Price Hurt as Serra Loses to Poly, 64-57 : Prep basketball: Guard injures lower back in third-quarter fall. Cavaliers drop to 2-3.

After Serra High guard Ricky Price took a hard fall in the third quarter, his teammates made a run at Long Beach Poly, but the Cavaliers lost, 64-57, in a nonleague game Thursday night at Serra.

Price, who has signed a letter of intent to attend Duke, was driving toward the left side of the basket when Poly’s Damion Dawson undercut him. Price flipped over Dawson, fell to the court and injured his lower back.

“I knew he was hurt,” Serra Coach Dwan Hurt said. “I didn’t think it was intentional.”

After making a free throw with 6 minutes, 50 seconds remaining in the third quarter, Price left the game. The Cavaliers (2-3) trailed, 34-24, when Price left.

Price returned to play the first 2:35 of the fourth quarter, but was ineffective shooting and left with Serra trailing, 52-38. Price had only two points in the second half and 12 for the game.

The Cavaliers then outscored the taller Jackrabbits, 16-4, to close within 58-54 with 1:17 left. But Poly (2-0) was able to break Serra’s full-court press and score inside to secure the victory.

Zerrick Campbell, a 6-foot-6 forward, led the Jackrabbits with 18 points and Dawson added 12. DaJuan Sweed had 15 points to lead the Cavaliers.

The Cavaliers played without 6-7 forward Leonard Butler, who missed his second game because of disciplinary reasons. Butler averages 17 points and 10 rebounds.

But Serra’s biggest problem appears to be handling the ball.

“We turned the ball over a lot,” Hurt said.

Hurt is considering moving Price from shooting to point guard, but the injury may delay the move.

“It’s a possibility,” Hurt said. “But I’d rather not make Price work harder by having him bring up the ball and be our top scorer.”