The Brickhouse was packed as Bishop Diego and Carpinteria renewed their longtime rivalry in the opening round of the CIF-SS Division 4A playoffs, but the home fans left disappointed.
Bishop Diego sophomore Crew Sjovold launched a three-point attempt that could have tied the score as the final buzzer sounded, but it clanked off the rim and visiting Carpinteria held on for a thrilling 58-55 victory on Wednesday night.
“What a special draw that we got for the first round here. To be able to play our longtime rivals Bishop in the first round of the playoffs. We couldn’t ask for a better matchup,” said Carpinteria coach Karl Fredrickson. “We just wanted to have some fun tonight, and we did.”
The first quarter was played at a frenetic pace as both teams raced up and down the court, trading baskets. When the dust settled, Bishop Diego held a 23-20 lead going into the second quarter.
Sjovold scored eight points in the period, and Sawyer Kelly knocked down three three-pointers to help the Warriors keep pace.
“That was our main focus, getting buckets in transition and doing everything we can without being in a half-court set,” said Sjovold of the fast-paced first quarter.
The scoring slowed dramatically in the second quarter. The Bishop Diego offense dried up as Carpinteria opened the second quarter on a 15-4 run and surged to a 35-27 lead with 1:11 remaining in the first half.
“The message was defense after that [first quarter]. Keep them out of the paint, close out hard on the shooters, and rebound well,” Fredrickson said. “We didn’t take care of the ball too well in the first quarter and didn’t rebound too well. We fixed those two things, and it was a different story.”
Bishop Diego rebounded early in the third quarter and took a 40-39 lead on a put-back by senior Ryder Torres with six minutes remaining in the period.
A Rudy Blue layup in transition with just under a minute to play in the third quarter put Bishop Diego ahead 44-43. Carpinteria’s Carlo Suarez split two free throws to tie the score at 44-44 going into the fourth quarter.
A fastbreak layup by Sjovold put the Cardinals ahead 50-47 with 3:10 remaining in the game, but Carpinteria immediately responded with a corner three-pointer by Kelly that tied the score at 50-50 with three minutes left.
The two teams went back and forth until Carpinteria’s Chris Reed shifted the game in the Warriors’ favor by draining a corner three-pointer with 51 seconds left that put his team ahead 56-53.
Bishop Diego cut its deficit to 57-55 on a driving layup by Damien Krautmann, but fell behind 58-55 when Carpinteria’s Aiden Alcaraz split two free throws.
It appeared the Cardinals were finished when they were called for a backcourt violation with 11 seconds remaining, but Carpinteria missed free throws setting the stage for the final sequence.
Sebastian Reed was a force inside for Carpinteria throughout the contest and finished with 14 points.
With the victory, Carpinteria will travel to Alhambra for the second round of the playoffs.
Dos Pueblos, 62; Aliso Niguel, 59
The Chargers overcame a nine-point deficit in the first half and captured their first playoff victory since the 2021-22 season.
Senior Shane Grant came up big for Dos Pueblos with 20 points and nine rebounds. Wyatt Gardiner continued his strong play down the stretch of the season with 14 points and nine rebounds. Coulter Jay added nine points and eight rebounds.
The Chargers will travel to Canyon Country to take on the Cowboys on Friday.
Santa Barbara, 62; St Anthony, 57
The Dons survived their first massive test in the Division 1 playoffs behind 21 points, 12 rebounds, and six assists from Luke Zuffelato.
Owen Horn added 15 points, including four three-pointers. Santa Barbara will host Canyon of Anaheim in the second round on Friday.
Cate, 61; Faith Baptist, 55
Senior Marcus Scudder poured in 40 points and Cate advanced to the second round of the CIF-SS Division 4AA playoffs.
The Rams will host Savanna on Friday in the second round.
La Canada, 60; San Marcos, 55
The Royals led 42-41 going into the fourth quarter, but could not hold on and were eliminated from the CIF-SS 2AA playoffs.
San Marcos finishes the season with a 21-8 overall record under first-year coach Matthew Jordan.
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