Underdog Laguna runs out of gas in quarterfinals

It struck midnight at around 8:45 p.m. in Hope Ranch Tuesday night.

The magic wore off, and Cinderella had to leave the ball.

Laguna Blanca’s improbable run in the CIF Division VI-AA boys basketball playoffs ended in the quarterfinals, as the Owls missed a few too many easy buckets and fell to No. 4 Hesperia Christian, 60-46, in front of a capacity crowd at Merovick Gym.

“No one expected anything out of us,” said senior Connor Murphy, sitting despondently in the stands as the gym emptied.

“But we made it farther than any other team in Santa Barbara, so that’s a pretty good season I guess.”

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For a team that finished 7-15 in the regular season and didn’t even make the playoffs until Dunn School pulled out, it was a pretty good season indeed.

Junior Luther Tarver-Burks continued his outstanding play, scoring a game-high 25 points and making big-time plays to help Laguna mount mini-runs throughout the game. But just as those runs seemed ready to push the Owls (9-16) all the way back from a big deficit, a rash of missed lay-ups and close-range jumpers would slow things down.

“I thought the kids played really hard and I’m so proud of them. With that said, I think if we make some of those lay-ups we’re right in that game,” said coach Sal Rodriguez.

The Patriots (21-5) presented a big problem, literally, in that their shortest player was nearly the same size as 5-foot-11 Jake Longstreth, Laguna’s tallest player. And with 6-5, 215-pound junior Seth Thomas (10 points) in the mix, and the Owls were downright dwarfed.

“Seth played a great game inside. He averages about 12 boards per game, but he’s had plenty of games with 15 or more. He always gets the big one when we need it,” said Hesperia coach Scott Dobyns.

Laguna fell into a 29-8 hole after going scoreless for most of the second quarter, but sophomore Connor Gray buried a 3-pointer with just under three minutes left in the first half. Longstreth followed with his patented move – taking a charge – the Owls closed the gap to 31-19 before halftime.

Tarver-Burks was all fired up heading into the locker room as he picked up a huge rejection of a last-second Patriots shot at the buzzer. He hit a jumper early in the third to get the Owls within seven at 33-26, but the Patriots would fend their hosts off effectively the rest of the way, keeping the lead at no smaller than eight points and pushing it to as as big as 15.

While Murphy, Longstreth and Tarver-Burks provided the bulk of the team’s offense throughout the season, Longstreth spoke of the team’s youngsters – particularly Gray, Brandon Bickett and Spencer Mikles – as a crucial element.

“Those three didn’t quit and they really understood their roles. I don’t think they got nervous, even in front of a crowd like this in CIF,” he said. “If they keep playing together like that they’ll be right back in this position next year… And maybe they’ll get to play with somebody taller than 5-11.”

Until next season, Cinderella will be praying for a growth spurt or two.

HESPERIA CHRISTIAN 60, LAGUNA BLANCA 46

HESPERIA CHRISTIAN – Ford 10, Maerzloft 4, Vargas 16, Arreola 20, Thomas 10. Totals 24 8-9 60.

LAGUNA BLANCA – Mikles 5, Murphy 7, Gray 3, Tarver-Burks 25, Bickett 2. Totals 16  11-14 46.

Hesperia Christian….20  11  14  15 — 60

Laguna Blanca………..8  11  17  10 — 46

3-point goals — HC 4 (Ford 2, Arreola 2), LB 2 (Gray, Tarver-Burks).

Total fouls — HC 15, LB 15.

Team records — LB 9-16, HC 21-5.