Banning High fell victim to a perfect storm of intangibles that led to an abrupt ending to its girls' basketball season on Thursday.
It started with a revision of the CIF-Southern Section Div. 4A bracket that switched Banning's playoff opening opponent from an at-large entry to a speedy and athletic league runner-up.
The final blow was a season-best performance turned in by that team, South Pasadena, and one of Banning's worst.
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Together it produced a season ending 78-36 defeat for the host Broncos.
"It's frustrating but the only positive is that we are a young team," Banning Coach Mark Kline said. "Hopefully this is a learning experience they will look back on."
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Banning (14-9) had won seven of its last eight and qualified for the playoffs as the No. 3 team out of the Mountain Valley League.
But the Cougars were overwhelmed by the South Pasadena's speed and pressure defense.
"We didn’t play well but that certainly does not distract from the way they played," Kline said. "We could not keep them in front of us and when they drove and penetrated, they would get wide open shots in the post."
South Pasadena's pressure defense forced Banning into 10 first quarter turnovers. That helped South Pasadena open the game with a 20-7 run and led to a 49-20 halftime lead.
"We did a horrible job against their press," Klein said. "We were just being impatient. Those are the things we have to improve on."
South Pasadena (17-8) showed no mercy. It opened the second half with a 17-1 run that gave them a 45 point lead.
Even South Pasadena coach Rick Kitagawa was surprised with his team's effort.
"I don't think our shooting has been this good all year," Kitagawa said. "We press like this all the time. But we shot well. We haven’t shot this well in a while."
It was the first playoff win for South Pasadena in 10 years.
Monica Cadena led Banning with 15 points and Precihelle Trammell had 13 points. Nine players scored for South Pasadena, including Katie Nakamura (18), Kelsey Nakamura (16) and Kekey Lee (15).
"The seniors were jumping out of their skin," Kitagawa said. "They are so happy. And so are the underclassmen. They know everyone put in a lot of work. This is the reward."
Klein sees potential for the next couple seasons.
"This is a learning experience," Klein said. "We have a freshman running at point guard. We have a sophomore at the other point guard. We get back to work and come back stronger."
