Edison boys' basketball rallies to topple Pacifica Christian, earn CIF semifinal berth

The Edison boys' basketball team and the student body celebrate a win against Pacifica Christian on Friday.

By Matt SzaboStaff Writer

Feb. 19, 2022 4:13 PM PT

Fans from both teams led to a raucous atmosphere Friday night in the sold-out Pacifica Christian Orange County gym.

Only the visiting fans, however, rushed the court after watching an unbelievable comeback.

Edison boys’ basketball somehow pulled it off. The Chargers rallied from a double-digit fourth quarter deficit to beat the host Tritons, 57-54, in a CIF Southern Section Division 2A playoff quarterfinal game.

“These kids never, never give up,” Edison coach Rich Boyce said. “They play until the bitter end, no matter what that is. They give everything they have. Even with five minutes left, we kept saying, ‘This is going to be a win, we’re going to make plays.’ And the kids did it.”

Senior forward Trey Wilborn led a balanced attack with 15 points for No. 2-seeded Edison (26-4), which advances to Tuesday’s semifinals. The Chargers will host Suburban League champion La Mirada, which beat Calabasas in overtime by the same 57-54 score in another quarterfinal game Friday night.

Edison head coach Rich Boyce runs into the crowd after Friday night's come-from-behind win at Pacifica Christian.

Surf League champion Edison is one game away from a CIF final, but it took an improbable rally to stun Pacifica Christian (17-13) on the road. The Tritons led by about 10 points for most of the game, and took a 49-36 lead on a driving layup by Salim Semaan with just more than five minutes left in the fourth quarter.

What came next was remarkable. The Chargers scored 21 straight points to take a 57-49 lead with 17 seconds left to play.

Wilborn hit two three-pointers in the rally, and junior guard Dylan Hugues, who had 13 points, hit another. Senior guard Quinn Delaney added seven fourth-quarter points as the Chargers completed the stunning comeback.

Senior Tyler Hampton added 11 points for the winners, who scored almost as many points in the fourth quarter (26) as in the first three quarters combined (31).

“At Los Al, we were down 17-3 in the first quarter, and we won 59-49,” Delaney said. “We know that if our defense stays solid, then it will translate into offense. It’s just a matter of time before we get our shots going … This team is just special. We’ll never turn on each other. We’re just one big family.”

Edison's Trey Wilborn drives and pulls up for a shot off the glass during Friday's game.

Pacifica Christian junior Parker Strauss, a transfer playing against his former team, led the Tritons with 19 points. He hit a deep three-pointer to stop the hosts’ scoring drought, cutting the deficit to 57-52 with five seconds remaining.

Edison’s inbound pass went off the roof of the gym, causing a turnover, before Strauss was then fouled shooting a three-pointer. He made the first two free throws before intentionally missing the third, but the ball didn’t hit the rim and possession went back to Edison.

Semaan added 11 points for Pacifica Christian, which had a seven-game winning streak snapped. Tritons coach Jeff Berokoff saw his team play hard, but a four-for-22 effort from three-point land did not help matters.

“They caught lightning in a bottle,” Berokoff said. “We just couldn’t get a break, and that was unfortunate ... but hat’s off to the kids. They really came together at the end of the year and played some great basketball.”