Pacifica Christian Orange County’s playoff hopes take a hit with loss at Saddleback Valley Christian

This second season hasn’t been about wins and losses for the Pacifica Christian Orange County High boys’ basketball team, which stormed to 24 wins and a CIF Southern Section Division 6 finals appearance in its debut season.

Coach Jeff Berokoff is building on that success, to be sure, but a far tougher schedule and some difficult encounters in the Tritons’ first San Joaquin League campaign has made for different goals this time around.

Good thing, because making the postseason again will be difficult.

The Tritons bounced back from a tough first quarter Wednesday night at league powerhouse Saddleback Valley Christian, but they couldn’t overcome a deficit that reached 27 points in the first half. Pacifica Christian suffered a 73-60 setback in something akin to a must-win situation.

Now Pacifica Christian (9-15 overall, 2-4 in league), ranked No. 4 in the CIF Southern Division 5AAA poll, must upset the Warriors (19-4, 4-0), No. 2 in Division 3AA, in Saturday’s rematch on its home court. A defeat would eliminate the Tritons from a top-three finish in the league, and they’re ineligible for an at-large berth with a sub-.500 overall record.

“We played our tails off for three quarters, didn’t we?” said Berokoff, whose team closed within 10 points following a 10-0 run early in the third quarter but were behind by 20 when the final period began. “That first quarter really hurt. They hit 10 threes in the first half. It’s tough to beat anybody [that’s] making 10 threes.”

Saddleback Valley Christian used a distinct height advantage to dominate on the boards — it held a 38-20 rebounding edge after three quarters, 20-1 on the offensive end — and a swarming half-court press to force the Tritons into turnovers and poor shot selection. The Warriors built a 23-4 lead in the first quarter.

“Once we started to get a few of those foul calls, that really let our guards play,” Berokoff said. “It really opened up the game for us, and it was easier for us to operate.”

Sophomore guard Dominick Harris, last year’s John R. Wooden High School Player of the Year Award for players in CIF Southern Section Division 6, was held to just two points in the first quarter. Harris, who this week committed to Gonzaga, was often double- and even triple-teamed. Then he got hot and finished with 26 points along with eight rebounds. Timmy Bahadoor added 14 points before fouling out with 2:15 to play.

Berokoff used just six players — Josh Sims, among Pacifica Christian’s top scorers and rebounders, sat out for what the coach termed “team personal stuff” — against waves of Warriors.

Saddleback Valley Christian’s Jon Scherer hit six three-pointers and scored 21 points, 18 in the first half. Jordan Taylor, a 6-foot-10 center, added 21 points and 11 rebounds, and Tim Adetukasi scored 17 points with nine rebounds.

The Tritons need to win their last two games and help to get into the postseason. The regular-season finale is Monday at Orangewood Academy (15-9, 4-2), No. 13 in Division 4A. Pacifica Christian dropped two two-point decisions to Capistrano Valley Christian (17-7, 4-2) and lost by three in the first meeting with Orangewood Academy.

Orangewood would have to lose its final two games, forcing a coin flip to determine the league’s No. 3 playoff representative. The Tritons probably wouldn’t be in this situation had the CIF Southern Section not ruled 6-7 standout transfers Judah Brown, from Bermuda Dunes Desert Christian, and Solomon Davis, from Temecula Rancho Christian, ineligible this season for violating Bylaw 510 of undue influence.

“They’re awfully good,” Berokoff said of Brown, a sophomore, and Davis, a junior, adding that they both have seven to eight college offers. “They’re two [Division I] basketball players, but I’m focused on the guys we have. Those two are special kids, both 4.0 students, so I’ll focus on them when the season’s over.”

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Saddleback Valley Christian 73, Pacifica Christian Orange County 60

SCORE BY QUARTERS

Pacifica Christian Orange County 7 – 23 – 12 – 18 — 60

Saddleback Valley Christian 23 – 25 – 14 – 11 — 73

PCOC – Harris 26, Bahadoor 14, Seward 6, Belfiore 5, Nordstrom 5, Griffith 4.

3-pt. goals – Harris 4, Belfiore 1.

Fouled out – Bahadoor.

Technicals – None.

SVC – Taylor 21, Scherer 21, Adetukasi 17, Tolmarie 8, Cabiling 6.

3-pt. goals – Scherer 6, Tolmarie 2, Cabiling 2, Adetakusi 1.

Fouled out – None.

Technicals – Taylor.

SCOTT FRENCH is a contributor to Times Community News. Follow him on Twitter: @ScottJFrench