Citrus hangs on by an inch in thriller against College of the Sequoias at CCCAA Championships
LEMOORE - College of the Sequoias missed by an inch, literally, of advancing to the semifinals of the 2023 CCCAA State Championship last night against Citrus.
Trailing 66-63 with 14 seasons left, Sequoias inbounded the ball and worked it around before Javohn Garcia launched an off-balance shot that baked in tying the score. However, officials gathered and ruled that Garcia's foot was on the line, making it a two-pointer. Free throws by Citrus' Jamal Briscoe secured a 67-65 win for Citrus who advances to play San Francisco City, the defending state champions on Saturday at 3 pm.
The other semifinal game is East Los Angeles vs. Fullerton at 1 pm. The Owls' victory gives Southern California three (Citrus, East Los Angeles, Fullerton) of the four final teams remaining in the tournament at West Hills-Lemoore College. Between the four teams, Sn Francisco City has five state titles, Fullerton four, and Citrus one).
Sequoias got out to a fast start, scoring the first nine points and the first 19 of 26. The Giants held a 19-7 lead with 11:39 left in the first half when Citrus went on a 25-7 run to take a 32-26 halftime lead. Citrus took its first lead at the 7:41 mark when Antony Tello made a layup. Citrus capitalized on Sequoias' 10 turnovers, scoring nine points. The Owls also had a sizeable advantage in the paint, outscoring the Giants 14-6.
At times the contest seemed more like a track meet than a basketball game as the two teams pushed the ball up the floor. Ultimately, the contest came down to the final minutes of the contest. Tied at 61-61 with 2:15 left, Citrus took a three-point lead on a three-pointer by Jayden Johnson. A layup by Sequoias' Terri Miller cut the Owls' lead to one. Citrus extended the lead back to three as Anthony Tello made two free throws with 17 seconds left, setting up the final sequence that ultimately decided the game's outcome.
It was ironic that the game came down to a controversial ruled two-pointer, considering the two teams combined to score 52 points in the paint. But the real difference was in the play of the two team's benches. Citrus, who played 11 players, got 23 points and 13 rebounds from its reserves. Sequoias also played 11 players, but its bench accounted for just 5 points and 7 rebounds.
"We have a lot on starters on this team, more than five, everyone on this team has value," said Citrus head coach Brett Lauer, who is in his second consecutive state championship tournament.
Citrus was led by Tello who scored 17. Johnson added 13. Sequoias got double digits from four starters — Garcia (19 points) Tyjean Burrell (15), and 13 apiece from Jose Cuello and Miller. Sequoias' Cameron Clark was held scoreless but grabbed a game-high 11 rebounds — all defensive.
(Robert Schmidt, CCCMBCA)
