SOUTHERN SECTION 3-A BASKETBALL PLAYOFFS : Poulos Delivers in the Clutch, Trabuco Hills Ousts Savanna

Guard Chad Poulos made only one shot the entire game, but his three-pointer with 1 minutes 16 seconds remaining was biggest of several big plays down the stretch in Trabuco Hills High School’s 75-68 victory over Savanna Friday night in the second round of the Southern Section 3-A basketball playoffs.

Poulos hit nothing but net to give Trabuco Hills a 70-68 lead and then the Mustangs claimed the upset over the division’s third-seeded team by making five free throws in the final 26 seconds.

“I knew it was going down, I felt it,” Poulos said. “I was waiting for the chance. I wasn’t open that often tonight. After the shot, I knew it would take some free throws to win it.”

Poulos might as well have been one of the 1,300 fans who jammed Trabuco Hills’ gymnasium until he made his memorable shot. He had taken only three shods through three quarters, but he didn’t hesitate when he finally got an open shot.

“I told him if he was open, take a three-pointer,” said Rainer Wulf, Trabuco Hills coach. “They were doubling Rick (Swanwick) inside, so somebody had to be open.”

Swanwick, a 6-foot-10 center, was a marked man all evening. He scored 24 points and had 19 rebounds, but he played the entire game and was dragging down the stretch.

“Yeah, I’m tired,” Swanwick said afterward. “I expected a physical game. That’s the way I wanted it. When we made those free throws in the final seconds, I started thinking about all the hard work we’ve put in for four years and how it’s finally paying off. I don’t think we’ve peaked yet, either.”

Trabuco Hills (19-6) made 12 of 15 free throws in the final quarter with guard Randy Kriech hitting four consecutive free throws in the final 20 seconds.

Savanna (24-3) had taken its first lead since early in the first quarter when center Tim Tillman made a free throw with 1:47 remaining to push the Rebels ahead, 66-65. Savanna was still ahead, 68-67, after sophomore Mutaphi Abdi scored on a short bank shot with 1:26 remaining. But the play marked the last time Savanna would score.

Afterward, Savanna Coach Tom Gregory took full responsibility for the loss.

“We have nothing to be down about,” Gregory said. “We made several fundamental mistakes down the stretch, and I take total blame for that. There was a lack of preparation on my part.”

There certainly wasn’t anything lacking in Abdi’s play. He scored a game-high 28 points and totaled 63 points in two playoff games.

Abdi helped Savanna overcome a 24-11 deficit in the second quarter, but each time the Rebels got close, it seemed one of their guards took an ill-advised three-point shot.

“A packed house and everybody wants to be a hero,” Gregory said. “I thought we played poorly, but the credit has to go to Trabuco Hills. They are a very good team.

“The thing that scared me the most about them was their three-point shooters, and you saw what happened.”

Trabuco Hills, bidding to follow the lead of its championship football team, will meet Estancia (21-5) in the quarterfinals on Wednesday at a neutral site to be determined today.