By Eric Brodkin
Staff Writer
Costa basketball defeated Damien High School, 49-41, on Tuesday at home and advanced to the semifinals of the California Interscholastic Federation (CIF) Division 1 playoffs. The Spartans won the Division 1 championship last year but fell short this year against the number one-seeded Mustangs.
The two teams were back and forth the entire game, exchanging points and keeping the score close. The Mustangs’ defense stepped up, stopping the Spartans toward the end and creating a good position for them to finish off the game on top. The Mustangs’ defense was able to create possessions for the offense as it got more rebounds than the Spartans.
“Going into the game, we were very confident with our defensive scheme,” senior guard Will Householter said. “We know we can score as a team, so we’re never really too worried about our offense. We’re not too concerned with other teams’ names and faces or what they have accomplished; we’re more focused on completing our goals.”
Senior guard Dylan Black shoots a three during warmups before the game. Black was a key piece to the Mustangs’ offense and helped them defeat Damien High School, 49-41 in the quarterfinals of the CIF Division 1 playoff.
According to sophomore forward Preston Ezewiro, the Mustangs’ defense was a big part of the team’s win. Costa was able to hold the Spartans to only 41 points and caused turnovers that helped the offense score. Ezewiro and senior forward Trey Pierce shut down the Spartans in the paint with five blocks, while the rest of the defense piled up six steals.
“The forced turnovers were super important because they caused disruption in their offense,” Ezewiro said. “They were big in key moments and were one of the main reasons we won.”
Sophomore forward Justin Cricri warms up with a layup, preparing for their playoff game against Damien High School.
The Mustangs started the game off strong, going on a 10-3 run in the early minutes of the first quarter. The Spartans tried to crawl back heading into the second quarter and built up a lead of 28-24 going into halftime.
“In a big game like this one, starting off strong early on in the game is huge,” Ezewiro said. “It creates momentum for our team and puts us in a good position to win the game.”
The Mustangs came out of halftime down four but slowly gained momentum and tied the game up late in the third quarter. With turnovers on the defensive side and emphatic dunks by Ezewiro and sophomore guard Jacob de Armas, the Mustangs took the lead. The Spartans were still in the game late in the fourth quarter, but a clutch block from Pierce ended the game and sent the Mustangs to the CIF semifinals.
Senior guard Tyler Tang goes up for the dunk during warmups
“I believe that our defense in the last few minutes of the game caused us to hold on to the lead,” Ezewiro said. “We were able to hold them off by playing strong on their big man and their guards.”
Sophomore forward Preston Ezewiro throws down a flashy dunk to prepare for the playoff game.
With the win over the Spartans, Costa advanced to the semifinals and will play away at Mater Dei High School tonight at 7 p.m. The Monarchs defeated the Mustangs during the team’s regular season, and according to Householter, the Mustangs need to adjust some things before heading into this very important game.
“After our first run with them, we’ll definitely need to rethink and adjust our game plan a little,” Householter said. “Personally, I’ll have to maintain my composure the entire game, no matter the score.”
Sophomore Justin Cricri and senior Tyler Tang warm up during their game against Damien High School.
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