Extra two minutes special for Bell-Jeff boys’ basketball team in victory
PASADENA — Following 44 minutes of regulation time, the members of the Bellarmine-Jefferson High boys’ basketball team found overtime to their liking.
The Guards got plenty of things done during the two-minute overtime session.
Bell-Jeff outscored host Maranatha by a 7-0 margin in overtime to come away with a 63-56 victory on Tuesday in a Maranatha Summer League contest.
“The plan coming out was to win the tip and then get a score right away,” said Bell-Jeff assistant Eddie Miller, who filled in for head coach Julian Andrade. “Then we were able to come out and guard before getting another basket.
“It’s more of a conditioning thing. We want to work on our conditioning during the summer to get us ready for next season. We were able to find ways to execute when we needed to.”
Bell-Jeff followed the plan to perfection. Bell-Jeff’s Luke Djolakian scored on the opening possession of overtime to make it 58-56 with 1:50 remaining.
The Guards then saw Abid Oses grab an offensive rebound and convert it into a basket to extend the advantage to 60-56 with 1:07 left. A three-point play by Clark Thomas with 31.1 seconds closed out the scoring.
Oses, who finished with four offensive rebounds, said he found an opening to grab the ball before scoring.
“I was probably the biggest guy on the court,” said Oses, who finished with a team-high 18 points. “I got into the lane and that was really big to get the rebound and the putback.”
Bell-Jeff, which finished second in the Santa Fe League last season, received 17 points from Isaac Etter and 13 from Raffy Verano. Clark Thomas contributed 12 points for the Guards, who advanced to the CIF Southern Section Division V-A quarterfinals last season.
The Guards overcame a sluggish start to begin the contest, as the Minutemen jumped out to a 14-4 lead. A basket by Etter cut the deficit to 14-6 with 11:55 remaining in the first half and ended a 12-0 run by Maranatha.
Bell-Jeff then went on a 14-6 run, capped by a three-pointer by Etter to knot it at 20 with 4:10 left. The Guards held a 29-26 halftime advantage.
“We felt better at halftime,” Miller said. “It’s just about trying to execute in different areas, like finding the open shot and moving around the court without the ball.”
The Guards led throughout most of the second half. They took a 51-45 lead on a basket by Thomas off a nice pass from Oses with 4:10 left in regulation. A three-pointer by Verano made it 56-52 with 1:25 to go.
The Minutemen, who placed second in the Olympic League last season, tied it at 56 with 36.2 seconds left. Bell-Jeff couldn’t convert on its ensuing possession. Maranatha had an opportunity to win in regulation, but couldn’t capitalize.
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Follow Charles Rich on Twitter: @TCNCharlesRich .