Bradshaw Christian claims clutch quarterfinal win thanks to Patterson cousins
Bradshaw Christian is headed deeper into the postseason than ever before, thanks to a last-second win over Pacific Bay Christian in the CIF Northern California Division V regional quarterfinals Thursday night.
With the game clock on its final ticks, sophomore guard Ethan Patterson handled the ball on the last play. He ran a give-and-go and got a clean look from the corner. He iced the 3-pointer and a 58-57 win for Bradshaw Christian.
“I just had the confidence and it was a great pass from my teammate,” Ethan Patterson said. “When I feel like I have space, I’ll just pull it. I think that’s a big part of my game.”
The one-point margin doesn’t do proper justice to how tight the contest was. The Pride and the Eagles were separated by only a basket for most of the game.
Junior guard Jaylen Patterson, Ethan Patterson’s cousin, led the way for Bradshaw with 27 points. He gave Pacific Bay fits with hesitation dribbles and acrobatic layups. Patterson used his size to get position deep in the paint and grabbed plenty of rebounds as well.
“He’s a real captain,” said Alex Williams, head coach of Bradshaw Christian. “He’s not just a captain because he’s our leading scorer. He’s a captain because he works hard all the time, because he’s always competing, because he just gets after it. He has heart.”
Patterson’s heart was on full display Thursday, especially with the game on the line in the fourth quarter. He was the loudest voice on the court, making sure his team knew the situation and the defensive assignments. He got low in his defensive stance and slapped the floor to pump himself up.
With 1:39 left to play, Patterson hit a key go-ahead layup. He drew the foul, drained the free throw and fired up the home crowd.
“I think more than anything he’s just an emotional leader,” Williams said. “He thrives off emotion and you can see it, but it’s a good thing. I think the rest of our team kinda feeds off of that. He keeps us going.”
Jaylen Patterson said that he focuses his energy on himself and his teammates so that he can stay away from fouls or trash talk. As long as he is thinking about his team and his crowd, he can let his feelings show.
“Being an emotional leader is a good thing and a bad thing because sometimes my emotions can get the best of me,” he said. “It’s just because I’m passionate about the game. But (my team) understands me.”
Pacific Bay answered back in the final minute with a pair of baskets, but Ethan Patterson had the final response.
Pacific Bay was heartbroken to lose such a well-fought game, but head coach Mark Bermudez expressed pride in his team going further than the school had ever been before in the Northern California bracket.
Senior forward Dwight Bumgarner scored a team-high 23 points for Pacific Bay and senior guard Diego Sotto added 16. Senior forward Javion Cooper was another stand out for Bradshaw, finishing the game with 19 points and several game-saving defensive plays.
Bradshaw Christian will face off against San Domenico in the regional semifinals Saturday night.
This story was originally published March 6, 2020 at 6:24 AM.