Hunter Caplan of Crean Lutheran drives against Foothill’s Danny Kennard Friday night. (Photos courtesy Crean Lutheran Shutterbugs, John Luciano and Ted Rigoni).
Every Crestview League boys basketball game this season is turning out to be an adventure.
Friday night’s clash between Foothill and Crean Lutheran at Foothill was no different.
Crean Lutheran built an18-point first half lead, only to see Foothill battle back and take the lead in the final minute of the game. But Crean Lutheran rallied in the final 10 seconds and came away with a 61-60 victory.
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“That kind of game has been our season,” said Crean Lutheran Coach Nate Klitzing. “This game was a mental hurdle for us. We’ve lost a lot of close games down the stretch that haven’t gone our way. Our record is not indicative of our team.
“I told the guys in the huddle near the end of the game that ‘we got this, it’s time to go out and execute.’ I’m really happy for these guys. They are gaining valuable experience, and this game will give them confidence that we can close out games.”
After trailing 38-20 at halftime, the Foothill Knights rallied back and took a 57-55 lead with 2:01 remaining in the game on a 3-point play by Lorenzo Turner.
Moments later, the Saints (7-9, 1-1) tied it at 57-57 on a basket by Hunter Caplan. Foothill (13-7, 0-1) retook the lead, 59-57, on a basket by Max Sutherland with 46 seconds to play.
Jacob Majok made one of two free throws for the Saints with 23 seconds remaining but Crean Lutheran still trailed 59-58.
With 16 seconds left in the game, Sutherland missed two free throws. Zack Hopkins rebounded the second miss for Crean Lutheran and quickly threw an outlet pass near half court to Caplan who barreled in for a layup and was fouled with nine seconds left. Caplan made the free throw, giving the Saints a 61-59 lead.
The Knights inbounded the ball to Braeden Davidson who drove to the basket and was fouled with 1.7 seconds left in the game. Davidson made the first free throw but missed the second one and Crean Lutheran grabbed the rebound to secure the win.
“This win shows the league we mean business and we are here to stay,” said Caplan, who scored 14 points and made several critical shots throughout the game. “We were down by 20 points to La Habra on Tuesday and came back and then lost on a buzzer-beater. This proves we don’t shy away.”
Saints junior guard Jacob Majok was the game’s high scorer with 18 points. He got into foul trouble and sat for a good portion of the second half (he fouled out with 19.7 seconds remaining). Majok scored 15 of his 18 points in the first half and helped Crean Lutheran make a 22-0 run over the final five minutes of the first half.
“The key was that we shared the ball, and we rebounded,” said Majok. “This was a tough game, and this win gives us momentum.”
Majok did an outstanding defensive job on Foothill 6-11 center Danny Kennard, who was held to four points in the first half and finished with 15 points.
Jordan Ceballos also played a strong game defensively for Crean Lutheran.
“We wanted it more mentally,” Ceballos said. “We know we lost a big lead, but we won this game. Our goal is to make the playoffs and win CIF.”
Caden Jones also had a strong game for Crean Lutheran, scoring 10 points.
“I think maybe we took our foot off the gas in the second half but after our last home game we flipped the switch on the season,” said Jones. “We’re all bought in to the system and we have faith that we can win.”
Foothill came out strong in the third quarter and held the Saints to one basket over the first five minutes of the quarter. Kennard’s dunk in the final second cut the lead to 51-40 after three quarters.
Kennard, Davidson, and Turner sparked Foothill’s comeback in the fourth quarter. The Knights limited the Saints to one basket over the first six minutes of the quarter and briefly had the lead before the dramatic finish.
Turner also had 15 points and Davidson added nine points for the Knights.
Foothill Coach Yousef Etemadi was frustrated following his team’s loss.
“You can’t come out flat in the first half in this league as we did tonight,” said Etemadi. “We must play our best, but we missed shots, free throws and we didn’t get stops. We can’t play from behind. We must play with intense urgency.”
Notes:
—-Foothill’s Max Sutherland went down hard battling for a rebound with 5:20 remaining in the game and remained face down on the court for a few minutes as play was stopped. He got up on his own power, went to the bench, and returned late in the game and scored a basket to put the Knights ahead.
—-Foothill’s Kennard credited Davidson as the leader of his team.
“He does it all and we follow his lead,” said Kennard, who finished with 15 points. “We will learn from this game and get ready for Tuesday night’s game.”
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