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Basketball St. Anthony

Basketball: St. Anthony Sets Up Title Showdown With Serra Win

St. Anthony was fresh off a stinging loss to Bishop Mongtomery, and in need of a victory against Serra to set up a Del Rey League championship game at St. Bernard’s on Friday evening. The Saints delivered at home on Senior Night with a 78-69 win.

“Today was a step in the right direction,” said Saints coach Allen Caveness. “We went with four guards today because we knew Serra’s athletic, and it was a good blend of size and speed.”

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The Saints showcased balanced scoring, their hallmark this season. Five different players notched double-digit scoring, with George Ashley leading the way with 16 points, backed up by Akoye Hudson’s 15, 13 apiece from Kaih Williams and Jaayden Bush, and 10 from Elijah Price.

Ashley said that he enjoys being a part of such a diverse scoring arsenal.

“Anybody could go crazy on any given night,” said Ashley. “Looking at a scouting report, you wouldn’t know who’s the guy on the team.”

Jeremy Dent-Smith got loose for Serra with 25 points, and was running wild in the first half before the Saints dialed in on him.

“We let him get off in the first half, but we made it tough in the third quarter,” said Caveness. The Saints led 36-28 at halftime but Serra scored 21 points in the third as they caught fire from distance. St. Anthony got 10 points from Ashley in the third to help put the game away, and increased their lead in the fourth quarter to 69-51, then made enough free throws down the stretch to ease into the win.

The Saints will travel to St. Bernard Friday evening with the Del Rey League title on the line.

VIDEO: St. Anthony vs. Serra Basketball

Mike Guardabascio
An LBC native, Mike Guardabascio has been covering Long Beach sports professionally for 13 years, with his work published in dozens of Southern California magazines and newspapers. He's won numerous awards for his writing as well as the CIF Southern Section’s Champion For Character Award, and is the author of three books about Long Beach history.
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