CIF Playoffs: Round 3

 

San Clemente

Photo courtesy of Kyusung Gong, photographer for OC Varsity.

By: Abigail Pidazo

Tensions were raised high going into San Clemente Tuesday night. The boys’ basketball team was looking to face the team that last beat them. The game rallied all night. Tillers lead the end of first quarter 16-13. At the half however, San Clemente stole the lead by 7 points. With heavy battling on the court and hard lock down on defense, the Tillers were able to gain back the lead at the end of third quarter 52-49. The tension was felt throughout San Clemente’s gym by fans and players. With just under a minute left and trailing by two, San Clemente in it’s last effort to continue the game into overtime, managed to pass the ball to their dependable player, Sam Darnold. Darnold, who hit multiple three’s, was left open for a two-pointer, but the ball hit the rim and bounced into the hands of George Wilson. The rebound allowed the boys to catch their breath knowing the win was in their hands.

The boys’ next opponent: Millikan High School. Millikan basketball entered the Division 1AA bracket with the 11th seed pick, but pulled an upset over 6th seeded Oak Park. The Millikan boys’ basketball team is ranked 54 in state according to Maxpreps and has an overall record of 20-8. They hold a season scoring average of 85.8.

Tustin defense is up for a battle tonight against Millikan. But the hopes are not lost. Students gathered in the plaza today for a pep rally to boost the spirits of tonight’s game. TJ Shorts is asking for a crowd, more specifically the Tustin student section “the Barn,” to come out and support the team tonight against a very important game against Millikan.

Millikan High School will be bringing in a rooter bus for their student section, “Splash Zone” and will host a white out. Tustin’s student section, “the Barn” will be hosting a black out and will be selling “licensed to Till” shirts for $5 before the game.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *