A huge 24-3 run by Las Lomas of Walnut Creek that lasted from the end of the first quarter and through most of the second quarter, proved to be too big of a mountain to climb for the Casa Grande boys basketball team in the North Coast Section Division II playoffs Wednesday night.
They lost 69-50 and were eliminated from the playoffs. The season is not over, however, as Casa qualified for the Nor Cal Championships after being a semi-finalist in the NCS playoffs. They will play again Tuesday night with location and opponent yet to be determined.
Wednesday's game was knotted at 9-9, when Las Lomas' offense caught fire. Between the Knights' Treaven Duffy getting inside, making creative baskets and Kevin Stafford burying 3-pointers, the game began to get out of hand. Stafford had 16 points in the first half, all from beyond the arc and Duffy had 12 before the break.
Find out what's happening in Petalumawith free, real-time updates from Patch.
The big men for the Knights did a great job getting the ball inside, forcing Casa's defense to collapse down on the penetration. They then would kick the ball out to open shooters around the perimeter.
“I've had a couple games like that, but not in this type of atmosphere, this type of intensity,” K. Stafford said. “(Casa Grande) went into that zone and guys were looking for me and they knew I was going to hit it.”
Find out what's happening in Petalumawith free, real-time updates from Patch.
The Gauchos could not respond offensively to Las Lomas' push. Between missing shots underneath the hoop and turning the ball over several times, Casa fell further and further behind. Casa was outscored 18-6 in the second quarter as Las Lomas built up a 35-16 favor heading into the locker room at halftime.
“That was a classic case of we weren't hitting two foot shots and they were hitting all shots, no matter what kind they were,” said Casa Grande coach James Forni.
In the second half, the Gauchos needed to harness some magic to get back into the game, but Las Lomas maintained a firm grasp on the contest. Nick Sherry hit a 3-pointer and Chase Stafford followed with another long-ball to pull Casa within 41-27 in the third quarter. The momentum was dashed when K. Stafford was fouled making a three and converted the foul shot for a four-point play.
Anytime the Gauchos tried to get back into the game, the Knights always had the answer. Josh Hayworth knocked another three down for Casa, but moments later Christian Lawson bottomed a deep-ball for Las Lomas. The other concern for the Gauchos was not making their free-throws, especially in the second half. They finished the game just 18-of-31 from the charity stripe and were 4-of-14 from distance, as they tried to claw back into the game.
“I've seen (Casa Grande) play before, I know they can shoot it better,” Las Lomas coach Jeff Loving said. “It's just one of those things, we shot it well and they didn't."
Trailing by 20 points heading into the fourth quarter, the Gauchos were in need of a miracle. The Knights played conservative not to make mistakes, while Casa didn't have enough gas in the tank to get the game close again.
The scoring duo of Duffy and Stafford each finished with 24 points apiece. Duffy had an all-around great game eight rebounds and three steals, while Stafford was dead red from three land, hitting 6-of-7. The Gauchos had three players score in double-figures with Joey Rodriguez and Hayworth leading the team with 13 points each, while Sherry chipped in with 12.
“The biggest thing was if we hit a couple more of our two foot shots, a couple more free-throws, it changes the game,” said Forni. “We just didn't do the things we needed to do tonight to keep that game close and put ourselves in a position to be successful at the end.”
