Orange County : PREP BASKETBALL PLAYOFFS : Mazurie’s Dreaming Becomes Foothill Reality, 48-45

In the final six minutes of Foothill High School’s 48-45 come-from-behind victory over Perris Friday night, Knight guard Bill Mazurie began to bring to life certain scenes of his favorite daydream.

It went like this: two blocked shots, two powerful drives, 4-for-4 at the free throw line and a tremendous steal. Together, it added up to a dream come true for Foothill, which never led until the final 39 seconds.

That was the moment Mazurie stole the ball from Perris point guard Jerry Dalton and passed it full court to Ned Williamson for the go-ahead, stay-ahead basket.

With the victory, Foothill advances to a Southern Section 4-A second-round game against Glendora (27-0), the division’s second-seeded team. Perris finished 17-7.

“I thought about these (types of plays) all day in class today,” Mazurie said. “I guess we got lucky and it came true.”

In the first quarter, it appeared the best of luck wouldn’t help Foothill, which looked overwhelmed at times with Perris’ quickness and flash. The Knights were plagued by Perris’ tough man-to-man defense, and made three turnovers. Dalton, a junior, provided three assists to help a run-and-gun Perris team to an 11-6 first-quarter lead.

Greg Rieber brought Foothill back in the second quarter. Rieber, who scored a game-high 18 points, made seven consecutive points and had eight rebounds bringing Foothill to within a two-point deficit, 20-18.

But Perris upped its tempo in the third quarter, outscoring Foothill, 14-7, in a six-minute span to take a 36-25 lead.

Mazurie made a three-point play on a layup and a foul shot, and Rieber ran for a full-court drive to bring Foothill within six (36-30) to end the third quarter.

The fourth quarter was a frenetic one for Perris, and Foothill capitalized on the Panthers’ mistakes. Particularly Mazurie, who kept frustrating Perris’ running game with aggressive pressure defense.

“I don’t know if we were flat or scared or what in the beginning of this game,” Foothill Coach Jim Reames said. “But once we got it together, we made up for it. It was a great win for us.”