Photos by Carlo Montalbo (@Carlo.Montalbo on Instagram & https://i4pix.smugmug.com/)
Boys Hoops:
Portola had to like its chances late in Wednesday’s CIF-SS Division 3 opener at Glendora.
The Bulldogs had a 78-77 lead with 3.7 seconds remaining, and the game’s leading scorer at the free-throw line.
Max Paulsen had already scored 22 points, including seven in the fourth quarter.
GHS coach Gordon Hamlow wanted to disrupt Paulsen’s routine, so he called timeouts before both of his free-throw attempts.
And the 6-foot-5 Portola senior missed both of them.
Jeremiah Garzon grabbed the rebound on the second miss, and he quickly got the ball to Max Hilgenfeldt near the top of key.
Hilgenfeldt took four long steps towards the south basket.
The GHS senior shot the ball off his left foot from approximately five feet behind the 3-point line.
Hilgenfeldt saved the Tartans season and his high school career by clutching up at the buzzer.
Ironically, Hilgenfelt got off to a fast start, but his game-winning 3-pointer was the only second half points he would muster.
Hilgenfelt led GHS with 20 points, and he grabbed four rebounds.
Another Glendora senior, Tanner Grable, also had a monster impact on the game.
Sixteen of Grable’s 17 points came in the second half.
He went 7-for-7 on field goal attempts down the stretch.
Grable also tallied a team-high nine rebounds and three assists.
Garzon added 10 points, six rebounds and a pair of assists.
Noah Rangel chipped in with eight points, three boards and three assists.
Moshe Loucks added eight points of his own, and he grabbed a pair of rebounds.
As mentioned, Paulsen led PHS with 22 points, including three 3-pointers.
All 18 of Lucas Ip’s points came from beyond the 3-point arc.
Portola had a 12-6 advantage in 3-pointers.
GHS went 11-of-16 from the free-throw line.
PHS converted on six of their 10 attempts from the charity stripe.
Up next: The Tartans travel to Aliso Niguel on Friday at 7.
The Wolverines (21-8) secured a 68-60 victory at Newport Harbor.
Quotable:
GHS coach, Gordon Hamlow: “Max has been solid for us for four years. It’s nice that you can trust a kid with a basketball and he has an idea about the clock and is able to pull up and knock down a really tough shot. He’s a super kid and I couldn’t be happier for him. He’s our team leader and really played well tonight. He needed to direct us on both sides of the ball. Jeremiah made a super outlet pass quick that gave us the opportunity. I thought Tanner Grable was super all game, especially finishing seven for seven attacking the rim late in the game.”
GHS senior, Max Hilgenfeldt: “Honestly, I knew it was going to be a tough shot since it would’ve been almost impossible to get inside the paint. I knew I had a chance as soon as Jeremiah got the rebound quickly and how I got up the length of the court in such a short amount of time. It was quite a bit to process, but I’m extremely happy that we can continue our season and my career.”
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Box Score:
P: 12-23-16-17-(68)
G: 18-18-14-20-(70)
Portola scoring: Max Paulsen 22, Lucas Ip 18, Regis Hearn 11, Steve Yang 6, Ryan Novak 5, Brandon Nguyen 4, Chase Wright 2
Glendora scoring: Max Hilgenfeldt 20, Tanner Grable 17, Jeremiah Garzon 10, Noah Rangel 8, Moshe Loucks 8, Cole Van Woerkem 3, Tyson Rush 2, Brock Willett 2
Records: Portola (22-7); Glendora (19-11)
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