Koji Hefner hit a 25-foot shot with one second left in regulation time to give San Marcos a thrilling 59-58 win over Utah’s Skyridge High in a first-round game Saturday at the Mission Prep Christmas Classic in San Luis Obispo.
With 7.9 seconds left, Skyridge made the first of two free throws to go up 58-56. It missed the second free throw and Sergio Landeros of the Royals rebounded the ball. With the defenders retreating, Landeros passed to Hefner who dribbled up the right side uncontested. He pulled up and buried the game-winning three-pointer before the buzzer went off.
The Royals mobbed their senior star and celebrated as the teams for the next game took the court for warm-ups.
The win was a huge lift for San Marcos, which was coming off a loss against rival Santa Barbara in a Channel League game.
San Marcos (8-2) will next play host Mission Prep on Monday at 6 p.m.