Schools
Holiday Hoop Tournaments Valuable for Franklin High
The varsity squad will have played at least eight games over the break before returning to Northern League action.
boys basketball coach Robin Cordona is still sorting out his starting rotation.
The FHS (7-5, 2-0 Northern League) roster is comprised almost entirely of newcomers besides the lone returning player from last season’s squad. The team acquired some much needed experience this week, competing in four games at the La Salle/Temple City Holiday Classic in just as many days.
“This was a real good tournament for us,” Cardona said. “We played some good games, but as I’ve mentioned before we’re inexperienced.”
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Franklin concluded the tourney with two wins and two losses. The Panthers picked up victories over Gabrielino High School (4-6) and Montebello High School (2-10), while suffering losses against Hoover (6-6) and Arcadia (7-5).
According to Cordona, his team has struggled during the final eight minutes of recent games simply because they’re tired and his bench isn’t very deep.
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The Panthers dominant force has been senior Zachary Hinton, who is averaging 24.8 points, 13.3 rebounds and 3.3 assists per game through the team’s first twelve games.
“Zach is a pretty darn good player, when he’s having a good game it puts us in a position to win,” Cardona said. “The only reason he didn’t make the all tournament team was because he wasn’t on a winning team.”
FHS returns to the hardwood tomorrow against Huntington Park High School (6-9) in the opening game of the Huntington Park/Hamilton Invitational. Tip-off is slated for 7 p.m.
Cordona said, “There’s no substitute for game experience. The more games that we play, the better this particular group will get.”
