Prep boys’ basketball: Justin-Siena knocks off Liberty Ranch in defensive showcase

Losing is the most common experience in high school basketball this time of year. Out of about 1,300 boys’ teams in the state, just seven will finish their season with a win.

Even when teams know the odds are stacked against them, like Liberty Ranch might have felt Tuesday night, the losses are a blow. The Hawks were without injured 6-foot-7 center Cody Smith, who broke his hand Saturday night in a Northern California semifinal.

To compensate for the loss of Smith, the Hawks played smothering defense against Justin-Siena in Tuesday’s Division IV championship game. It nearly worked. The game was tied at 29 entering the fourth quarter, but a little scoring outburst from Justin-Siena sealed a 42-38 defeat for Liberty Ranch.

“This game was a microcosm of the season,” coach Brian Chavez said. “We fought. Every possession was fought to the end The ball didn’t fall our way but I couldn’t be more proud of them. …

“I told them how proud I was that they were the first team to win a section title here, the first team to make it to the (NorCal) final. That plaque we got means a whole lot. It’s not the ultimate goal that we want, but it’s a heck of a goal that they got.”

The coach’s pride wasn’t much consolation for the Hawks, who were undersized but played cohesive team defense. Season-ending losses are always especially hard on the seniors. Logan McCreery had just two points on offense but he had four steals on defense, as teammates poked the ball out and it landed in his hands. Or he did the work himself, smothering Justin-Siena players with intensity.

Complimented on his defensive work, he was quick to praise senior point guard Drew Fischer for keeping the Hawks in the game.

“We all play for each other and we love getting steals obviously, and playing fast,” McCreery said. “Drew leads us in defense as well. He’s, he’s the best leader I’ve ever like. He leads like he’s a grown man. It’s ridiculous.”

“All of us knew that they were gonna think they could score. They were gonna come in thinking we’re the underdog. But we all knew we could play defense with anybody out there, even if there are six shooting guards. They don’t matter. We can go with anybody.”

You don’t have to convince Nick Guillory of that. The Justin-Siena coach was obviously thrilled his team got the win. But asked about the defensive intensity, he readily threw praise at the Hawks.

“I expected this game to be in the high 50s, low 60s (for a score),” he said. “This was a grinder. In a game like this, every possession is that much more critical. The defense intensity rises up. Every 50/50 ball was contested.”

Guillory said Liberty Ranch’s strategy of having a guard shadow the ball-handler in support, a de facto double team, caused Justin-Seina fits.

“It was a really good strategy with an inside-out team like us, so that kind of put us in a tizzy there for a little bit,” Guillory said.

Justin-Siena solved the riddle for a span of about two minutes early in the fourth quarter. Travis Hightower hit a bucket, then hit a quick 3-pointer. Ma’el Blunt got a fast-break layup, then hit a jumper and Hightower hit a pair of free throws. Just like that, Justin-Siena had a 40-31 lead with 4:15 remaining. They’d score just two points the rest of the way, but the damage was done.

“We keyed on certain guys. They have a very talented group of players,” Chavez said. “We had a very specific game plan and our kids fought and they did everything that they were supposed to do. We make a few more shots and there’d be a different result. But to hold that team to (42 points), that’s incredible, just an incredible defensive effort.”

On offense, Fischer had 18 points to lead Liberty Ranch. He’s one of the Hawks’ five seniors, three of which played Tuesday night. Benjamin Herrera had a pair of buckets and provided solid rebounding.

For underclassmen like guard Nate Nelson and Smith, who is a football star and a walking double-double in basketball, there’s next year as consolation. Liberty Ranch will likely be good again next season.

For the seniors, Tuesday night was as close to a perfect ending as most teams will find. Their home gym was packed, with a few people sitting in lawn chairs at the end of the court. The crowd roared for defense down the stretch as the Hawks tried to close the gap and extend the season just a little further. And when they emerged from the locker room after the game, family and friends were there with glum looks and pats on the shoulder.

This story was originally published March 9, 2022 at 7:13 AM.