For four full quarters, neither San Diego nor El Camino could shake the other.
What a difference an extra four minutes can make, however.
San Diego High, which trailed for almost the entire fourth quarter, rallied to tie the game and then dispatched the Wildcats in overtime, 74-68, in the Division I title game last night at Cox Arena.
The Cavers, winning their first section title since 1975, scored the first eight points in the overtime session after staging a remarkable rally for their 13th straight win.
San Diego (22-4), which scored the first eight points of overtime, enters Monday's Southern California Regional playoffs, where they are hoping for a home game, with an unbeaten record within the section.
This is a team that last night absolutely refused to lose.
“I told my guys not to quit, that quitting was not an option,” said Cavers coach Kenny Roy. “They've been down before. I told them one possession at a time, play good defense and everything would take care of itself.”
It was a game in which Jeremy Tyler showed why he's the No. 1 sophomore in the nation according to Rivals.com. He finished with a game-high 23 points and 21 rebounds.
“I knew we needed to step up and change the way the way we were playing in the second half,” said the 6-foot-11 center. “I felt like I got the ball enough. The team played smarter in the second half.”
Roy agreed with his precocious star.
“I didn't blame him for the way he felt at the half,” said Roy. “A couple of possessions in the first half we should have gotten the ball to him, but we took jump shots. We had to work it inside.”
Two players who hadn't made much of an impression played major roles in sending the game into overtime.
Defensive specialist Jourdan Ward of San Diego stole the ball under the El Camino basket and laid it in, giving the Cavers a 63-61 lead with 14 seconds remaining.
“That was a huge steal,” said Roy. “I call him my unsung hero and I call him the best defensive player in the county.”
Ward was fully aware of the circumstances.
“I told myself I had to get the ball,” said Ward. “My defense wasn't that good in the first half, so I had to make up for it. This feels great. I feel like I'm going to Disneyland.”
Just as unusual, El Camino's Sam Robinson was on the end of a Nelson Rosario pass as the clock dipped under three seconds but was fouled. Earlier he had missed two from the line and his season average was close to .500.
This time, with the crowd roaring, he made both, sending the game into the extra session.
It was a game where another big man, Rosario, was just as impressive as Tyler, scoring 14 points, pulling down 10 rebounds and swatting away five shots.
Demetrious Love chipped in 25 points for the Wildcats and Luke Evans added 16. James Tyler had 17 for the Cavers.
“We still get to play Monday, so it's not over yet,” said El Camino coach Ray Johnson. “We've already had a good season, we just didn't play very well tonight. The difference in the game is they handled our pressure pretty well.”
Steve Brand: (619) 293-1854; steve.brand@uniontrib.com
