SAN CLEMENTE – The start was uncharacteristic for San Clemente.
Going into its CIF-SS Division 1AA first-round matchup against Downey, the host Tritons had developed a trend of fast starts. They struggled early Friday, hitting just 2 of 13 shots in the first quarter.
Led by Nick Crankshaw, San Clemente recovered midway through the second quarter and never let up, advancing with a 54-43 win over the Vikings.
San Clemente extended its win streak to 12 games. The Tritons will host Tustin in the second round on Tuesday.
“It’s a great game for Orange County,” Tritons coach Marc Popovich said. “That’s going to be a fun game and our boys will be ready.”
Crankshaw led all scorers with 16 points, adding 9 assists and 8 rebounds. However, it was his defensive work in holding Downey’s Jeraun Richards to six points that impressed his coach.
“It’s what Nick does, it wasn’t anything out of the ordinary, he’s just steady,” Popovich said. “Our defense was spectacular in the second quarter.”
The Tritons found themselves trailing, 13-8, in the second quarter before the direction of the game changed. Sam Darnold and Scott Herrod hit 3-pointers and Crankshaw stole an inbound pass for a layup to give San Clemente a 16-15 lead.
The Tritons held Downey’s leading scorers, Richards and C.J. Smith, to four total points in the first half while closing the half on a 16-4 run.
Smith and Richards finished with a combined 14 points. The Tritons led, 24-17, at halftime.
“We started playing with more energy,” Crankshaw said. “Once we got moving in transition, the passes came easy for us. We’re at our best when we’re moving the ball.”
San Clemente maintained a comfortable lead in the third quarter as Crankshaw began zipping passes to cutting teammates. He also hit all five of his second-half shot attempts.
Downey stuck around, reducing the Tritons’ lead to four to start the fourth quarter. Herrod hit a pair of 3-pointers as the Tritons went on a 10-0 run to put the game out of reach.
Contact the writer: npercy@ocregister.com
