San Marcos’ boys basketball team has reached the semifinals of the National Prep Classic by defeating tournament host St. Joseph on Saturday 46-41.
The Royals won the defensive struggle by limiting the Knights to 22 points in the final three quarters.
Elijah Johnson scored nine of his 13 points in the fourth quarter and Christian Widmer converted four clutch free throws in the final minute to help the Royals win their seventh-straight game.
San Marcos trailed 19-14 at the end of the first quarter but shut down the Knights in the second period and took a six-point lead into the halftime break. St. Joseph hung tight throughout the third and fourth quarters making for a tense second half.
The game was tied early in the fourth quarter.
“Tonight was a struggle,” said Royals head coach Dave Odell. “We didn’t shoot well and their defense had a lot to do with that. We had to grind out a win and for that I was proud of our guys.”
San Marcos’ leading scorer was Bryce Ridenour with 21 points. For St. Joseph, it was Keith Datu with 16.
San Marcos will face Prestonwood Christian Academy in the semifinals. The Texas school defeated Centennial of Bakersfield 79-61 in its quarterfinal.
“It is quite an opportunity to be in the semifinals of a tournament with such highly rated teams and nationally recognized players,” Odell said. “We are running with the big boys now and it will be fun to see how we handle the challenge.”
