HIGH SCHOOL BASKETBALL ROUNDUP : Nayab’s Layup at :03 Puts Kearny Past Lincoln

No. 4 Kearny and No. 10 Lincoln, two rivals who have argued over San Diego Section 2-A bragging rights, had awaited Wednesday’s game since the first day of fall practice.

Both teams anticipated that it could be one of those games where the team that shoots last wins. It was. Host Kearny (17-1), with Ali Nayab driving the length of the court for a layup with three seconds left, overcame a nine-point third-quarter deficit to win, 64-62. They outscored Lincoln, 22-15, in the final quarter.

But the Komets saw a three-point lead with 1:16 left dissolve into a 62-62 tie with time running out. That’s when Nayab, the City Western League’s premier point guard, took matters into his hands against the Central League Hornets (10-8).

“These kids have got a lot of heart; they really don’t know the meaning of quit or the meaning of lose,” Kearny Coach Bill Peterson said. “Somebody always seems to step up for us.”

This time it was Nayab (18 points, 13 in the second half), Damien Victor (22 points, five three-pointers) and back-up center Kenny Junious (8 points). Lincoln point guard Archie Robinson (18) and forward Berry Randle (22) matched Nayab and Victor in points, but it was Junious who put back a wild shot with 24 seconds left to make it 62-60, Komets.

Lincoln’s Alex Davis got free for a layup to tie it, 62-62. But after Nayab scored, Davis attempted a 65-foot inbounds pass to Randle. Randle never got a shot off.

“Kearny didn’t beat us; we beat ourselves with our inconsistent play and our lack of discipline,” Hornets coach Ron Loneski said. “We should have won.”