Boys Hoops: Mustangs Hold on at Home, Advance to Semifinals

For four quarters the Muir boys basketball team battled cold shooting, foul trouble and a tenacious Bosco Tech team that built an eight-point lead in the second half.

The Mustangs battled back and escaped with a 58-54 win in the quarterfinals of the CIF-Southern Section 5AA playoffs at home on Tuesday night. Justin Knowles sealed the game with two clutch free throws in the final seconds.

Bosco Tech’s Matthew Santos brought his team to within one point after he hit a driving layup with under a minute to play. The Tigers (20-9) were forced to foul, and Jelani Mitchell went to the free throw line and made one of two shots.

That made it 56-54 with 20 seconds to play. On Bosco Tech’s next possession, Joshua Espinoza turned the ball over, setting the stage for Knowles to pad the lead.

Tuesday marked Muir’s second straight close win. The third-seeded Mustangs have won their last two games by a combined five points.

“It shows that we’re determined to win,” Mitchell said. “We want to go to state and win CIF.”

Mitchell, a sophomore, had another big playoff game with 16 points, four rebounds and one blocked shot. He stepped it up down low with center Taturs Mayberry, who played limited minutes because of foul trouble.

Mitchell went 6-for-12 from the field and controlled the paint through most of the game. Mayberry sat out the beginning of the third quarter, but came on strong down the stretch.

Mayberry had eight points along with seven rebounds and four blocked shots, both of which were game-highs. He was a force in the second half, helping Muir bounce back after trailing by eight points.

“We just worked hard and we have mental toughness,” Mayberry said. “We’re big and we wanted to get them in the post.”

The Mustangs got a boost off the bench from Arlondo Daniels. The 6-foot junior was a perfect 5 of 5 from the field. He scored 10 points, grabbed five boards and had three steals.

Knowles added 11 points. He knocked down three 3-pointers, his only field goals in eight attempts. Dion Nelson had a tough night from the field with a 1-for-10 effort. He finished with five points, but Muir coach Dr. Gamal Smalley said Nelson has a deep thigh bruise and probably shouldn’t have played. 

“It was very tough and it’s what we expected,” Smalley said. “(Bosco Tech) reminded me a lot of us. Undersized and they go hard. I’m proud of (Bosco Tech) also, it’s a big run for them. We take our hats off to them.

“Mayberry got in foul trouble so it took our inside game away. We found Jelani in the nick of time. He’s only a sophomore. We’re very proud of them. (Going in the post) was on our blackboard. It’s what we wanted to do. We got away from it.”

Santos led the Tigers with a game-high 21 points. The speedy point guard also led his team with five rebounds. E.J. Mejia had 16 points, while Espinoza had 11 points and three steals.

“A lot of credit to Muir,” Bosco Tech coach Dominic Sermeno said. “They had a late run in the end. They got the stops. They did a good job of finishing the game in the right way.

“Not every possession goes the way you want it to, but that’s basketball for you.”

Muir improved to 17-10 and will play the winner of Santa Clara and St. Margaret’s on Friday in the semifinals.

“We have some resolve,” Smalley said. “In the playoffs we’ve won two close games. And it speaks volumes to their poise and how they’re growing up.”