SAN JUAN CAPISTRANO >> The San Juan Hills boys basketball team had its historic season come to an end Tuesday when it lost to Birmingham 64-56 in the first round of the CIF SoCal Regional Division II playoffs.
San Juan Hills (27-5) beat La Mirada in the CIF Southern Section Division 2A championship game on Friday to win its first section championship for boys basketball in school history.
The Stallions couldn’t find their shooting stroke and at times were physically dominated by Birmingham. San Juan Hills shot 2 of 22 from 3-point range and got outrebounded 43-28.
Mark Reichner (11) of San Juan Hills reacts after scoring in the closing seconds of the 3rd period in a game against Birmingham during the first round of the CIF SoCal Regional Division II playoffs at San Juan Hills High School in San Juan Capistrano on Tuesday, March 1, 2022. (Photo by Leonard Ortiz, Orange County Register/SCNG)
Cameron Hatch (20), left, of Birmingham moves for the basket against John McFadden (23) of San Juan Hills during a game in the first round of the CIF SoCal Regional Division II playoffs at San Juan Hills High School in San Juan Capistrano on Tuesday, March 1, 2022. (Photo by Leonard Ortiz, Orange County Register/SCNG)
Brooklyn Caldwell (35), right, of Birmingham moves around the defense of Mark Reichner (11) of San Juan Hills during a game in the first round of the CIF SoCal Regional Division II playoffs at San Juan Hills High School in San Juan Capistrano on Tuesday, March 1, 2022. (Photo by Leonard Ortiz, Orange County Register/SCNG)
Mark Reichner (11) of San Juan Hills takes a shot in the closing seconds of the 3rd period for the score in a game against Birmingham during the first round of the CIF SoCal Regional Division II playoffs at San Juan Hills High School in San Juan Capistrano on Tuesday, March 1, 2022. (Photo by Leonard Ortiz, Orange County Register/SCNG)
Birmingham reacts after defeating San Juan Hills in the first round of the CIF SoCal Regional Division II playoffs at San Juan Hills High School in San Juan Capistrano on Tuesday, March 1, 2022. (Photo by Leonard Ortiz, Orange County Register/SCNG)
Larry Olayinka (5) of Birmingham shoots over the defense of Gavin Gloude
(32) of San Juan Hills during a game in the first round of the CIF SoCal Regional Division II playoffs at San Juan Hills High School in San Juan Capistrano on Tuesday, March 1, 2022. (Photo by Leonard Ortiz, Orange County Register/SCNG)
of San Juan Hills of Birmingham during a game in the first round of the CIF SoCal Regional Division II playoffs at San Juan Hills High School in San Juan Capistrano on Tuesday, March 1, 2022. (Photo by Leonard Ortiz, Orange County Register/SCNG)
Larry Olayinka (5), center, of Birmingham shoots over the defense of San Juan Hills during a game in the first round of the CIF SoCal Regional Division II playoffs at San Juan Hills High School in San Juan Capistrano on Tuesday, March 1, 2022. (Photo by Leonard Ortiz, Orange County Register/SCNG)
Tyson Jackson (2) of Birmingham shoots over the defense of San Juan Hills during a game in the first round of the CIF SoCal Regional Division II playoffs at San Juan Hills High School in San Juan Capistrano on Tuesday, March 1, 2022. (Photo by Leonard Ortiz, Orange County Register/SCNG)
Larry Olayinka (5), right, of Birmingham scores against San Juan Hills during a game in the first round of the CIF SoCal Regional Division II playoffs at San Juan Hills High School in San Juan Capistrano on Tuesday, March 1, 2022. (Photo by Leonard Ortiz, Orange County Register/SCNG)
Mark Reichner (11) of San Juan Hills shoot over the Birmingham defense during the first round of the CIF SoCal Regional Division II playoffs at San Juan Hills High School in San Juan Capistrano on Tuesday, March 1, 2022. (Photo by Leonard Ortiz, Orange County Register/SCNG)
Birmingham (18-8) finished the regular season as the co-champions in the West Valley League with Taft and El Camino Real. The Patriots fell in the City Section Open Division semifinals to eventual champion Fairfax.
The Patriots will play at Edison in the second round of the regional playoffs Thursday.
Birmingham got dominant performances from point guard Tyson Jackson and 6-foot-9 center Larry Olayinka. Jackson had 20 points and six rebounds with a pair of assists. Olayinka had 20 points with 18 rebounds and four blocks.
Kory Blunt added 14 points for Birmingham and made four late free throws to put the game out of reach for San Juan Hills.
Jackson scored 13 points in the opening quarter to give the Patriots an early 17-10 lead. He made two 3-pointers in the frame, the only 3-pointers Birmingham made for the entire game.
San Juan Hills trailed by as many as 11 points in the first half and didn’t close the gap until the end of the third quarter. Mark Reichner capped an excellent quarter with a long 3-pointer at the buzzer to cut the Stallions’ deficit to three points entering the fourth.
Reichner had a game-high 23 points for the Stallions and had two steals.
San Juan Hills was within five points for much of the fourth quarter. John McFadden fouled out for the Stallions with over four minutes remaining in the game. He had 15 points, 12 rebounds and was matched up against Olayinka on defense.
Jacob Simon scored all six of his points in the fourth for San Juan Hills and Thomas Hattan made a 3-pointer which cut the lead to three points in the late minutes of the game.
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Blunt and Cameron Hatch made the late free throws for the Patriots to seal the game.
Olayinka had 13 points and six rebounds in the fourth quarter.
