BHoops Postgame: Alhambra shocks Roosevelt in OT, 63-58!!! Pasadena advances, Temple City ousted!

By Miguel A. Melendez
Staff Writer

ALHAMBRA — Nobody said it was impossible, but the improbable just didn’t seem likely, especially after first-half dominance by the visiting Roosevelt High School boys basketball team.

But then came the re-emergence of Alhambra, its stingy defense in the third quarter a staple of Moors coach Joe Petralia’s philosophy that defense wins games.

A second-half adjustment is all Alhambra needed to storm back from a 14-point deficit, highlighted by Nelson Chan’s 3-pointer plus the foul with 13.3 seconds left.

Chan sank the free throw to send the game into overtime, and Aeric Allen’s layup to start the extra period gave Alhambra a lead it would never relinquish en route to a 63-58 victory Wednesday night in the first round of the CIF-Southern Section Division I-A playoffs.

Alhambra (18-9) will play the West Valley-Rancho Cucamonga winner in Friday’s second round.

Javier Lomeli drove in the lane and converted a layup to give the Mustangs (16-11) a 52-48 lead with 38.8 seconds left. Lomeli was fouled in the act of shooting and was sent to the line, giving Roosevelt a chance to extend its lead.

Lomeli missed the free throw, however, giving Alhambra possession with less than 35 seconds left.

All signs pointed to a Moors loss, especially after Allen’s 3-point attempt rimmed out, as did Jean Almieda’s putback.

Terrence Drisdom grabbed the rebound and was immediately fouled. He missed the one-and-one, and Allen’s rebound gave Alhambra possession again with 21 seconds left.

Enter Chan.

With 13.3 seconds left, Chan calmly pulled up near the top of the arc and sank a high-arching 3-pointer that sent the home crowd and coaching staff into a frenzy.
Allen, who finished with a game-high 28 points, was fouled behind the 3-point line and sealed the win for the Moors by sinking all three free throws with 1:10 left in overtime.

This game was won, however, in the third quarter.
Alhambra looked nothing in the third like it did at the start of the game. The Moors were poised and determined to drive inside, something they clearly lacked in the first half.

More importantly, Roosevelt scored as many points as it committed turnovers (six), and the Moors finished with an 11-6 run.

“We felt like we made a couple of errors that were correctable,” Petralia said.

The momentum had swung Alhambra’s way by the beginning of the fourth, and the game ended with the student section rushing the court in jubilation. The celebration later continued in the Alhambra locker room, where the team chanted Chan’s name. He finished with 13 points.

How the Mustangs’ 14-point lead at the half dissipated is something Roosevelt coach Romone Neal did not want to answer.

“Don’t remind me,” said Neal before explaining the second-half debacle. “We stopped rebounding, we stopped going to the basket and we stopped playing defense. (Alhambra) started making a little run and we couldn’t hold them down the stretch.”
The Mustangs attacked the weak side and relied on cut-back passes that resulted in easy layups in the first half.

“The kids kept their composure,” Petralia said. “They’re used to being down early, and this team doesn’t give up.”

TONIGHT’S RESULTS

DIVISION I-AA
Mater Dei 75, San Clemente 48
Upland 53, Silverado 49
Etiwanda 78, Lakewood 37
Dana Hills 66, Santa Ana 53
Lynwood 73, Palmdale 60
Hesperia 69, Corona Santiago 63
Long Beach Poly 59, Montebello 36
Pasadena 72, Vista Murrieta 63

DIVISION I-A
Alhambra, 63, Roosevelt 58, OT
Capistrano Valley 57, Crescenta Valley 55
El Toro 46, La Quinta 34
Los Osos 66, California 43
Tesoro 66, Great Oak 40

DIVISION II-A
Loara 87, Hemet 64
Summit 74, Keppel 38
Mayfair 64, Camarillo 39
Jurupa Valley 59, Cypress 42
Damien 59, Baldwin Park 49
La Habra 61, Dos Pueblos 56

DIVISION III-AA
Anaheim Canyon 69, Culver City 51
Savanna 65, Norco 64
Palm Springs 44, Elsinore 35
La Canada 68, Santa Maria 41
Santa Margarita 47, Arlington 39
Western 59, Beckman 56
North Torrance 102, Moorpark 56
Woodbridge 46, Garden Grove 44
Campbell Hall 72, Antelope Valley 59

DIVISION III-A
Diamond Ranch 74, Magnolia 38
Fullerton 54, Rosamond 38
Palm Desert 57, Sierra Vista 49
Foothill 61, Oak Park 34
Twentynine Palms 70, Mountain View 42
Brea Olinda 59, Barstow 58
Harvard-Westlake 88, Gabrielino 45
Garden Grove Pacifica 66, Temple City 60
Bonita 51, Corona del Mar 38
Charter Oak 62, Segerstrom 55
Irvine 70, Westminster La Quinta 66 (OT)
Sonora 59, El Modena 52

DIVISION IV-AA
Tustin 46, Pioneer 25
Northview 74, Ridgecrest Burroughs 46
JSerra 57, Rosemead 49
Inglewood 69, Bosco Tech 16
Ontario Christian 59, Yucca Valley 55
Compton Centennial 68, Gladstone 41
South El Monte 56, Covina 37

DIVISION IV-A
Orange Lutheran 85, Rim of the World 37
Montclair Prep 66, Big Bear 56
Oaks Christian 75, Morro Bay 62
Banning 51, Fairmont Prep 43
Laguna Beach 56, El Segundo 43
Crespi 72, Nordhoff 35
Cathedral 75, Whitney 39
La Salle 79, Bishop 52
Price 73, Whittier Christian 45

DIVISION V-AA
Cantwell-Sacred Heart 71, Calvary Murrieta 62
St. Monica 51, Milken 46
Woodcrest Christian 69, Paraclete 55
Santa Ana Calvary Chapel 78, Excelsior Education Center 34
St. Anthony 64, Academy for Academic Excellence 53
Flintridge Prep 71, Providence 41

DIVISION V-A
Yeshiva 78, La Sierra Academy 70
St. Margarets 54, Avalon 39
Aquinas 74, San Gabriel Academy 61
Pilibos 41, Thacher 38
Brethren Christian 52, Saddleback Valley Christian 36
La Verne Lutheran 84, Anza Hamilton 49
Pasadena Poly 66, Sherman Indian 30

DIVISION VI-AA
Bermuda Dunes Desert Christian 67. Lucerne Valley 26
Rolling Hills Prep 66, Le Lycee 40
Rio Hondo Prep 73, California Military 52
Laguna Blanca 60, Orangewood Academy 57
Hesperia Christian 57, Desert Chapel 31
Santa Clarita Christian 72, Twin Pines 53
Capistrano Valley Christian 78, West Shores 24
Eastside Christian 64, San Fernando Valley Academy 59
Wildomar Cornerstone Christian 52, Westview 46
Tarbut V’Torah 82, Noli Indian 44

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