SF Buchi Awaji had 19 pts and 10 rebs and SG Aaron Arango had 16 pts including 4 threes to lead host #14 Citrus (21-12) to its first playoff win in memory Wednesday night, a 68-57 win over #19 Cuesta (17-16) at the Owls' Nest in Glendora.
It was Citrus' first playoff game since 1997, and their first playoff win since at least the 1980's. Coach Rick Croy, in his second season at the helm, has built up a program that had just two 20-win seasons in its history, dating back to the 1960-61 season. After a 17-13 mark last year, narrowly missing the playoffs, the Owls posted a 20-12 record this season and now have their first playoff win on record.
Citrus never trailed in the game, and held a comfortable lead for most of the second half though Cuesta fought to stay in contention despite foul trouble and a couple of key injuries. Ctr Jimmy Allen, the Cougars' top scorer, injured his shoulder in the first half and left the game for good after re-injuring it early in the second half. And his backup, Brian Santiago, left the game after twisting his knee midway through the second half. Plus, PF Kristof Ongenaet, Cuesta's second-leading scorer and top rebounder, battled foul trouble much of the game and fouled out with 1:26 left.
Citrus Ctr Deonta Black set the tone in the opening minutes, blocking an Allen shot near the basket. And Awaji gave Citrus an early 2-0 lead with a putback of his own miss at the other end. Ongenaet made a pair of free throws to tie the game, but then Arango knocked down a three to give the Owls a 5-2 edge.
Then there was a strange sequence that saw Cuesta tie the game. PF Phil Friesen was called for his second foul of the game going after a rebound. Coach Croy wanted a timeout in order to get a substitute into the game, but the official refused to give him the timeout. Finally, as Croy complained, the official assessed him with a technical foul. PG Casey Blair made 1 of 2 free throws for Cuesta, but Croy got Friesen off the floor before he could pick up a third foul.
And after an Ongenaet jumper tied the game, 5-5, Citrus scored the game's next 7 points to take a 12-5 lead. Another three by Arango, a driving lay-up by Awaji and a short jumper by Black gave the Owls the 7-point lead. After a three by Blair for Cuesta, Citrus pushed the lead to 8 points at 16-8 after a basket by Black on a feed from Arango.
Cuesta scored the next 7 points to cut the lead to a single point at 16-15. Around then, backup PG Virgil Buensuceso came in and sparked Citrus to extend its lead to 12 points. First, he passed to SG Shaughn Hull, who drained a three to make it 22-15. Then, he pulled down a rebound and went end-to-end and scored on a lay-up to make it 24-15. Then he drew a charge to get the ball back, and then passed to Arango, who drained another three to make it 27-15.
But then Citrus went scoreless for over 5 minutes, allowing Cuesta to get back in the game. A three by Blair and a basket by SF Brandon Cochran cut the margin to 7 at 27-20. Then a pair of free throws by Blair made it 27-22. And a basket by SF Marquise Venson made it 27-24.
Finally, with 26.4 seconds left in the first half, PG Kevin McCaughey broke the Citrus drought with a pair of free throws to make it 29-24 at halftime. But when the second half began, Blair drained another three to bring Cuesta to within 2 points at 29-27. And then a steal by SG Chris Silzer resulted in a fast break, and the ball went to Allen near the basket.
But on the play, Allen was fouled and re-injured his shoulder. He left the game and did not return. Santiago came on and made 1 of his 2 free throws to make it a 1-point game at 29-28. And Buensuceso came back in for the Owls.
Once again, the freshman from Eagle Rock stabilized the Owls, dishing to Arango for another three to make it 32-28. Then Awaji scored to make it 34-28, and Arango made a free throw to push the lead to 7 at 35-28.
Then Citrus' other Eagle Rock alumn made an impact. Black, a 6-7 sophomore, knocked the ball loose at the top of the key, received a return pass from Awaji and threw down a jam to make it 37-28. A pair of free throws by Friesen made it 39-28, and then Black scored again, this time on a hook shot after a rebound, to make it 41-28 with under 14 minutes left.
From there, Citrus' lead fluctuated between 8 and 13 points until the final minute of the game. Cuesta's chances were weakened when Ongenaet picked up his fourth foul of the game with 12:05 left.
Cuesta finally got the lead down to 7 points after a bank-shot three by SG Stuart Yoshida with 51.2 seconds remaining. But then Awaji and Friesen made a pair of free throws to push the lead back to 11. And when PF Lester Cole stole the ball back with under 30 seconds left, Citrus had its first playoff win in memory.
For Citrus, Awaji and Arango topped the list of scorers but this was a total team victory. Black's defense and inside presence were key, and he chipped in on the offensive end with 10 pts. Friesen missed most of the first half with foul trouble, but had 9 pts and 6 rebs in the second half (7 rebs total). McCaughey had 6 pts and 4 asts, while Buensuceso sparked one key run and helped stop what might have been Cuesta's best rally, finishing with 2 pts and 4 asts.
And the least obvious but still very important hero for Citrus might be Cole. The 5-11 sophomore came on when Friesen got into foul trouble, and was assigned to guard the 6-8 Ongenaet. But Cole helped hold Ongenaet to just 4 pts in the first half (2 of which came on free throws after a Friesen foul) and 1 rebound (Ongenaet came in averaging 11.8 boards per game).
For Cuesta, Blair and Silzer each had 14 pts; Blair also dished out a game-high 6 asts. Ongenaet finished with 12 pts and 6 rebs. But the Cougars never recovered from the absence of Allen, who finished with zero points and just one rebound on the night.
With the win, Citrus improves to 21-12, and will face #3 seed San Bernardino Valley Saturday at 7 pm. Citrus beat SBVC, 82-62, back in December. Cuesta finishes 17-16.
Box Score
Wednesday, February 21, 2007 - 7 pm
at The Owls' Nest, Citrus College, Glendora
2007 Playoffs (mini-round)
Cuesta Cougars 57:
1-Casey Blair, PG - 4/7 fg, 3/4 ft, 6 ast, 3 pf, 14 pts
10-Chris Silzer, SG - 6/11 fg, 1/2 ft, 5 reb, 2 ast, 2 stl, 4 pf, 14 pts
33-Brandon Cochran, SF - 1/6 fg, 5 reb, 1 ast, 1 blk, 1 stl, 1 pf, 2 pts
40-Jimmy Allen, C - 0/4 fg, 1 reb, 3 blk, 1 pf, 0 pts
44-Kristof Ongenaet, PF - 5/9 fg, 2/5 ft, 6 reb, 2 ast, 1 blk, 2 stl, 5 pf, 12 pts
24-Marquise Venson, F - 2/5 fg, 2/4 ft, 3 reb, 3 ast, 1 pf, 7 pts
35-Caylen Clark, F - 0/2 fg, 3 reb, 1 pf, 0 pts
21-Stuart Yoshida, G - 3/8 fg, 0/1 ft, 6 reb, 1 ast, 3 pf, 7 pts
32-Brian Santiago, C - 0/1 fg, 1/2 ft, 1 reb, 1 pf, 1 pt
team rebounds: 4
Totals: 21/53 fg (.396), 9/18 ft (.500), 34 reb, 15 ast, 5 blk, 5 stl, 20 pf, 57 pts
3-pt fg (6): Blair 3, Silzer, Venson, Yoshida
Fouled Out: Ongenaet 1:26 left
Turnovers (19): Blair 4, Corcoran 4, Ongenaet 3, Santiago 3, Venson 2, Allen, Clark, Yoshida
Citrus Owls 68:
5-Kevin McCaughey, PG - 0/5 fg, 6/7 ft, 3 reb, 4 ast, 2 blk, 3 pf, 6 pts
15-Aaron Arango, SG - 5/13 fg, 2/4 ft, 7 reb, 2 ast, 1 blk, 2 pf, 16 pts
20-Phil Friesen, PF - 2/5 fg, 5/5 ft, 7 reb, 1 ast, 3 pf, 9 pts
25-Buchi Awaji, SF - 8/20 fg, 2/2 ft, 10 reb, 1 ast, 1 stl, 4 pf, 19 pts
45-Deonta Black, C - 5/9 fg, 6 reb, 1 ast, 3 blk, 3 stl, 2 pf, 10 pts
10-Lester Cole, F - 0/2 fg, 5 reb, 2 ast, 2 stl, 1 pf, 0 pts
3-Shaughn Hull, G - 1/2 fg, 0/3 ft, 1 stl, 2 pts
32-Virgil Buensuceso, G - 1/6 fg, 1 reb, 4 ast, 1 stl, 2 pts
44-Richard Frohlich, C - 2/5 fg, 0/2 ft, 4 reb, 1 pf, 4 pts
team rebounds: 8
Totals: 24/67 fg (.358), 15/23 ft (.652), 51 reb, 15 ast, 6 blk, 8 stl, 16 pf, 68 pts
3-pt fg (5): Arango 4, Awaji
Technical Foul: Coach Croy
Turnovers (16): Arango 5, Frohlich 3, McCaughey 2, Friesen 2, Black 2, Awaji, Cole
Halftime Score: Citrus 29, Cuesta 24
Updated Record: Citrus (#14 seed) 21-12, Cuesta (#19 seed) 17-16
This is Citrus' first playoff win in at least a decade, and maybe ever!
