PHOTOS: Portola falls to top-seeded Providence 66-53 in second round of CIF 3AA playoffs

Portola’s Mohsen Hashemi drives to the basket as A’Jahni Levias of Providence defends. (Photos: Fernando M. Donado, For OC Sports Zone)

Portola’s boys basketball team had many big victories this season, but the Bulldogs came short Friday night in their bid to upset Providence of Burbank, the top-seeded team in the CIF 3AA division.

The Pioneers showed why they are No. 1 capturing a 66-53 victory in front of a big crowd at Portola.

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“Our guys fought, they’re number one for a reason,” said Portola Coach Brian Smith. “They finished and they did exactly what they needed to do to win. We played some good defense, gave up some offensive rebounds and had some silly turnovers.

“But I can’t fault our guys. Our guys’ effort was there. Their heart was there. I’m super proud of this team and the seniors. I hate that we had to lose tonight, but there’s a reason they’re number one.”

Providence (24-6) moves on to the quarterfinal round Tuesday.

Portola (18-12) did not go down without a fight. After falling behind by 12 points in the fourth quarter, the Bulldogs cut the lead to 57-50 on a 3-pointer by Robert Giraldy with 3:03 left in the contest. But that was as close as Portola could get.

Giraldy led Portola with 20 points and three 3-pointers. Center Mohsen Hashemi scored 15 points and grabbed nine rebounds and Soma Doherty had 10 points for Portola.

The Bulldogs had trouble containing a powerful Providence team which were led by Jordan Shelley with 17 points and A’Jahni Levias, who had 16 points and grabbed 15 rebounds. He was also a force on defense. Bryce Whitaker added 15 points and Collin Ferrell had nine points.

The teams were tied 17-17 after one quarter. A 3-pointer by Portola’s Saif Habibeh at the buzzie tied it up. Providence took a 29-26 lead at halftime.

Portola cut the lead to 36-34 on a basket by Jeffrey Chen with 3:30 remaining in the third quarter. But Providence held a 43-37 lead going into the final stanza.

The Pioneers, cheered on by a large contingent of fans, then held off Portola’s hopes for a comeback in the final quarter.

“We battled, but in the end we came up short,” said Giraldy. “They played really solid defense and made big plays when the task came at hand and we just didn’t make the big plays tonight. But it’s all good, it was a helluva season, I’m so proud of my boys, proud of my brothers. This coaching staff was phenomenal this year. Coach Smith coached fantastic the whole year.”

Giraldy was hoping the Bulldogs could rally back.

“I was seeing a little bit from last year when we would crawl back a few times late in close games, and I just tried to tap back into that and see how we could come back with three or four minutes,” he said. “In the end, we came up short.”

Portola’s players followed their tradition and made their trip across the court after the game to thank a large contingent of students who showed up to cheer them on.

-Tim Burt, OC Sports Zone; timburt@ocsportszone.com