Costa Mesa boys’ basketball falls at home to Silverado

Nico Dasca scored 34 points and Osman Hefner made four long-range three-pointers, but it wasn’t enough for Costa Mesa High.

The host Mustangs lost the battle inside and exited in the second round of the CIF Southern Section Division 4AA boys’ basketball playoffs Friday night with a 71-67 loss to Victorville Silverado.

The Mustangs (14-11) used a 13-4 run early in the fourth quarter to take a 56-51 lead — their biggest since going up by six in the second period. But Silverado (16-13) used its size, athleticism and physicality to go on a 12-2 tear and take command with a little less than two minutes to go. Costa Mesa got no closer than three the rest of the way.

The Hawks, who will play at No. 4 San Luis Obispo (23-7) in Tuesday’s quarterfinals, repeatedly got to the hoop to score on easy layups or, with 11 offensive rebounds, get second and third chances. They played aggressively on defense, denying Costa Mesa open looks from outside.

Hefner finished with 19 points despite nearly constant attention from guard Anthony Austin.

“Give Silverado credit. They’re big, they’re physical, they play their game,” said first-year Mustangs coach Mike Ofer. “Their pressure on defense bothered us a little bit. But instead of being disappointed, I’d rather look at our season right now. We learned a lot for a young team, and we got further than we, I think, anticipated.

“We have a lot to be proud of and now really a lot to build on, as far as the program goes. This is a great first year for us, coming in with our system, and I give the kids a lot of credit for battling. This is going to be a tough one [to get over], but I credit [Silverado] for playing well. We battled. We scrapped. It wasn’t like we didn’t play hard.”

Austin scored 17 of his 28 points and grabbed eight of his 10 rebounds in the second half to lead the Hawks, who pulled down 35 boards to just 21 for Costa Mesa. Jalen Hartwill, Silverado’s biggest presence inside, added 15 points, Reggie Hall had 12 and Kyree Manning 11.

Dasca made three baskets and hit two free throws as the Mustangs scored the game’s first eight points, but Silverado scored the next eight. Neither team led by more than seven the rest of the way.

Silverado didn’t take its first lead until Trey Franklin hit a three at the end of the second half to make it 33-31, and led by three to six points throughout the third quarter and into the fourth.

Costa Mesa’s fourth-quarter run started with a Ben Swanson three-pointer, and Dasca made two free throws for a 48-47 lead with 6:36 to go. A 15-foot Austin jumper pushed Silverado ahead again, but Hefner made two threes and Dasca blocked a shot and finished the fastbreak with a layup as the Mustangs went up 56-51 with 4:44 to go.

George Williamson’s basket after a Tre Villalpando offensive rebound put Costa Mesa up 58-55 with 3:39 left, but free throws from Hartwill and Hall, a three-point play by Hartwill, and Hall’s putback gave Silverado a five-point edge. When the Mustangs closed the gap to three, Jawaun Session and Hall made free throws to secure the victory.

SCOTT FRENCH is a contributor to Times Community News. Follow him on Twitter: @ScottJFrench