LAS FLORES – The Tesoro boys basketball team rallied to beat Capistrano Valley, 56-55, in its Sea View League opener.
The Titans (9-8) trailed by 13 points, but found their rhythm in the fourth quarter.
With the score tied, Stephen Melanson drove to the basket and was fouled with 1.2 seconds remaining. He made the second free throw to give the Titans the crucial league win.
“Capo came out and hit a bunch of shots. We were not executing our plan and they made us pay,” Tesoro coach Steve Garrett said. “I didn’t know if we would have enough time to execute and be consistent. Luckily, we had just enough time.”
The Cougars (13-6) dominated the first half and led by 10 going into the break. Nic Lipovic and Dawson Baker were carrying the load, scoring 18 of the Cougars’ 30 points.
Capo held Tesoro to just 20 points in the first half.
Both teams traded baskets throughout the third quarter. Wolfgang Schultz and Deniz Kayiran scored all but three of Capo’s 17 points in the period.
The Titans made eight free throws in the third quarter, and went into the fourth trailing by nine.
Tesoro went on a 10-3 run to open the quarter, led by Chandler White, to cut the Capo lead to two.
With just over a minute remaining, Devon Modster made a 3-pointer to give Tesoro a 53-52 lead
On the ensuing possession, Schultz scored off an out-of-bounds play and was fouled, but missed the free throw, putting Capo up 54-53.
White scored on the next Titan possession and was fouled, but missed the free throw.
Capo’s Grayson Beeman was fouled at the other end and made one of two free throws to tie the score.
