SANTA ANA, CA - It was an uphill struggle most of the way but the St. John Bosco boys basketball team came from behind and defeated Village Christian, 50-47 on Friday evening at the Mater Dei Nike Extravaganza. With the victory the Braves moved to 18-7 on the season while the Crusaders fell to 18-8.
"We weren't very good but we found a way to win," said St. John Bosco head coach Matt Dunn.
The Braves led once in the first quarter at 4-3 but trailed 15-10 at quarter's end. Village Christian was able to get some transition baskets to pull ahead and St. John Bosco could not seem to buy a basket.
More of the same occurred in the second quarter. St. John Bosco never found its rhythm. The Braves went into the half shooting an abysmal 21 percent (7-33) in addition to having eight turnovers. Village Christian led 29-17 at the break and seemed to have the momentum on its side.
The Braves came alive in the third quarter, going on a 21-8 run to surge ahead 38-37 at the end of the period. "We (finally) made some shots," said Dunn.
St. John Bosco's surge was led by the game's overall leading scorer - junior guard JJ Watson, who scored 19 points. Watson scored 12 of his points in the second half including two big three-pointers in the third stanza.
The fourth quarter went back and forth with four lead changes and neither team leading by more than five points. But ultimately the Braves made the plays down the stretch to pull it out. Dunn credited his team with having some experience previously with comeback wins as a big factor in this game.
Dunn also felt that his team did a much better job of rebounding overall with "a more conscious effort" in the second half.
The Braves ended the game with a 42-33 advantage on the boards. And significantly, the Braves shot 44 percent (11-25) in the second half while the Crusaders were only 7-20 (35 percent) from the field after intermission.
"We were kind of fortunate'" sighed Dunn. "The kids are worn out at this time of the year."
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Scoring Totals:
St. John Bosco (50): Nikko Hall 2, JJ Watson 19, Eduardo DalleTorre 12, Makani Whiteside 9, Tarren Brown 4, Jojo Bush 4
Village Christian (47): Jalen Riley 7, Issac Etter 10, Dama Diagouraga 6, Josh Caston 8, Elijah Scranton 7, Majur Majak 7, Team 2
