Three players scored at least 20 points for #9 Southwestern, which withstood the pressure from #8 Bakersfield and pulled out a 93-88 win in the final minute of a first-round playoff game Friday night in Bakersfield.
For 39 minutes, despite Bakersfield's usual fast-paced style and deep bench that saw 11 players get into the game, Southwestern (23-4) played the host Renegades (23-6) on even terms.
Then in the final minute, Southwestern got a lay-up by SF Anthony Cosentino on a feed from PG Devone Davis to go ahead, and five free throws from Davis and Cosentino in the final 35.3 seconds to clinch the win.
With the score tied at 86, Southwestern came out of a timeout with 1:15 left and just 20 seconds left on the shot clock. The timer would down to just a few seconds, and Davis was shut off from driving into the lane when all at once he spotted Cosentino alone under the basket and fed him the ball for the tie-breaking lay-up with 59 seconds left.
That turned out to be the key play of the game. Bakersfield SG E.J. Kirby tried to answer with a jumper, but missed, and Southwestern PF Donald Gaines got the rebound. He gave the ball to Davis, who was fouled with 35.3 seconds left and made a pair of free throws to make it 90-86.
Still, Bakersfield had time to rally, but turned the ball over on a bad pass with 26.1 seconds left. After nearly stealing the inbounds pass, the Renegades fouled Davis again, and this time he made one free throw with 22.9 seconds left to make it 91-86.
Still, Bakersfield had a chance to tie the game. Kirby scored on a lay-up with 10.7 seconds left to make it 91-88, and then Southwestern turned the ball over when Davis fell out of bounds with 8.4 seconds left. The Renegades got the ball to Ctr Bobby Fisher, but his 3-point try missed. Cosentino grabbed the rebound, was fouled and made two free throws with 1.1 seconds left to finally clinch the win for the Jaguars.
That culminated a most entertaining, fast-paced and very evenly-played game. Southwestern had a 3-point lead at halftime, which lasted exactly nine seconds into the second half, and neither team led by more than five points the entire second half.
Early on, Southwestern did open a double-digit lead, going ahead by 11 at 17-6 after a 3-point play by Ctr Charles Joseph and a lay-up by Cosentino. The Jaguars later led again by 11 at 21-10.
Bakersfield rallied to cut that deficit to three points at 32-29 after a putback basket by PF Chase Adams. Southwestern pushed the lead back to nine points at 40-31 after a 3-pointer by SG Mark Kiefer, but Bakersfield got back within two at 48-46. Southwestern scored the game's next five points to lead by seven at 53-46, but a pair of Fisher baskets in the final minute of the first half made it 53-50 at the break.
And PG Ricky Wofford wiped out the rest of the deficit with a 3-pointer with 19:51 left in the game. Twice Southwestern went back into the lead, and each time Bakersfield answered with a basket to tie it. Then Southwestern took a 59-57 lead on a basket by Joseph, and Bakersfield answered with a 3-pointer by SF Skyler Vaden that gave the Renegades their first lead of the night at 60-59. All of that took place in the first 1:40 of the second half!
After that, the pace slowed a little, but the game stayed very even. Bakersfield got baskets from Kirby and Fisher to take a five-point lead at 64-59, which turned out to be the Renegades' largest lead of the game. Southwestern went back in front on a basket by Cosentino on a pass from Davis, foreshadowing the final go-ahead basket, with just over 12 minutes left.
The lead went back and forth until a Wofford 3-pointer with 4:27 left tied the game at 80. Then points became more difficult to come by. Three times Southwestern went back in front by two points, and each time Bakersfield answered with two points to tie the score once again, with Adams making a pair of free throws with 1:33 left to tie the score and set the stage for the final dramatic sequence.
For Southwestern, Joseph had team-highs of 24 pts and 8 rebs, and also had 3 blocks, despite picking up his 4th foul of the night with 5:24 left. Davis had 20 pts and 7 asts, and Cosentino had a strong all-around game with 20 pts, 6 rebs, 3 asts, 3 blocks and a steal. SF Anthony Allen came off the bench for 10 pts plus 6 rebs and 4 asts.
For Bakersfield, Fisher had a tremendous game with 34 pts, 12 rebs, both game-highs, plus 2 blocks and 4 steals. But the only other Renegade to reach double figures was Adams, who had 11 pts. SF Nick Markovich had 9 pts, all on 3-pointers, and Vaden had 6 pts plus 11 rebs and 7 asts.
The win is Southwestern's 18th straight after starting the season 5-4, as the Jaguars ran through the Pacific Coast Conference with a perfect 16-0 record. Southwestern will play the winner of tomorrow's LA Pierce vs. San Bernardino Valley game next Saturday in the regional final.
Bakersfield finishes 23-6 on the season after finishing second in the tough WSC-South.
Box Score
Friday, February 26, 2010 - 7 pm
at Bakersfield College
Playoffs - 1st Round
Southwestern Jaguars 93:
2-Mark Kiefer, SG - 2/5 fg, 1 ast, 1 pf, 6 pts
3-Anthony Cosentino, SF - 6/11 fg, 7/10 ft, 6 reb, 3 ast, 3 blk, 1 stl, 3 pf, 20 pts
11-Devone Davis, PG - 5/8 fg, 10/12 ft, 3 reb, 7 ast, 1 stl, 2 pf, 20 pts
24-Donald Gaines, PF - 3/4 fg, 0/1 ft, 7 reb, 2 ast, 3 pf, 6 pts
42-Charles Joseph, C - 9/18 fg, 3/5 ft, 8 reb, 3 blk, 2 stl, 4 pf, 24 pts
20-Anthony Allen, F - 3/9 fg, 2/4 ft, 6 reb, 4 ast, 1 stl, 4 pf, 10 pts
12-Johnny Francis, G - 1/3 fg, 1/2 ft, 3 reb, 1 ast, 1 pf, 4 pts
4-Kenny Ike, F - 1/1 fg, 1/2 ft, 1 ast, 1 blk, 1 pf, 3 pts
team rebounds: 8
Totals: 30/59 fg (.508), 24/36 ft (.667), 41 reb, 19 ast, 7 blk, 5 stl, 19 pf, 93 pts
3-pt fg (9): Joseph 3, Kiefer 2, Allen 2, Cosentino, Francis
Turnovers (18): Davis 5, Allen 5, Cosentino 2, Gaines 2, Ike 2, Joseph, Francis
Bakersfield Renegades 88:
3-Ricky Wofford, PG - 2/6 fg, 3/4 ft, 5 ast, 4 pf, 8 pts
11-Skyler Vaden, SF - 2/6 fg, 11 reb, 7 ast, 1 stl, 1 pf, 6 pts
15-E.J. Kirby, SG - 3/12 fg, 0/2 ft, 2 reb, 1 ast, 2 stl, 5 pf, 6 pts
44-Chase Adams, PF - 2/8 fg, 6/6 ft, 3 reb, 3 ast, 1 blk, 4 pf, 11 pts
55-Bobby Fisher, C - 15/29 fg, 4/4 fg, 12 reb, 1 ast, 2 blk, 4 stl, 2 pf, 34 pts
22-Stevie Howard, G - 3/9 fg, 2 reb, 2 ast, 1 stl, 3 pf, 7 pts
40-Cooper Damron, C - 0/1 fg, 1 reb, 1 blk, 4 pf, 0 pts
1-Nick Crossan, G - 0/2 fg, 1 ast, 0 pts
23-Nick Markovich, F - 3/6 fg, 2 reb, 2 ast, 1 blk, 1 stl, 2 pf, 9 pts
34-Calen Coleman, G - 3/6 fg, 2 reb, 1 ast, 4 pf, 7 pts
33-Cody Darling, F - 0 pts
team rebounds: 6
Totals: 33/85 fg (.388), 13/16 ft (.813), 41 reb, 23 ast, 5 blk, 9 stl, 29 pf, 88 pts
3-pt fg (9): Markovich 3, Vaden 2, Wofford, Adams, Howard, Coleman
Fouled Out: Kirby 1.1 seconds left
Turnovers (11): Wofford 3, Vaden 2, Damron 2, Kirby, Adams, Fisher, Howard
Halftime Score: Southwestern 53, Bakersfield 50
Updated Records: Southwestern (#9 seed) 23-4, Bakersfield (#8 seed) 23-6
Southwestern led by 11 in the first half but neither team led by more than 5 in the second half.
It was tied at 86 when Cosentino scored on a pass from Davis with 59 secs left to put SWC ahead.
Fisher missed a would-be game-tying 3-pt try with a few seconds left
