With the game tied at 45, the 6-foot-2 senior was fouled on a potential game-winning 3-pointer with 0.3 seconds on the clock. He stepped to the line and calmly sank two of three freebies. After all, he'd been in the same situation on Tuesday hitting the game-winning free throws with 0.7 left in a 53-51 win over Half Moon Bay in the NorCal regional final.
Sacred Heart Prep celebrates its CIF Division IV title on Saturday at Golden 1 Center after senior Alex Osterloh hit two free throws in the Gators' 47-45 victory over San Juan Hills. (PHOTO: David Steutel)
"The NorCal championship was just like that and I just said 'take a deep breath, I'll shoot it and it'll go in,' " Osterloh said.
He finished with a team-high 15 points while
Pat Bala added 13.
Osterloh's free-throw line prowess wasn't all by happenstance. Trailing 45-41 with 1:50 left, Osterloh hit a basket before a steal and fast break led to a pair of free throws that tied the game with 1:15 remaining. San Juan Hills got the ball with 35 seconds left and looked to hold for the final shot before a turnover gave the Gators the final possession with 9.2 seconds on the clock.
"At one time, we were sitting with a 10-11 record, losers of three straight and somehow, some way, this group found a way to reel off 11 straight wins, including eight straight playoff games," said first-year coach Jeff Wulbrun, who was the University of Denver coach prior to coming to Sacred Heart Prep.
The Gators led for most of the game before San Juan Hills tied the game at 32 in the third period and grabbed their first advantage with a 6-0 run to start the fourth.
The Stallions pulled to the 45-41 lead on a
Garrett Brehmer triple and
Cash Harris basket, but coach Jason Efstathiou said giving up a crucial rebound late and the last turnover back-breakers.
"It's disappointing to see us not take care of the ball very well, especially in this kind of game," he said.
The Gators extended their 10-8 first-quarter advantage with a 9-0 run to start the second period.
Saurav Shroff, who came off the bench, provided instant-offense for Scared Heart Prep with back-to-back buckets before
Alberto De Bernardis added a basket and
Brady Grossman followed with a 3-pointer and a 19-8 lead.
San Juan Hills cut the deficit to 22-17 before Osterloh found a bucket on the half's last possession.
The Stallions chipped away in the third period and found the equalizer with a
Parker Hull basket, but San Juan Hills was unable to take its first lead of the game on the missed and-one free throw.
Sacred Heart Prep responded with a 6-2 run to close the period with all the points coming from Bala.
Brehmer led San Juan Hills with a game-high 17 and
Rocco Jensen added 10.
Four days after beating Half Moon with game-winning free throws, Sacred Heart Prep's Alex Osterloh repeated the magic in the Gators' 47-45 Division IV state title win over San Juan Hills. (PHOTO: David Steutel)
