By Mitch Stephens
MaxPreps.com
SACRAMENTO, Calif. – The taste from a pair of bitter defeats at Arco Arena turned into a sweet and satisfying victory for Rocklin High’s boys basketball team on Thursday night.
It didn’t hurt to have 6-foot-10 junior sensation Brendan Lane and a breakout game from senior guard Derek Faulkner as well.
The Thunder took Ponderosa (Shingle Springs) and its national leading defense out of its comfort zone to post a decisive 54-39 Sac-Joaquin Section Division II semifinal win.
Faulkner scored a game-high 18 points while Lane, considered one of the top 50 juniors in the country, added 16 points and four blocks as the top-seeded Thunder (28-2), ranked 20th in the state by MaxPreps, moved into Saturday’s championship against Fairfield, a 56-51 winner over Elk Grove, and assured themselves a spot in the CIF North Region tournament.
It was the first time any team this season scored 50 or more points against Ponderosa (25-4), which came in allowing just 35.1 points per game, best in the country for the seven states that use a shot clock.
The Bruins were led by foul-plagued Rhett Beal, who scored 13 points in 19 minutes, and Tyler Arstingstall (11 points).
“We got to this point two years in a row and we didn’t want to go home disappointed a third straight year,” Lane said. “This year we came in with more confidence. We were used to the tight hoops, the bright lights, the long court. I think they might have had a tougher time adjusting.”
This was the first time in coach Dave Millhollin’s 12-year career the Bruins played at Arco Arena. They tried to control tempo, and they did for more than half the game.
But during a couple of spurts, especially in the second quarter, Rocklin’s constant pressure and up-tempo style left the Bruins on their heels. They committed an uncharacteristic 21 turnovers, many leading to uncontested breakaway lay-ups.
“(Rocklin coach) Steve Taylor did a great job of preparing his team for us and Rocklin did a superb job of carrying it out,” Millhollin said. “Even though I don’t think we played as well as we’re capable of, Rocklin made the plays and we didn’t. I’d like to think if we played 12 times, we’d win five. But there’s a reason Rocklin is 28-2 and it showed.”
Ponderosa hardly looked intimidated by Rocklin or the bright lights early as Arstingstall and Eric Rowe drilled 3-pointers on the Bruins’ first two possessions to take a 6-0 lead.
That lead lasted throughout the first quarter before Lane had a putback, his third of the game, to put the Thunder up 13-10 with 7:22 left in the half.
Rocklin, which won the 2000-01 Section title, would never relinquish the lead.
A hanging jumper and another tip-in by Lane plus a steal, coast-to-coast drive and layup keyed an 11-2 Rocklin run to put the Thunder up, 19-12.
“We didn’t handle pressure and we didn’t box out Lane,” said Beal, a 6-3 senior and team’s leader in every offensive and rebounding category. “We didn’t do the things we came here to do.”
After a jumper by Beal, Faulkner went on a personal seven-point run on a 3-pointer, two free throws and fastbreak layup to give Rocklin its biggest lead, 26-14.
The Bruins would get within double-digits only one other time the rest of the way.
“Their a hard to play and prepare for,” Taylor said of Ponderosa. “But I think we’re hard to prepare for also. It was a big challenge for both teams and it came down to a battle of wills. We just made a few more shots.”
Said Ponderosa senior Alex Martin, who had four points and team-high six rebounds: “(Rocklin) is definitely the best team we’ve played all year. (Lane) is a great player and everything we had heard about him is ture. It’s just too bad we didn’t play better. At least we reached our main goals of winning league and getting to Arco. We just came up a little short.”
Said Rowe: “Whatever team faces Rocklin in the finals, good luck. Especially with (Lane). That’s a very good team.”
FAIRFIELD 56, ELK GROVE 51: Jame Lake, a 6-2 senior, scored a game-high 21 points and had five steals as third seed Fairfield (26-4) won its 18th straight game by fighting back from a 17-6 first-quarter deficit.
Kyron Brown had 15 points and 10 rebounds for second seed Elk Grove (20-9), which had its 11-game win streak snapped. Torrence Green and Ryan Pearson added 11 points each for the Thundering Herd, which made just 14 of 37 shots (37 percent) and committed 19 turnovers to just nine for Fairfield.
Tevin Hurd had a game-high 12 rebounds for the winners, who took 18 more shots because of its lack of turnovers.
DIVISION I
RODRIGUEZ (Fairfield) 57, SHELDON (Sacramento) 54: Rodriguez, a seventh-year program, isn’t a secret any longer.
The 11th-seed used a balance scoring attack, some late heroics by Mike Johnson and fierce work on the offensive glass to overcome freshman standout Darius Nelson and win in overtime.
Josh Keys, a 6-6 senior forward, had 12 points and a game-high 15 rebounds for the Mustangs (26-5), who grabbed 24 offensive rebounds and outrebounded Sheldon (18-12), the 10th seed, 48-36 overall.
Johnson also had 12 points, while Roman Robinson and Cameron Richmond added 10 points apiece for Rodriguez, which has won 17 of 18 and nine straight.
Nelson, who hit a 3-pointer with 0.2 seconds left in regulation to send the game into overtime, led all scores with 25 points. The brother of California’s all-time leading career scorer and current Duke starter DeMarcus Nelson, also had eight rebounds but made just 6 of 21 shots and committed nine turnovers.
Rodriguez, making its first appearance at Arco, prevailed despite committing 25 turnovers.
“All I know is we had fun,” Rodriguez coach Jeff Sickler said. “I told them don’t worry about how you play, just go out and have a blast.”
Said Johnson: “We did have fun. But I don’t know how much we would have had we lost.”
Johnson, who has signed a letter of intent to play football at UNLV, bailed out Rodriguez late in regulation after Nelson hit two free throws to give Sheldon a 44-41 lead.
First Johnson drilled a three-pointer to tie the game with 1:10 left, then he drove to the hoop for a tough layup with 34 seconds left, to give Rodriguez a 46-44 lead.
After the third straight turnover for Sheldon, Johnson made one of two free throws with 9.6 seconds left. His second free throw missed and Nelson calmly dribbled down court and swished a 3-pointer from the left wing with 0.3 seconds left to send the game into overtime.
“I knew we needed a 3-pointer so I just let it go,” Nelson said. “I’m glad I could help get it to OT but sad we couldn’t pull it out. We’ll come back next year and get the job done.”
Said Sickler: “They were definitely riding their big man (Nelson) late. He made a big-time shot.”
In overtime, Keys hit a putback and a layup to give Rodriguez a 55-52 lead with 50 seconds left. Two free throws by Nelson, made it 55-54 with 45 seconds left when Sheldon couldn’t get a defensive rebound.
Johnson missed two straight free throws with 16.4 seconds left, but Keys got the offensive rebound before being tied up. The possession arrow went to Rodriguez and Mike Badger (six points) hit the first of two free throws after being fouled with 11.9 seconds remaining.
Again Rodriguez grabbed the offensive rebound, this time Richmond, his ninth of the game. He was fouled and made the second of two free throws with 10.5 seconds left, making it 57-54.
Johnson, however, stole the inbounds pass and was fouled with 8.6 ticks left. He missed both free throws and Richmond grabbed yet another offensive rebound, his 10th overall. This time Sheldon tied him up and got the possession with 5.3 seconds left.
After a timeout, Marcus Johnson (11 points) brought the ball up but his 3-pointer at the buzzer hit off the iron and Rodriguez, despite making just 6 of 17 free throws overall, had survived.
Sickler actually wanted the Mustangs to foul Johnson once he crossed half court.
“It worked out,” Sickler said. “It was our night.”
Said Nelson, whose team made just 16 of 51 shots (31 percent): “It was kind of a frustrating game, we never got in a rhythm. The refs let the game go. It was like a park and rec game.”
It was a thing of beauty to Sickler, Johnson and the Mustangs.
“This was an opportunity we didn’t want to miss,” Johnson said. “I mean it was great to be here and play at Arco Arena, but we definitely didn’t want to come all this way and lose.”
FOLSOM 81, EDISON (Stockton) 71: Ben Palmer, a 6-foot senior guard had 26 points, Tony Johnson 14, Kori Babineaux 12 and Brandon Babineaux 11 as Folsom (23-7), the fifth seed, were in control most of the way to win going away.
Brandon Babineaux, a 6-4 junior, added a game-high 11 rebounds.
Folsom’s balance offset the two-man show of Trumaine Johnson, a 6-2 senior guard, and Willie Williams, a 6-2 senior forward, who scored 31 and 26 points, respectively and combined to make 23 shots in just 31 attempts. Edison made a remarkable 56 percent of its shots (27 of 48), but couldn’t overcome 23 turnovers.
E-mail Mitch Stephens at mstephens@maxpreps.com.