FULLERTON – A shot at redemption was on the minds of both teams as they filed in for Friday night’s game.
Troy eyed a chance to beat Cypress after the Centurions handed the Warriors a defeat in Las Vegas earlier this season. Cypress looked to take advantage of its new life after receiving an at-large bid into the CIF-SS Division 1A playoffs.
The matchup was so enticing that 32 minutes simply wouldn’t do.
It wasn’t until senior Jason Choi finished a put-back layup as time expired in overtime that a winner was decided. Troy defeated Cypress, 56-54, in a thriller at Troy High.
With the Warriors (18-10) up by two with 7.9 seconds to go, Choi missed two free throws that could have sealed the game. Quinten Pounds was fouled on the rebound, and the senior knocked down two clutch shots from the stripe to knot it up at 54.
Troy threw a stretch pass that was handled by Semir Shafi. The junior spun baseline and fired a shot off the side of the backboard. Choi won the race down court, and he made good on his second chance with the tip-in.
“I forgot about the two free throws that I missed, and I kept playing,” Choi said of the finish. “As a three-year varsity player, I still kept my mind (in the present).”
The Warriors will host a second-round game against Foothill on Tuesday. The Knights won, 68-45, against Long Beach Wilson on Friday night.
Troy could count itself lucky for making it to the extra session. The Warriors held a slim lead for most of the fourth quarter, but Pounds willed the Centurions (17-15) to the tie with 26 seconds to go. Cypress tied up Warriors center Wenzel Akinboro underneath the basket with 7.4 seconds left, leaving the Centurions the last chance at the end of regulation.
Akinboro, who had 12 points and 11 rebounds, said the goal was to stop Pounds’ dribble penetration on the final defensive stand.
“(The plan was) just don’t let him get into the paint. He’s a really good player,” Akinboro said. “I’ve never actually been in that type of situation with a tight game and the clock running down.”
Pounds scored 17 of his game-high 23 points in the second half.
