In one of the most tense and evenly-played games imagineable, #4 Irvine Valley (26-4) prevailed by the narrowest of margins over #5 Mt. San Antonio (25-5) Saturday night in the regional final to advance to the state tournament for the first time in program history.
It's often said after a close game that it's a shame someone had to lose, but this game was truly such a game.
The teams were extraordinarly evenly-matched. Each entered with a 25-4 record. The score was tied at 34 at halftime. The score was tied at 65 at the end of regulation. And Irvine Valley prevailed only after surviving potential game-winning shots as the buzzer sounded at the end of regulation time and again as the buzzer sounded at the end of overtime.
The first half saw nine tie scores and seven lead changes before ending with the teams even. Irvine Valley started the second half with an 8-0 run to take the biggest lead of the game for either team, only to see Mt. SAC rally to within a point four different times before finally taking a lead with 2:30 left. Irvine Valley tied the game with 31.4 seconds left and scored the first four points of overtime, but again Mt. SAC rallied, getting within a point with the ball, only to fall short when PG Antonio Biglow's 3-point try at the buzzer bounced off the rim.
Mt. SAC began the game with a 4-0 spurt, but Irvine Valley answered with an 8-0 run to take an 8-4 lead. Then Mt. SAC answered with another 4-0 spurt to tie the score at 8 after a 3-point play by Biglow. All that happened in the game's first 3:12, but seemed to set the tone for the evening.
Irvine Valley had the biggest lead of the first half at 25-20 with 8 minutes left, at which point the Lasers were shooting 60% from the floor. But Mt. SAC rallied to take a 28-27 lead after a apir of free throws by Biglow with 5:32 left in the half. The half ended with the score tied at 34 after SF Laquenten Jones made a left-handed hook in the final minute of the half.
Irvine Valley started the second half with an 8-0 run to take a 42-34 lead, the largest advantage either team had all game. PF Travis Fulton hit SF Joe Eberhard with a backdoor pass to start the run. A basket by PG Travis Ballard made it 38-34, and then Ballard passed to Fulton after a steal by SG Andrew Arnold to make it 40-34. Then Arnold scored on a lay-up to make it 42-34.
Mt. SAC rallied to within two points at 42-40 and within a point at 50-49 midway through the second half, but Irvine Valley continued to nurse a short lead until SG Rashad Bias, plagued all night by foul trouble, scored on a putback to give Mt. SAC a 63-62 lead with 2:30 remaining. Then Jones added a pair of free throws with 1:49 left to make it 65-62 Mounties.
Then it was Irvine Valley's turn to rally. Eberhard made one of two free throws with 1:16 left on the 5th foul on Mt. SAC Ctr Kamiyn Pruitt. Then after a Mt. SAC turnover with 45.3 seconds left, Eberhard scored after a pass from Fulton with 31.4 seconds left to tie the score at 65. Mt. SAC then held for the last shot, but Biglow's 25-foot 3-point try at the buzzer bounced off the back rim.
In the extra session, Fulton made a hook shot and Arnold made two free throws to give Irvine Valley a 69-65 lead. After a pair of free throws by Jones brought Mt. SAC within two points at 69-67 with 2:19 left, Eberhard scored again on a driving lay-up to make it 71-67.
Mt. SAC got back within two points when Biglow made a pair of free throws with 36.7 seconds left, and the Mounties got the ball back on a Jones steal moments later. But Biglow missed a difficult shot in close, and Eberhard got the rebound. He was fouled immediately and made one of two free throws with 19.9 seconds left to make it 72-69.
Still, Mt. SAC had time to respond, and Biglow scored on a driving lay-up with 6.1 seconds left to make it 72-71. Then Irvine turned the ball over by failing to inbound it within the allotted five seconds (the official said it was five seconds anyway...it seemed awful quick), giving the Mounties a chance to win. But Biglow's 3-pointer bounced off the rim as the horn sounded, allowing the Lasers to finally emerge with the win.
For Irvine Valley, Fulton had a superb all-around game with 22 pts, 11 rebs, 6 asts, 2 blks and 2 steals. SG Durrell Norman had 19 pts, 9 rebs, 3 asts and 2 steals, and Eberhard had 16 pts on 6-for-6 from the floor plus 6 rebs. Ballard had just 5 pts but also had just one turnover, and Arnold had a big effort off the bench with 8 pts.
For Mt. SAC, Biglow led all scorers with 28 pts and also had 4 asts and 6 steals. Jones had 17 pts, 7 rebs, 6 asts and 6 steals. Pruitt had 6 pts and a team-high 10 rebs before fouling out.
box score
Saturday, March 6, 2010 - 7 pm
at Irvine Valley College
Regional Final
Mt. San Antonio Mounties 71:
4-Laquenten Jones, SF - 5/15 fg, 7/11 ft, 7 reb, 6 ast, 6 stl, 4 pf, 17 pts
20-Rashad Bias, SG - 1/2 fg, 1 reb, 3 ast, 4 pf, 2 pts
24-Antonio Biglow, PG - 8/29 fg, 9/10 ft, 3 reb, 4 ast, 6 stl, 4 pf, 28 pts
33-Josh White, PF - 3/5 fg, 3/4 ft, 5 reb, 1 stl, 2 pf, 9 pts
34-Kaimyn Pruitt, C - 2/6 fg, 2/6 ft, 10 reb, 2 blk, 1 stl, 5 pf, 6 pts
3-Ariel Hall-Jones, G - 0/3 fg, 1 reb, 2 ast, 1 pf, 0 pts
11-Dontay Sanford, F - 0/4 fg, 3/4 ft, 4 reb, 1 blk, 4 pf, 3 pts
32-Demarkus Isom-Jones, F - 1/3 fg, 2/2 ft, 5 reb, 1 pf, 4 pts
50-Leiferic Williams, C - 1/1 fg, 2 reb, 2 pts
team rebounds: 7
Totals: 21/68 fg (.309), 26/37 ft (.703), 45 reb, 15 ast, 3 blk, 14 stl, 25 pf, 71 pts
3-pt fg (3): Biglow 3
Fouled Out: Pruitt 1:16 left in regulation
Turnovers (21): Biglow 7, Isom-Jones 4, L.Jones 3, White 3, Bias 2, Pruitt, Sanford
Irvine Valley Lasers 72:
4-Max Carrier, C - 1/7 fg, 6 reb, 2 ast, 3 blk, 4 pf, 2 pts
5-Durrell Norman, SG - 9/15 fg, 1/3 ft, 9 reb, 3 ast, 2 stl, 4 pf, 19 pts
10-Travis Ballard, PG - 2/9 fg, 1/3 ft, 2 reb, 2 ast, 2 stl, 2 pf, 5 pts
24-Travis Fulton, PF - 8/14 fg, 4/6 ft, 11 reb, 6 ast, 2 blk, 2 stl, 3 pf, 22 pts
31-Joe Eberhard, SF - 6/6 fg, 4/7 ft, 6 reb, 1 ast, 4 pf, 16 pts
11-Christian Mack, G - 0/1 fg, 2 reb, 2 stl, 1 pf, 0 pts
22-Sean Donovan, F - 0/1 fg, 1 reb, 2 ast, 1 pf, 0 pts
3-Andrew Arnold, G - 3/7 fg, 2/3 ft, 3 reb, 1 stl, 3 pf, 8 pts
42-Ephraim Ekanem, C - 0/1 fg, 3 pf, 0 pts
23-Marcus Walters, F - 0/2 fg, 2 pf, 0 pts
32-Isaac Stalzer, F - 0 pts
team rebounds: 3
Totals: 29/63 fg (.460), 12/22 ft (.545), 43 reb, 16 ast, 6 blk, 9 stl, 27 pf, 72 pts
3-pt fg (2): Fulton 2
Turnovers (27): Norman 6, Eberhard 4, Donovan 4, Fulton 3, Mack 3, Arnold 2, Ballard, Ekanem, Stalzer, team 2
Halftime Score: Tied at 34
End of Regulation: Tied at 65
Updated Records: Irvine Valley (#4-seed) 26-4, Mt. San Antonio (#5-seed) 25-5
Biglow missed would-be game-winning 3-pointers at the end of regulation and the end of OT
Irvine Valley advances to the state tournament for the first time in school history!
