Basketball
Four AUSD High School teams made it to the CIF-SS Basketball Playoffs. All three boys teams and one girls team played their first round games on February 12 and 13. This season, the playoff teams were placed in divisions based on their current win-loss record and strength of schedule.
Mark Keppel’s Boys Team finished the season at 23-5 and went undefeated in the Almont League to win their second league championship in a row and 14th championship under Head Coach Hung Duong. The team has been led all season by Maddux Hang, Chris Contreras, Jimmy Osorio, and Alex Benitez. The Aztecs had to travel all the way to Thousand Oaks to play Hillcrest Christian in the first round of their Division 3A game. Despite facing a team with a huge height advantage, the Aztecs won 71-50 led by Alex Benitez’s 23 points. They had a home game on February 14 against Irvine Woodbridge.
Alhambra’s Boys Team was 14-13 and finished third in the Almont League under longtime Coach Bryan Gonzalez. Senior Landon Winslow led the Moors as they traveled to Garden Grove for their first round game in Division 4A. The Moors won that game 57-54 to earn another home game against Carpinteria on February 14.
The San Gabriel Boys Team finished fourth in the Almont League but their 16-11 record qualified them as an at-large team in the Division 5AA. Longtime Coach Jason Meador and his Matador team hosted Samueli Academy from Santa Ana in their first round game. The Matadors won that game 56-37 to advance to the second round against San Bernardino on February 14.
For the first time that I can remember, all three AUSD High School Boys Basketball teams will be in the CIF-SS Quarterfinals in the same season, as Keppel beat Woodbridge 52-49 in overtime, San Gabriel beat San Bernardino 61-57, and Alhambra beat Carpinteria 64-58.
The Mark Keppel Girls went 19-9 and won their 150th straight league game, which is the longest active league winning streak in the CIF-SS. Second year Coach Kenny Phan and his Aztec team traveled to Cabrillo High School to play Long Beach Jordan in their first round game and came away with a 55-23 victory on February 13. They hosted a home game against South Pasadena on February 15, which they won 72-21. Keppel Girls will advance to the Semifinals in the Division 3AA CIF-SS Playoffs as they defeated Oakwood from North Hollywood 66-36 on February 19.
Both the Alhambra and Keppel Boys Basketball teams will advance to the CIF-SS Semifinals and have earned a spot in the State Tournament. Alhambra beat the Palmdale Aerospace Academy 53-51 and will face Cal High in Whittier in the Division 4A Semifinal. Keppel beat Hemet 66-59 and will face Aquinas in San Bernardino in the Division 3A Semifinal. San Gabriel lost to Diamond Ranch 64-52 to end their season.
Baseball and Softball
High School Baseball started their season on February 18. The Moors baseball team hopes to have another successful season after reaching the CIF-SS Playoffs the last three years under Head Coach Jovan Ramirez. Former Moor baseball player and assistant coach Eric Felix will return for his second season as Keppel’s Head Coach and hopes to improve on last year’s 6-16 record. The Aztecs will field a JV Team for the first time in many years. San Gabriel led by Head Coach Anthony Nichols also looks to improve on last year’s 2-18 record.
Keppel, Alhambra and San Gabriel softball teams also started their seasons on February 18. Of the three teams, Keppel had the most success last year led by two-time All CIF Pitcher, Robyn Guitron, who is still only a junior.
