By Brian Reed-Baiotto, Sports Editor It could easily be said that Maranatha’s CIF-SS Division 1-AA title game against Rancho Verde will be their toughest yet. Then again, you could say that about the past three games the Minutemen have not only played in, but persevered. In the second round, quarter and semifinals, Maranatha has clutched […]
By Brian Reed-Baiotto, Sports Editor
It could easily be said that Maranatha’s CIF-SS Division 1-AA title game against Rancho Verde will be their toughest yet.
Then again, you could say that about the past three games the Minutemen have not only played in, but persevered.
In the second round, quarter and semifinals, Maranatha has clutched up and won all three by a grand total of just 6 points.
They are not only playing their best basketball of the season, they are hitting their shots when they’re most needed.
Maranatha (18-9) has trailed late multiple times, and they not only respond like a champion, the Minutemen have gotten heroic moments from several players during this stretch.
They’ll need all that to continue and then some Saturday night at 8 p.m. at Azusa Pacific University, because they’re facing a foe that is on fire.
The Mustangs are 25-3, and have won 15 consecutive games.
Rancho Verde has outscored its three postseason opponents (Serra, Calabasas and Etiwanda) by a combined 51 points.
Chris Austin has led the Minutemen in points, as the 6-foot-4 junior averages 18 points and 6 rebounds per game.
Sean Espinosa has been a Godsend for Maranatha coach Tim Tucker.
The senior point guard is scoring 13 points a night, and 5 assists.
But numbers alone couldn’t possibly measure Espinosa’s worth.
Espinosa has hit clutch shots down the stretch, sets up his offense and most important, he’s able to keep the Minutemen calm in the wake of a storm.
“We have to play our game and do what we do, and we should win the game,” Espinosa said. “The problem they present is that they’re another team in our way of getting the job done. I think I have to be a playmaker on the offensive and defensive end to give us the best chance to win.”
Terrance Lang is scoring 8 points and 5 rebounds each night and Jesse Elrod chips in with 7 points and 5 rebounds.
Elrod came up the biggest in the semifinals, when he knocked down 3 of 4 free-throw attempts to put Cantwell-Sacred Heart away.
“They have three main guys where their team works from, so if we lock them up, we should be able to win this game,” Elrod said. “We work as a team and we’ve been battle tested throughout these playoffs, and this is just another test. I believe that I have to get rebounds, blocked shots and make big plays down the stretch.”
With the game being on a Saturday night at 8, and just a 15-minute drive going east on the 210, the loud and boisterous student section could give the Minutemen an advantage they’d love to have.
Rancho Verde will have a 53-mile drive from Moreno Valley.
By The Numbers:
Current win streak:
Maranatha 5; Rancho Verde 15.
Points scored:
Maranatha 1,589; Rancho Verde 1,551.
Points allowed:
Maranatha 1,442; Rancho Verde 1,138.
Points per game:
Maranatha 59; Rancho Verde 55
League finish:
Maranatha 6-2 (first place); Rancho Verde 10-0 (first place)
Playoff Results:
Round one:
Maranatha 70, Viewpoint 43
Rancho Verde had a bye
Round two:
Maranatha 66, St. John Bosco 63 (overtime)
Rancho Verde 66, Serra 33
Quaterfinal:
Maranatha 56, Tahquitz 55
Rancho Verde 71, Calabasas 57
Semifinal:
Maranatha 52, Cantwell-Sacred Heart 50
Rancho Verde 61, Etiwanda 56
