SAN JUAN CAPISTRANO >> The JSerra boys basketball team put on one of its best performances of the season in a 72-44 win over Rolling Hills Prep in the CIF-SS Division 1 playoffs Tuesday at JSerra High.

JSerra (17-9) shot 55 percent from 3-point range, had 16 assists and were the only team this season to hold second-seeded Rolling Hills Prep (21-2) under 50 points in a game.

“When we play with confidence we are a tough group to beat because we’ll guard every night, it’s just about shot making and sharing the ball,” JSerra coach Keith Wilkinson said. “We don’t have a superstar but we have a lot of capable guys that can affect the game and are winners.”

JSerra will play at St. Francis of La Canada on Friday in the quarterfinals. The two programs have not played each other since 2015.

Senior guard Robert Diaz filled up the stat sheet for the Lions. He had a game-high 16 points, five rebounds and four blocks. Sophomore point guard Aidan Fowler had 13 points and made three out of four 3-point attempts.

Junior Everett Bryson had a nice game with 13 points and six assists for the Lions.

The officials allowed both teams to get away with contact. Neither team reached the bonus in either half. JSerra only had five three throw attempts and Rolling Hills Prep never reached the free throw line.

“We just tried to fill with our bodies, keep them out of the paint and challenge shots,” Wilkinson said. “The refs let us play tonight which is helpful, but we did a great job playing without our hands and filling with the body.”

JSerra outrebounded Rolling Hills Prep 33-20. Dane Persek and Joshua Ragsdale each had six rebounds to lead the Lions. Seydi Thiombane and Kenny Manzi each had five for the Huskies.

The Lions built a strong lead in the first half with their shooting. They carried a 32-21 lead into halftime and converted 67 percent of their 3-point attempts in the first half. JSerra had a 10-0 run in the first quarter and a 16-3 run in between the first two quarters.

JSerra added 9 points to its lead in the third quarter to enter the fourth up 53-33. Diaz had eight points in the frame and Ragsdale added four.

Both teams did a good job taking care of the ball. JSerra only had four turnovers and Rolling Hills Prep only had seven.

Rolling Hills Prep entered with a nine-game winning streak and was the Coastal League champion. The Huskies’ only previous loss was by two points to Crean Lutheran, which is playing in the elite Open Division playoffs.

Related Articles

JV Brown had a team-high 15 points for Rolling Hills Prep, 10 of which came in the third quarter. Stanford commit Benny Gealer scored 14 points and made four 3-pointers.