GARDEN GROVE >> A 3-pointer by Garden Grove’s Vidal Jimenez with less than 20 seconds remaining in the game was the biggest shot of the CIF SS Division 4AA boys basketball championship contest between the Argonauts and Fullerton on Friday at Garden Grove High School.
A steal by the Argonauts’ Miguel Ortega with 17.7 seconds on the clock was the biggest defensive play of the game.
Ortega converted the steal into a basket for the final blow in the Argonauts’ 54-50 victory that gave Garden Grove (22-8) its first CIF-SS boys basketball title in the school’s 101-year history.
Vidal Jimenez’s clutch 3 pointer in the final minute was the difference for Garden Grove! @ocvarsity @OCSportsZone @SteveFryer @ocvarsityguy @MAlvarez02 @DavidDelgado_OC pic.twitter.com/GwjKzD1pry
— GGUSD Athletics (@ggusdathletics) February 26, 2022
“Coming into this game, we didn’t change much, because we’ve got to stick to what we’ve done all season,” Garden Grove coach Brian Girard said. “That is what we did. We played great defense. We kept them to one shot as much as we could.”
Jimenez’s basket broke a tie to give Garden Grove a 52-49 lead.
Ortega’s steal and ensuing basket essentially took away any chance for last-second heroics by the Indians (17-15).
Fullerton came back from a 10-point deficit in the third quarter to get to within two.
The Indians then came back from a seven-point deficit in the fourth quarter to take a 48-47 lead with two minutes remaining.
Ortega hit a layup to put Garden Grove back on top with 1:25 left.
The Argonauts then held the Indians to one point the rest of the way.
“It was tough late to come back from that big three,” Fullerton coach Erik Kamrath said. “It stopped the momentum for sure.”
Josiah Reed and Christian Hubbard led the Indians with 18 and 13 points, respectively.
Playing five league games and three playoff games that all came down to the wire prepared the Argonauts for the final seconds of the championship game, Girard said.
“I knew that we could handle this,” he said.
With two north Orange County schools, that are just 13 miles apart, playing for a championship, fans from both sides packed Garden Grove’s small gym and were loud the entire game.
Ortega said he was inspired by the atmosphere.
“Look at this crowd,” Ortega said. “First title in 101 years. We wanted to bring home the trophy and we did that today. All of them are happy.”
Ortega, a senior, scored a team-high 17 points, mostly by muscling his way to the basket.
Ortega was also effective driving to the hoop and passing off at the last second.
He even hit a 3-pointer early in third quarter, putting the Argonauts up by four at the time.
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The Indians knocked off three league champions, including top seeded Artesia, to reach the finals.
“We’ve been in these situations,” Kamrath said. “That is why we were able on this big stage, we were able to come back and take the lead. That’s really tough to do in this environment.”