Vallejo battles for win in overtime
Redhawks lose key senior to broken leg in league semifinal
All evening long, the Vallejo High School boys basketball team’s focus was on beating Pinole Valley and advancing to the Tri-County Athletic League title game.
Then the Redhawks’ focus was completely on their fallen teammate.
Senior guard Jaquan Edwards broke his leg with 2:41 left in overtime. He was eventually carted on to a gurney and taken to the hospital. As he exited, Edwards tapped his chest to acknowledge the warm ovation from the entire gym.
Somehow, Vallejo re-gained its focus again to defeat the Spartans 60-53 in the extra period. The No. 2-seeded Redhawks (15-12) take on topseeded Hercules in the league championship on Saturday. The winner of that game gets an automatic berth into the North Coast Section playoffs.
Vallejo head coach Andrew Johansen talked about the unfortunate injury to Edwards.
“He jumped in the air for the loose ball, came down and it was just a freak accident,” Johansen said. “It just happened. He didn’t have any prior injuries or anything like that. It’s part of the game but he had worked so hard to get to this point. That’s part of the reason why it hits everyone so hard. … We prepare for setbacks and make sure we’re prepared to overcome obstacles, but it doesn’t make it any easier because he wanted it. He’s wanted it all year.”
Vallejo led by double digits in the fourth quarter before Pinole stormed back to tie the game 50-50 on a shot from Jaeden Saiki with 15 seconds left. The two teams each had a chance for a game-winning shot but both came up short in the wan
ing seconds.
The game was tied 5252 when Edwards left, but Vallejo scored eight of the final nine points to end the contest. Freshman Donovan Saiyad made four straight foul shots to ice the win.
“I just wanted to win the game for Quan,” Saiyad said. “Losing Quan like that was not what we wanted because he worked hard. It sucked to see him go down in overtime when we really needed him.”
Johansen was not surprised to see Saiyad come through like that.
“As a freshman, he has a very bright future,” the coach said. “He’s a passfirst point guard. The sky is the limit. What he’s done all year is incredible to me. I think he’s undervalued by others in the area because he doesn’t score a ton but he makes the game easier for everyone else on the court.”
Despite a slow start, senior guard Deven Johnson paced the Redhawks with a game-high 22 points. He had four points in the extra period, including a key steal and layup with 1:17 left to put his team up 55-52. Edwards exploded for nine of his 10 points in the third quarter and Daylan Johnson also chipped in 10 points.
Vallejo got off to a rocky start, hitting just two field goals in the first quarter and trailing 9-4.
Pinole (16-12) led 18-10 in the second quarter after a 3-ball from Saiki at the 4:23 mark, but Deven Johnson hit a 3 and then a driving layup to spur a 9-0 spurt to finish the half.
Vallejo settled for a 19-18 lead going into the locker room but the Redhawks made just 4 of 13 from the line in the period. For the game, the Redhawks made just 19 of 37 at the stripe.
“I think it was a lot about it being an elimination game,” Johansen said about the missed free throws. “It was just a matter of jitters and nerves. The guys wanted it so bad. Pinole is a good team. We were fortunate to beat them twice during the regular season, but I know it’s incredibly difficult to do it a third time.”
Pinole started the third quarter on a 9-5 spurt to lead 27-24, but Vallejo responded with a blazing 14-0 run. Edwards was red hot in the run and Deven Johnson had a key three-point play to put his team ahead. Pinole’s Mateo Tahsini hit a 3-pointer in the waning seconds to finally stop the bleeding.
That shot might have carried over to the fourth quarter as Pinole made its run and Vallejo continued its abysmal foul shooting. Luckily for the Redhawks, they had enough in the tank (both physically and emotionally) in the extra period to advance.