Cypress seniors following Friday’s CIF playoff loss. (PHOTOS: Tom Connolly, For OC Sports Zone).
Despite a gallant effort, Cypress High School’s boys basketball team fell to Rancho Christian 94-82 in a second round CIF Division 1 playoff game Friday night at Cypress.
Rancho Christian (21-9) advances to the quarterfinals and will play Millikan next Tuesday.
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Rancho Christian junior guard JJ Profit, a Temecula Valley transfer, scored 31 points and was virtually unstoppable in the paint as Cypress (19-11) struggled to contain him.
“Number five (Profit ) is a stud, and he was too big for our guards,” said Centurions’ Coach Derek Mitchell. “I’m proud of our guys. They fought to the end and never quit. After missing the playoffs last year, we accomplished a lot by making it to the second round of the Division 1 playoffs. We played a tough schedule, and it was a good season.”
Leading 42-35 at halftime, Rancho Christian started the third quarter with sizzling-hot shooting.
The Eagles, who have won 14 of their last 15 games, connected on six consecutive 3-pointers, including three from Tony Rutledge, a Moreno Valley transfer, and two from James Wilson. Profit’s basket at the 3:42 mark of the period gave Rancho Christian a 62-43 lead.
The Eagles outscored Cypress 27-17 in the period and built a commanding 69-52 lead after three quarters.
“They came out on fire in the third quarter and made a lot of tough shots,” said Cypress senior guard Ethan Mai, who scored 14 points, including four 3-pointers. “We couldn’t punch back and that killed our momentum. It’s not the way we wanted to end the season, but we played at a high level. I enjoyed every minute of it.”
Mai’s teammate and Azusa Pacific commit, Ryan Gov, agreed.
“We couldn’t get over the hump, said Gov, who led Cypress with 29 points. “Nobody expected us to get to the second round of the Division 1 playoffs. It was a great season.”
Emmanuel Igbekoyi and Gov gave Cypress a spark in the final quarter and cut the lead to 79-71 on a basket by Gov with 3:27 to play. Igbekoyi scored 12 of his 20 points in the final quarter but it wasn’t enough. Profit countered with seven points in the final three minutes foiling the Centurions comeback hopes.
Cypress junior guard Brennen De La Cruz scored 13 points and Cypress drilled 14 3-pointers in the game, but the Eagles athleticism, speed, size, and rebounding advantage proved to be the difference. Rancho Christian also made 11 3-pointers in the game.
“We knew they would be tough at home; they’re a gritty team,” said Eagles Coach Jalen Lake. “Down the stretch we stayed disciplined and played tough defense. We’re hoping to make a deep run in the playoffs. I think we’re playing our best basketball of the season.”
Cypress trailed 24-17 after the first quarter and two 3-pointers by Mai and Igbekoyi in the final 1:30 of the half allowed the Centurions to stay within striking range as they trailed 42-35 at halftime.
NOTES:
—-Cypress defeated San Gabriel Academy in the first round of the playoffs on Wednesday and Rancho Christian beat St. Francis.
—-Both Cypress and Rancho Christian lost to Etiwanda by double digits during the regular season. Both the Centurions and the Eagles are averaging 65 points per game.
—-Cypress finished in third place in the Crestview League and Rancho Christian won the Ivy League title by going 10-0 in league play.
—-Cypress played only seven home games this season. However, if the Centurions would have won on Friday, they would have hosted the quarterfinal game after winning a coin flip.
—-Cypress coach Derek Mitchell was trying to become the all-time winningest coach in Cypress basketball history. Mitchell has won 246 games in 13 seasons and is expected to surpass former Cypress coach Jeff Russell (also with 246 wins) next season. “Jeff’s a great guy and he was a great mentor for me,” said Mitchell.
—-A veteran CIF referee told OC Sports Zone before Friday’s game that the CIF assigns three referees for the Open and Division 1 games throughout the playoffs. However, for the Division 2 thru 9 games, only two referees are assigned per game until the quarterfinals, semifinals, and finals when three referees are assigned to each game.
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