JSerra falls short against Bosco again

SAN JUAN CAPISTRANO – For the second time this season, the JSerra boys basketball team came up just a bit short against St.John Bosco of Bellflower.

The Lions, ranked fourth in the county, trailed by two with 21.8 seconds left.

On the next possession, St. John Bosco's Isaac Hamilton forced a turnover that resulted in a pair of free throws by Kameron Murrell to seal a 72-68 road Trinity League victory for the Braves.

In their Jan. 4 game, the Braves (16-4, 5-0) edged the Lions, 74-73.

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"Every coach in this league can coach," St. John Bosco coach Derrick Taylor said. "It doesn't make a difference, whether you're on the road or home, these guys can coach and they squeeze out everything from their team."

The score was 68-68 after a 3-point play by JSerra's Jamal Aytes, forcing St. John Bosco to take a time out with 41.3 seconds left.

Isaac Hamilton was fouled on the next possession for St. John Bosco and made both free throws for the 70-68 lead.

Hamilton led all scorers with 26 points. He scored 17 in the first half.

"I loved the effort," JSerra coach Joedy Gardner said.

The Lions (12-7, 3-3) trailed, 58-47, entering the fourth quarter after Hamilton hit a running 3-pointer as time expired in the third.

The Lions outscored the Braves 12-0 to start the fourth to take a 59-58 lead with 4:42 left.

"We're young and we have to continue to trust each other and believe that we can win games," Gardner said. "We ran a diamond and 2 (defense) with a lot of little trickery ...we're a very smart team. In the first half, it wasn't as effective, so went in at halftime and made some adjustments and I thought that really bothered them."

Later, Murrell made a pair of 3-pointers to give the Braves a 68-62 lead with less than two minutes left.

"When they're (JSerra) run started, Kameron turned the ball over a few times ... I took him out and I told him he had to shake off that negative run and come back with some positive energy," Taylor said. "He came back with a positive outlook and hit the big threes."

Murrell scored 15 points for the Braves. Daniel Hamilton, Isaac's brother, scored 12 points and had 10 rebounds.

The Lions again answered with a 3 by Xavier Williams and a 3-point play by Aytes for a 68-68 tie, before Hamilton scored the winning free throws.

Aytes led the Lions with 25 points and 13 rebounds. Devon and Rex Pflueger had 11 and 10 points, respectively. Reece Lemon also had 10.

The Braves will now turn their attention to Friday's showdown for first place with Mater Dei. Both teams enter the game at 5-0. The Monarchs defeated Santa Margarita, 82-36.

In other Trinity League games:

No. 5 Orange Lutheran 61, Servite 46: Gabe York, in his first game since a Dec. 31 appendectomy led the home Lancers (13-6, 3-3) with 16 points.

No. 1 Mater Dei 82, Santa Margarita 36: Katin Reinhardt's 21 points paced the home Monarchs (18-2, 5-0).

Contact the writer: dcalhoun@ocregister.com