It was exactly the kind of game one would expect when two neighboring conference rivals meet in the regional semifinals, and for the second time in three meetings this year #10 San Bernardino Valley edged #15 Mt. San Jacinto Wednesday night, holding on for a 58-56 win on its home floor.
In fact, the home team won all three times these teams met this season, with the two regular-season games each decided by four points. This time around it was even closer, and that was only fitting as neither team managed a double-digit lead the entire game.
SF Gerry Blakes gave San Bernardino Valley (22-8) a 56-55 lead, taking a pass from Ctr Xavier Jones and scoring with 1:19 left. He added another basket from the lane with 27 seconds left on the game clock and 2 seconds left on the shot clock to make it 58-55.
But that lead was anything but secure. SF Dwayne Benjamin of Mt. San Jacinto (21-11) was fouled attempting a 3-point shot with 5.1 seconds left. He made the first free throw to make it 58-56. But he missed the second - and also the third, though that one was on purpose - and that ended up being the final score.
On Benjamin's final free throw attempt, Blakes got the rebound for SBVC and was fouled immediately. But it was just Mt. San Jacinto's 6th team foul of the half. The Eagles' PF Montreal Harris fouled Blakes with 2.5 seconds to go. Blakes missed the resulting free throw, and the Eagles' SG Sam Natt garnered the rebound with 2.1 seconds left. But even after a timeout, all Mt. San Jacinto could manage was a desperation half-court shot by Harris that was probably after the buzzer anyway.
The ending might have been a little anti-climactic, but the game was a close, intense playoff test between two teams that obviously knew each other quite well. Points were tough to come by, especially in the early going, though that was undoubtedly affected by both Blakes and Benjamin coming off the bench for their respective teams.
Neither team scored until SBVC Ctr Paulin Mpawe, who also didn't start, scored on a putback 4:17 into the game. PG Carlos McCormick, who also came in off the bench, scored Mt. San Jacinto's first two points on free throws 43 seconds later to make it 2-2 after exactly five minutes. Blakes scored to put SBVC on top, 4-2. Harris tied it for Mt. San Jacinto on a driving lay-up exactly seven minutes into the game, and SG Mylin Jordan gave the Eagles their first lead, 5-4, by splitting two free throws with 12:30 left in the first half.
Points came a little easier after that, though the game was a tight, station-to-station affair throughout. SBVC went ahead, 10-5, midway through the first half. Mt. San Jacinto took a 14-12 lead on a basket by Benjamin off an inbounds pass from Harris with 5:45 left in the half. SBVC went on an 11-2 run to take a 23-16 lead after SF Cameron Lewis hit a 3-pointer and SG Tymeriah "T.A." Dixon made two free throws, and also led, 25-18. SG Sam Natt hit a 3-pointer for the Eagles to make it 25-21 at the break.
Harris hit a 3-pointer for Mt. San Jacinto about 30 seconds into the second half to make it 25-24. But SBVC made 8 of its first 10 field goal attempts of the second half to take a 44-36 lead. Blakes capped that streak of hot shooting with a 3-pointer with 12:10 to go. A traditional 3-point play by Mpawe with 10:12 left gave the Wolverines a 47-38 lead, which would turn out to be the largest lead of the game for either team.
Mt. San Jacinto responded with a 15-3 run, starting with a 3-pointer from SF Dajuan Smith and ending with 3-pointers form PG D'Anthony Peterson and Natt. Peterson's three tied the score at 50 with 5:31 left, and Natt hit a 25-foot 3-point shot with 4:41 left to give the Eagles a 53-50 advantage. Blakes scored on a putback of his own miss for SBVC, but Benjamin hit a baseline jumper moments later to give Mt. San Jacinto a 55-52 lead with just under four minutes left.
San Bernardino Valley cut the deficit to a point when PF Chayson Williams scored on a tip-in to make it 55-54. Then Blakes scored the first of his two final baskets on a cut to the basket, scoring after taking the pass from Jones to make it 56-55 with 1:19 left. After Harris was called for traveling with 1:01 left, Blakes scored again at the end of the shot clock for what turned out to be the final field goal of the game.
Blakes finished with a team-high 16 pts and added 5 rebs, 2 asts and a steals. Lewis had 13 pts including 3 three-pointers. Dixon came off the bench for 8 pts and PG Lance Booker had 7. Mpawe had 5 pts and PF Marcus Bradley had 4 pts, 3 rebs, 4 asts and 3 blocked shots.
For Mt. San Jacinto, Harris had game-highs of 17 pts, 7 rebs and 5 asts, and tied for game honors with 2 steals. Benjamin came off the bench for 11 pts. Jordan had 7 pts while Smith and Natt had 6 pts each.
The win advances San Bernardino Valley to the regional final in which they will meet #3 Mt. San Antonio Saturday in Walnut at 5:30 as part of a mens/womens doubleheader.
box score
Wednesday, March 6, 2013 - 7 pm
at the Joseph W Snyder Gymnasium, San Bernardino
Playoffs - Regional Semifinal
Mt. San Jacinto Eagles 56:
1-Hassante Manning, C - 0/2 fg, 1/2 ft, 3 reb, 4 pf, 1 pt
3-Sam Natt, SG - 2/4 fg, 4 reb, 2 ast, 1 blk, 6 pts
4-D'Anthony Peterson, PG - 1/2 fg, 1 reb, 1 ast, 2 pf, 3 pts
13-Montreal Harris, PF - 7/14 fg, 2/3 ft, 7 reb, 5 ast, 2 stl, 1 pf, 17 pts
15-Dajuan Smith, SF - 2/3 fg, 1 ast, 1 stl, 3 pf, 6 pts
5-Dwayne Benjamin, F - 5/8 fg, 1/3 ft, 3 reb, 2 ast, 1 stl, 3 pf, 11 pts
21-Carlos McCormick, G - 0/2 fg, 2/2 ft, 3 reb, 2 ast, 2 pts
23-Mylin Jordan, G - 1/7 fg, 5/10 ft, 2 stl, 1 pf, 7 pts
24-Donavan Clark, C - 1 reb, 1 pf, 0 pts
11-Malcolm McFarland, G - 1/1 fg, 1 pf, 3 pts
2-Mark Ware, C - 0/1 fg, 3 reb, 2 pf, 0 pts
team rebounds: 3
Totals: 19/44 fg (.437), 11/20 ft (.550), 28 reb, 13 ast, 1 blk, 6 stl, 18 pf, 56 pts
3-pt fg (7): Natt 2, Smith 2, Peterson, Harris, McFarland
Turnovers (13): Ware 3, Manning 2, Peterson 2, Jordan 2, Natt, Harris, Benjamin, McCormick
San Bernardino Valley Wolverines 58:
2-Lance Booker, PG - 3/4 fg, 0/1 ft, 4 reb, 2 ast, 1 pf, 7 pts
13-Cameron Lewis, SF - 5/10 fg, 2 reb, 1 ast, 1 blk, 4 pf, 13 pts
20-Evann Hall, SG - 1/7 fg, 1/3 ft, 1 reb, 1 stl, 1 pf, 3 pts
24-Marcus Bradley, PF - 1/4 fg, 2/2 ft, 3 reb, 4 ast, 3 blk, 2 pf, 4 pts
33-Xavier Jones, C - 0/1 fg, 5 reb, 3 ast, 2 pf, 0 pts
15-Paulin Mpawe, C - 2/3 fg, 1/1 ft, 3 reb, 1 blk, 2 pf, 5 pts
4-Gerry Blakes, F - 8/17 fg, 0/1 ft, 5 reb, 2 ast, 1 stl, 1 pf, 16 pts
21-Chayson Williams, F - 1/1 fg, 4 reb, 1 ast, 2 pf, 2 pts
5-Tymeriah T.A. Dixon, G - 1/2 fg, 5/6 ft, 1 reb, 1 stl, 1 pf, 8 pts
team rebounds: 2
Totals: 22/49 fg (.449), 9/14 ft (.643), 30 reb, 13 ast, 5 blk, 3 stl, 16 pf, 58 pts
3-pt fg (5): Lewis 3, Booker, Dixon
Turnovers (13): Booker 3, Hall 3, Blakes 3, Lewis, Bradley, Jones, Williams
Halftime Score: San Bernardino Valley 25, Mt. San Jacinto 21
Updated Records: San Bernardino Valley (#10-seed) 22-8, Mt. San Jacinto (#15-seed) 21-11
SBVC led by 9 at 47-38 but MSJC went on a 15-3 run to lead, 53-50, with 4:41 left.
Blakes scored with 1:19 left and with 27 secs left to give SBVC a 58-55 lead.
