Coming down to the final seconds of the game, the Diamond Bar High School boys basketball team was unable to clinch the victory against the Glendora High School Tartans on Friday. Despite a momentous comeback in the fourth quarter led by senior Sam Ting, DBHS could not get over the hump, losing 47-42. The Tartans had an obvious size advantage as their frontcourt players towered above the Brahma forwards. Despite this, DBHS started the game off strong, draining jumpers and getting to the basket frequently.
Senior co-captain Marcus Favela then took a hard fall driving to the hoop. Although he stayed in the game for the next couple of possession the was substituted out shortly after never regaining the same aggressiveness. This was but one of many no calls favoring the Tartans which shifted the momentum of the game. “It is what it is. The officials don’t have any fans in the gym. They did their job and we needed to do our job and not put them in a situation like that,” Coach Ty Watkins said. DBHS then found itself facing an 11-point deficit. However, the Brahmas slowly clawed their way back forcing multiple turnovers through a full-court press to shorten the deficit to five points, ending the first half 16-21.DBHS picked Glendora of the ball twice to start the second half but were unable to convert the layups.
Senior co-captain Christian Manalo, in turn, drove past the towers that is the Tartan frontcourt and made the baskets that eluded DBHS all game long. However, this aggressive attitude on defense backfired on the Brahmas as they committed several fouls attempting to force turnovers. This resulted in multiple free throws for the Tartans, allowing them to stretch their lead and stunting the Brahma comeback. DBHS was finally able to tie the game late in the fourth quarter but its foul trouble allowed for Glendora to shoot its way back to the lead. Despite this, the boys continued to fight. Unfortunately, Glendora continued its hot shooting streak, extending the lead after every Brahma comeback. Although Ting was able to make timely baskets including an and one and a jumper, DBHS could not get stops. “I played pretty well but I still have some issues I still need to fix,” Ting admitted.
The Tartans were simply too big for the Brahmas to get past. DBHS suffered multiple scoring droughts, including a seven-point first quarter and a nine-point second quarter. Glendora also played a zone intermittently throughout the game to confuse the Brahma offense. Although the Brahmas made key runs during the second and fourth quarters, they simply could not get stops to take the lead in the game. Glendora’s size also gave them several second-chance points and blocked shots. “We played hard but we lost focus by committing a lot of fouls towards the end of the game,” said sophomore Kenneth Thai. This loss drops DBHS’s record to 1-3 in the young preseason.
The team has been playing tough teams in preparation for the grind of league play. “Our schedule is monstrous. Hopefully, the competition we’re playing will get us ready for league. We may not have the best record because we’re playing some of the best teams in the state but we’re getting better and that’s our goal,” Watkins commented.