’Runners take tourney crown
Rosamond mounts comeback against longtime rival Desert
LANCASTER — The final shot of the 7th Annual Hunter Dodge Classic at Antelope Valley High School bounced on the rim three times before falling out on Thursday night.
The missed 3-pointer as time expired by Desert senior Derek Pangilinan gave the Rosamond boys basketball team a 55-53 victory in the tournament championship game.
The miss ignited a celebration by the Roadrunners, as many Desert players looked on in disbelief.
“It feels great, because we started off with good energy,” Rosamond junior Andrew Arredondo said. “First scrimmage we lost, but we got it back. We needed that loss.
“Those are my friends. I’ve been playing with them since middle school, so it feels good beating them so I could talk smack back at home.”
Arredondo gave the Roadrunners the lead with 33 seconds remaining, hitting a five-foot jumper to break a 53-53 tie.
The Scorpions called timeout with 10 seconds remaining to set up their final play.
Desert coach Phil Pleasant said the play was designed for another Scorpion, but he was covered.
“I thought that was going in. It hit that rim, like three times,” Pleasant said. “We got a good look. Got a good look at the basket, just didn’t fall for us.
“But can’t take anything away from Rosamond. They came out and played a really good game. A smart game.”
Rosamond senior Aaron Blake tied the game at 53-53, hitting two free throws with one minute and 26 seconds remaining.
“They played with some heart,” Rosamond coach Kenny Price said. “Played with some grit. We had to overcome a lot of adversity and that’s what won us the game. We fought back instead of folding up.
“Just being able to play free and then communicate better.”
Rosamond outscored Desert 22-10 in the fourth quarter, after entering the final quarter trailing 43-33, one of several times the Scorpions led by double digits.
Desert took a 46-35 lead on a 3-pointer by Pangilinan early in the fourth quarter, but Rosamond answered with an 8-0 run, cutting the deficit to 46-43 on a short jumper by Arredondo with 5:40 remaining.
“I feel like in the beginning, we started off weak and then the second half we picked it up,” Arredondo said.
He said the difference for the Roadrunners was energy.
“Just being focused and calm and working as a team,” Arredondo said.
Desert senior Elijah Akande gave the Scorpions a 50-43 lead with a steal and a fast-break layup.
The two team then hit a flurry of 3s.
Arredondo hit a 3 with 3:25 left, Desert junior Boden Williams nailed a 3 and then Blake made a 3-pointer of his own to cut the Scorpions lead to 53-49.
Rosamond freshman Fabian Robles hit a jumper just inside the 3-point line with 2:10 left to cut the Desert lead to 53-51.
“We didn’t play like we played the first two nights,” Pleasant said. “We came out a little flat in the beginning of the game. We try to play an uptempo game. We tried to pick it up the second half. It didn’t work for us.”
Arredondo finished with 18 points for Rosamond and Robles scored a game-high 19, including four 3-pointers. Robles hit back-to-back 3-pointers in the second quarter, when the Roadrunners outscored the Scorpions 12-7. Blake finished with 10 points.
“We have a tougher schedule than last year’s team,” Price said. “We’re playing nearly every Golden League school and Paraclete, so we have to win every game. We’ve got to win all the games we know we should win. It was a good way to start, 4-0. Puts us on the right foot.”
Williams led Desert with 16 points, nine in the first quarter when the Scorpions jumped out to a 15-4 lead.
Pangilinan finished with 15 points, 12 in the third quarter, seven assists and five steals.
Desert junior Alfred Rogers had five rebounds, senior Elijah Akande had eight points, four rebounds and five steals and senior Isaiah Anderson finished with four rebounds.
Desert outscored Rosamond 21-17 in the third quarter, after leading 22-16 at halftime.
The High Desert League rivals will face each other again on Jan. 13 at Desert and Feb. 7 at Rosamond.
High Desert League play starts on Dec. 13 for Rosamond, which will travel to California City. Desert travels to Boron to start league on Dec. 13.
Antelope Valley 63, Highland-Bakersfield 56
AV junior Kiwan Sims Jr. led the Antelopes with 30 points to win the third-place game.
AV senior Dewayne Wall added 10.
Antelope Valley had a strong second half, scoring 25 points in the third quarter and 19 in the fourth.
“I thought we played well,” Antelope Valley coach Edward Campbell II said. “Down nine at halftime to come back in the third quarter and outscore them 25-11. After last night’s defeat at the buzzer to come out tonight and show some heart, I think we did really well.”
In other scores, California City defeated Mojave 66-35 in the seventh-place game.
Lancaster Baptist won ninth place when Cobalt forfeited the game due to transportation issues.
Barstow defeated Wasco 48-38 to win the fifth-place game, or the consolation championship.
“I’m grateful the admin supports me so much, too,” Campbell II said. “Without their support, we don’t have a tournament.
“Plus, it’s good for the Valley. It’s good for our school.”