Woodbridge rallies for key victory over Sage Hill on final night of PCL Tournament

(Jaiden Sabino drives the lane for the Warriors as James Karahalios (No. 3) and Tolu Akomolafe of Sage Hill defend. Photo courtesy Jose Lomboy).

Woodbridge High School’s boys basketball team gained some momentum for the CIF playoffs next week with a 47-44 victory over Sage Hill Wednesday night in the final night of the Pacific Coast League post-season tournament at Portola.

The Warriors (14-13) bounced back from a tough loss on Monday to Irvine in the semifinals to defeat Sage Hill. Junior guard Jaiden Sabino led the Warriors with 25 points, including some clutch baskets in the final quarter. Kishon Pandhoh and Jason Briggs added nine points each for the Warriors, who are headed to the CIF playoffs as one of the top four automatic qualifiers.

To see additional photos, click on the first picture:

Jaiden Sabino led the Warriors to a victory
PHOTO: Tim Burt, OC Sports Zone

Jason Briggs of Woodbridge is defended by Tre Cradle of Sage Hill.

Woodbridge Warriors meet for a timeout Wednesday.
PHOTO: Tim Burt, OC Sports Zone

Sage Hill (14-8) was led by Tre Credle who had 15 points and Jackson Cryst who had 12 points. The Lightning also advance to the CIF playoffs.

According to the final point standings based on the regular season and tournament, Sage Hill finished third with nine points and Woodbridge fourth with eight points.

“It was huge,” said Woodbridge Coach Steve Scoggin. “Monday was a very emotional game, very draining but for them to bounce back especially with Sage Hill beating us earlier in the year in an overtime game, I’m proud of these kids. We’ve been dealing with a lot of stuff off the court and on the court, injuries and sickness that everyone is dealing with.

“But for them to come together I’m very proud of them.”

Sabino, as he has done all season, stepped up big, helping the Warriors overcome a two-point deficit going into the final quarter. He scored seven points in the fourth quarter.

“He showed up tonight,” Scoggin said. “For him to stay focused and come out and play like this, the kid showed a lot of heart.”

Sabino was excited about the Warriors win.

“It was a good, competitive game, we were defense heavy to be honest, I was just trying to get all my teammates involved and getting their confidence up and moving the ball,” Sabino said. “In crunch time, that’s when I got to go. I’m happy to get this win. My teammates are there to support me, they believe in me, so that helps me believe in me. I’m glad my shots fell down in the end.”

Now the Warriors await their CIF playoff draw Saturday.

“We will see where we are placed in our division and hopefully we can make a big run, I think our team has the potential to, we’ve just got to play a certain way. Defense is going to be the key if we want to go far in that tournament,” Sabino said.

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