HIGH SCHOOL ROUNDUP : Carlsbad Beats El Camino, Moves Closer to Avocado Title

El Camino has won or shared seven consecutive Avocado League basketball titles, but the Wildcats’ reign may have ended Wednesday night in front of 1,200 in the Carlsbad High gym.

El Camino Coach Ray Johnson and his team probably won’t ever forget how it ended. The Wildcats blew an eight-point lead with 50 seconds left, handing Carlsbad an 81-78 overtime victory and possibly the league championship.

With five games to play, Carlsbad (17-4, 9-0) has a two-game lead over El Camino (14-6, 7-2) and Rancho Bernardo.

“We gave it away,” Johnson muttered repeatedly outside the locker room. “We’ve been waiting for them. We came so close, yet so far away.”

El Camino seemed on the verge of winning when Chris Dade made one of two free throws to give El Camino a 73-65 lead with 50 seconds left. But then things became strange.

Chad Nelson, Carlsbad point guard who scored a game-high 31 points, was fouled by Bryant Westbrook on a three-point attempt with 40 seconds left. He converted all three free throws and then stole the inbound pass, stepped back and made a three-point shot from 22 feet to make it 73-71 with 30 seconds left.

The inbound pass went to El Camino’s Chris Crayton and he was fouled while driving for a layup. But somehow Crayton was shooting with 32 seconds left.

“They put four seconds back on the clock,” Johnson said. “The timekeeper didn’t seem to know what was going on.”

Crayton missed the front end of the one and one and Carlsbad grabbed the rebound. Nelson missed a three-pointer, but Carlsbad stole Tyrone Butler’s outlet pass. Nelson then drove the lane and was fouled with eight seconds left. He sank both free throws, tying the game at 73.

The Lancers hit 13 of 15 from the line in the fourth quarter.

Dade came down and launched a three-pointer, but it hit off the front of the rim.

El Camino had trouble matching up with Carlsbad in overtime as starters Mike Booker and Sky Harrison (13 points) fouled out in regulation, and Dade (21 points) had problems seeing after getting poked in the eye by Carlsbad’s David Kozlowski with 1:10 left in regulation.

“My go-to guy had one eye,” Johnson said.

Carlsbad’s Andy Reed and Nelson scored baskets to give Carlsbad a 77-73 lead with 1:43 remaining in overtime. El Eamino’s Damien Wade hit follow shot to put El Camino within two, but Carlsbad’s Toby Tollack’s two free throws with 11 seconds gave Carlsbad a 79-75 lead. Tray Crayton’s three-pointer with six seconds left closed it to 79-78, but Dave Coople’s two free throws with one second left iced it.