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Boys Hoops: Shields Leads Tigers to Win Over Temple City

Shields scores 21 points in 58-56 win.

There may have been eight other players on the court Tuesday night, but the game between South Pasadena and Temple City came down to just two: JJ Shields for the Tigers and Jordan Hill for the Rams. In the end, the game was won by South Pasadena on a 3-pointer by Zach Lindecamp in the final seconds, 58-56.

It was fitting that the game revolved around Shields and Hill. Hill was virtually unstoppable, dropping a game-high 31 points against the Tigers. Shields went for 21, though it took him a lot of shots to get there. But what he missed on the floor driving to the basket, he made up for at the free throw line.

“Jordan Hill is a special player. He destroyed us in the middle, tonight,” Tigers coach Skip Parry said. “But I wouldn’t trade JJ for Jordan. No way.”

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The difference came from the help Shields would have from Lindecamp. Lindecamp added a personal best 16 points, including the 3 that ultimately gave South Pasadena the win. No Temple City player besides Hill scored in double figures.  

The game started off very slow with defense ruling the first quarter. The Rams trapped ball handlers up high, and the Tigers locked down the paint with a 2-3 zone. Play in the game was very physical, and referees called few fouls.

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The second quarter saw the pace of the game speed up. South Pasadena started with an 8-0 run that was the matched by a 10-2 run from Temple City. Both Shields and Hill found their strides and the two offenses revolved around their pushing the ball to the basket. At the half, the Rams held a 28-24 lead.

If the second quarter was fast, the third was furious with both teams scoring 20 points. Hill put up 13 on drives to the basket. While Shields struggled to finish around the basket, he added eight from the free throw line.

“I’m quick. That’s one of my strengths,” said Shields. “But I didn’t shoot great tonight.”

The focused remained on Hill and Shields in the fourth, though the two would only score six points between them. But while Hill tried to be a one-man force, Shields picked up on the Rams’ double teams and dished off to open players. Shields created late 3-pointers from Harry Yadav, Erin Cameron and then Lindecamp, who hit his triple with just 12 seconds left in the game.

With the win, South Pasadena (13-13, 4-5 in the Rio Hondo League) is bunched up with three other teams for second place in the RHL behind La Cañada. The Tigers 13 wins pulls them ahead in the hunt for an at-large playoff bid. The Tigers’ final game of the regular season comes up on Thursday at Monrovia.

“I’ve never coached this hard in my life,” Parry said. “Slowly but surely we are turning every corner, and these guys are looking in the mirror and saying, ‘We can do this.’”

Tuesday was also Senior Night for the Tigers. Andrew Hall, Lawrence Moreno and Sean Nang were introduced with their parents and given the honor of starting the game.

View photos of the game by Henk Friezer in the photo box above.

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