Providence boys’ basketball stopped in CIF semifinals against Riverside Hillcrest
RIVERSIDE — It was tough for the Providence High boys’ basketball team to find a rhythm Friday in a CIF Southern Section Division III-AA semifinal against Hillcrest.
Usually a quick-tempo and fast-paced team, the top-seeded Pioneers fell behind early and had trouble scoring at the rim, as well as from distance. Meanwhile, the sixth-seeded Trojans made the most of their opportunities from a variety of shot possibilities.
Providence struggled to gain momentum down the stretch and fell to Hillcrest, 64-53, on the road and coming up short in its bid to advance to a second straight CIF title match.
“It was tough,” Providence coach Brandon Lincoln said. “They played zone the entire game and we didn’t shoot well enough to make them adjust. Our guys never really got comfortable on the court. They made some good plays and [Hillcrest senior Sebastian Mendoza] was a tough cover. He got to the paint and penetrated. We couldn’t seem to get those guys under control.”
Providence (25-7), the Prep League champion, had a few three-point opportunities in the final two minutes, but were scoreless on six shot attempts.
“We never really got a rhythm shooting the ball,” Lincoln said. “It’s been problematic for us the last few games. I knew they were going to play us in a zone for the majority of the game and we didn’t do what we needed to do to get them out of it.
“Great game plan by their coach. It’s a winning tradition and a winning culture here and we have to take it as a lesson. We tried to prepare our guys as best as possible.”
A key player for Trojans was senior Chris Anderson, who built his team’s lead at the start of the fourth quarter with eight points for a 52-38 advantage.
A layup from Providence senior Jordan Shelley and a three-pointer from senior Andrew Dabbaghian put the Pioneers within 54-45 with 3:40 remaining. But a Hillcrest three from senior Sebastian Mendoza put the hosts back up by 12.
“It was definitely difficult to start a rhythm and not being able knock down shots,” Shelley said. “We were trailing the whole game and they seemed to not miss. That was definitely frustrating. I think that was what really hurt our morale, when you can’t get the ball in the hoop.”
A three-pointer from Providence senior Bryce Whitaker made it a 58-49 deficit with 2:00 left, but the Pioneers missed six shots from distance thereafter, as the Trojans took their scoring to the free-throw line.
Anderson was the game’s leading scorer with 21 points, converting six-of-seven three-pointers. Mendoza added 13 points and eight rebounds. Hillcrest junior Jayson Wiltz pitched in with 10 points and grabbed eight rebounds.
The Trojans (24-8; River Valley League champion) will be making their first title appearance since 2017, when they won the Division IV-AA championship against St. Bonaventure.
“I think we have a lot of length, which allows us to play a pretty effective zone,” Hillcrest coach Jackson Wood said. “Everybody’s working, hustling and playing hard, so I think that’s what messed with them a little bit.
“We were able to switch our defenses up and try to keep them off balance. I didn’t think we could really straight up match with them man-to-man for the whole game, so it was a lot smoke and mirrors.”
Shelley led the Pioneers with 16 points, followed by senior A’Jahni Levias with 14 points and eight rebounds and Dabbaghian with 11 points. Providence senior Bryce Whitaker recorded nine points and five assists.
Shelley opened the scoring 30 seconds into the contest, but the Trojans embarked on an 8-0 run on the back of a pair of three-pointers from Anderson for a six-point lead midway into the frame.
The Pioneers battled back with a three from Dabbaghian and a basket from Levias to tie it at 8 with 2:39 left in the first.
Hillcrest regained the lead with 1:16 left before Whitaker tied it at 10 on a pair of free throws at the end of the quarter.
After the teams tussled for the lead at the start of the second quarter, a three-pointer from Pioneers senior Michael Joanou gave Providence its first lead, 18-17, since the start of the game midway into the frame.
However, the Trojans regained the advantage and closed the half on an 11-2 run for a 28-20 lead at the break.
After a put-back two from Wiltz set up a 15-point lead for the Hillcrest, the Pioneers strung together a trio of baskets for a 7-0 run and cut the Trojans lead to 35-29 with 3:11 in the third.
Down by 11, Levias made it a 41-32 game with 10 seconds remaining in the quarter. But a Hillcrest free throw from Devan Billedo made it a 10-point Trojans lead at the end of the frame.
“It is what it is,” Lincoln said. “It’s playoff basketball. Sometimes you’re on top, sometimes you’re on the bottom. We had to go away from home even as the top seed to get it done and we played a tough team.
“Hillcrest was kind of the dark horse team in this division. They won CIF a year or two ago and we knew we were in for a tough challenge once we started watching film on them. We ran out of gas here tonight. They played a great game and I wish them luck.”