BALDWIN PARK - The Walnut High boys’ basketball team faced a familiar foe in the form of the Glendora Tartans Thursday night in a Baldwin Park/Sierra Vista Holiday tournament quarterfinal, but it was the Tartans who prevailed 54-47 to advance to the semifinals Friday night.
In the beginning of the game, it looked as if the Mustangs will finally have the best of its arch-nemesis who has had the Mustangs’ number the past several of years. Walnut opened the game and took a brief 15-12 lead after the first quarter.
Zuri Williams led the way for the Mustangs with 17 points, three assists and a steal, while Rob Harrleson added 13 points, six rebounds, three steals, an assist and a block in the losing effort.
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“We didn’t execute very well,” Glendora head coach Mike Le Duc said. “Both teams played a little bit tense, made mistakes, but we made more. Give them credit: they executed better.”
Glendora then went on a 9-6 run to open the second quarter to catch the mustangs at 21-21 on a Thomas Rico jumper with 5:14 to go in the first half. Glendora would then close out the quarter on a 7-4 run to take a 27-25 halftime lead.
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Rico finished with 15 points, two rebounds an assist and a steal to lead the way for the Tartans. Brandon Brothers added 12 points, five rebounds and a steal while Kyle Bracy tallied eight points and five rebounds for the Tartans.
The Mustangs had a chance to break open the game in the third quarter but weren’t able to convert break opportunities and second and third chance opportunities as the Tartans outscored the Mustangs 11-10 in the third to maintain a slim 38-35 lead heading to the fourth quarter.
Tied 45-45, Glendora went on a 9-2 run to finish off the game, including four free throws during the run by Joseph Alverez who dominated the boards as Walnut’s Richard Ryclaw fouled out with two minutes to go.
“We gave up some offensive rebounds which led to some fouls,” Walnut head coach Josh Cameron said. “Credit it to them, they made some big shots down the stretch and we didn’t, and that was the ball game.”
Walnut (2-1) has a chance to redeem itself as it will participate in Glendora’s Pride of the Foothills tournament beginning next Tuesday in different high school venues.
BOX SCORES
GLENDORA (54) - Thomas Rico (15), Brandon Brothers (12), Kyle Bracy (8), AJ Bigornia (7), Joseph Alverez (6), Peyton Terry (6)
WALNUT (47) - Zuri Williams (17), Rob Harrelson (13), Lawrence Besong (8), Jeff Hung (6), Ben Lunblade (2), Richard Ryclaw (1)
