
LIONS STRONG SEASON ENDS IN DOUBLE OT LOSS TO SIERRA CANYON
A season of stellar accomplishments and high-level play for the JSerra Boys Basketball team ended in tough fashion in the CIF State Basketball Championships.
The Lions, who earned the fourth seed in the Southern Regional, opened in rousing fashion by outpacing the San Marcos Knights 80-56 in a first-round game at JSerra Catholic High School.
Senior B.J. Davis-Ray finished with a game-high 26 points on 10-of-16 shooting from the field, connecting on 5-of-8 from beyond the three-point line.
He also added seven rebounds and five assists.
Senior Dominic Bolton connected on 8-of-11 from behind the arc to score 24 points.
Junior Brannon Martinsen scored 16 points on 7-of-12 shooting to go along with five rebounds and five assists.
JSerra shot a blistering 16-of-29 from the three-point line overall and 53 percent from the field.
The Lions next took down the Carlsbad Lancers 79-54 in a second-round contest also at JSerra Catholic High School.
Martinsen finished 12-of-18 from the field and scored a game-high 25 points, while collecting eight rebounds.
Davis-Ray scored 20 points, pulled seven rebounds, and dished out six assists.
Senior Jarne Eyenga recorded a double-double with 15 points and 16 rebounds.
JSerra traveled to top-seeded Sierra Canyon for Saturday’s Regional semifinals and the teams engaged in a back-and-forth thriller.
The Lions trailed by seven points at halftime, but worked their way back into the contest and took a one-point lead with 7:38 left in regulation on a three-point play by Davis-Ray.
The two teams traded the lead down the stretch, before consecutive baskets by Eyenga and Martinsen gave JSerra a 53-50 lead with 2:43 left in regulation.
The Trailblazers converted a four-point play to take a 54-53 lead with 1:44 left, but Eyenga converted 1-of-2 free throws with 1:23 remaining to tie the game at 54-54.
Neither team could score before the final buzzer and the game headed into overtime.
Two free throws apiece by Davis-Ray and Bolton was all the offense JSerra could muster in the first overtime period, but the Lions defense held the Trailblazers to only four points and the game went into double overtime tied 58-58.
Sierra Canyon opened the second overtime period on a 7-0 run to take a 65-58 lead with less than two minutes remaining.
Davis-Ray and Bolton each connected on three pointers to pull the Lions to within one point with under 30 seconds remaining, but the Lions were unable to draw any closer before the final buzzer.
Bolton finished 5-of-10 from the field (all from beyond the three-point line) and tallied a team-high 19 points.
Martinsen finished with a double-double, scoring 17 points and grabbing 11 rebounds.
Davis-Ray also finished with a double-double, scoring 15 points and collecting a team-best 13 rebounds, while also leading the team with six assists and three steals.
Eyenga added 13 points and pulled eight rebounds.
JSerra finishes the season with a 24-11 record.