Boys Basketball: Tigers last team standing, head to semifinals
IMPERIAL VALLEY – The CIF San Diego Section boys basketball playoffs saw three of the four local teams fall on Friday night, February
17, with the third-seeded Imperial Tigers being the only team remaining after their 62-54 win over sixth-seeded St. Joseph Academy.
The Tigers were led by David Scariano with 34 points, six rebounds, and ten blocks, followed by Giovani Robles’ 11 points and five rebounds, and Jared Nixon’s seven points and six rebounds.
“We did not play well and struggled both ends,” Imperial Head Coach Dave Milan said, “but we are a team, and have guys who we can rotate in to help us by making it difficult for the other team.”
“Everyone is ready to play and contribute in whatever way,” Milan said. “At this point in the season, the guys know their roles and have bought into what we are trying to accomplish as a team.”
The Tigers kicked off the game by tying it up 14-14 after the first quarter
he second quarter gave Imperial breathing room as they headed into halftime with a fourpoint lead, 29-25, over the St. Joseph Academy Crusaders.
“We came out after halftime and still struggled underneath the basket,” Milan mused. “We gained some momentum in the fourth and were able to grind it out but we are fortunate that all our guys are clicking, and you never know when your number might be called.”
To start the fourth quarter, the Tigers trailed 39-44, but behind backto-back three-pointers from David Scariano, the Tigers stayed in the game and earned another home-town win.
As the Tigers head into the semifinal game on Wednesday, February 22, the team is focusing on “fine-tuning our defense, working on our flaws, and executing our playbook throughout the 32 minutes of play,” Milan said.
On the south end of the Imperial Valley, the Division IV playoff bracket saw the first-seeded Vincent Memorial Scots tied, 50-50, with eighth-seeded San Pasqual with under three minutes to go in the fourth quarter.
After a back-and-forth and several trips to the free-throw line, the Scots finally fell 52-56 to the Golden Eagles.
The Scots were led by Raul Villarreal with 18 points and his 15 rebounds, followed by Alex Adame with 12 points and ten rebounds, and Francisco Perez-Tejada added nine points, nine assists, and ten steals.
“We got a taste of what it’s like to compete at the highest level of D-IV during CIF playoffs,” said Vincent Memorial Head Coach Omar Vega. “Even though we are losing seniors this year, we are gonna use this loss as fuel to come back in the summer, work hard, and make another run at a CIF title.”
The Scots will be losing six seniors, yet they have a strong group of returners, including point guard Francisco Perez-Tejada who averaged seven assists and five steals this season.
“Our goal at the start of the season was to grow together, become a top team in D-IV, and win a CIF title,” Vega said, who is in his second year as head coach. “Although we did not win CIF, we built that team chemistry, created a family, and it translated on the court.”
The Scots closed out the season 22-7 overall, which they had not done since the 2011-2012 season.
“We had a 20-plus win season, finishing as the number 1 seed in Division 4,” Vega said. “While we fell short of winning title(s), I am very proud of the team, and their ability to grow and improve from one year to the next is very impressive.”
The last time the Scots had a more than 20-wins season was in 2014-2015.
Also falling in the
D-IV bracket were the fifteenth-seeded Brawley Union High School Wildcats, who were shot down, 46-67, by Kearny High School.
In D-V, the tenth-seede Calipatria Hornets stumbled against second-seeded Valley Center High School, losing to Valley Center, 75-64.
As the only local boys basketball team remaining in the playoffs, the Imperial Tigers will host Kearny High on Wednesday, February 22 in Imperial at 7 p.m.
“Hopefully our fans pack the gym, get it nice and loud, and alumni show up and support these guys,” Milan said.
Schools may agree to change the starting times, so it is suggested that those planning to attend check with the host school for official start times.