Damien High School

LA VERNE - Meeting for the first time in playoff history and in front of an overflow crowd bursting with energy, fourth seed and host Damien held off fifth-seeded Bonita, 52-44, in the CIF-Southern Section Division 3A boys basketball quarterfinals Tuesday to advance to the semifinals for the third straight year.

Bonita seemingly did everything according to plan, smothering Damien 6-foot-7 forward Chris Reyes, who didn't score his first field goal until the final minute of the third quarter, daring other Spartans to beat them.

And that's exactly what the Spartans' role players did. J.J. Pavia scored seven of his team- high 10 points in the second half to go with seven rebounds, and guards Clayton White and Gian Demano chipped in with nine points apiece - and they weren't settling for jump shots, they were attacking the paint at every opportunity.

The Spartans (26-3) will be on the road in the semifinals against top seed Harvard-Westlake, which beat Cerritos 73-58 on Tuesday, while the Bearcats finish 26-4.

"We have a lot of good players," Damien coach Matt Dunn said. "We have a lot of guys that live in the gym, and when you live in the gym, you have an opportunity to improve, and we've tried really hard to improve the last three years."

Fourth-seeded teams aren't supposed to need a buzzer-beater from their star player in overtime to escape in the first round, but that's exactly what Damien High School's boys basketball team required out of Chris Reyes.

His floater from the free-throw line as time expired lifted Damien to a 58-56 win over Agoura in overtime on Wednesday night in the first round of the CIF-Southern Section Division 3A playoffs.

"It's funny. Last year in the first round, we had to win in overtime," Damien coach Matt Dunn said. "I thought we were pretty tentative tonight and for whatever reason we weren't aggressive. We could never put them away. We were very fortunate to win."

Damien led by seven with a minute to play, but Agoura sent the game to overtime with a 3-pointer with two seconds left in regulation.

Check out the new promo clip for the video yearbook! Contact Mr. Mike Castillo at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it to order today!

Greetings from the Principal’s Office at Damien! I hope your January was as productive and positive as ours was here at the Big D. The minute we got back into the swing of things after Christmas vacation we had to get prepared for our big Open House for prospective students on Jan. 8^th. It was a smashing success – we had many more parents and students show up to this year’s January Open House than last year’s. Hopefully this will result in a bigger 9^th grade class next school year. I want to thank everybody that was involved in making this past January’s Open House a great one – especially Ms. Sara Ripoly, our Outreach Director, and her partner Mr. Dominic Zampiello. Without their hard work, dedication, and organizational skills this event would have not been possible. Great job Marketing Team!!

 

CHINO HILLS - Junior center Chris Reyes scored 18 of his game-high 22 points after halftime Friday to keep his Damien High School boys basketball team alone atop the Sierra League.

It was a missed opportunity for Ayala as the Bulldogs (12-7, 2-2) forced the Spartans (18-1, 4-0), the Tribune's top-ranked team, into overtime before falling, 59-55.

"They're the frontrunners in league," Bulldogs coach John Mounce said. "We got them at home and we had an opportunity to win and we didn't, so we're disappointed, but I'm proud of our kids, they played their rear ends off."

Episode 6 of Damien TV. Including segments on Martin Luther King, last weeks sports rally, basketball, wrestling, ice hockey and more! Go to the Damien Facebook Page if you'd like to comment on the video.

Original Article by The La Verne Online

Davis Paul is like a hummingbird because he’s rarely, if ever, at rest. Or perhaps, higher up the food chain, he’s like a caged tiger, pacing menacingly, waiting to bust out of his sleepy La Verne cage and begin his career with the Chicago Fire, the Major League Soccer franchise that last week selected him in the third round of the SuperDraft televised on ESPN.

La Verne locals probably recall Paul helping Damien win two CIF soccer championships or being that ubiquitous La Verne Little League switch hitter who was almost impossible to get out.

For now, though, Paul is holing up with his parents in their Upland home until January 27, the day he’s supposed to report to his new team in Chicago.