Flintridge Prep Says Goodbye to State Title

Every St. Bernard player was definitely shorter than Flintridge Prep’s Kenyatta Smith. Somehow, they held the Harvard-bound center in check, blocking his shots and allowing bad takes inside the key. It was that kind of night for the Rebels, as the journey for the CIF Division V state title came to an end.  The Rebels were defeated by St. Bernard 68-54. 

“We knew that St. Bernard would come in ready” Rebels head coach Garret Ohara said.  “They made us rush things all game long on every aspect from passing to shooting.  It made things very difficult to continue our game from the first half.  Even though we had 13 turnovers in that half we were still in the game, but we just couldn’t find that guy who would step it up to close the game.”

Smith, who had a team high 19 points, had a very difficult time working his game.  Each time he had his chance for a score, he would find Thurman Thomas and Brandon Randolph right on him.  Both would double team him each time Smith came inside, and combined they had 4 blocks on the center.  Defensively, they also forced him to shoot 8-for-18, with every shot in the paint. 

“It was very hard to get the ball inside,” Smith said. “Coach kept trying to pound the concept of getting back into rhythm, but it just wouldn’t work.  They were just beating us very physically, and we ended up losing it in the fourth quarter.|

Turnovers were another story, as both teams had their fair share.  Combined they had 46 turnovers, but Prep could not answer with each St. Bernard mistake.  Poor shooting haunted the Rebels all game long.  As a team they shot well below 30 percent, and went 3-for-13 from beyond the arc.  The Vikings held the Rebels defensively throughout, covering the floor and flooding the outside each possession. 

“We all felt like we had a legit shot to win,” Freshman guard Robert Cartwright said.  “This team knew that this game would be the biggest steppingstone, but we didn’t come through and didn’t have our best game.  Our defense was sloppy, Smith was getting beat physically.  Tonight was just not our night.”

The woes for the Rebels began in the first quarter, missing their first seven shots.  The Vikings used that to their advantage, going on a 9-0 run to begin the period.  Prep answered back, as Smith took over first quarter on both sides of the ball.  His block against Randolph while driving to the basket ended with a lay in by Jedrick Eugenio to cut the Viking lead to 9-6.  Smith again took over, scoring the next 6 points and gave the Rebels a 13-11 lead. Once St. Bernard tied it on the ensuing possession, Eugenio at the buzzer nailed a three to put the Rebels up 16-13 by quarter’s end. 

The Rebels then continued the flow in the second, trying to outrun the fast-paced Vikings on each chance.  As prep grew the lead as big as seven points, St. Bernard quietly came back.  Thomas and Randolph took control in the final six minutes for St. Bernard, as both executed a 22-10 run to close out the period.  Randolph’s three tied the game at 25, and then Thomas finished the quarter scoring the team’s final 6 points.  Prep had no answer on their end, and they somehow found themselves trailing 33-30 at halftime. 

A team that is known to light the scoreboard each quarter, the Rebels managed only six points in the third quarter, which was a season low.  Smith was taken away inside with the two stars of St. Bernard on him, while the Rebel shooting was just not there.  The Vikings started the period on a 7-0 run, and kept the full court defense up to slow down the Prep offense.  Flintridge trailed 44-36 by the end of the third quarter. 

Flintridge Prep managed to cut the lead to four when Smith found the basket again, but by that time the team was running on empty.  St. Bernard at the end used their speed and scored the next 12 points and led by as many as 15 with two minutes to go. 

Eugenio had 12 points for the Rebels.  Randolph had a team high 20 points for St. Bernard, while Thomas had 18 points. 

Flintridge Prep finished with their best season in school history.  In 2004, they lost to Verbum Dei in the Division IVA Finals, and then were ousted by San Diego Horizon in the first round of the state playoffs the next week.  This time around, with a section title on their hands, ending this season was bittersweet. 

“At the end of the game, I reminded them of their accomplishments,” Ohara said.  “We win together, but are also gracious in defeat.  Staying together is always the most important aspect to me, eliminating any blame or finger pointing for each loss.  Every game these boys played with heart, and you can’t take that away.”