Pictured L-R: Audrey Chen & Ashley Chea

Girls Basketball:

By Brian Reed-Baiotto, Sports Editor

The La Salle and Flintridge Prep girls basketball programs went in diametrically opposite directions this season.

The Wolves were decimated with injuries and had to rely heavily on a single player offensively, while the Lancers featured the SGV area’s most balanced offense, where each member of their starting five led the program in scoring at least twice.

Flintridge Prep was lucky to have seven girls in uniform on any given night, and they watched a number of program streaks end.

In contrast, La Salle wrote themselves into the history books by having the most successful season in school history.

And while it wasn’t their year, Ashley Chea put together a record-breaking season, which included the Wolves junior leading the entire SGV in scoring.

Audrey Chen played a starring role in La Salle winning more games than any SGV area program (31) not to mention the first CIF-SS D-3AA and a CIF State D-3 Southern California Regional championships in school history.

It’s for those reasons and more that Audrey Chen and Ashley Chea have been named the 210 Prep Sports Girls Basketball Players of the Year.

Audrey Chen was about as versatile as one could hope for.

The 5-foot-5 sophomore led the program in points per game (15), assists (four) and steals (two).

Her eight rebounds was second to fellow sophomore, Ryann Riddle, who averaged 10 boards per game.

Just like Flintridge Prep, La Salle was the victim of a relentless COVID-19 virus that stopped their season twice, and kept the Lancers out of the gym for a combined 20 days.

And yet somehow, during that same stretch, the Lancers were able to string together a 23-game winning streak from December 10-March 8.

La Salle won the Camino Real League championship for the first time since 2017-18.

But it was their 9-1 playoff run that made the Lady Lancers immortal in their school’s record book.

In the CIF-SS D-3AA playoffs, La Salle defeated Norco (58-34), Twentynine Palms (61-52), Calabasas (66-45) and Hart (49-43).

The Lancers would earn the program’s first CIF-SS championship, thanks to a 46-33 triumph at Cerritos.

In the CIF State D-3 playoffs, the Lancers claimed victory over Eagle Rock (61-37), Rancho Bernardo (47-35) and Scripps Ranch (52-36).

And on March 8th, La Salle would defeat Porterville, 62-49, to secure a CIF State D-3 Southern California Regional title.

Three days later, at the Golden 1 Center in Sacramento, La Salle would fall, 39-33, to Oakland Tech in state final.

Over that 10-game postseason stretch, Chen either led the Lancers in scoring outright or tied for most points six times, including the final four in the state playoffs.

In the state final, Chen led the Lancers in points (13), rebounds (8), assists (4) and steals (3).

Chen was in double digits in each of the 10 playoff games, and she averaged 15 points per game.

It was her consistency and work ethic that La Salle coach Scott Wiard raved about most.

Wiard mentioned that on a number of occasions, he’s been asked to unlock the gym door at 6:30 am so Chen could get some extra work in.

Audrey’s focus isn’t just relegated to the basketball court, as she’s currently riding a 4.2 GPA.

In 2021-22, Chen led the Lancers in scoring 15 times, which is 10 more than both Ryann Riddle and Kaden Cortes.

Her ability to remain poised and deliver in the game’s most crucial moments separates her from so many of her peers in prep basketball.

Chen is humble, selfless and her basketball IQ is off the charts.

This La Salle program is literally and figuratively a family, and the team chemistry played a big role in a season that saw the Lancers win at a 91-percent clip.

Scott Wiard, the 31-year old Lancers head coach, has his father, Richard Wiard, a five-time CIF-SS and two-time CIF State champion on his staff.

And Audrey’s big sister, and La Salle’s leading scorer in 2020-21, Ellie Chen, returned to the lineup late in the season after a long recovery from an ACL surgery.

“We knew Audrey was talented and versatile, but I didn’t think a girl that is 5-foot-5 could have such an impact on the boards,” Wiard said. “She was second on our team in rebounds and she’s not intimidated to battle bigger players for the ball. You couldn’t ask for a better kid, She’s great in the community, incredibly polite, and has a better than 4.0 GPA. Her determination is incredible and she has a great feel for the game. I don’t think she gets enough credit for her play on the defensive end. During the Hart game in the semifinals of CIF, she helped us take over defensively late in that game. What makes her such a great teammate is that she does whatever we need from her.”

Lastly, we asked Chen to touch on the following: How much did you grow as a player, both physically and mentally? How much fun is it to play with you sister? How much pressure does it take off you to have teammates like Ryann, your sister, Kaden, Reese and the others so you don’t have to carry the load? And why did La Salle had so much success this season?

Said Audrey Chen: “I feel I have definitely improved my mentality as a player. Mentally, I have grown to accept the mistakes and learn from them. I know in the past, I was stuck on a mistake, which slowed me down as a player. Physically, I have constantly been working out to stay in shape for basketball. As I get older, I know I will be playing against bigger and better people, so physically getting stronger can help me continue to get better as a player. I definitely got better with different finishes to the basket while using contact. It helps getting to the basket easier. I have also learned to read the defense better, and make the best decisions for our team. I enjoy playing with my sister a lot because it’s a once in a lifetime opportunity. I know some siblings aren’t able to play with each other, but I am blessed to be able to play with my sister. Though she has been out from her injuries recently, she still helps me from the bench. I can’t wait to play with her for the last time next year, because we have a lot of chemistry when we play.

Having teammates like I do allows me to be able to trust them. I know they have the skills and talent, and can take care of the ball as well as I can. We are each good at certain things, which allows our team to work better together. Playing together has helped us get as far as we did, and I know that I wouldn’t have been able to do it without them. Our success definitely comes from how close our team is, and how we’re always hanging out. The bus rides with each other are especially fun, and something we will never forget. We also have a solid starting five, and everyone on the team contributes. My favorite moment was winning CIF with the team. It was an experience to enjoy the moment with them and celebrate on the bus ride home. We always have the best times on the bus rides, and never fail to make each other laugh. We enjoy having each other’s company, and make memories we will never forget.”

Ashley Chea, nor her teammates or coaching staff at Flintridge Prep could have ever anticipated the hits their lineup would take to both season-ending injuries and COVID-19.

It started with the loss of senior Ashlyn Zhang, a Rice University commit, who averaged a team-high 19 points in 2020-21.

And that was just the beginning.

Two of the Wolves projected five starters missed the entire season, and literally each member of their program was either injured or missed time due to COVID-19.

But hey, no one is feeling sorry for the Wolves.

After all, until January 29th, Flintridge Prep had won 72 consecutive Prep League games, and had claimed at least a share of the league championship since the 2012-13 season.

Over the past five years alone, they’ve won 99 of 124 games, including 52 of 54 in Prep League competition.

To be competitive in 2021-22, Flintridge Prep would need every remaining member of its roster to step up big time.

But who would answer the call?

Her name is Ashley Chea.

Ashley’s contributions are almost hard to fathom, especially considering she missed her entire sophomore season in 2020-21.

And while stats don’t always tell the whole story, in this case, they speak volumes.

Chea averaged 30 points per game, which is higher than any male or female player in the SGV.

She scored 40 or more points twice, had 30-plus points 11 times, and accounted for 60-percent of the Wolves offensive output.

Chea also had team-high averages in rebounds (11), assists (three) and steals (four).

Her 594 points this season was just 20 less than the program record set by Princeton’s Kaitlin Chen, who accomplished that in 2018.

What’s remarkable, though, is that Chea played in nine fewer games than Kaitlin.

She also holds the program’s top three spots for most points in a game and four of the top five.

Her 56 3-pointers in 20 games this year was just seven back of Sofia Gonzalez, who in 2020 tallied 63 3-pointers in 29 games.

Chea would be the first to say she was just doing her job and that her teammates gave everything they had, but without this record-setting junior season, it’s hard to imagine the Wolves could have won nearly 70 percent of their games.

Aside from her on-the-court prowess, Chea has been described as a great person, teammate and friend, and her near 3.9 GPA with a rigorous schedule speaks for itself.

“This season was filled with so many unforeseen obstacles,” Wolves coach Jayme Chan said. “We knew our Rice University bound senior captain Ashlyn Zhang would be out for the season rehabbing her ACL tear that occurred during club season, however, we could have never predicted all of the other setbacks we would suffer as a team throughout the season. Despite all of that, Ashley did a phenomenal job and embraced the role of having to shoulder so much of the work. And she wouldn’t have had it any other way. We needed Ashley to score a double-double every game, and she did, averaging 30 points and 11 rebounds a game. Ashley is amongst the most prolific scorers in Southern California. She finishes strong at the rim, has a solid midrange jumper and shoots the 3 at a high percentage.”

Lastly, we asked Chea to touch on: how difficult it was to shoulder the load, having so much success statistically, her favorite moments of the season, the disappointment of having the Prep League win streak snapped and what she’s looking forward to next season.

Said Ashley Chea: “I never really thought about having to do the heavy lifting. I was more worried about my knee and how I was going to overcome that obstacle. I guess my thought process when coach J told me that I was going to have to lead the team a little more than before, I had a lot of confidence in myself and knew that my teammates would grow with me. I work a lot better under pressure and this challenge created lots of pressures that made me grow as a leader. I think my stats for this season could’ve been better, especially in the assists, steals, and rebounds column, just because I felt like I could’ve done more. I also believe that the work I had put in before the season starting, and trying to get my knee back to normal gave me the confidence to do so. I worked a lot on shooting and sat out a whole season (2020-21) to watch and think about how to play with this young team.

It was definitely very upsetting and frustrating that we didn’t continue the win streak. I wasn’t frustrated with my teammates at all because I know they always give it their all and being a captain of the team, the losses we had were because I lacked a lot on the defensive end and got caught up in my head. Hearing the buzzer at the end of the game and having tears run down my face and seeing the disappointment from my coaches and teammates was one of the hardest things to see. Obviously, ending a 72-game win streak and near 10 year consecutive league championship run was really hard to overcome and I’m still not fully over it. And yet I know my team isn’t either. A moment that I shared with the team this year was the La Canada tournament over winter break. We came into that tournament and knew that we were ready for anyone who was going to play us. We came into every game playing ready and confident. The reason this was so special was because this was a bonding team moment that we really needed. I wished that Covid didn’t have to end this tourney in the middle of it,  because I know that we would’ve won the whole thing. Hearing all of my teammates emotions after hearing that there would be no more games made me realize that this team is special and that we all had each other’s back.”

Quotable:

La Salle junior & sister, Ellie Chen: “Audrey grew a lot since her freshman year. She seems to be more comfortable and confident in her abilities. She improved on the usage of her body and making contact with the defender, as well as her ball handling skills. I like to see Audrey as the silent killer, because she’s competitive but doesn’t flaunt her skills. She is humble and a caring teammate that picks up her teammates when they’re down. As a friend, she is fun to be around and I enjoy her humor. As a smaller guard, she is effective on the court with her rebounds and her contact finishes. Audrey knows how to use her body in the paint as well as getting rebounds against the taller players.”

La Salle freshman, Kaden Cortes: “On the court, she’s an amazing player. She scores, rebounds, passes, and defends. She’s basically the main contributor for the team. Off the court, she’s a very kind and intelligent person. What makes her a good and effective player on the court to me is her finishing skills. She can finish with her on and off hand, which makes her pretty hard to guard. Her ability to finish with a lot of contact adds onto the difficulty. Another factor is her basketball IQ. She knows how to read her defender and the other defenders on the court. She knows when it’s a good idea to pass, shoot, and drive.”

La Salle junior, Reese Wong: “Audrey has always been a skilled player and reliable as a teammate. Outside of school, I always see Audrey working out at the gym and always getting more shots up after practice. That’s what makes her good because she puts in the extra work to get better. On the court, Audrey is a beast. Although she’s not tall, she’s able to get into the key and rebound well for our team. She’s a solid player all around and is able to handle the ball well. On and off the court, she’s always been a great friend. From giving advice on the court to helping us on Spanish homework, she’s always looking out for us. We’re always having a great time when we’re around her. She’s always smiling and brings joy and laughter whenever she’s around. What makes Audrey so effective on the court is her ability to communicate with the team. She’s not afraid to speak up and let us know what we can do better and giving us advice. Along with this, she does a very great job at listening and hearing us out when we’re giving her tips too. She’s a fast learner and is able to pick up things quickly which is why I think we work well together.”

La Salle sophomore, Ryann Riddle: “Audrey is probably one of the most skilled and humble players I know. She never gives up and leaves it all on the court. She is also a great friend, we have a lot of fun on and off the court. I think the things that make her so effective on the court is her versatility. Most players are just good at one role, but she is great on both offense and defense. She is able to shoot, drive in, rebound, pass, and handle the ball very well.”

Flintridge Prep sophomore, Kassidy Huie: “Ashley always impresses the team with her work and on-court production. During games, I often find myself watching her play instead of playing the game with her. I have so much fun watching her play and it is so captivating watching her float through the defense with ease. Her work ethic was truly admirable and her dedication to the team was made clear that our success was her priority. It is so crazy to me how much Ashley contributed to our season. From her numerous rebounds, fast break layups, to her 3 pointers and assists, it has been such an experience to play alongside such a talented player. With many crucial players missing due to the repercussions of Covid and injuries, Ashley really pulled through and constantly carried our offensive game through the whole season. Although she had more pressure on her than any of us did, she always kept her composure, even in our toughest games. She has such a good court sense and I feel like she knows her teammates and their skills really well. She gives us great passes and sets us up for good plays that she knows we can execute. As a player, I can always count on her to bring her A game and play every game with full energy and intensity. Regardless of the performance of the team, she will play hard until the buzzer. As a competitor, I think she is very intimidating. Her skill level and commitment to the game is really hard to compete with and on the court, she never fails to dominate the game. I would say that her role as my teammate and friend is synonymous, she is one of the funniest people I know and she makes me laugh on and off the court. In and out of the gym, I always feel like she supports me and I can rely on her presence to brighten my day.”

Flintridge Prep freshman, Gigi Matras: “I was incredibly impressed with Ashley’s work throughout the season as a captain and as a player. Her countless assists, rebounds, and points were a product of her perseverance at the game. I admire how much effort she puts in, even when her talent makes it look effortless when she breezes past multiple defenders to make a lay up. I feel that watching her push herself in practice to be the best she possibly could be taught all her teammates that with a strong work ethic anything is achievable. With so many players out, and many of them being starters, there was a big void in our team dynamic to fill. Ashley stepped up into a major role to manage their absence. The responsibility she held when many of her teammates were missing was great, but she pulled through and continued to work. She handled this extremely well, staying composed through the most stressful games. If I’m being honest, I think it’s fair to say she carried our whole team throughout the season. As a player and competitor, Ashley is determined and tough. There were many times when she would get pushed to the floor and I thought, “she’s not going to get back up this time” but she did every single time. She’s very competitive and yet still obtains her good sportsmanship. Words can’t describe how talented she is and it makes me and the rest of the team so ecstatic to see her hard work pay off. As a teammate, I look up to Ashley. I learned so much about the game by just watching her play and even more when I was on the court with her. I can always count on her and have so much trust in her as a teammate. Anyone would be lucky to be on a team with her. It would be an understatement to say Ashley is an amazing friend. On and off the court, we all rely on her to make us laugh, even in the most serious situations. Her presence is one I’m so grateful to have in my life.”

Flintridge Prep senior, Riley Hause:  “Ashley really blew all of us away this season with her performance. You would never be able to tell she missed a whole season. She was always the best player on the court and even when it didn’t seem like she could get any better, she somehow did. The numbers she was putting up and the things she was doing didn’t seem possible. I am so lucky to have played alongside her this season. Ashley was definitely under a lot of pressure this year, but she never let that get to her. From the beginning, she knew people expected big things from her, but I don’t think she knew just how much she would have to step up this year. Even with the terrible luck we had this season, Ashley always believed in our team and managed to step up in unbelievable ways. She not only filled peoples’ roles on the court, but her positivity and leadership helped account for missing teammates’s presence off the court as well. Obviously Ashley is an amazing player and a fierce competitor. I admire her as a player and she pushes us to be better with how hard she competes in every practice and game. I think that as good as a player she is, she is an even better teammate. She constantly encourages and supports us and is always making us laugh. Ashley is actually one of my best friends and I could go on and on about her. I think the best thing about her though is that she is always there for her friends no matter what. She always has my back and is one of the most loyal people.”