La Salle’s Emily Fong takes the ball around St. Anthony’s Ayaka Yiu during Tuesday’s game at La Salle High School on January 6, 2026. (Photo by Miguel Vasconcellos, Contributing Photographer)
La Salle’s Riley Higgins puts the ball up over St. Anthony’s Dallyn Knox during Tuesday’s game at La Salle High School on January 6, 2026. (Photo by Miguel Vasconcellos, Contributing Photographer)
La Salle’s Riley Higgins puts the ball up over St. Anthony’s Jordyn Washington (11) and Laila Hughes during Tuesday’s game at La Salle High School on January 6, 2026. (Photo by Miguel Vasconcellos, Contributing Photographer)
La Salle’s Emily Fong leaps for the loose ball ahead of St. Anthony’s Jordyn Washington (11) and Ayaka Yiu during Tuesday’s game at La Salle High School on January 6, 2026. (Photo by Miguel Vasconcellos, Contributing Photographer)
St. Anthony’s Dallyn Knox goes to the hoop under heavy pressure from 21 during Tuesday’s game at La Salle High School on January 6, 2026. (Photo by Miguel Vasconcellos, Contributing Photographer)
St. Anthony’s Jordyn Washington tries to put the ball up over La Salle’s Emily Fong during Tuesday’s game at La Salle High School on January 6, 2026. (Photo by Miguel Vasconcellos, Contributing Photographer)
La Salle’s Maddy Chiang is guarded by St. Anthony’s Laila Hughes during Tuesday’s game at La Salle High School on January 6, 2026. (Photo by Miguel Vasconcellos, Contributing Photographer)
La Salle’s Maddy Chiang puts the ball up past St. Anthony’s Noelle Albaran during Tuesday’s game at La Salle High School on January 6, 2026. (Photo by Miguel Vasconcellos, Contributing Photographer)
St. Anthony’s Laila Hughes is pressured by La Salle’s Julianne Tan during Tuesday’s game at La Salle High School on January 6, 2026. (Photo by Miguel Vasconcellos, Contributing Photographer)
La Salle’s Riley Higgins makes her way past St. Anthony’s Dallyn Knox during Tuesday’s game at La Salle High School on January 6, 2026. (Photo by Miguel Vasconcellos, Contributing Photographer)
La Salle’s Julianne Tan guards St. Anthony’s Laila Hughes during Tuesday’s game at La Salle High School on January 6, 2026. (Photo by Miguel Vasconcellos, Contributing Photographer)
St. Anthony’s Dallyn Knox and La Salle’s Riley Higgins jump for the tip-off during Tuesday’s game at La Salle High School on January 6, 2026. (Photo by Miguel Vasconcellos, Contributing Photographer)
St. Anthony’s Jordyn Washington is pressured by La Salle’s Emily Fong during Tuesday’s game at La Salle High School on January 6, 2026. (Photo by Miguel Vasconcellos, Contributing Photographer)
La Salle’s Riley Higgins moves the ball down the court past St. Anthony’s Jordyn Washington during Tuesday’s game at La Salle High School on January 6, 2026. (Photo by Miguel Vasconcellos, Contributing Photographer)
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La Salle’s Emily Fong takes the ball around St. Anthony’s Ayaka Yiu during Tuesday’s game at La Salle High School on January 6, 2026. (Photo by Miguel Vasconcellos, Contributing Photographer)
SIERRA MADRE — After breezing through its nonleague games and compiling a 16-2 record, the La Salle girls basketball team ran into some stiff resistance in its Del Rey League opener against St. Anthony on Tuesday night.
The Saints had a chance to tie the game with 10 seconds left, but La Salle got a final stop to secure a 43-40 win.
FINAL: La Salle 43, St. Anthony 40
La Salle gets the stop they need on the final possession of the game. @SGVNSports pic.twitter.com/JpCylnDCj7
— Gabriel Duarte (@GabrielNDuarte_) January 7, 2026
Lancers coach Scott Wiard said his team put the past behind them and are taking a new mindset into league play.
“That was really win No. 1 for us,” Wiard said. “We talked about new season in the league season. I’m glad we had a chance to be successful before, but I’m really grateful we had a chance to finish this one off because every win in the Del Rey League is a big one.”
The frontcourt duo of Casey Higgins and Aislin Tamez Torres shined for La Salle.
Tamez Torres finished with a team-high 14 points and eight rebounds. Higgins, a Cal State LA commit, had 13 points on 5-of-8 shooting from the field and added five rebounds, a block and a steal.
“We were mentally prepared for the game. They are a really good team,” Higgins said. “We came out with the mentality on defense that we’re gonna stop them no matter what we gotta do. Playing defense was our main goal today.”
Wiard was proud of the leadership shown by the team’s veterans against one of the best statistical offenses in the CIF Southern Section. La Salle held St. Anthony to its lowest point total of the season.
“We got a lot of veteran kids,” Wiard said, “so while we might not have a lot of close games this year, the kids have played a lot of basketball before. We came into the last timeout and said hey if we get one stop, we’re going to win the game, and they came out and did that.”
Both teams struggled early in the first half. Every time it looked like La Salle would go on a run, the Saints put a quick end to it. And vice versa.
La Salle went up 23-13 with 1:40 left to go in the first half and looked like it could enter the break with a large lead.
However, St. Anthony rallied and cut the deficit to just five points after a buzzer-beating 3-pointer from Jordyn Washington.
After a 12-point third quarter from the Lancers, St. Anthony buckled down defensively, holding La Salle to just six points in the fourth quarter, but it wasn’t enough.
Washington finished with a game-high 15 points.
Despite the defensive success, the Lancers were held to their lowest point total since a 46-41 loss to Hawaii’s Maryknoll on Nov. 21.
“We know we’re built on our defense and hopefully we get better on offense over the next few weeks,” Wiard said, “but if we guard like this we got a chance to be successful.”