FULLERTON – Rarely does Eric Patton go against Lucas Araujo in practice, and for that, Foothill’s starting center is eternally grateful.
Patton goes 6-foot-6 flatfooted, about two, three feet taller given his wingspan. Araujo comes in four inches shorter, with heart and physicality that compensate for his height disadvantage.
Patton is a better big for practicing alongside the team’s dirty work auteur.
Araujo owned the restricted area Tuesday, grabbing offensive rebounds aplenty and finishing in traffic, as second-seeded Foothill defeated host Troy, 60-53, to advance to the Division 1A quarterfinals.
The Knights (25-3) will host Godinez in the quarterfinals on Friday.
“Anytime we’re on the court now,” Araujo said, “it could be our last game. I’m just giving 110 percent. I don’t think about my height. I just play hard.”
Patton admitted after the game that he’s playing a bit tighter now that the games matter more. Knights coach Rusty Van Cleave said the beautiful thing about the postseason is that one off night can end a season as spectacular as Foothill’s.
“It’s a great adventure,” Van Cleave said.
Troy (18-11) seemingly hit every shot it took in the first quarter, and led narrowly entering the second. Matt Mickle scored nine points in the first eight minutes, and Jason Choi added five.
Van Cleave said his perimeter defense tightened as the game wore on. Choi is a penetrating guard who draws a lot of contact, but Riley O’Hern and Jacob Sanchez did a better job after the first quarter of preventing Choi from turning to pet secondary moves.
Patton’s active hands deflected post-entry passes, and Araujo and Greg Blanchard cleaned the glass. Foothill also began hitting the same shots it missed early.
“We’ve got to play inside-out, that’s just the nature of our offense,” Van Cleave said, for what seems like the umpteenth time this season. “That’s the best way to play for our guys. We play good defense, but our kids don’t have that natural-born toughness. Troy played tough, with determination, and that made it difficult for us.”
Foothill closed the first half on a 10-0 run, forcing seven straight empty Troy trips. The Knights pulled away early in the third quarter, shooting Troy out of the zone it came out in. O’Hern led Foothill with 14 points.
Troy trailed by five in the fourth quarter, but marred its comeback with turnovers on six of seven possessions. Foothill didn’t close strong offensively, but it rebounded on defense and hit its free throws.
Playing physically is “contagious,” Araujo said. “One player starts making big play after big play, hustle play after hustle play, and everyone starts doing it.”
Choi led all scorers with 17 points.
Contact the writer: 714-704-3790 or bwhitehead@ocregister.com
