Pacifica Christian boys’ basketball erases double-digit deficit to get past Edison
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Pacifica Christian Orange County’s boys’ basketball team delivered for its fans on Friday. The drama building in more ways than one inside a packed Freed Center for Leadership and Service at Vanguard University.
The season opener concluded with a stunning comeback, as Pacifica Christian rallied from a dozen points down in the fourth quarter and beat Edison 87-80 to put a bow on the “Bring the Rain” showcase games.
Senior guard Michael Noel scored 33 points to lead the Tritons, but it was his contributions elsewhere in the final period that Pacifica Christian coach Jeff Berokoff called the defining moment.
Noel assisted on a go-ahead layup by senior forward Donovan Hogan with 1:52 remaining, giving the Tritons a 79-77 edge. On Edison’s next trip up the floor, Noel deflected a swing pass and retrieved the loose ball. As he was running toward the baseline, he leapt into the air and found senior guard Joaquin Rigdon underneath the basket to make it a two-possession game.
“You could arguably say that was the winning play of the game,” Berokoff said. “That’s just who that kid is. He really affected so many different parts of that game for us.”
Hogan compiled 14 points and nine rebounds. Rigdon had 18 points and two steals, senior forward Austin Brinker scored 13 points, and senior guard Solomon Huang dished out four assists.
“That was the loudest crowd pop I think I’ve ever heard, and that’s when I knew we won the game,” Hogan said. “Mike saved the game right there and ended it for us.”
Noel left the locker room wearing a hard hat. Berokoff said the team is reading a book called, “The Hard Hat,” by Jon Gordon, and the headgear is being given this season to the player who exemplifies being a great teammate.
“With so many seniors on the team, it’s just more guys that know what the standard is and the way we have to work,” Noel said. “It starts with the culture and with the way we treat each other off the court, at practice. We hold each other to the highest standard of working hard and make sure we have a positive environment. … The most important guy is the guy next to you.”
Pacifica Christian’s “Bring the Rain” game is known by many for its toilet-paper toss. Hundreds of fans were armed with their own roll, ready to make it rain after the Tritons made their first three-pointer. The crowd anxiously awaited that moment, but the first three didn’t fall until Brinker connected from the right corner with 2:21 left in the first half.
The Tritons scored the initial 10 points of the game, allowing them to stay afloat despite a slow start from beyond the arc. Brinker’s three-ball briefly put Pacifica Christian ahead, 33-30, but the planned technical foul — for the toilet-paper-tossing delay of game — also gave two free throws to an opponent that needed no help putting the ball in the hoop.
Senior guard Derick Johnson was on fire, scoring 31 of his game-high 45 points in the first half for Edison (2-1). The Cal State Dominguez Hills commit added five steals and five rebounds.
“I prepare for these types of games,” Johnson said. “These games, I look forward to the most, and I prepare the most, so I expect to be on a heater. My team also helped me out, just feeding me in the right places. Major [Smith] stepped up, Jackie [Oei], both of them stepped up.”
Freshman guard Major Smith made five three-pointers to account for his 15 points for the Chargers. Junior guard Jackson Oei also connected four times from distance in a 14-point performance, adding a buzzer-beating floater at the end of the third quarter.
“He’s never been in an environment like this, but he really surprised us,” Edison coach Josh Beaty said of Smith. “To have a freshman step in and make some of those big shots, he looked more comfortable than we anticipated.”
Sophomore guard Cade Eden’s three-pointer to begin the fourth quarter gave Edison a 72-60 advantage, but Noel spearheaded the Tritons’ comeback with 15 points and two assists in the final frame.
“It’s a senior-heavy group,” Berokoff said. “It just showed their experience because I think a younger group could have folded when a team’s shooting close to 75% from the three. Edison shot the thread out of the ball. I mean, everything, it felt like it was going in.”
Nonleague
Pacifica Christian 87, Edison 80
SCORE BY QUARTERS
Edison 12 - 31 - 26 - 11 — 80
Pacifica Christian 15 - 22 - 23 - 27 — 87
E — Johnson 45, Smith 15, Oei 14, Eden 3, Lesley 2.
3-pt. goals — Johnson 5, Smith 5, Oei 4, Eden 1.
Fouled out — Johnson.
Technicals — Johnson.
PC — Noel 33, Rigdon 18, Hogan 14, Brinker 13, Gibbs 2, Hall 2, Pelinka 2, Stone 2, Huang 1.
3-pt. goals — Noel 4, Brinker 1, Hogan 1, Rigdon 1.
Fouled out — None.
Technicals — Team.
GIRLS’ BASKETBALL
Mater Dei 71, Pacifica Christian 38: Junior guard Harmony Golightly had a game-high 19 points for the visiting Monarchs on Friday to kick off the “Bring the Rain” showcase at Vanguard University.
Freshman guard Nelly Strong scored a dozen points, and freshman guard Legend Tyler added 10 points for Mater Dei (1-0).
Senior guard Vivian Villagrana and senior wing Kassandra Aguniga each scored 10 points to pace Pacifica Christian (0-3). Freshman guard Alison Cliff and freshman forward Nevelle Gonzalez had seven points apiece, and senior forward Angie Martinez provided four points.
“We’re out there playing, we learned, we grew up a little bit,” Pacifica Christian coach Pablo Martinez said of facing Orange County’s top-ranked team. “Fail forward. [Mater Dei coach] Jody [Wynn] is one of the top coaches in the country.”
