The Tigers missed all 10 of their shots from the floor in the opening quarter. The Tigers' four first-quarter points came via free throws from senior guard Jevon Shields. By comparison, Crescenta Valley senior forward Davis Dragovich had eight first-quarter points to help the Falcons build a 23-4 advantage.
Crescenta Valley received a team-high 14 points and seven rebounds from senior forward Rudy Avila and 12 points and seven assists from junior guard Cole Currie to turn back South Pasadena (1-2).
South Pasadena, which had one second-chance scoring opportunity in the first quarter, didn't make a shot from the floor until senior forward Zachary Lindecamp made a short jump shot to bring the Tigers to within 23-7 with 7:30 left in the second quarter.
"It's really exciting to finally be able to play a game that counts," Avila said. "We want this to be the start of something great."
Crescenta Valley led the entire contest and held a 46-15 halftime lead.
"We've been working on different things since the fall," said Zargarian, whose team registered 38 rebounds. "We had a strong transition game and that leads to easy points and fun basketball."
Dragovich finished with 12 points and senior center Christian Misi, a reigning All-Area pick, contributed six points, 12 rebounds and four assists for the Falcons.
South Pasadena got a team-high 12 points from Shields and 10 from Lindecamp. Lindecamp had two three-pointers on consecutive possessions in the second quarter.
Currie made a team-best three three-pointers for the Falcons, who finished with eight overall.
Both teams will take part in pool-play games today. South Pasadena will meet Antelope Valley at 4 p.m. and Crescenta Valley will take on Simi Valley at 7.
