{"id":123247,"date":"2026-01-07T06:35:16","date_gmt":"2026-01-07T06:35:16","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/123247\/"},"modified":"2026-01-07T06:35:16","modified_gmt":"2026-01-07T06:35:16","slug":"la-salle-girls-basketball-holds-off-st-anthony-in-del-rey-league-opener-san-gabriel-valley-tribune","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/123247\/","title":{"rendered":"La Salle girls basketball holds off St. Anthony in Del Rey League opener \u2013 San Gabriel Valley Tribune"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"La<\/p>\n

La Salle\u2019s Emily Fong takes the ball around St. Anthony\u2019s Ayaka Yiu during Tuesday\u2019s game at La Salle High School on January 6, 2026. (Photo by Miguel Vasconcellos, Contributing Photographer)\n<\/p>\n

\"La<\/p>\n

La Salle\u2019s Riley Higgins puts the ball up over St. Anthony\u2019s Dallyn Knox during Tuesday\u2019s game at La Salle High School on January 6, 2026. (Photo by Miguel Vasconcellos, Contributing Photographer)\n<\/p>\n

\"La<\/p>\n

La Salle\u2019s Riley Higgins puts the ball up over St. Anthony\u2019s Jordyn Washington (11) and Laila Hughes during Tuesday\u2019s game at La Salle High School on January 6, 2026. (Photo by Miguel Vasconcellos, Contributing Photographer)\n<\/p>\n

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La Salle\u2019s Emily Fong leaps for the loose ball ahead of St. Anthony\u2019s Jordyn Washington (11) and Ayaka Yiu during Tuesday\u2019s game at La Salle High School on January 6, 2026. (Photo by Miguel Vasconcellos, Contributing Photographer)\n<\/p>\n

\"St.<\/p>\n

St. Anthony\u2019s Dallyn Knox goes to the hoop under heavy pressure from 21 during Tuesday\u2019s game at La Salle High School on January 6, 2026. (Photo by Miguel Vasconcellos, Contributing Photographer)\n<\/p>\n

\"St.<\/p>\n

St. Anthony\u2019s Jordyn Washington tries to put the ball up over La Salle\u2019s Emily Fong during Tuesday\u2019s game at La Salle High School on January 6, 2026. (Photo by Miguel Vasconcellos, Contributing Photographer)\n<\/p>\n

\"La<\/p>\n

La Salle\u2019s Maddy Chiang is guarded by St. Anthony\u2019s Laila Hughes during Tuesday\u2019s game at La Salle High School on January 6, 2026. (Photo by Miguel Vasconcellos, Contributing Photographer)\n<\/p>\n

\"La<\/p>\n

La Salle\u2019s Maddy Chiang puts the ball up past St. Anthony\u2019s Noelle Albaran during Tuesday\u2019s game at La Salle High School on January 6, 2026. (Photo by Miguel Vasconcellos, Contributing Photographer)\n<\/p>\n

\"St.<\/p>\n

St. Anthony\u2019s Laila Hughes is pressured by La Salle\u2019s Julianne Tan during Tuesday\u2019s game at La Salle High School on January 6, 2026. (Photo by Miguel Vasconcellos, Contributing Photographer)\n<\/p>\n

\"La<\/p>\n

La Salle\u2019s Riley Higgins makes her way past St. Anthony\u2019s Dallyn Knox during Tuesday\u2019s game at La Salle High School on January 6, 2026. (Photo by Miguel Vasconcellos, Contributing Photographer)\n<\/p>\n

\"La<\/p>\n

La Salle\u2019s Julianne Tan guards St. Anthony\u2019s Laila Hughes during Tuesday\u2019s game at La Salle High School on January 6, 2026. (Photo by Miguel Vasconcellos, Contributing Photographer)\n<\/p>\n

\"St.<\/p>\n

St. Anthony\u2019s Dallyn Knox and La Salle\u2019s Riley Higgins jump for the tip-off during Tuesday\u2019s game at La Salle High School on January 6, 2026. (Photo by Miguel Vasconcellos, Contributing Photographer)\n<\/p>\n

\"St.<\/p>\n

St. Anthony\u2019s Jordyn Washington is pressured by La Salle\u2019s Emily Fong during Tuesday\u2019s game at La Salle High School on January 6, 2026. (Photo by Miguel Vasconcellos, Contributing Photographer)\n<\/p>\n

\"La<\/p>\n

La Salle\u2019s Riley Higgins moves the ball down the court past St. Anthony\u2019s Jordyn Washington during Tuesday\u2019s game at La Salle High School on January 6, 2026. (Photo by Miguel Vasconcellos, Contributing Photographer)\n<\/p>\n

Show Caption<\/p>\n

1 of 14<\/p>\n

La Salle\u2019s Emily Fong takes the ball around St. Anthony\u2019s Ayaka Yiu during Tuesday\u2019s game at La Salle High School on January 6, 2026. (Photo by Miguel Vasconcellos, Contributing Photographer)\n<\/p>\n

Expand<\/a><\/p>\n

SIERRA MADRE \u2014 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.<\/p>\n

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.<\/p>\n

FINAL: La Salle 43, St. Anthony 40 <\/p>\n

La Salle gets the stop they need on the final possession of the game. @SGVNSports<\/a> pic.twitter.com\/JpCylnDCj7<\/a><\/p>\n

\u2014 Gabriel Duarte (@GabrielNDuarte_) January 7, 2026<\/a><\/p>\n

Lancers coach Scott Wiard said his team put the past behind them and are taking a new mindset into league play.<\/p>\n

\u201cThat was really win No. 1 for us,\u201d Wiard said. \u201cWe talked about new season in the league season. I\u2019m glad we had a chance to be successful before, but I\u2019m really grateful we had a chance to finish this one off because every win in the Del Rey League is a big one.\u201d<\/p>\n

The frontcourt duo of Casey Higgins and Aislin Tamez Torres shined for La Salle.<\/p>\n

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.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe were mentally prepared for the game. They are a really good team,\u201d Higgins said. \u201cWe came out with the mentality on defense that we\u2019re gonna stop them no matter what we gotta do. Playing defense was our main goal today.\u201d<\/p>\n

Wiard was proud of the leadership shown by the team\u2019s 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.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe got a lot of veteran kids,\u201d Wiard said, \u201cso 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\u2019re going to win the game, and they came out and did that.\u201d<\/p>\n

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.<\/p>\n

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.<\/p>\n

However, St. Anthony rallied and cut the deficit to just five points after a buzzer-beating 3-pointer from Jordyn Washington.<\/p>\n

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\u2019t enough.<\/p>\n

Washington finished with a game-high 15 points.<\/p>\n

Despite the defensive success, the Lancers were held to their lowest point total since a 46-41 loss to Hawaii\u2019s Maryknoll on Nov. 21.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe know we\u2019re built on our defense and hopefully we get better on offense over the next few weeks,\u201d Wiard said, \u201cbut if we guard like this we got a chance to be successful.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

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