Providence boys’ basketball fights valiantly in quarterfinal defeat

Under the direction of first-year coach Michael Westphal, the Providence High boys’ basketball team turned things around quickly.

After posting a losing record and a winless Liberty League campaign last season, the Pioneers went the opposite direction. They won an undefeated International League championship and qualified for the CIF Southern Section Division V-AA playoffs.

On Tuesday, Providence looked to extend its postseason run when it traveled to face fourth-seeded Hesperia Christian in a quarterfinal contest.

Providence held its own for three quarters before succumbing to a 70-58 defeat.

“I thought we were able to get a lot of things accomplished this season,” said Westphal, whose team finished the season at 19-9. “The team went from winning nine games last year to now winning 19, along with making the playoffs. We talked about those things after the game.

“We played well for the first three quarters tonight and then I think we became fatigued and frustrated in the fourth quarter. It’s a tough loss and the score was closer than it indicated.”

Hesperia Christian (21-5), which won the Cross Valley League championship, held a 48-44 lead after the third quarter. It then sealed the win by outscoring Providence, 22-14, in the fourth quarter.

Providence, which picked up a first-round win against Vistamar on Friday, held a 22-21 after the first quarter and a 34-32 advantage at halftime.

“We got off to a very good start,” Westphal said. “Hesperia Christian seems to have rough first quarters before settling down. They started to fight back and made some three-pointers.”

Providence received 18 points from David Grigoryan, 13 from Bryce Whitaker, nine from Matthew Meza and eight from Kirk Helling.