Mike Peters (3) scored 17 but Covina came up a bucket short
(Covina) – Stephen Van Spronsen’s jumper in the lane with 24 seconds left lifted Maranatha to a 54-52 win over Covina Friday night in the second round of the Division 4A CIF playoffs.
The Colts had several opportunities on the last possession but were unable to convert and the Minutemen escaped with the victory.
“I’m getting too old for this,” said Maranatha Coach Tim Godley of the last minute frenzy. “The problem is we tend to get off to a slow start. But we played a pretty hard schedule so we are used to it. We showed a lot of heart in coming back.”
Godley was referring to nearly the entire game when Maranatha had to play catch up. Covina jumped out to a 10-2 lead to open the game behind a pair of three pointers by Ren MacAlalag and Justin Mason. Nino Harrell also nailed a three to offset a three by Maranatha’s Josh Chamberlain and the Colts were up 13-9 at the end of one.
Guard Mike Peters scored nine points for Covina in the second quarter, mainly on slashing drives to the basket and Harrell buried another three as the Colts put up 18 in the period.
The Minutemen kept pace thanks to a big quarter from R.J. Straker. Straker scored outside and inside scoring 10 of Maranatha’s 15 in the second. Covina still carried a 31-24 advantage into the half.
The Minutemen cut the lead down to three by the end of the third before making their move in the fourth. Straker scored six in the third quarter and including four for four from the free throw line.
The Minutemen finally caught the Colts at 44 with about five and a half minutes left on a layup by Jeremy Major. Later in the quarter Josh Chamberlain scored five consecutive points to put Maranatha up 52-48 with less than two minutes remaining.
Peters came right back, pulled up and hit one from behind the arc to get the Colts within one at 52-51 with 1:19 left. Peters later hit one of two free throws to tie it before Van Spronsen’s bank shot proved to be the game winner.
Straker led the Minutemen with 18 points and Chamberlain added 12. Peters had 17 for the Colts; MacAlalag added 9 and Harrell scored 8. But in the end it was Van Spronsen’s 2 that was the difference.
M 9 15 15 15 54
C 18 18 11 10 52
M- Major 9, Straker 18, Chamberlain 12, Van Spronsen 7, Ryan Holstein 4, Robert Schneider 4.
C- Peters 17, MacAlalag 9, Kyle Chu 4, Harrell 8, Edgardo Campos 2, Mason 5, Justin Diaz 7.
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