Trabuco Hills victory sets up rematch with El Toro

LAKE FOREST - The Trabuco Hills boys basketball team finally earned a victory over rival El Toro, ending a streak of 11 consecutive losses with a 43-40 triumph in Thursday's Sea View League game.

The Mustangs' reward: They get to try to do it again Friday.

El Toro and Trabuco Hills finished the regular season tied for third place. Trabuco Hills is 15-11 overall and 5-5 in league. El Toro is 16-10 and 5-5. They will play Friday (7 p.m.) at Mission Viejo High to break the third-place tie.

The winner gets an automatic berth into the CIF-SS playoffs, which begin Wednesday. The loser will have to hope to get into the postseason as an at-large team.

"They have pretty much owned us since I've been at Trabuco," Mustangs coach Tom McCluskey said. "So for us, it is a big monkey off of our back. More important, it puts us in third place in a tough league."

El Toro played catch up the entire game and finally drew even, 40-40, on a basket by Ryan Hardy with 2:34 left in the game. That was as close as the Chargers would get. On the next possession, Trabuco Hills forward Coleton Smartt hit a 3-pointer to give the Mustangs a 43-40 lead.

Trabuco Hills had led by 11 in the first half.

"They (El Toro) never got over the hump," McCluskey said. "In these type of games, if the team doesn't take the lead, sometimes it is hard for them to get all the way back ... Coleton Smartt hit a big three for us."

Trabuco Hills had to sweat out three potential game-tying 3-point field goal attempts by El Toro before finally being able to celebrate.

"Now we get to play them again," McCluskey said.

El Toro won the first meeting between the two teams, 46-39, on Jan. 22.

The Chargers finally got some life in third quarter thanks to the play of Jamie Patton. Patton scored 10 of his 19 points in the third quarter.