Latest news with #ericsondheimer
Yahoo
15-03-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
With LeBron James looking on, Sierra Canyon captures Division I state title
LeBron James' entrance at Golden 1 Center on Friday night produced a crowd reaction similar to a rock star walking on stage for a concert. Fans began to rise from their seats and shout. Anyone with a camera tried to capture the scene of James, his wife and young daughter walking to their courtside seats to watch son Bryce play for Sierra Canyon against Stockton Lincoln in the state Division I championship basketball game. The King arrives. Crowd goes crazy. LeBron James in Sacramento. — eric sondheimer (@latsondheimer) March 15, 2025 James, sidelined with a groin injury, had another son, Bronny, with the Lakers in Denver, with both games going on simultaneously. It was a fitting ending to James' six-year run as a Sierra Canyon parent trying to balance his responsibilities as one of the world's most famous athletes with being the father of two teenage basketball players. James' presence helped bring out one of the largest crowds for a state final in years for a Friday night at 8,396, and Sierra Canyon rallied in the fourth quarter behind Maximo Adams to pull out a 58-53 victory over Lincoln. Maximo Adams gives Sierra Canyon 51-50 lead. 1:52 left. — eric sondheimer (@latsondheimer) March 15, 2025 Sierra Canyon (27-7) fell behind by four points at halftime after making just one of 13 shots from three-point range. The Trailblazers finally took charge in the fourth quarter when Adams made a three with 1:52 left for a 51-50 lead. The Trailblazers had been three of 23 on three-pointers until that clutch Adams shot. "My coaches tell me to keep shooting, so why not let it fly," Adams said. Then came a Bryce Cofield basket, a three-point play by Adams, plus two more free throws from Adams. Final box for DI final. — eric sondheimer (@latsondheimer) March 15, 2025 Gavin Hightower finished with 15 points, Adams 14 points, Cofield 11 and Stephen Kankole 10. Donez Lindsey and Anthony Moore each scored 18 points for Lincoln, which felt the officiating favored the Trailblazers, who made 20 of 30 free throws. "It wasn't a great flow tonight," Sierra Canyon coach Andre Chevalier said. "There were a lot of whistles blown." Sierra Canyon has been prominent in the Open Division, but Chevalier will take the Division I title. Bryce James talks. — eric sondheimer (@latsondheimer) March 15, 2025 "This was hard as heck," he said. "We're going to hang this banner like it's the world championship." Afterward, Lincoln's Moore was helped up off the floor when LeBron James gave him a a hand. "That was crazy," Moore said of James. "I'll remember that." 17.7 left. Maximo Adams three-point play. Sierra Canyon 56-51. — eric sondheimer (@latsondheimer) March 15, 2025 Chevalier said it was "the best coaching job of my career" after overcoming the loss of players who left, the disruption of the L.A. fires and an early loss to Santa Barbara. San Gabriel Academy 52, King's Academy 51: Mahamadou Diop, a 6-foot-11 sophomore center at San Gabriel Academy from Mali, is someone basketball fans in Southern California will need to watch in the coming years. He's that good. "My dream is to go to NBA," he said. He had 10 points, seven rebounds and four blocked shots in the first half of the state Division III state championship game. Three of his baskets came on dunks. He didn't score in the third quarter when his team's lead went from 13 points at halftime to four points after three quarters. That's when he rose up at the start of the fourth quarter to get his team rolling, and San Gabriel Academy held on for its first state title. Diop finished with 20 points, making 10 of 16 shots, and also had 13 rebounds and seven blocks. With San Gabriel Academy having a nine-point lead in the final minute, the Eagles started making turnovers and fouling. King's Academy closed to within 50-49 with 11.3 seconds left when before Xavier Wang made two free throws for a three-point lead. "I lost about five years in my life in the last 15 seconds," San Gabriel Academy coach Daniel Piepoli said. A layup by King's Academy just before the buzzer sounded, the 25th San Gabriel Academy turnover, allowed the Eagles to run out the clock and celebrate its first championship in school history. Diop, who doesn't speak much English and is 17 years old, said he likes blocking shots more than dunking. Piepoli said, "He gets better every single day. You can see he can tear the rim down. As he improves his shooting touch from outside, his value as a player will only increase. San Francisco International 71, Diamond Ranch 52: Conor Maguire scored 32 points to help International come back from a six-point halftime deficit to win the Division V title. Devin Turner scored 16 points and Michael Salazar had 14 points for Diamond Ranch (23-15), the Southern California champion. Michael Salazar fouls out with three minutes left. Diamond Ranch down 12 — eric sondheimer (@latsondheimer) March 14, 2025 The Panthers were outscored 16-0 during one scoring drought. In the first half, Salazar made seven of 10 shots and scored all 14 of his points as Diamond Ranch led 30-24. He got into foul trouble, then fouled out. It was a tough final game to what might be the end of his basketball career. "I've been hooping my whole life," Salazar said. "It's hard. I hope I don't have to give up basketball yet." Conor Maguire scored 32 points in DV final for International. — eric sondheimer (@latsondheimer) March 14, 2025 Diamond Ranch coach Kevin Ryan said, "These guys went into every morning practice trying to get better every day. Basketball is a game of runs and they swung at us and hit us hard." TV schedule — eric sondheimer (@latsondheimer) March 14, 2025 Sign up for the L.A. Times SoCal high school sports newsletter to get scores, stories and a behind-the-scenes look at what makes prep sports so popular. This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.
Yahoo
15-03-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Sage Hill's comeback falls short in state Division I title loss to Carondelet
The free-throw shooting during Friday's Division I girls' basketball state final at Golden 1 Center told the story of Sage Hill's 51-48 loss to Carondelet. The Lightning made just four of 14 free throws. "It's abnormal for us," coach Kerwin Walters said. For the lead. Sage Hill — eric sondheimer (@latsondheimer) March 15, 2025 Despite the calamity at the line, Sage Hill (23-12), a young team that started two freshmen, rallied behind the play of junior guard Amalia Holguin. Her two threes in the final 2 minutes 9 seconds, one past the NBA line, pulled Sage Hill within a point. Then her assist to Kamdyn Klamberg gave Sage Hill a 47-46 lead with 1:03 left. But Carondelet converted four free throws, then survived a Sage Hill three-point attempt to win. Holguin, a junior, finished with 21 points. She used to play on a club team created by Kobe Bryant. "He always wanted us to look into the mirror," she said after the loss. And she insisted the future is bright for Sage Hill. 4 of 14 from free-throw line for Sage Hill. Tough to overcome. — eric sondheimer (@latsondheimer) March 15, 2025 Carondelet (30-6), which has one of the best coaches in the state in Kelly Sopak, had eight players score with a balanced attack led by Celeste Alvarez, who had 11 points and 14 rebounds. "It was a tough game," Walters said. "I thought we had great effort. A lot of credit to Carondelet. They hit some timely shots." — eric sondheimer (@latsondheimer) March 14, 2025 Woodland Christian 47, Rosamond 41: Taking advantage of a 50-28 edge in rebounds, Woodland Christian held on for the first of 12 championships to be won this weekend. Teagan Hayes scored 18 points, Siena Sorbello had 17 rebounds and Bailee Broward has 12 rebounds. Ariel Cain led Rosamond with 14 points. Sign up for the L.A. Times SoCal high school sports newsletter to get scores, stories and a behind-the-scenes look at what makes prep sports so popular. This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.
Yahoo
15-03-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
San Gabriel Academy wins Division III state basketball crown
Mahamadou Diop, a 6-foot-11 sophomore center at San Gabriel Academy who came here from Mali, is someone basketball fans in Southern California will need to watch in the coming years. He's that good. "My dream is to go to NBA," he said. He had 10 points, seven rebounds and four blocked shots in the first half of Friday's Division III state championship game at Golden 1 Center. Three of his baskets came on dunks. He didn't score in the third quarter when his team's lead went from 13 points at halftime to four points. That's when he rose up at the start of the fourth quarter to get his team rolling, and San Gabriel Academy held on for 52-51 win over Sunnyvale King's Academy to win its first state title. Diop finished with 20 points, making 10 of 16 shots, and also had 13 rebounds and seven blocks. With San Gabriel Academy having a nine-point lead in the final minute, the Eagles started making turnovers and fouling. King's Academy closed to within 50-49 with 11.3 seconds left before Xavier Wang made two free throws for a three-point lead. Diop. San Gabriel Academy leads by 12. — eric sondheimer (@latsondheimer) March 14, 2025 "I lost about five years in my life in the last 15 seconds," San Gabriel Academy coach Daniel Piepoli said. A layup by King's Academy just before the buzzer sounded allowed San Gabriel Academy to run out the clock and celebrate its first championship in school history. Diop, who doesn't speak much English and is 17 years old, said he likes blocking shots more than dunking. Piepoli said, "He gets better every single day. You can see he can tear the rim down." DIII champs. — eric sondheimer (@latsondheimer) March 14, 2025 As he improves his shooting touch from outside, his value as a player will only increase. Sign up for the L.A. Times SoCal high school sports newsletter to get scores, stories and a behind-the-scenes look at what makes prep sports so popular. This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.
Yahoo
08-03-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Rematch time in Southern California Regional basketball semifinals
Let's hope coaches saved some plays, fans didn't brag too much and players understand how tough it is trying to beat a team for a second or third time, because it's rematch time in the Southern California Regional semifinals in high school basketball. Saturday's matchups are full of rematches from section tournaments or nonleague games. First up is a rematch of the City Section Open Division championship boys game. Westchester will host Chatsworth on Saturday in a Division II semifinal. It will be the third meeting, with Westchester winning the last one. In Division IV, Sun Valley Poly hosts Granada Hills. Poly won a City Section Division I semifinal over Highlanders. In the Open Division, Harvard-Westlake and Roosevelt finally meet in Eastvale. Last season, en route to winning the Southern Section and state Open Division championships, Harvard-Westlake defeated Roosevelt twice. In Division I, Bay League rivals Mira Costa and Redondo Union play for a third time at Redondo Union. In Open Division girls, both semifinals are rematches from the Southern Section playoffs, with Ontario Christian hosting Sierra Canyon and Etiwanda hosting Mater Dei. High school soccer: Southern California regional scores and pairings — eric sondheimer (@latsondheimer) March 7, 2025 In Division I girls, Sage Hill hosts Brentwood after beating the Eagles 60-42 earlier this season. Fairmont Prep hosts Windward, which lost to Fairmont Prep 69-65 on Feb. 22. Alijah Arenas, the star guard at Chatsworth and good friend of Westchester standout Tajh Ariza, had a message after his team's win on Thursday night: "I've got something for Tajh." Expect the Westchester gym to be filled to the rafters. This is a daily look at the positive happenings in high school sports. To submit any news, please email Sign up for the L.A. Times SoCal high school sports newsletter to get scores, stories and a behind-the-scenes look at what makes prep sports so popular. This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.
Yahoo
15-02-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Prep talk: Bell wants another historic season in baseball
Bell High's baseball team will be hard-pressed to top last season's historic achievement winning the school's first City Section Open Division championship at Dodger Stadium after not being in an upper division final since 1953. The big question for 2025 is how much hunger the Eagles will have to repeat. They certainly start out the season with the most returning players, including reigning City Section player of the year Jayden Rojas, a junior pitcher and outfielder. He's one of seven returning starters, including Luis Melendez, who was an All-City outfielder as a freshman. Jayden Rojas escapes bases loaded, none out. End of 6, Bell 1, Birmingham 0. And Eagle fans chanting. MVP. — eric sondheimer (@latsondheimer) May 25, 2024 Who will challenge the Eagles? Birmingham was runner-up last season. Allen Olmos will take over the ace role and first baseman Sebastian Valdez was All-City. Two impressive freshmen will be impact players — pitcher Carlos Acuna and catcher Jordan Lindsay. And don't forget about sophomore shortstop Julius Monroe-Truitt, who was a star of the Patriots' outstanding junior varsity team. Granada Hills has won four consecutive West Valley League titles but stumbled in the playoffs. The Highlanders' standout pitcher-catcher, Alexander Schmidt, is back, but lots of young players will need to step up to help the Highlanders. El Camino Real is loaded with quality pitchers, led by Devin Gonor and Christian Gastelum, plus top outfielder Luke Howe. Defending Valley Mission League champion Sylmar returns All-City pitcher Alex Martinez, plus standout seniors Luis Mendoza, Mike Andrade and Alonso Pedron. Wrestling Championships-🏆🥇Saturday at Roybal High School hosted by Downtown Magnets! $5.00 public parking in structure off First St. GoFan tickets- — CIF LA City Section (@CIFLACS) February 14, 2025 All-City pitcher Anthony Solis returns for San Pedro. Cleveland has the brother duo of Kaeden and Quinton Riepl, plus infielder Miles Garcia. Chatsworth is excited about the development of pitcher Masen Ruiz, who was All-City as a freshman, while Micah Klotz has been productive in winter ball. The season begins on Monday with the Easton tournament. Easton baseball tournament begins Feb. 17. — eric sondheimer (@latsondheimer) January 29, 2025 This is a daily look at the positive happenings in high school sports. To submit any news, please email Sign up for the L.A. Times SoCal high school sports newsletter to get scores, stories and a behind-the-scenes look at what makes prep sports so popular. This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.
