Etiwanda edges Rancho Verde in defensive battle

Harris sinks decisive 3-pointer with 6.1 seconds left for Eagles

The Etiwanda boys basketball program — a.k.a “Clamp City” — has built its reputation on a stifling defense.

But even the Eagles rarely win a game like they did Friday night.

Despite going scoreless for nine minutes in the second half and scoring just eight points in the fourth quarter, Christian Harris’ 3-pointer with 6.1 seconds left lifted Etiwanda to a 4139 victory over Rancho Verde in a CIF Southern Section Division 1 second-round game.

“How does that even happen?” Etiwanda co-coach Danny Ryan said.

Etiwanda (25-5) will play at fourth-seeded Redondo (23-4) in the quarterfinals Tuesday.

Trailing 39-38 with 16.5 seconds left, the Eagles ran a play to get Harris open in the right corner and he buried the shot.

“I have the same confidence, every shot,” Harris said. “I know my shot; I know what I can do.”

“He’s our best shooter and we knew we had to get him open to his spot and get his shot,” Ryan said of Harris. “That last play … we wanted to set another ball screen, but we changed it just a little bit the way we’ve been doing it.

“We got Carrington (Pierce) to attack that ball screen.”

Rancho Verde (25-5) had a final chance. Etiwanda had a foul to give after the basket, so they used that with 3.8 seconds left. The Mustangs inbounded the ball three-quarters of the court away from the basket, and Jermaine Washington Jr.’s running jumper from near the 3-point line came up short at the buzzer and Etiwanda held on.

“We had a four-point lead with under a minute to go and I think we probably had four or five turnovers,” Rancho Verde coach Johnny Dukes said. “You have to credit Etiwanda, but I feel like we gave it away more than anything. It’s a tough loss. That one is going to sting for a very long time.”

It was the second heartbreaking playoff loss the Mustangs suffered in the section playoffs in the city of Rancho Cucamonga over the last three years. Two years ago, Rancho Verde lost at Rancho Cucamonga 67-66 in the Division 3AA championship game.

“We just didn’t make enough plays,” Dukes said referring to Friday night’s defeat. “These are two (losses) I’ll never forget.”

It was a tight game throughout.

The biggest lead for either team in the game was five points (29-24) by Etiwanda early in the third quarter.

But after the Eagles took a 3329 lead on two Stanley Thomas free throws with 3:14 left in the third quarter, they went ice cold as Rancho Verde’s aggressive 2-3 zone gave them trouble.

The Eagles didn’t score again until 2:14 remained in the game when Harris scored on an alleyoop from Amare Campbell that cut Rancho Verde’s lead to 37-35.

The Mustangs extended the lead to 39-35 on a dunk by Andre Whitmore with 1:45 left before Etiwanda rallied.

Harris made a 3-pointer with 33.9 seconds left to cut the deficit to 39-38 and after a steal, the Eagles’ Zion Booker missed two free throws with 21.8 seconds left that could have given them a lead.

But another steal gave Harris the chance to make the gamewinner.

So, Harris (12 points) not only scored the game-winning basket, but he was the only Eagle to score in the game’s final 11 minutes.

And that was in spite of the fact that he picked up his fourth foul with 2:08 to play in the third quarter and didn’t return until early in the fourth.

Etiwanda focused on slowing down Washington, who was held to four points while Caelin Anderson led the Mustangs with 12 points.

The end was disappointing for Dukes, who also prides himself on defense.

“I think we’re the best two defensive teams around,” Dukes said. “Kleck (Etiwanda co-coach Dave Kleckner) has held that legacy for a long time, but I feel like I’m the best defensive coach in the Inland Empire. We get after it just like they do. I told my guys it’s going to be like looking in the mirror. We’re similar in size, we both play hard, we both get after it, we both defend.

“The team that values the ball is going to win the game. We didn’t value it at the end, and we made some silly mistakes and turnovers and it ultimately came back to bite us in the end.”