IRVINE >> The Damien boys basketball team overcame a 20-point deficit Friday to beat Crean Lutheran 64-59 in the first game of pool play in the CIF-SS Open Division playoffs at Crean Lutheran High.
Crean Lutheran (22-4) went on an 18-1 run to begin the second quarter and jumped to a 37-17 lead. The Spartans scored eight unanswered points to end the half and enter halftime down 37-25.
Damien (27-2) chipped away at the lead in the third quarter and cut the lead to six. Colorado signee RJ Smith made two consecutive 3-pointers in the frame and Bradley Xie made one.
Damien forward Jimmy Oladokun, left, gets past Crean Lutheran guard Parker Tuttle, right, to take a shot for a basket in the first pool play game of CIF-SS Open Division boys basketball playoffs in Irvine on Friday, February 11, 2022. (Photo by Paul Rodriguez, Contributing Photographer)
Crean Lutheran guard Rui Han watches scrambles after a loose ball against Damien in the first pool play game of CIF-SS Open Division boys basketball playoffs in Irvine on Friday, February 11, 2022. (Photo by Paul Rodriguez, Contributing Photographer)
Damien forward Jimmy Oladokun, Crean Lutheran forward Koat Keat and Crean Lutheran center James Agany, from left, try to control a rebound in the first pool play game of CIF-SS Open Division boys basketball playoffs in Irvine on Friday, February 11, 2022. (Photo by Paul Rodriguez, Contributing Photographer)
The Damien team cheer as their adds another basket to their lead late in the fourth period against Crean Lutheran in the first pool play game of CIF-SS Open Division boys basketball playoffs in Irvine on Friday, February 11, 2022. (Photo by Paul Rodriguez, Contributing Photographer)
Crean Lutheran guard Vyctorius Miller, right, misses a shot as Damien guard RJ Smith, left, jumps in front of him during the first pool play game of CIF-SS Open Division boys basketball playoffs in Irvine on Friday, February 11, 2022. (Photo by Paul Rodriguez, Contributing Photographer)
Crean Lutheran guard Rui Han, right, reaches to slap the ball away from Damien guard Bradley Xie, left, in the first pool play game of CIF-SS Open Division boys basketball playoffs in Irvine on Friday, February 11, 2022. (Photo by Paul Rodriguez, Contributing Photographer)
Crean Lutheran fans react to scoring play by their team against Damien in the first pool play game of CIF-SS Open Division boys basketball playoffs in Irvine on Friday, February 11, 2022. (Photo by Paul Rodriguez, Contributing Photographer)
Crean Lutheran guard Rui Han, center, collides with Damien forward Jimmy Oladokun, right, and loses control of the ball in the first pool play game of CIF-SS Open Division boys basketball playoffs in Irvine on Friday, February 11, 2022. (Photo by Paul Rodriguez, Contributing Photographer)
Crean Lutheran center James Agany, right, blocks a shot by Damien guard Bradley Xie, left, in the first pool play game of CIF-SS Open Division boys basketball playoffs in Irvine on Friday, February 11, 2022. (Photo by Paul Rodriguez, Contributing Photographer)
Crean Lutheran guard Rui Han takes a jump shot in front of Damien forward Jimmy Oladokun in the first pool play game of CIF-SS Open Division boys basketball playoffs in Irvine on Friday, February 11, 2022. (Photo by Paul Rodriguez, Contributing Photographer)
Damien forward Jimmy Oladokun, left, and Crean Lutheran forward Koat Keat reach to control the ball under the basket in the first pool play game of CIF-SS Open Division boys basketball playoffs in Irvine on Friday, February 11, 2022. (Photo by Paul Rodriguez, Contributing Photographer)
Damien players congratulate each other after taking the lead in the fourth period in the first pool play game of CIF-SS Open Division boys basketball playoffs in Irvine on Friday, February 11, 2022. (Photo by Paul Rodriguez, Contributing Photographer)
Crean Lutheran guard Joshua Birket (25) reacts as his team turns over the ball to Damien late in the fourth period in the first pool play game of CIF-SS Open Division boys basketball playoffs in Irvine on Friday, February 11, 2022. (Photo by Paul Rodriguez, Contributing Photographer)
Damien players celebrate after winning the first pool play game of CIF-SS Open Division boys basketball playoffs against Crean Lutheran in Irvine on Friday, February 11, 2022. (Photo by Paul Rodriguez, Contributing Photographer)
Damien forward Jimmy Oladokun, right, keeps Crean Lutheran guard Vyctorius Miller, left, from making a shot in the first pool play game of CIF-SS Open Division boys basketball playoffs in Irvine on Friday, February 11, 2022. (Photo by Paul Rodriguez, Contributing Photographer)
Damien guard RJ Smith dives after the ball in an effort to keep from going out of bounds against Crean Lutheran in the first pool play game of CIF-SS Open Division boys basketball playoffs in Irvine on Friday, February 11, 2022. (Photo by Paul Rodriguez, Contributing Photographer)
Damien forward Jimmy Oladokun, right, looks to put up a shot over Crean Lutheran guard Parker Tuttle, left, in the first pool play game of CIF-SS Open Division boys basketball playoffs in Irvine on Friday, February 11, 2022. (Photo by Paul Rodriguez, Contributing Photographer)
Crean Lutheran guard Darrell Morris, left, is fouled as he goes in for a layup in the first pool play game of CIF-SS Open Division boys basketball playoffs in Irvine on Friday, February 11, 2022. (Photo by Paul Rodriguez, Contributing Photographer)
Crean Lutheran forward Koat Keat, left, moves past Damien forward Jimmy Oladokun, right, to take a shot during the first pool play game of CIF-SS Open Division boys basketball playoffs in Irvine on Friday, February 11, 2022. (Photo by Paul Rodriguez, Contributing Photographer)
Crean Lutheran fans cheer their team during the first pool play game of CIF-SS Open Division boys basketball playoffs against Damien in Irvine on Friday, February 11, 2022. (Photo by Paul Rodriguez, Contributing Photographer)
Crean Lutheran Isaiah Johnson, left, goes up for a basket over Orange Glen’s Damien Miller during the CIF-SS Division 3 Regionals game at Crean Lutheran in Irvine on Wednesday, March 7, 2018. (Photo by Kyusung Gong/Contributing Photographer)
Crean Lutheran fans react to a play by their team during the first pool play game of CIF-SS Open Division boys basketball playoffs against Damien in Irvine on Friday, February 11, 2022. (Photo by Paul Rodriguez, Contributing Photographer)
“We had to make a decision, are we going to grind and battle or are we just going to say they got this,” Damien coach Mike LeDuc said. “We got off to a good start in the third quarter and were in battle mode at that point. Every possession was a grind for the entire game.”
Kaleb Smith made a 3-pointer to cut the lead to two and Spivey Word made a layup to tie the game with 3:55 remaining.
The Saints led by two points with two minutes remaining in the game when their star forward, UC Santa Barbara commit Koat Keat, fouled out of the game. The 6-foot-10 Keat had 14 points and 11 rebounds.
Kaleb Smith made a 3-point bank shot and Word followed with a corner 3-pointer to give Damien a 60-56 lead with 32.9 seconds remaining. Smith scored nine of his 12 points in the fourth quarter.
Parker Tuttle made a 3-pointer for Crean Lutheran to cut the Spartans’ lead to one with 23 seconds remaining.
RJ Smith sank two free throws, and after a Crean Lutheran turnover, he made two more to finish the game.
“Credit to them, they hit some big shots in the second half,” Crean Lutheran coach Nate Klitzing said. “Maybe some fatigue and we got in some foul trouble, but I’m proud of our guys. They put us in a position to win.”
Jimmy Oladokun had a big game for Damien with 18 points and 10 rebounds. The 6-foot-8 junior has an offer from New Mexico.
“Jimmy had an outstanding game,” LeDuc said. “He was sore and his calf was cramping out, but he sucked it up and was playing with four fouls for a lot of that time.”
Word had 14 points for Damien and RJ Smith added 10.
Sophomore Vyctorious Miller had a team-high 15 points for Crean Lutheran and Tuttle added 10.
Crean Lutheran will host Bishop Montgomery on Tuesday. Bishop Montgomery lost Friday to top seeded Centennial of Corona.
“The key is knowing that we can be one of the best defensive teams around,” Klitzing said. “We showed that in the first half. Damien was just able to make a couple of more plays than we did.”
Damien will travel to Centennial on Tuesday. The Spartans lost to Centennial 82-69 last season during pool play of the Open Division playoffs.
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“Any win in the Open Division is a great win,” LeDuc said. “This was a great environment for high school basketball. A game coming down to the last possession, any time you have an experience like that it’s great for the guys going forward.”
