Last-second call dooms Mustangs

Patrick Laverty

Fighting for its first playoff victory since 1962, Costa Mesa High’s

fate was decided by a whistle.

The Mustangs were called for a foul in the backcourt with 1.1

seconds remaining Wednesday and Colony freshman Stedman Merritt made

one of two free throws, giving the host Titans a 53-52, first-round

victory in the Division III-A playoffs.

“That was a horrible call at the end of the game,” Mustangs Coach

Bob Serven said. “It was a phantom call. Nobody saw it. He was

calling a kick ball and then he called tripping. That guy was a

terrible official and you can quote me on that.”

But the Mustangs (17-10) have only themselves to blame for being

in a position in which the referee could decide the outcome. Costa

Mesa committed 24 turnovers, including 11 in the fourth quarter,

which allowed Colony to come back from deficits of 21-4, 26-13 at

halftime and 51-42 with 3:45 remaining in the game.

That nine-point margin came after Scott Knox hit his eighth

three-pointer of the game, two shy of the Newport-Mesa record he set

in Mesa’s final regular-season game. But the Mustangs, who survived

in the second half by making 7 of 11 three-pointers, didn’t convert

another field goal in the game. In fact, they didn’t have many

chances to do so.

Mesa committed turnovers on its next six possessions, the first

five of which all came in the backcourt against Colony’s pressure

defense. The Titans (14-14) went on a 10-0 run and took their first

lead of the game, 52-51, when Matt Velasquez converted a short jumper

with 20 seconds remaining.

“How many turnovers did we commit?” Serven said. “That’s it right

there. You turn the ball over and you lose the game.”

Knox, who finished with a game-high 24 points, nearly made his

ninth three-pointer on Mesa’s ensuing possession, but the ball

bounced in and out. Sophomore Tony Krikorian grabbed the rebound and

was fouled, then made one of two free throws with five seconds left

to tie the score.

The game appeared headed to overtime until the referee blew his

whistle with Merritt well behind the half-court line and time about

to expire.

“There were calls both ways,” said Colony Coach Jerry De Fabiis,

who admitted it was a tough call to make in that situation. “But my

kid’s got a right to get down the court.”

It was an up-and-down game in the second half as Colony

continually double-teamed Mesa everywhere on the court. It was a

stark contrast to the first 11 minutes when Mesa executed the game

plan to perfection.

The Mustangs scored on their first three possessions, all set

plays, and limited Colony to four points in the first quarter.

Buckets by Brian Molina and Jeff Waldron, who finished with 12 points

and nine rebounds, to open the second quarter and a three-pointer by

Knox, who made 8 of 14 from beyond the arc, gave Mesa a 21-4 lead

with 5:44 remaining before halftime.

Mesa limited a poor-shooting Colony team to 5 of 24 in the first

half by forcing them to take outside shots, limiting the Titans to 13

first-half points. But Colony made the necessary adjustments at

halftime and began to get more looks inside the paint in the second

half.

“I think the turning point was that we were able to create a lot

of turnovers and we got penetration that allowed us to get inside the

zone,” De Fabiis said. “[Costa Mesa] did a great job of extending

their zone in the first half and forcing us to shoot outside.”

Over the final two quarters, Colony shot 13 of 25. It also was

able to get to the free-throw line much more often than Mesa,

converting 13 of 15 from the charity stripe compared to 1 of 3 for

the Mustangs.

“We had plenty of chances to win the game,” Serven said. “We

allowed 13 points in the first half and 40 in the second half. It’s a

hard lesson to learn and it’s happened to us before. Maybe we still

have a lot of learning to do.”

The breakdowns over the final quarter prevented the Mustangs from

notching their first playoff victory since 1962, one year after the

program’s inception and the only year that they have won a postseason

game. Instead, it was Colony who notched its first postseason win,

with the difference being that the Titans are fielding a varsity team

for the first time in school history.

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CIF Division III-A First round

Colony 53, Costa Mesa 52

Score by Quarters

Costa Mesa 14 12 16 10 -- 52

Colony 4 9 18 22 -- 53

Costa Mesa -- Molina 4, Knox 24, Krikorian 4,

Waldron 12, Stankovic 8, Aleson 0. 3-pt.

goals -- Knox 8, Waldron 2, Krikorian 1.

Fouled out -- None. Technicals -- None.

Colony -- Davis 2, Osunsanmi 2, McLaurin 9,

Merritt 8, Williams 11, Velasquez 10, Foster

5, Peterson 4, Baker 2. 3-pt. goals --

Velasquez 1, Williams 1. Fouled out -- None.

Technicals -- None.

*--*