The Ayala Bulldogs defended their home court Friday night, holding off a determined late push to defeat the Diamond Bar Brahmas 67–63 in a Palomares League boys varsity basketball matchup at Ayala High School.

The victory improved Ayala’s record to 16–4 overall and 2–1 in league play, while Diamond Bar slipped to 11–10 overall and 1–2 in Palomares League action. Tipoff took place at 6:30 p.m. on Friday night.

Ayala established control early behind an aggressive offensive start, racing out to a 16–4 lead midway through the first quarter and closing the opening period ahead 25–9. The Bulldogs continued to apply pressure in the second quarter, extending their advantage to 27–11 with 5:50 remaining before the Brahmas began to respond.

Diamond Bar found momentum late in the half, sparked by a three-pointer from Ezekiel Alegado that trimmed the deficit to 29–20 with 2:59 left in the second quarter. Despite the surge, Ayala maintained composure and carried a 36–26 lead into halftime.

The Bulldogs remained in front throughout the third quarter, pushing the lead to 51–44 heading into the final eight minutes. Diamond Bar refused to fade, cutting the margin to 53–46 early in the fourth quarter and later pulling within four, trailing 60–56 with 2:30 remaining. After narrowing the score to 65–63 with 14.2 seconds left, the Brahmas had chances to complete the comeback, but Ayala made key defensive stops and sealed the game from the free-throw line.

Senior Brenden White led Ayala with 21 points, pacing a balanced Bulldogs scoring effort. Zach Canellopoulos finished with 8 points, while Paul Christian and Joshua Townsell each added 7. Jacky Zhao scored 6 points, Brayden Pangan chipped in 5, Milo Ten had 4, and Isaiah Dolloso and Ethan Pelayo contributed 2 points apiece.

Diamond Bar was led by senior Jedi Chow, who scored a game-high 31 points, marking a career-high performance for Chow at Diamond Bar High School. Ezekiel Alegado added 14 points, including four three-pointers, while Jacob Kim finished with 11 points. Ayden Ellis and Brendan Ho each scored 2 points for the Brahmas.

Statistically, Diamond Bar held an edge on the boards, totaling 22 rebounds with 8 offensive rebounds and 14 defensive rebounds. Ayala finished with 19 rebounds, including 7 offensive and 12 defensive boards. Turnovers proved to be a decisive factor, as the Brahmas committed 17 turnovers, which Ayala converted into 20 points in a tightly contested four-point game.

From the perimeter, Diamond Bar shot 6-for-19 from three-point range, while Ayala finished 5-for-14. At the free-throw line, the Bulldogs were efficient, converting 12 of 15 attempts, compared to Diamond Bar’s 7-for-9 performance.

Diamond Bar will look to rebound in its next outing when it visits inter-district rival Walnut Mustangs on Wednesday, January 14 at 6:30 p.m. Ayala returns to action the same night on the road against the Claremont Wolfpack, with tipoff scheduled for 6:30 p.m.

Photos

Photos taken by Anthony Sarinana