Quartz Hill Falls as Final Shot Misses

Quartz Hill High guard Lee Allen lofted a three-point shot that bounced off the rim, kissed the glass, bounced off the rim once more and then fell harmlessly to the hardwood.

As it fell, the buzzer sounded.

And that was how Quartz Hill’s season ended, Alhambra escaping an electric Rebel Roundhouse with a 52-49 win Tuesday in a second-round Southern Section Division I-AA basketball playoff game.

The Rebels finished the season 21-5 under retiring Coach Don Moore, who walked off the Roundhouse court for the final time after leading the school to its first outright Golden League title and playoff win in history.

Alhambra let Quartz Hill run matters in the first half, and the Rebels led, 33-27, at intermission. But in the third quarter, the tide turned. Quartz Hill’s Chris Young turned his ankle a minute into the third quarter, sending him to the bench for a key six-minute stretch.

Quartz Hill led, 36-27, when Young went down but Alhambra sensed the vulnerability and became aggressive on offense.

Guard Hon Trieu finished the quarter with two three-point baskets, the last one coming with two seconds left to give Alhambra a 40-39 lead.

“We decided to play defense in the second half,” Alhambra Coach Jim Wetmore said of the two quarters in which Quartz Hill scored just 16 points and made four of 21 shots.

Quartz Hill had little success against the patient Moors in the fourth quarter. The Rebels had to foul and hope for misses, but Alhambra made eight of 12 shots and Quartz Hill missed the front end of two one-and-one situations.

Still, Quartz Hill’s sure-handed guards applied fierce defense in the final minutes. Trailing, 47-42 with 2 minutes 49 seconds left, the Rebels turned up the pressure. After Allen made a steal and fed Danny Prince, who finished the break with a body-control layin with 31 seconds left, Quartz Hill had pulled to within 49-47.

But Alhambra refused to yield. Trieu, who had a game-high 24 points, made two free throws to make it 51-47. Young, who had a team-high 16 points, answered with two to make it 51-49 with 16 seconds left.

Tim Yarnall made one of two free throws for Alhambra with six seconds left, leaving Allen to grab the rebound, drive the length of the court and let loose his shot.