Roosevelt rallies to win a spot in final

Mustangs close game with 24-11 run to get past St. Pius X-ST. Matthias

EASTVALE >> The Roosevelt boys basketball team chased for more than three quarters but couldn’t pull in front.

But there was plenty of stamina remaining in the Mustangs at the end.

St. Pius X-ST. Matthias led by eight points with 1:45 remaining in the third quarter, but Roosevelt finally surged ahead with a 24-11 closing run to secure a 64-59 victory in a CIF Southern Section Open Division pool-play game Tuesday night.

Roosevelt (29-2) still has one pool-play game remaining Friday night at home against Mater Dei, but the Mustangs already have punched a ticket to the Open Division championship game (Feb. 23 at California Baptist University) because they have beaten the two teams that can tie them in the standings.

“We’ve talked all year long about fighting through adversity whenever it comes,” Roosevelt coach Stephen Singleton said. “We were resilient the whole game tonight. Things weren’t feeling right, but players make plays. And we had guys do that today.”

Brayden Burries scored 14 of his game-high 21 points during the second half, including backto-back buckets that helped the Mustangs take their first lead, 5453 with 4:39 left on the clock. He made two free throws in closing seconds to seal the win.

That kind of performance has become routine for Burries. But Roosevelt also got another big effort from an unexpected source.

Kevin “Tochi” Anigbogu, the 6-foot-11 senior center who transferred from Centennial to Roosevelt for his senior season, drew a rare start Tuesday evening. Singleton felt Anigbogu’s size would help in the defensive and rebounding departments. Anigbogu excelled in those areas, including a team-high eight rebounds, but he also scored 16 points on 7-of-8 shooting.

“When we played them (the Warriors) the last time, we saw