IRVINE – The nickname Cardiac Kids has described many sports teams who live on the edge. And when it was suggested to Crean Lutheran boys basketball coach Nate Klitzing after his team’s latest pulmonary victory, he acknowledged the sentiment.

“Cardiac Kids, Surviving Saints, something alliterative,” he said.

And so it is. The Surviving Saints have done it again. Coming back from a double-digit deficit for the second time in consecutive playoff games, Crean Lutheran scored a stunning 73-66 quarterfinal victory over Campbell Hall in the CIF Southern Section Division 1 playoffs.

Crean Lutheran (18-11) will play its semifinal on Friday at Los Alamitos, a 56-54 winner over Rolling Hills Prep.

Campbell Hall, which defeated top-seeded Crespi of Encinitas in the second round, finished 19-10.

Isaiah Johnson led Campbell Hall with 19 points, and three teammates also scored double figures: Deuce Newt with 17, and James Bass and Nikita Kochnev with 14 apiece.

Crean Lutheran, which outscored the Vikings 25-9 in the fourth quarter, was led by sophomore Caden Jones and freshman Jordan Ceballos with 16 apiece, Jakob Majok with 15, and Matt Ciftcikara with 13.

Crean Lutheran had rallied from a 14-point deficit against another Gold Coast League team in the second round, Brentwood, which split its league games against Campbell Hall.

“We’ve been doing this for awhile,” Klitzing said. “The last four weeks, we’ve had so many close games that we’re used to it. We thrive in this situation, we’re gutting out victories however necessary.

“We started to drive to kick instead of driving to penetrate, and it got us some extra shots. We moved the ball better.”

Once that started happening, Ciftcikara became the hottest player on the planet for 105 seconds. On four consecutive touches, he drilled 3-point baskets to bite into a 12-point deficit, 54-42. His first was with 1 minute, 4 seconds left in the third quarter to make it 52-45, and again with 33 seconds left to make it 56-48. Fifteen seconds into the fourth quarter, he made it 57-51. And 26 seconds after that, he made it 57-54.

Crean Lutheran had made runs earlier in the game after falling behind by as many as 13 in the first quarter. The Saints would pull to within six, then fall back to 12. Pull within four, fall back to 11. And then 12.

And that’s when Ciftcikara started dropping bombs. His shots fell. The momentum turned. The energy surged. The gym rocked. And the comeback was on for good.

“We told our team to not come off him but we came off him and he killed us,” Campbell Hall coach David Grace said. “They just don’t listen. They try to do it their own dang way. Give all the props to (Crean Lutheran), they’re a really good team, I wish them all the best. They outplayed us tonight.”

Unlike previous runs, the one anchored by Ciftcikara spanned from one corner of the baseline to the other, carried with it some lasting momentum. And it was contagious. The hot hand shifted from Ciftcikara to Ceballos, whose layup pulled Crean to 62-61, and double-pump with 3:54 remaining gave Crean its first lead, 63-62, since an early 7-6 advantage.

Ceballos’ free throws made it 65-64 with 2:30 left, and his 3-pointer – on a sweet assist from Caden Jones – extended the Saints’ lead to 68-64.

After Ceballos’ nine consecutive points, Crean made 3 of 4 free throws, and Majok punctuated the victory with a flourish, a breakaway dunk with 22 seconds remaining for the final points.

Although Ceballos shared Saints scoring honors, his defense against Johnson was pivotal. Johnson had scored 43 points in the second round against Crespi, and Klitzing felt his team’s fortunes rested with Ceballos’ defense.

“He’s playing like a veteran senior out there,” Klitzing said. “He takes on the toughest task each game, guarding the other team’s best player, and he’s only 15 years old.”

For the longest time, it looked like it wouldn’t matter. it looked like Campbell Hall’s journey would continue a bit longer. But one thing is certain: It is foolish to write the obituary on Crean Lutheran’s season before the final buzzer.

After all, they’re survivors.

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