BRANCA BRINGS THEM TOGETHER

Just when his team needed him most, Mira Costa High point guard Josh Branca stepped up his game and helped the Mustangs to a four-game winning streak that ensured the school a spot in the Southern Section Division II-A playoffs.

Branca, a 6-foot-1 senior, has averaged 20.2 points in the past five games for Mira Costa (18-7), which meets Valencia (13-8) in a first-round playoff game Friday night in Placentia.

Less than a month ago, however, the Mustangs’ playoff chances appeared bleak. A 61-60 loss to Redondo on Jan. 22 was Mira Costa’s fourth consecutive defeat and dropped the team to 1-3 in the Ocean League.

The same day, Mustang Coach Glenn Marx learned that the Southern Section had changed its playoff format to allow only schools that finish in the top half of their respective leagues to qualify.

“We looked at ourselves (after the Redondo game) and said that we were a much better team than this,” Branca said. “We really came together as a team.”

Branca had scored 21 points in the Redondo game, making three three-point shots, and he continued to increase his scoring average during the second half of league play, helping Mira Costa tie Redondo for second place in league. For the season, Branca is averaging 15 points, five assists and three rebounds a game.

In Branca’s three seasons as starting point guard, Mira Costa has won 58 games and reached seven consecutive tournament finals.

Branca is part of a balanced Mira Costa team that features a strong inside and outside game. Branca’s backcourt partner, junior Shane Willis, leads the Mustangs in scoring with a 17.3 average, and center Frank Zeno averages 15.1 points.

“(Zeno) is great because he opens up a lot of shots for me, and when they come to me I’ll hit ‘em,” Branca said. “(Willis) knows where I’m going to be and I can usually find him. He is one of the best juniors in the state.”

In the semifinals of the Pacific Shores tournament on Dec. 3, Zeno and Branca teamed up against Lakewood. With Mira Costa trailing, 54-52, Zeno rebounded a missed Lakewood free throw and passed the ball to Branca, who made a three-point shot at the buzzer against three defenders to give Mira Costa a 55-54 victory.

“That was a real rush,” Branca said.

Willis, who had fouled out, watched Branca’s game-winning shot from the bench.

“He’s such a clutch player, I was just sitting there hoping Josh would get the ball,” said Willis, who, like Branca, is left-handed. “He just has that mentality at the end of the game.”

For Branca, it was not a new experience. As a sophomore during his first varsity season, he made a game-winning shot to beat Redondo.

There were two other big moments for Mira Costa during the regular season, and Branca played a key role in each.

Mira Costa traveled to Honolulu in December and won the Walter Wong St. Louis Holiday Classic with a 70-65 victory over Crescenta Valley.

Branca sprained an ankle in Mira Costa’s semifinal victory over Kahuku, but after being taped and iced, he was able to play the entire championship game and score 29 points, including six three-point baskets. He was named most valuable player of the tournament.

“That trip brought everybody together,” Zeno said. “We were kind of separate before that.”

Togetherness is one thing that got the team through the losing streak, Marx said.

“The No. 1 thing is that we all like each other,” Marx said. “There hasn’t been any real strife. When we started losing, we went back to the fundamentals and worked hard. Not as a punishment, but more just roll up your sleeves and work hard.”

Mira Costa clinched a playoff spot Feb. 9 with an 81-75 victory over Morningside, the top-ranked team in Division III. Branca scored 27 points and made nine consecutive free throws in the final three minutes to clinch the victory.

The upset ended Mira Costa’s four-game losing streak against Morningside, which had come from behind to beat the Mustangs several times.

“That definitely was a big game,” Branca said. “A lot of it was about revenge, they had beaten us twice earlier this season. This time we had to secure our lead.”

College basketball is still a question mark for Branca. He would like to play at a Division I school, but most of the interest in him has come from Division II and III schools.

“I don’t understand why he’s not considered to be good enough to play in a Division I program,” said Marx, a former assistant at USC and Hawaii. “I’ve coached Division I guards that I think he is better than. Whoever recruits him will have a solid point guard for the next four years.”

Marx said Branca, a three-year varsity starter, will be missed after this season.

“You appreciate (Branca) the most when you don’t have him around,” Marx said.