Rebels

SANTA CLARITA - Faced with a difficult challenge in the first round of the Division V CIF State Basketball Championships on Wednesday, the Flintridge Prep boys' team faced the task head on. Taking on No. 4 Village Christian, the defending state champion, the Rebels showed no signs of intimidation, taking it to the Crusaders in the opening quarter. Flintridge Prep opened the game with a shooting barrage from the outside, converting seven three-pointers in the first quarter and jumping out to a surprising 10-point lead.

LA CANADA - Handling an increased work load suits Charles McCarthy fine. The St. Francis High senior volleyball player doesn't mind being the main offensive threat for the Golden Knights, though there's a preference to provide him with some assistance. McCarthy stepped up again and enjoyed another big effort Monday, as he recorded 13 kills to help visiting St. Francis record a 25-17, 25-20,19-25, 25-21 nonleague win against neighbor Flintridge Prep. "There's a lot of weight on me to perform offensively," said McCarthy, an outside hitter who helped the Golden Knights advance to the playoffs last season.

After CIF Southern Section semifinal endings, the Crescenta Valley boys' basketball team and the Flintridge Prep boys' and girls' basketball squads find themselves preparing for state beginnings. On Sunday, the CIF-State office unveiled the state basketball pairings. The Falcons will open up Wednesday in the CIF-State Division I Southern California bracket against host Crenshaw, while the Flintridge Prep boys' team, in Division 5, travels to face Village Christian and the Rebels' girls' team has the farthest hike, heading north to take on Immanuel.

CHATSWORTH - Things couldn't have started any better for the Flintridge Prep girls' basketball team on Saturday night. After that, things spilled out of control with the Rebels facing a lethal defense and equally impressive offense run by powerful Sierra Canyon. It proved too much for the Rebels to handle, as their season came to a close with a 77-20 road loss to top-seeded Sierra Canyon in a CIF Southern Section Division V-AA semifinal contest. “You can try to replicate facing that kind of offense in practice, but then you see it in a game situation and it's probably overwhelming,” said Flintridge Prep first-year co-Coach Kevin Kiyomura, whose fourth-seeded team finished 19-8 after reaching the semifinals for the first time since 2008.

After opening-round losses in each of the past two postseasons, things have turned around quite nicely for the Flintridge Prep girls' basketball team. The Rebels found themselves starting over after bringing in co-coaches Kevin Kiyomura and Jayme Kiyomura-Chan to replace Todd Frost. Bolstered by the return of several key starters, the Rebels enjoyed a successful regular season that has carried over to the CIF Southern Section Division V-AA playoffs. Flintridge Prep finds itself on the doorstep of advancing to the championship game, though it will likely face its toughest test.

Two years ago, the Flintridge Prep boys' basketball team had to go through Mission Prep in the CIF Southern Section Division V-AA semifinals before eventually capturing its first-ever championship. So far, this postseason has played out similar to 2011 with Prep posting dominant victories at home in the first and quarterfinal rounds, on the road in the second round and hosting Mission Prep at La Cañada High in the semis. “It's actually shaped up exactly how it did two years ago,” Flintridge Prep guard Robert Cartwright said.

LA CANADA - There was one brief departure from what was a defensive-oriented game in the second round of the CIF Southern Section Division III girls' soccer playoffs at Flintridge Prep Tuesday. Unfortunately for the Rebels, it was the Brahmas that enjoyed the respite, scoring the game's first and only goal in the 42nd minute off a long throw-in for the 1-0 victory. The manner in which Diamond Bar scratched out the game's lone tally didn't surprised Prep Coach Esteban Chavez. “I didn't know, but I thought if they scored it would be on a long throw because they're good at it, they're dangerous,” Chavez said.

LA CANADA - After being dealt two first-round exits in the past three CIF Southern Section Division postseasons by Santa Clara High, vengeance was on the mind of Flintridge Prep boys' basketball team when the Saints visited for a Division V-AA quarterfinal contest. Robert Cartwright, Prep's standout point guard, definitely had a statement he wanted to make. The junior scored 21 of his game-high 26 points in the first half and led the Rebels to a dominating 77-47 victory. “I hope it wasn't in all our heads, but in my head personally, it certainly was,” Cartwright said.