MYLES SALAS of Pacifica (44) and Diego Bracamonte of Santiago (14) in action (OC Tribune photos).
By Miles Gaskin/Orange County Tribune
The Santiago Cavaliers were able to overcome Garden Grove district rival Pacifica Mariners 50-43 on its home court on Friday night in a CIF-SS Division 4-AA semifinal.
BATTLING for rebounds was fierce.
The game was neck and neck all night long and played before an overflow crowd. Santiago was able to pull away thanks to some big time shots down the stretch: three huge three-pointers in the fourth quarter from Santiago senior wing Jordan De La Mora.
With the loss, Pacifica drops to 21-11 on the season Santiago improves to 21-11 and will face Ramona in the 4-AA championship game on Feb. 28.
For the Cavaliers, De La Mora led the way, finishing with 25 points, five three-pointers, and two steals. The Cavs also got a lift from senior combo guard Jayden Baude who finished with 10 points, six assists, three rebounds, and two steals.
The Mariners were led by junior forward Anthony Smith, who finished with 12 points, seven rebounds, two assists, a block and a steal. Junior shooting guard Myles Salas continued his solid play, finishing with 13 points, four rebounds, three assists, and two blocks.
Pacifica Coach Dave Friedman was proud of the effort his team put forth despite the result.
“I have been proud the entire season,” he said. “The resilience this team has shown all year long has been unbelievable, our kids never stopped fighting, never stopped battling.”
Despite being proud of the team there were moments Coach Friedman wished the team could have back.
“Santiago deserves all the credit, but I felt we shot ourselves in the foot in the first half, we missed six point blank layups that I think would have changed the tone of the game, and we turned the ball over too much in the third quarter.”
