Photos by Beth Oualline
Boys Basketball:
Bonita had one last roadblock in its way if the Bearcats wanted to play for an outright Palomares League championship.
And that came in the name of Ayala High School.
The Bearcats finished both halves strong and secured a 72-61 victory at AHS.
BHS outscored the Bulldogs by a combined margin of 46-22 in the second and fourth quarters.
With two games to play, Bonita (17-8, 7-1) will travel to last-place Claremont (5-21, 0-8) on Monday, and they host Glendora (20-6, 7-1) on Wednesday.
Josh Kim was a difference-maker in one of the most important games of the season.
Kim had a team-high 18 points to go along with three rebounds and four assists.
Kim scored nine points in the second quarter during a 25-14 BHS run.
Colton Perez was Colton Perez.
The 6-foot-5 senior had 17 points, 12 rebounds and three assists.
Drew Sanchez had a big night as well, scoring 13 points, grabbing nine rebounds and totaling three steals.
Josiah Yang had a game-high 22 points for Ayala.
Yang also led all players with four 3-pointers.
Jaydin Maddox scored 11 points, while Jeremy Serrano and Joshua Townsell chipped in with 10 points apiece for the Bulldogs.
Hunter Smith finished with seven points and eight rebounds.
Quotable:
Bonita coach, Tim Godley: “It was a huge win. It keeps us in the mix for the league title. Drew and Josh were amazing tonight. Ayala goes to the offensive boards very well. Drew got key rebounds down the stretch and made two FT’s late to build our lead. Josh was fantastic. In the first half, he broke down their defense and got to the rim. Late in the game after a TO, Josh split a trap and went for a layup. It was a crucial basket at that point. His defense was terrific also. Hunter did a great job on the boards also.”
Bonita senior, Josh Kim: “This was a big game and Ayala started strong, but we were able to catch a run in the second quarter and went up 12 at the half. Our mindset was to play solid and bring the energy, and when we do that, we are at our best. I wanted to control the game, limit turnovers, and set everyone up. I tried to encourage everyone on defense. Collin Henry had a great game on defense. Drew played well on defense, and he was strong on both the offensive and defensive boards. I saw a lot of open lanes and I wanted to attack and draw more fouls. It was key to get contributions from a lot of players like we did tonight. I couldn’t ask more for than the opportunity to play Glendora for a league title on Wednesday. We haven’t beaten them once since I’ve been here.”
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Box Score:
B: 14-25-12-21-(72)
A: 16-14-23-8-(61)
Bonita scoring: Josh Kim 18, Colton Perez 17, Drew Sanchez 13, Hunter Smith 7, Collin Henry 6, James Kim 5, Sean Shibasaki 2
Ayala scoring: Josiah Yang 22, Jaydin Maddox 11, Christian Martinez 10, Jeremy Serrano 10, Joshua Townsell 6, Roman Lopez 2
Friday’s Palomares League Scores:
Glendora 60, Alta Loma 53
Bonita 72, Alta Loma 61
Colony vs Claremont
Monday’s Schedule:
Bonita at Claremont
Colony at Glendora
Alta Loma at Ayala
Wednesday’s Final Day Schedule:
Glendora at Bonita
Ayala at Claremont
Alta Loma at Claremont
Palomares League Standings:
Glendora (20-6, 7-1)
Bonita (17-8, 7-1)
Ayala (15-10, 5-3)
Colony (8-16, 3-5)
Alta Loma (9-14, 2-6)
Claremont (5-21, 0-8)
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