SOUTHERN SECTION BASKETBALL CHAMPIONSHIPS : 3-A BOYS : Corona del Mar Comes Up Short as Time Runs Out

IRVINE —  After the initial uproar, the shock and the tears, Corona del Mar High School point guard Mark Flint quietly offered his opinion regarding the controversial finish of Dos Pueblos’ 39-38 overtime victory over Corona del Mar in the Southern Section 3-A title game Wednesday night at the Bren Events Center.

“Realistically,” Flint said, “are we really going to score with two seconds to go?”

Who’ll ever know?

Corona del Mar’s Jon Upham had made two free throws that gave the Sea Kings a 38-37 lead with 18 seconds to go in overtime. Dos Pueblos then fired back with a 18-foot fade-away jumper by Chris Gaines to give the Chargers a 39-38 edge--and, as the referees ruled, the victory as time expired.

But it is the amount of time on the Bren Center clock--which unlike most high school clocks hangs high up over the center of the court--that caused the dispute.

Thinking there were at least two seconds left after Gaines sank his shot, Corona del Mar players tried to call a timeout. But referee Frank Johnson signaled that time had expired. While Sea King Coach Paul Orris rushed onto the court to argue his case, and his players stood, some stunned, some ready to play, Dos Pueblos started its celebration.

For the Sea Kings, there was only frustration and second-guessing.

“He (Gaines) shot it with four seconds,” Orris said. “There’s two seconds left. . . . That’s the problem with clocks up there, the refs can’t see it. . . . How many gyms in this area have clocks up there? In that situation, someone’s got to be watching it with five guys trying to call a time out.”

Said Dos Pueblos Coach Eric Burkhardt: “There are a lot of calls that go one way or another. I looked up and saw the clock running down. I saw 0 on the (clock). We’re just so excited to win . . . “

In the end, two seconds or no two seconds, Gaines was the major difference. He scored all seven of Dos Pueblos’ points in overtime, and finished with a game-high 22.

Corona del Mar, which trailed by as much as 11 points in the first half, rallied in the third quarter for a 25-24 lead, and entered halftime with a 26-26 tie. But four critical fourth-quarter turnovers and two missed free throws by Flint hurt the Sea Kings. After Dos Pueblos failed to score after a full minute’s possession, the teams ended regulation at 32-32.

In overtime, CdM’s Warren Johnson (14 points) made two consecutive 15-footers from the baseline, but Gaines scored on a free throw, an inside bank shot and then made both ends of a one-and-one to give Dos Pueblos a 37-36 lead with 1:06 remaining.

And while a Dos Pueblos timeout wasn’t enough to shake Upham in between his one-and-one with 18 seconds to go, Gaines, working off a two-man screen, had the final say with his off-balance jumper.

“In retrospect,” Orris said, “When (Gaines) came under that screen. . .if we could’ve just stepped under and shoved him over. . .or. . .

“It’s hard. You want another opportunity. We saw one thing, they saw something else. It just happens. When it comes down to it, the kid hit the shot.”

Dos Pueblos’ total points was the lowest for any winning team since 1961, when Santa Clara beat Brea-Olinda, 39-25 in a 1-A title game. Dos Pueblos, which entered the game as an at-large entry from the Channel League, improved its record to 16-13.

Corona del Mar finished at 19-10.