ELLIOT FALLS IN SEMIFINALS
STOCKTON — Three Elliot Christian High boys basketball players hovered around the 3-point line looking to get their turn with the ball.
But the ball favored Weston Ranch, which posted a 71-70 win over Elliot in the winner’s bracket of The McDonald’s Classic at Grant Taggart Gym on the Edison High campus on Friday. Elliot (2-1) will play Sierra of Manteca for third place in the tournament, which will tip-off at 3:30 p.m. today at the same gym.
Elliot guard Nathan Bond (game-high 31 points) and teammates Nate Gotgoto-Washington and forward Patrick Haynes, all took shots from behind the arc to tie the game with six seconds left in the fourth quarter. Haynes’ shot went through the net, but he had moved inside the 3point line as he waited for the pass. The two-point shot instead of three was the difference maker.
Weston Ranch (4-0) trailed through the entire game until two minutes, 32 seconds left in the final quarter. That’s when guard Makhi Turner scored a basket that gave the Cougars a 68-66 lead. Then Eagles guard Ian Malagon responded with a bucket a minute later tie the game again at 68-68.
After both teams exchanged possessions that result in no points for either, the Eagles had the ball and raced toward the south side of the gym with 35 seconds remaining in hopes of re-establishing the lead again.. But Cougar forward Charles Jemison stole the ball at midcourt, and drove back to the north side of the gym for two of his seven points on a layup to make it 70-68. Jemison was fouled during the play, but only made 1-of-2 free throws that kept the Eagles into potentially sending the game into overtime.
“A lot of mental mistakes,” said Elliot coach Jason Hitt. “I think it’s because the guys were so tired. But it was great spirits for those kids to play tired, play through adversity and be in that game.”
Elliot led 58-56 entering the final eight minutes of the game. The Cougars were able to take advantage of the Eagles’ various zone defenses that ranged from 2-3 to 1-3-1 sets, which also allowed second and third chance shots that chipped into the Eagles’ lead.
“There’s a lot of little things that we need to work on,” Hitt said. “We kept pace with them, and stop them the
best we could. For us to be there at the end, I was more than happy. It was a game until the end.”
The Eagles held a comfortable 46-27 halftime lead before Weston Ranch rallied in the final 16 minutes of the game.
In the first quarter, Elliot took advantage of missed Weston Ranch shots, and created a few more offensive possessions of its own. That allowed a 20-4 start, and 27-11 entering the second quarter.
Bond was one of three Elliot players who scored in double figures; Doell and GotgotoWashingston had 11 points each. Figueroa finished with nine points.
Weston Ranch guard Gavin Wilburn finished with 26 points. Turner finished with 18 points and forward Donjae’ Lindsey had 10 points.