done with our season with a solid record and on our way to qualifying for C.I.F.,” Senior Chris Lai said. “We knew what we needed to work on and we were ready to finish off the season strong.”
The boys claimed yet another victory against Blair 70-46 on Jan. 31. However, due to a slow start, the Rams fell to the South Pasadena Tigers at home by 12 points on Feb. 5.
Then the boys put on an show, scoring 85 points and won by a margin of 22 points against the San Marino Titans on Feb. 7. In their second meeting with La Cañada, the Rams were off their game and lost to the Spartans 63-48 on Feb. 11. Even though there was no chance for first anymore, the Rams still beat Monrovia 68-44 on Feb. 13 and clinched a second place seed for C.I.F.
The Rams faced Whittier in the first round of the Division 2A C.I.F. Southern Section bracket. The game was close, with no team gaining a clear advantage. However, the boys fell behind early in the second half, but made a push to come within four points in the last quarter. Even with their best efforts, the boys lost 62-52 and Temple City was eliminated from C.I.F.
“Even though we weren’t able to accomplish our goal of first place in league or advance further in C.I.F.,” Senior Sean Diep said. “I’m still proud of all my teammates and thankful for the opportunity of being able to play basketball as a Ram for four years.”