SOUTHERN SECTION BASKETBALL SEMIFINALS : DIVISION II-AA BOYS : Trabuco Hills Toes Line, but Rally Comes Up Short

Trabuco Hills made its free throws, Pasadena did not. In the playoffs that’s usually a pretty good indicator of which team won.

But still, Pasadena had enough in reserve. And thanks to a steal by Derek Hodges and an offensive rebound basket by Gordon Scott with 12.5 seconds remaining, the Bulldogs escaped with a 74-71 victory Tuesday in a Southern Section Division II-AA semifinal at Mission Viejo High.

Pasadena missed four consecutive front ends of one-and-one free throw attempts, allowing the Mustangs to overcome their largest deficit of the game, 72-61, with three minutes left.

A layup by Rob Warnick with 36 seconds remaining cut it to 72-71, and when Gordon missed his first free throw, the Mustangs looked like they would go ahead. But a cross-court pass was intercepted by Hodges, who missed a short jumper but was rebounded by Scott, who scored his game-high 26th point.

It was Warnick who got Trabuco Hills (19-11) back into the game. His four-point play with 2:42 left started a furious rally by the Mustangs, who made 28 of 34 free throws.

That was followed by a basket by Jon Paisley (21 points, 10 rebounds) and two free throws by Laquent Fobbs, which made it 72-69.

An off-balanced three-point shot by Chris Clayton with four seconds left missed and Scott grabbed the rebound.

“I’m extremely proud of these guys. They never quit,” said Trabuco Hills Coach Rainer Wulf, who was denied his third trip to a division final in seven years. “The last play, offensive rebounds, was the difference.”

For Pasadena (24-5), this will be its first trip to a division final in the 16 years under Coach Bill Duwe. The last time the Bulldogs played a final was in 1978 when they won the second of back-to-back section titles. Pasadena will meet Riverside J.W. North Saturday at The Pond of Anaheim.

“I’m happy for the kids because this is the fourth time in seven years we’ve been to the semis,” Duwe said. “We were fortunate to make that big play at the end. I thought we defended them well but every time we missed a free throw, they came back to score.”

Pasadena’s Hodges and Scott were too physical for the Mustangs inside, combining for 47 points and 12 rebounds. The Bulldogs held an 11-4 advantage on the offensive boards.

Lucas Gladden came off the Bulldog bench to make all six of his shots for 12 points and five rebounds.