Rohe’s Critical Role Leads Eagles in Final

Jake Rohe, one of five or six relatively unknown players who have made Santa Margarita so successful this year, heard the criticism at halftime of the boys’ Southern California Regional basketball final and took it to heart.

Sure, the Eagles led Compton by eight points Saturday at the break at Pauley Pavilion. But the words raining down on him from Coach Dave DeBusk weren’t kind. Rohe had only two points and one rebound to show for his work.

“I got on him,” DeBusk said, summarizing the comments for public consumption. “I thought Carson Palmer and Ryan Forehan-Kelly were carrying us by themselves and I told Jake, ‘Come on, step it up.’ ”

Rohe listened. He scored 10 of his team-high 16 points in the fourth quarter to help the Eagles defeat the Tarbabes, 60-50. Santa Margarita (31-2) advances to the state Division II championship game Friday night at Arco Arena against Northern California regional champion Santa Rosa Montgomery, a 63-57 upset winner over Mountain View St. Francis on Saturday.

“I was kind of mad,” Rohe said. “I don’t like coaches yelling at me, but the way I was playing, I deserved it.”

Santa Margarita never appeared in doubt of letting its first trip to a state basketball final slip. The Eagles bettered Compton (28-7) in just about every statistical category. Santa Margarita, with Rohe making all of his 10 tries in the second half, made 18 of 24 attempts from the line.

Compton threatened once in the third quarter, cutting Santa Margarita’s lead to 28-24.

Compton’s Deandre Moore, who has signed to play at Vanderbilt, led all scorers with 21 points.