San Marcos boys basketball struggled to keep up with Rancho Verde in the second half en route to an 84-69 loss in the second round of the CIF-SS Div. 2 playoffs on Friday inside the Thunderhut.
After the Royals went into halftime with a four-point lead, the Mustangs erupted with a 15-0 run out of the break and buried nine three-pointers in the second half to pull away for the 15-point victory.
“We ran into a buzzsaw, that’s a really, really good team. They’re gonna be tough out,” San Marcos head coach Matt Jordan said. “They went 15-for-22 from the (three), there’s not a lot you can do on nights like that. You’ve gotta tip your cap. Unbelievable talent.
“We played really hard. I don’t think we had all the answers tonight. Obviously, we didn’t win, but we battled.”
The Royals finish the season with an overall record of 22-7 as they say goodbye to a seven-player senior class that features starters Koji Hefner, Brody Green and Lincoln Gengo.
“It’s a really special group. It’s a group that believed in me, and they gave just as much to me as I did to them,” Jordan said. “We talked about it. We created something, I think, that lasts beyond the court… It’s just a really special bond, a special brotherhood.
“We’ve created a really special dynamic and I just love the kids. I’m just grateful, I’m humbled and honored to be able to coach them.”
The Mustangs got out to a fast start, quickly building a 7-2 lead in the first two minutes of play. That two-possession lead held for most of the quarter until the Royals caught fire in the final minutes.
After falling behind 19-12 with 2:42 on the clock, San Marcos rattled off 10 unanswered points capped off by a putback layup from Hefner to take a 22-19 lead with 47 seconds remaining. During the run, the Royals’ zone defense caused several Mustang turnovers.
“We’ve been a really good defensive team all year and our zone started giving them problems,” Jordan said. “With their personnel, we didn’t know if we could match man and man.”
However, Rancho Verde responded with a three-pointer, a steal and a layup before the buzzer to take a slim 24-22 lead into the second.
The second was more of a defensive battle early, but the Royals were energized midway through the quarter by Conlan.
The junior buried a three-pointer to tie the game, immediately got a steal on the other end and hit a layup to give San Marcos a 29-27 lead with 4:14 left and send the Thunderhut crowd into a frenzy.
A Rancho Verde layup on the next possession tied the game and that held for a few minutes as both sides struggled to break the tie. Conlan fittingly broke the tie with a three-pointer, and Hefner followed with a long ball of his own to get the crowd to its feet once more with one minute to go.
“When this place gets going, when the gym gets going, it is so hard to play here. It really is,” Jordan said of the second-quarter swing. “I told them they’ll always remember that half… It does mean something to compete like that. It was incredible.”
Conlan led the Royals with 25 points, including four three-pointers, while Hefner ended the night with 21 points of his own.
The Mustangs rounded out the half with a layup to bring the San Marcos advantage to 35-31 heading into halftime.
Rancho Verde seemingly made all the right adjustments in the locker room, as it opened up the second half on a dominant 15-0 run to pull away for a 46-35 lead and prompt a San Marcos timeout.
The Royals found a bit more success as the quarter wore on, but the early Mustang run provided plenty of cushion as the visitors went into the final eight minutes leading 64-49. In the dominant 33-point third quarter, Rancho Verde missed just two shots, including a half-court heave at the buzzer.
“It was just an avalanche in the third quarter. Sometimes you just shake your hand and tip your cap,” Jordan said. “Maybe that’s not a popular opinion, but they just had a lot of talent… I think if they don’t shoot as well, we’re right there. They played really well tonight and sometimes that’s the way basketball goes.”
Charles Knight and Semaj Carter led the offensive outburst for Rancho Verde with 28 and 22 points, respectively. Ivan Don Willies also chipped in 20 points, including three three-pointers in the third.
The fourth quarter was more of the same from the Mustangs, as they continued to light it up on the offensive end to pull away for what proved to be a lopsided win.
Jordan lifted his starters from the game with 1:39 left on the clock, and the San Marcos faithful rose to their feet to acknowledge the departing senior class.
“It was a really fun night,” Jordan said. “I’m glad I got to take them out, you saw the gym. It’s a celebration of a group of kids who have been playing together since they were in kindergarten. Brody, Koji, Aiden, Lincoln have been literally playing together since they were in first grade.
“I would love to win every game. I’d love to win a CIF Championship, but I think we did something right if that’s the reaction.”