SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA REGIONAL BASKETBALL PLAYOFFS : Sweetwater Beaten in 3 Overtimes

wood didn’t know much about Sweetwater.

And the Sweetwater boys’ basketball team didn’t know much about its first-round opponent in the Division I Southern California Regionals.

Today they know a lot more, and have a lot of mutual respect.

Tuesday night, Sweetwater and Lynwood played the first triple-overtime game either could remember participating in, and Sweetwater fell short in the learning process, 82-79.

“We didn’t know much about them,” Lynwood Coach Bill Notley said. “We knew they were a good rebounding team, and we knew they shot well from the outside.”

Sweetwater did both amazingly well, especially in the second and third quarters when the Red Devils outscored the Knights, 44-32, and outrebounded them, 21-7.

But a young man by the name of Earnest Killum wasn’t intimidated by what he called, “the best team in San Diego.”

Killum, a 6-foot-4 senior forward, scored 45 points and kept Lynwood (31-2) from elimination.

“He’s a heck of a player,” said Sweetwater Coach David Ybarra, who had guided the Red Devils to their first regional playoff berth in his four years at Sweetwater.

With the score tied at 64, Lynwood blew the opportunity to win in regulation after staying outside the key for a minute, passing the ball, until Mike Singleton took a shot from 25 feet out and missed.

In the first overtime, Sweetwater’s Carlos Campbell hit a three-pointer to make it 67-64, but Killum answered with one of his own.

Joe McDowell was fouled and made one of two free throws to give Sweetwater a one-point lead with 11 seconds left. Killum was fouled and had a chance to win the game, but he faltered on the second shot, leaving it at 68-68.

Second overtime.

Sweetwater fell behind 74-71, but Carlos Campbell hit a three-pointer to even it up at 74. Killum missed a short bank shot, and then Sweetwater’s Mendel Nafarrete went to the free throw line in a one-and-one situation. Nafarrete hadn’t scored a point all night.

He still didn’t. Triple overtime.

They had played to a 79-79 tie with 1:04 to play in the third overtime when John Gilbert fouled Wonel Irby. Irby made one of his two shots, but teammate Juaquin Hawkins was there with the clutch rebound after the miss, and Campbell then fouled Killum. Killum hit both ends of the one-and-one to make it 82-79.

Sweetwater called a timeout with 14 seconds left but was unable to score.

“We got some clutch free throws,” Notley said. “When it comes down to crunch time, you’ve got to have those.”

Said Killum: “They were a very good team. They have nothing to be ashamed of.”

No, but Ybarra had a difficult task immediately afterward convincing his Division I section champions of what a major feat it had been to get this close.

Lynwood had just two losses in the season to powerhouses Mater Dei and Long Beach Poly.

“I kept telling them, they are the first San Diego team not to get blown out by a Los Angeles team,” Ybarra said.

Campbell finished with 29 points for Sweetwater (29-2). Joe McDowell added 22 and Gilbert 20.