Scott Everman of San Marcos scores two of his 23 points in playoff game against Buena.
Scott Everman returned to the San Marcos lineup and scored 23 points, but it wasn’t enough as the Royals fell at Buena, 49-47, in a Channel League basketball playoff for an automatic CIF berth.
San Marcos was tied for second with Buena and Ventura at 4-4. Ventura won a coin-flip for the second automatic berth, leaving the Royals and Bulldogs to play off for the third automatic spot.
Despite the loss, the Royals are expected to receive an at-large berth for the Division 3AA playoffs. They were ranked fifth in the latest poll and division top-seed Damien was selected Friday to play in the Open Division playoffs.
Scott Everman played on a bad ankle but he still had a scoring touch, making three 3-pointers in the game. Kele Mkpado had eight points and Connor Everman and Jackson Stormo each scored seven points. Starter Tyson Miller was unable to play due to an injury.
Buena led 49-42 with 2:02 left, but San Marcos roared back and cut the margin to 49-47. The Royals had chances to tie and win in the final seconds. Scott Everman missed a 3-point attempt from the left wing with five seconds left. Connor Everman scrambled for the rebound and tried an off-balance 5-footer in the lane that missed as the buzzer sounded.
San Marcos is 19-9 and Buena is 20-7.
The CIF playoff pairings will be released on Sunday.
