Beckman keeps its CIF playoffs hopes alive with PCL victory over Woodbridge

Miguel Lllanes (left) and Abhi Archarya led Beckman to a victory Friday night. (Photo: OC Sports Zone, Tom Connolly).

With the basketball regular season winding down and the CIF playoffs a little more than a week away, each game becomes more critical. 

Friday night at Beckman High, the Beckman made a strong bid for a CIF post season appearance defeating Woodbridge 64-45, avenging an earlier season loss to the Warriors. 

Abhi Acharya scored 16 points and Dowon Kim and Yousif Zanana each poured in 15 points apiece as the Patriots won their third consecutive game and evened their league record at 5-5 (9-16 overall).

By winning, Beckman keeps the pressure on University and Laguna Hills for third place in league and a playoff spot. Beckman has two regular season games remaining next week with University and Portola.

The Warriors, who are battling for the top spot in league with Portola, dropped to 6-3 in league and 11-13 with three games remaining.

“At halftime we kept stressing our initial game plan,” said Patriots Coach John Goins. “I loved our energy tonight. We never let up. After a tough stretch in mid-season, it has taken us all season to get to be playing as well as we are right now. Of course, they were missing their top player, Nygle Williams, so that allowed us to key on their top guard, Aaron Long.”

A combination of a tough Beckman defense and poor shooting by Woodbridge in the third quarter enabled the Patriots to create some separation as they led 43-38 after three quarters. Beckman kept the pressure on into the fourth quarter and pulled away. The Patriots outscored the Warriors 30-11 in the second half.

“Our defense really stepped it up, we moved the ball around and we knocked down shots,” said Kim, who’s 3-pointer increased Beckman’s lead to 56-42 with 3:30 remaining. “We knew Woodbridge is the type of team that can come back at any time, so we just playing hard.” 

“We didn’t force anything and we took good shots,” said Acharya, who scored six key points in the fourth quarter.

Zanana, who began the season as the Patriots team manager, played his best game of the season. He scored 8 points in the fourth quarter and was a force on the boards at both ends of the floor.

Zanana, Miguel Llanes and Acharya ignited a 16-4 Beckman run to start the fourth quarter as the Patriots put the game away.  

Llanes also turned in a strong performance as he scored 11 points for Beckman.

“We kept our composure and shared the ball and didn’t allow them to come back,” Llanes said.

Long, Woodbridge’s junior guard, led all scorers with 22 points. Josh Lomboy also added 10 points for the Warriors.

“Beckman executed better than we did and they coached better than we did tonight and that was the difference,” said Woodbridge Coach Steven Scoggin. “If was tough without Nygle (Williams, who is injured), but we have to learn from this and get better. We have a lot of work yet to do.”

The game was tied at 22-22 after the first quarter and again at halftime at 34-34.

According to Scoggin, a decision has not been made yet to determine if the Woodbridge/Laguna Hills game that was cancelled earlier this week will be made up next week or not.

—Tom Connolly, For OC Sports Zone