Incredible shot-making by visiting Rancho Verde ended the San Marcos High boys’ basketball team’s dreams of a CIF Southern Section title.
The Royals came out strong, spurred on by an energized home crowd, and took a 35-31 halftime lead. However, Rancho Verde found another gear in the third quarter, outscoring San Marcos 33-14 on its way to an 84-69 victory.
“There’s not a lot you can do on nights like that. You have to tip your cap,” said San Marcos coach Matt Jordan after Rancho Verde knocked down 15 of 22 three-pointers in the game. “We ran into a buzz saw. That’s a really good team. They’re going to be a tough out.”
It was the final high school game for San Marcos’ star seniors Brody Green and Koji Hefner, and the duo performed admirably in defeat, finishing with 16 and 21 points, respectively.
Junior Aidan Conlan poured in a team-high 25 points and will return as the unquestioned leader of the team next season, but without his longtime comrades on the court.
“We created something that will last beyond the court. That will last beyond a CIF championship — a really special bond, a special brotherhood,” Jordan said. “The hardest thing that we came to terms with is not getting to go to practice, not getting to get on the bus and go to Chipotle after.”
Rancho Verde jumped out to a 9-4 lead on a driving layup by Montana commit Semaj Carter, but Green answered with a driving layup plus the foul, cutting the deficit to 9-7.
The Mustangs extended their lead to 14-7 on a floater by Jaedin Perry midway through the first quarter. However, San Marcos stayed in the game with a flurry of offense, including three-pointers by Hefner and Conlan. The Royals tied the score at 19-19 with 1:12 remaining in the first quarter on a driving layup by Green.
The back-and-forth action continued into the second quarter. Another corner three-pointer by Conlan gave the Royals a 32-29 lead with 1:25 remaining in the first half. Hefner followed with a three-pointer that extended the San Marcos lead to 35-29 as the Thunderhut exploded into a frenzy.
“We were up four at half, and in the gym you couldn’t hear anything,” Jordan said. “Our gym is so awesome.”
An offensive rebound and putback by Dainen Lyles with eight seconds remaining in the first half gave Rancho Verde a glimmer of momentum heading into the locker room.
The San Marcos zone gave Rancho Verde problems in the first half, but the visiting Mustangs found a shooting groove for the ages after the break.
Rancho Verde made seven consecutive three-pointers in the third quarter and opened the period on a 15-0 run to take a 46-35 lead on a three-pointer by Charles Knight, who was unconscious in the second half.
Knight scored 23 of his game-high 28 points after halftime, and his hot hand carried the Mustangs to victory.
“We had a great game from Charles Knight. We’ve been waiting for that game from him,” said Rancho Verde coach Braydon Bortolamedi. “He is one of the top unsigned seniors in our area, so we’re really excited about him in the playoffs.”
The Rancho Verde lead ballooned to 60-40 on a three-pointer by Knight with just under two minutes remaining in the third quarter. San Marcos closed the period on a 9-4 run, cutting its deficit to 64-49 going into the fourth quarter, but the damage was done.
San Marcos finished the season with a 22-7 overall record. Rancho Verde improved to 22-7 and will match up against Hesperia in the quarterfinals of the CIF-SS Division 2 playoffs.
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