Perlstein a Gem in Calabasas Win

With six seconds left in Tuesday night’s Southern Section 2-A basketball playoff game at Agoura High, Jon Perlstein of Calabasas crashed into a Righetti defender. Perlstein had a teammate open on the play, but elected to take the ball to the basket.

He was called for charging and went to the bench with his fifth foul. It was one of the few things Perlstein did wrong.

Playing with a touch of the flu, Perlstein led the Coyotes to a 74-56 win over the Warriors before a sparse crowd of about 250. The 6-6 senior center scored 25 points, collected 18 rebounds and blocked 6 shots. Calabasas moves into Friday’s quarterfinals against San Bernardino, which beat Indio, 70-49, Tuesday night.

The final score was somewhat deceptive in that the Coyotes led by only one with 4:22 left. Calabasas (17-7) then went on a 8-0 run to take control of the game and blew the game open by making 13 free throws in the last 90 seconds.

Calabasas is a team that loves to run, but for most of the game, Righetti wouldn’t allow the Coyotes to ramble.

That’s why Righetti Coach Alan Mejewski felt good with four minutes left. A jumper by Cary Sapp had reduced the Coyotes’ lead to 49-48.

“That was the type of game we wanted,” Mejewski said. “But then we shot ourselves out of it. Our game plan fell to pieces.”

Righetti (17-7) started rushing its shots, helping Calabasas go on its crucial 8-0 run.

First, Steve Ward (25 points) hit from the corner. After two missed shots by the Warriors, Perlstein grabbed the rebound and was fouled.

His two free throws with 3:50 left made it 53-48. Righetti then turned the ball over and Gerard Jacquet scored on a fast-break layup in which he switched the ball from one hand to the other in midair.

Brad Runge then put up a hurried shot for Righetti, and the Coyotes went on another fast break. Perlstein finished it off with a layup, effectively finishing off the Warriors at 57-48.

Calabasas spent the rest of the game parading to the foul line. Both Perlstein and Ward made seven of eight free throws in the fourth quarter.

“I’ve been bothered by the flu for a few days,” Perlstein said, “and it’s made it hard for me to breathe.”

Perlstein shot 18 free throws in the game, making 11. On several of his misses, he barely hit the rim. “I was too tired early on,” he said. “So in the fourth quarter, I had to push more.”

Perlstein said he still felt sick after the game, “but I feel great because we won.”

Calabasas Coach Bill Bellatty had similar thoughts after the game. “We really didn’t play well,” he said. “But, hey, it’s a W and it moves us on to the quarterfinals.”

Calabasas trailed, 16-11, after the first quarter, but went into the locker room ahead, 32-26. Calabasas opened a nine-point lead in the third quarter, before settling for a 44-40 cushion entering the final quarter.

Hans Kordel led Righetti with 20 points. Sapp had 18.