Missed Chances Cost Crespi at Camarillo, 58-50

Camarillo High staged a clinic on how not to shoot free throws. Crespi learned the lesson well.

The Scorpions, after making only one of six free throws and scoring seven points in the first quarter, held on to win a second-round Southern Section 4-AA Division boys’ playoff game, 58-50, when Crespi encountered similar difficulties from the line in the fourth quarter Friday at Camarillo.

Crespi, which had trimmed a 16-point deficit to four points, converted only five of 11 free throws in the fourth quarter as Camarillo advanced to a third-round encounter against Glendora, a 109-60 winner over Agoura.

“We made a good run but we didn’t help ourselves from the free-throw line,” Crespi Coach Paul Muff said. “We had a shot to come within a basket . . . we just didn’t hit the free throws.”

Crespi trailed, 38-22, midway through the third quarter before staging a 23-11 run to pull to within four with 2:31 remaining. But, while the Celts (11-12 overall) were missing three of their next six free throws, Camarillo (18-6) converted six of nine to pull away.

Crespi trailed by five with 13 seconds remaining, but Chris McGee missed two free throws and Camarillo’s Jason Hunt made both ends of a one-and-one opportunity.

For the game, Camarillo converted 18 of 31 free throws; Crespi made 14 of 26.

“I felt we’d pull it out,” Camarillo’s David Harbour said. “I knew if we kept playing hard and I made my free throws--or we made our free throws--that we’d win.”

Harbour didn’t but Camarillo did. The 6-foot-1 sophomore guard scored a game-high 21 points but made only five of 14 free throws.

“That’s David, either make them all or miss them all,” said Camarillo Coach John Harbour, David’s father.

Said David Harbour: “This was the first game I’ve ever played in the playoffs. I think it was just playoff jitters.”

David Harbour was not the only nervous Scorpion.

“We were tight,” John Harbour said. “We had this thing in our heads about it being the playoffs.”