Eisenhower Too Much for Oxnard

Too much Alex Acker.

Too many turnovers.

Too many missed shots.

Those three things did in Oxnard High in the final four minutes of a 68-59 loss to Rialto Eisenhower in a quarterfinal game of the Southern Section Division I-AAA boys’ basketball playoffs on Friday night.

Acker, a silky-smooth, 6-foot-5 senior swingman, scored 12 of his 35 points in the final 3:57 to give Eisenhower (25-4) its 17th consecutive victory and a berth in the semifinals against Mission Viejo Capistrano Valley on Tuesday.

The loss snapped a 15-game winning streak for Oxnard (25-4), which was playing in its first playoff quarterfinal since 1965.

“We turned the ball over at the wrong times,” Oxnard Coach Henry Lobo said. “It wasn’t so much their defense, but we made some bad passes and some bad decisions. . . . We had some opportunities, but didn’t take advantage of them.”

Oxnard, which trailed, 48-44, at the end of the third quarter, had a 54-52 lead with 4:09 left when Nicholas Curtis hit one of two free throws. But Eisenhower scored 11 consecutive points to take a 63-54 lead with 2:41 remaining.

Acker began the run with a three-point shot over Curtis and followed with a dunk off a steal to give Eisenhower a 57-54 advantage.

Joell Hart of Eisenhower hit two free throws with 3:16 left after Lee Abair of Oxnard missed a shot inside and was called for going over the back of Hart.

Acker made the first of two free throws with 2:48 left after another Oxnard turnover to give Eisenhower a 60-54 lead. He missed the second, but teammate Sean Marshall got the rebound and Acker nailed another three-pointer.

Oxnard scored the next five points on a free throw by Jason Parker and baskets by Shamir Simmons and Parker. But the Yellowjackets didn’t score again, missing three shots field and turning the ball over twice.

“I was a little surprised they didn’t double-team me,” said Acker, a four-year starter. “Especially in the fourth quarter. I thought they were definitely going to do it then.”

Curtis, a 6-foot-8 center who has committed to USC, had 13 points and 13 rebounds for Oxnard, but scored only three baskets as Eisenhower did a good job of double-teaming him.

“We knew they were going to do that,” he said. “I was just trying to kick it outside when the opportunity was there.”

Abair and Erik Webb each had nine points for Oxnard while Johnathan Monette and Jonathan Davis each had eight.

But the Yellowjackets couldn’t contain Acker down the stretch after limiting him to two free throws in the third quarter.

“We did a good job on him in the [third quarter],” Lobo said. “We got into a close game. But when it was time to win the game, they went to him. He hit that big three over Nicholas and then we missed some easy layups and began to turn the ball over and there it went.”