Granada Hills Charter starts the postseason with a bang in convincing win against King/Drew: 3 takeaways
GRANADA HILLS– From the opening seconds of the game onward, Granada Hills Charter played championship-caliber basketball on Friday in a resounding 61-33 victory against King/Drew to start the L.A. City Section Open Division playoffs.
Marianne Boco racked up 21 points, 10 rebounds, four assists, and three steals for the Highlanders. Here are three takeaways from the game:
HIGHLANDERS' UNSTOPPABLE FIRST QUARTER WAS TOO MUCH TO COME BACK FROM
GHC pounced on the Golden Eagles from the very start and essentially put King/Drew away in the first quarter. The Highlanders won the tip and Jensen Emi hit a three before 10 seconds passed to ignite the team and home crowd. Their momentum didn't subside one bit until the first quarter was already over, and they won the opening frame 19-3, finishing it on a 16-1 run. Boco scored nine points in the quarter.
The Highlanders maintained a 16-point lead to hold a 33-17 advantage at halftime, and they put the game further out of reach in the third quarter, after which they led 47-22.
"We talked about jumping on them early, showing we're the one-seed and they're the eight-seed and taking away any hope they might've had," said GHC head coach Jared Honig.
"I thought we executed well, played really solid defense, especially rebounding well. It was great to see. I wish we could've kept pushing in the second quarter, we gave up some easy ones and I think that's our inexperience showing, but we'll clean that up. It was a great first quarter."
GRANADA MAKES A STATEMENT
It's not uncommon to see blowouts in the first round of the Open Division playoffs, but the manner by which they beat a good opponent so decisively was just scary. Without a doubt, the Highlanders got the top seed in the City Section for a reason and are as much a favorite as anyone. Although most of their top players had never played in a playoff game before Friday, the eye test says they're ready to play even better in the postseason than in the regular season, in which they went 22-2.
Boco, who averages nearly 16 PPG, shot 8-12 from the field, 2-4 from three, and 3-3 from the stripe. One of the top breakout players in SoCal, Boco has been a consistent force this season, scoring in double-digits every single game through 25 contests. Nearly as impressive as her remarkable consistency is her ability to score in volume without shooting in volume or spending a voluminous amount of time with the ball in her hands. Her 10 rebounds matched a career-high as well.
"We try to put in her good spots, and she's also really good at getting to her spots on her own," said Honig. "We scheme to get her the ball, and together, those things really open it up for her."
Emi scored 14 points for the Highlanders and knocked down four threes on six attempts, and added four rebounds, three assists, and three steals. Calista Arzaga finished with seven points and four assists, and her energy on both ends set the tone to make a much larger impact than the stats show.
The Highlanders' starting frontcourt locked down the paint, which helped free up their guards to get out in transition. Emma Perez totaled four points, 11 rebounds, and four blocks, and Crystal Pineda added four points and 10 boards.
KING/DREW LOOKS LIKE IT BELONGS ON THE BIG STAGE, IS SET TO CONTINUE FAST RISE
Regardless of the final score, there were clear positive takeaways for the Golden Eagles in this one as well. They fell victim to an amazing first quarter by the top-ranked team in the section – an established Open Division powerhouse – but they didn't implode whatsoever. In fact, they responded to their 19-3 deficit by playing GHC 14-14 in the second quarter, and had some promising stretches in the second half as well. They have a ways to go to reach a point of Open Division title contention, but it's clear that King/Drew belongs amongst the highest tier of LACS girls basketball.
For additional context, it's hard to miss the fact the Golden Eagles are on one of the best growth paths in the City Section under head coach Dameion Williams. Before the 2019-20 season, he took over what was already a strong Division 1 program, a team that had previously gone 15-5 but lost in the first round of the Division 1 playoffs. King/Drew would make the Division 1 semifinals (and nearly make the CIF Southern Region Division 5 semifinals) that season, then made the Division 1 finals last season despite only playing two regular season contests. This season, the Golden Eagles, led primarily by underclassmen, made the jump into the Open Division. With all the young talent they'll return, expect them to come back even stronger in 2022-23.
"It feels good for us [to be here], because we're so young and experience is the best teacher," said Williams after the game. "Now they understand what it feels like to be here, they know it takes to play a really good team like Granada Hills. And to have played them really well at some points in the game will give them confidence as well. I think with our past records of getting better every year, the only way from here is going to the top."
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