LONG BEACH >> The motto for the St. Anthony boys basketball team this season is “32 minutes.”
But on Tuesday night, the host Saints were unstoppable from both sides of the court for the final 16 minutes of the game, which included a 19-4 run in the third quarter.
The second-half comeback helped St. Anthony put away Santa Margarita for a 51-44 victory in the second round of the CIF-SS Division 1 playoffs.
St. Anthony (17-7) will be at home Friday against Colony in the quarterfinals.
“Thirty-two minutes,” St. Anthony senior Elijah Price said. “We’ve been saying that all playoffs. All we have is 32 minutes. We’re going to keep fighting and keep working to play all 32 minutes.”
The Eagles (20-5) went ahead early in the first quarter and kept the lead throughout the first half thanks to junior Rockwell Reynolds 16 points.
After being down by eight points at halftime, St. Anthony went on the attack with a full-court press that produced a 19-4 run. The Saints held a four-point lead at the end of the third quarter and never looked back.
“We had to stay composed,” Saints senior Jaayden Bush said. “We knew we couldn’t let them run their sets. They have guys at 6-9, 6-10, so when Elijah got in foul trouble, it was hard to stop them in the first quarter. We had to stay composed and make sure we did what we were supposed to do and we got the win.”
Jaayden Bush led the St. Anthony’s basketball team with 21 points in a playoff victory over Santa Margarita on Tuesday, Feb. 15. (Photo by Manny Alvarez, Contributor)
Bush, who is committed to Hawaii, led the Saints with 21 points while Price added 18 points and five rebounds.
Santa Margarita slowly came back in the final quarter, but had to foul the Saints to put them at the free-throw line.
Bush and Price came through in the clutch at the line. Bush made nine free throws while Price made eight to put away Santa Margarita.
Sophomore Cameron Mercadel scored 12 points while Kyle Evans added eight points, seven rebounds and four blocks for the Eagles, who finished in second place in the Trinity League.
“I’m super happy and proud of our guys,” Santa Margarita coach Justin Bell said. “They showed a lot of resilience all year. They played hard and fought. Credit to St. Anthony. They’re a really good team and really good defensively. They have a good coach. They came out with a good plan and they beat us.”
The Saints will now prepare for another tough battle in Division 1 with the same goal in mind.
“We’re still trying to get 32 minutes,” St. Anthony coach Alan Mitchell said. “If we want to win another day, we have to execute. We can’t have lapses. I know it happens in the game, but we can’t do that. We have to control it.
“We know we have to get ready for Colony. They’re well-coached and it’s a heck of a group over there. I’m excited and thankful. This is fun.”