LA HABRA >> Sonora boys basketball coach Mike Murphy said his team stayed with their opponent for 29 minutes on Friday night.
The other three minutes were controlled by Serra guard Tomi Adesiji.
The senior scored 24 points, including six 3-pointers, to lead the Cavaliers to a 67-59 victory over host Sonora in the opening round of the CIF-SS Division 2AA playoffs.
The victory sends Serra (19-11) to the second round. The Cavaliers will host Oxnard on Tuesday, Feb. 15.
“Tomi got hot in the third quarter,” Murphy said. “He got separation from us. We played with them for 29 minutes and then those three minutes in the middle of the third quarter is where they got separation from us and it got us behind.
“We didn’t come here to play them close, we came here to win. We thought we were going to beat them and we were prepared to win. We made a couple of mistakes defensively down there. … This was a tough one.”
Adesiji started the game with two quick 3-pointers, but the Raiders (18-8) fired right back with 3-pointers of their own from Kanoa Kakihara and Evan Tardiff.
Tardiff led Sonora with 16 points while Kakihara added 15 points, all from 3-point range.
The hot shooting gave Sonora a 30-26 lead at halftime.
“We started out very strong playing defense,” Adesiji said. “But we got a little bit comfortable. We started to pick it up again in the second half to get a good lead. My guys found me tonight. I was in the zone and I was letting it fly.”
Postgame interview with Serra guard Tomi Adesiji. 24 points with 6 3-points for Adesiji as Serra advances!@ocvarsity @SwaggyCDawg5 @serrasports @serrabasketball @latsondheimer @James_Escarcega @SGVNSports pic.twitter.com/NH9oQDY9Ju
— Manny Alvarez (@MAlvarez02) February 12, 2022
The Cavaliers adjusted in the second half defensively to take back control of the game, helped in part by Jason Davis (nine rebounds, seven points).
Jeremy Smith added 12 points and six rebounds for Serra while Laqwon Cole scored 10 points to go with five assists.
Postgame interview with Serra coach Bernard McCrumby as the Cavaliers comeback in the second half over Sonora to survive and advance!@ocvarsity @SwaggyCDawg5 @serrasports @serrabasketball @latsondheimer @James_Escarcega @SGVNSports pic.twitter.com/wnIiMDypHy
— Manny Alvarez (@MAlvarez02) February 12, 2022
Sonora attempted to make a late comeback thanks to late 3-pointers from Kakihara, but the Cavaliers held on despite the senior’s hot hand in the final minutes.
Yanmife Oke scored 11 points and Garrett Icenhower added eight points for Sonora, which ends the season with another Freeway League title.
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“Our team was underrated all year,” Murphy said. “People didn’t predict us to finish in the top half of the league and we went 9-1. Kanoa is the heart of our team. I was so proud of him tonight. He kept us alive late in the game.
“I’m sure no one thought we would hang with Serra tonight. I’ve told the kids all year long that no one thinks you can win and that got them motivated this season.”