Newbury Park Falls Short Despite Bobik’s Big Effort

Daniel Bobik of Newbury Park High was the most dominant player on the court in a second-round game of the Southern Section Division II-A boys’ basketball playoffs between the host Panthers and Dos Pueblos on Tuesday night.

But nobody made bigger plays down the stretch than Dos Pueblos point guard Shantay Legans, who had 20 points, four assists and five steals in the Chargers’ come-from-behind 48-47 victory before a capacity crowd.

The victory was Dos Pueblos’ second of the season over Marmonte League champion Newbury Park (24-5) and snapped the Panthers’ 14-game winning streak.

It also ended the high school career of the Brigham Young-bound Bobik, who had 28 points, 10 rebounds and four steals.

Bobik had given Newbury Park a 46-42 lead with 49 seconds left when he made a pair of free throws, but Legans followed with a pair of his own with 40 seconds remaining to cut the deficit to 46-44.

He then stole the ball from Brian Bobik, Daniel’s junior brother, and was fouled.

After a Newbury Park timeout, he swished two free throws with 32 seconds left to tie the score, 46-46.

The Panthers’ Mike Meru was fouled by Legans with 10 seconds remaining, but he missed the first free throw before hitting the second.

Legans, a 5-foot-9 junior, took the inbounds pass, dribbled the ball upcourt and fed sophomore Uthman Ray for a 10-foot jump shot from the left side with four seconds left. It was Ray’s only basket of the game.

Newbury Park immediately called a timeout, but the Panthers were unable to get a shot off before the buzzer.

“It was just a great defensive effort,” Newbury Park Coach Steve Johnson said. “We just needed one more bounce to go our way and we’d be the ones who’d be happy and not sad.”

Newbury Park limited Channel League champion Dos Pueblos (24-4) to 14 of 50 shooting from the field, including five of 20 in the second half, but the Panthers struggled to a 16 of 47 effort. They also made only 13 of 26 free throws.

“It seems like we played our two worst games of the year against those guys,” Daniel Bobik said. “You’ve got to give them credit, though. They played tough.”

The game was very physical, and Newbury Park trailed for all of the second and third quarters.

The Panthers took a 36-35 lead when Daniel Bobik hit one of two free throws with 4:40 left in the game.

The lead changed hands two more times before Daniel Bobik hit a 17-foot jumper to give Newbury Park a 40-37 lead with 3:03 remaining.

Alex Jenkins of Dos Pueblos scored inside to cut the Panthers’ lead to 40-39 before Meru’s three-point play gave Newbury Park a 43-39 lead with 2:43 to go.

Meru scored six points for Newbury Park and reserve Nick Czernek had five.

Jenkins had eight for Dos Pueblos, which had defeated Newbury Park, 90-75, in a Thousand Oaks tournament game in December.

Newbury Park trailed, 23-18, at halftime after making eight of 25 shots from the field and only one of six free throws.

Daniel Bobik had 13 points on six of 11 shooting, but the rest of the Panthers were a whopping two of 14.