Pacifica Christian Orange County boys' basketball closes strong to book CIF semifinal bid

Pacifica Christian's EJ Spillman celebrates after the team beat Sonora in a CIF Southern Section Division 2A playoff game.

By Matt SzaboStaff Writer

Feb. 15, 2023 2:52 PM PT

The Pacifica Christian High boys’ basketball team put the emphasis on the word “team” as it headed into Tuesday’s playoff quarterfinal game against visiting Sonora.

The Tritons were without their top overall player, Northwestern-bound senior point guard Parker Strauss, who leads the squad in each statistical category.

Of course, statistics don’t measure things like grittiness and toughness, and Pacifica Christian exhibited both of those in the second half.

The Tritons went on a big run, turning a close game into a 76-56 victory in the CIF Southern Section Division 2A quarterfinal game.

Pacifica Christian's Salim Semaan splits Sonora's Michael Shimizu, left, and Yanmife Oke during Tuesday's playoff game.

No. 2-seeded Pacifica Christian (23-8) will play at No. 3 La Mirada (24-8) in the semifinals Friday night. The Tritons will be seeking their third CIF finals appearance, and first since 2019.

Junior forward Alex Stewart helped them get there Tuesday. Stewart shot 10 of 10 from the field for a game-high and career-high 23 points.

“We played how we envision ourselves to play,” Stewart said. “We play as a team, we stick together through ups and downs. Basketball is a game of runs … [but] the brotherhood that we have is the main reason why we’re here.”

Neither team led by double digits until the second half. Sonora (26-5), which had a 20-game winning streak snapped, took a 40-37 lead on a corner three-pointer by Ricky Esparza midway through the third quarter.

Pacifica Christian's Jeffry Bohlinger celebrates a point during Tuesday's playoff quarterfinal win over Sonora.

But Pacifica Christian went on an 18-1 run, started when Stewart hit his own corner three.

“We’ve been preaching this all year, it’s all about the team,” Coach Jeff Berokoff said. “It’s all about the guy next to you. Every guy kind of chipped in and did something really good and special. I just felt all five guys during that stretch, somebody just made a tough play, somebody won a loose ball, somebody made the extra pass.”

Senior Tanner Deal scored 12, and senior Jeffry Bohlinger added 11 points and seven assists for the winners. Pacifica Christian also got nine points each from sophomores EJ Spillman and Logan Stewart, while senior Salim Semaan added eight points and a game-high eight rebounds.

Freshmen AJ Johnson (four points) and Michael Noel also saw the floor for Pacifica Christian. Johnson provided valuable minutes in the first quarter, when Spillman hit his head and was temporarily knocked out of the game.

Pacifica Christian's Jeffrey Bohlinger, left, and Tanner Deal, right, scramble for a loose ball against Sonora's Yanmife Oke.

Strauss is dealing with a left Achilles injury that he aggravated in Pacifica Christian’s second-round win over Dana Hills. He was on crutches Tuesday, and Berokoff said it’s unlikely that he’ll play Friday.

“The guys responded for him,” Berokoff said. “They really picked it up. I mean, Parker leads us in points, assists, rebounds, steals, charges taken. Every stat line, he’s our leader. But we played eight tonight, and every one of those kids did something to help us win.”

Berokoff, a 1998 graduate of Sonora High, said he coached against his former coach Mike Murphy for the first time. Murphy’s squad was led by junior guard Eric Castillo, who had 18 points off the bench, including five three-pointers.

But the Raiders, who led 30-29 at halftime, couldn’t get closer than nine points down the stretch following the Tritons’ run.