HIGH SCHOOL BASKETBALL PLAYOFFS : ROUNDUP : Santa Paula Goes Down With a Fight

A near-riot broke out after Santa Paula High’s 96-94 double-overtime loss to Duarte on Friday night in a quarterfinal of the Southern Section Division III-A playoffs at Ventura College.

Duarte’s Eric Holmes hit a running bank shot from eight feet as time expired to break a 94-94 tie and send Duarte on to a semifinal matchup with Harvard-Westlake.

As the Falcons began to celebrate, the crowd of 2,500 began to spill onto the floor.

The teams were quickly taken off the floor as several fights broke out. At one point, a Santa Paula administrator was body-slammed to the floor.

The ugliness marred a thrilling game.

Duarte (23-5) tied it, 71-71, at the fourth-quarter buzzer on Chris Moreland’s tip-in.

Santa Paula needed a pair of free throws by Manuel Escamilla with four seconds left in the first overtime to tie it, 81-81.

Escamilla, one of five seniors in the Cardinal starting lineup, scored 31 points. Teammate Ben Tryk scored 12 of his 29 points in the third quarter as Santa Paula (23-3) clung to a tenuous lead.

Chris Canon added 14 points and Teva Johnson had 12 for the Frontier League co-champions, the fourth-seeded team in the division.

Moreland and Holmes each scored 25 points for Duarte, and Javien Moore added 24.

Santa Paula led, 20-8, in the first quarter and was ahead, 51-40, in the third.

But the Falcons kept coming.

In what could have been a critical series in regulation, Tryk stole a pass and made a layup to tie it, 62-62, with about two minutes remaining. Duarte’s Ken Maxey was called for an intentional foul on the play. Tryk connected on both free throws, then Escamilla immediately hit a three-pointer on the inbounds play.

In the span of four seconds, Santa Paula turned a 62-60 deficit into 67-62 lead.

Escamilla later added a basket and free throw with 11 seconds left in the fourth quarter for a 71-69 lead.

However, Moreland’s tip sent it into the first extra period, and emotions began to rise.

Holmes scored six consecutive points and Moore added eight during a 21-8 run which left the Cardinals trailing, 29-28, late in the half.