Weekly Sports Beat (1-27-12)

Another week, another Weekly Sports Beat. This week we will take a look at how the C-M-S men's basketball team bounced back from its first loss of the regular season, the women's version of the Sixth Street Showdown in C-M-S and Pomona Pitzer women's basketball and the improvement of the Claremont High School varsity wrestling team. Let's get to it:

-Last Saturday, the C-M-S men's basketball team suffered a heartbreaking double overtime loss to Whittier, 88-85, to record its first loss of the 2011-12 season. The Stags then bounced back on Wednesday with a 75-64 victory over Occidental to capture its 16th win. C-M-S currently stands at 16-1 overall and will host Cal Lutheran at home tomorrow at 7:30 p.m.

Landus' Note: An undefeated record is always a great accomplishments but sometimes it can be a heavy burden to carry. With the undefeated record no longer a factor, C-M-S can now focus on reaching the postseason and seeing what they can when they reach there. Coach Ken Scalmanini will have his team ready the rest of the way and I am sure the players will very much be looking forward to the Feb.4 rematch with Whittier. In sports, every team will eventually lose but it's always about how you bounce back after a loss.

-The Claremont High School varsity wrestling team suffered a 52-27 defeat at the hands of Ayala on Thursday. Parker Blakeslee (heavyweight class), Daniel Soto (170 lbs), Vicente Lopez (113 lbs), Malik Webster (132 lbs) and Alexander Merritt (160 lbs) were all victorious for the Wolfpack. Coach Gerald Escalante said that he has been pleased with the team's improvement from last year and looks forward to the years ahead. The full story on Thursday's wrestling meet will be in Saturday's edition of the COURIER.

Landus' Note: This year's team looked significantly more competitive than the CHS wrestling teams of the recent past. Lopez and Webster are 2 freshmen that people should keep an eye on going forward. Their victories against Ayala are big confidence boosters and the it will be interesting to watch the development of them and other returning grapplers by next season.

-The C-M-S men and women's swim teams continue to remain undefeated in the Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SCIAC) meets this seasons as the 2 squads improved to 5-0 in conference meets last Saturday with the men's team defeating Occidental, 235-53, and the women's team taming the Tigers, 203-93. Vincent Pai led the way for the Stags with victories in the 100 (58.81) and 200-yard breaststroke (2:10.33) while teammates James Stevick, Brad Perfect, Jeff McNerney, Cameron Whiting and Austin Hallett were also multi-event winners. Michele Kee (50-yard free, 400-yard IM) and LillyBelle Deer (500 & 1650-yard free) led the way for the Athenas in last Saturday's meet as the 2 C-M-S teams will be in action tomorrow at Cal Lutheran.

Landus' Note: The swim program at C-M-S continues to be amazing. The Stags and Athenas only have 2 more meets to go to reach the SCIAC Championships with an undefeated conference record. To put it in perspective just how good C-M-S has been in the pool, the women's team has won the last 9 SCIAC championships while the men's team has won the last 4. We can call it a SCIAC dynasty.

-The Webb School's varsity boys basketball team is currently in 2nd place in the Prep League with a 10-5, 3-1 record. The Gauls' last few games have been against nonleague opponents but Webb will return to league play tonight at Flintridge Prep, who currently sits at the Prep League's top team with a 4-0 league record.

Landus' Note: This is a big game for Coach Rick Duque and company tonight in La Canada. If the Gauls can win tonight's game, Webb will move into a tie with Flintridge Prep for first place in the Prep League.