Hart Struggles to Knock Off Buena, 79-71

It was evident early Friday night that Hart High was not going to play one of its better games in the opening round of the Southern Section Division I-A boys’ basketball playoffs.

As a matter of fact, it was uncertain until late in their game against Buena whether the Indians could perform anywhere near the level they played while dominating competition en route to the Foothill League title. However, Hart did get its act together--finally turning back the determined Bulldogs, 79-71, in front of about 1,400 at Hart.

“I could tell that it was going to be an off night for us, but we didn’t panic,” Hart first-year Coach Mike May said. “We kept our composure when we could have let the game get away from us, and I think we finally wore them down.”

Hart (18-7) struggled early and trailed, 16-8, at the end of the first quarter. The Indians could not get into a consistent offensive rhythm despite a size advantage at every position against Buena (9-16), which finished fourth in the Channel League.

But senior co-captain Matt Steffe provided a spark in the second quarter that broke the Indians out of their funk. Steffe--who led the league in scoring (21.5) and rebounding (9.6)--scored 10 of his 18 points in the second quarter, including an electrifying fast-break dunk. The play brought Steffe’s teammates to life.

“You know that every playoff game might be your last, so you want to go out and give it your all,” said Steffe, who had 13 rebounds and two steals. “They didn’t match up that well against us, but they played real hard and made us work.”

Steffe injured his wrist on his dunk but stayed in the game, which remained close until late in the fourth quarter. Hart took control of the game with 3 minutes 58 seconds left by running off six points, capped by a steal and driving layup by forward David Sanders (22 points).

Center Cody Patterson (17 points, nine rebounds) and point guard Eric Spindt (12 points) also played well for Hart. Buena was led by forward Adam Fairbanks (23 points, 11 rebounds) and point guard Giovani Angulo (15 points).