LONG BEACH — La Habra boys basketball rallied from a nine-point deficit in the fourth quarter and guard Grayson Sinek made a game-winning layup as time expired, giving the Highlanders a thrilling 75-73 win over Jordan in the second round of the CIF-SS Division 3AA playoffs on Friday night.
No. 1 seed La Habra was nearly upset on the road but came through when it mattered most, finishing the game with an 18-7 run.
After senior guard Gerald Pickens made two free throws to give Jordan a 70-68 lead, the Highlanders took the lead after forward Jaedon Anderson hit a clutch 3-pointer from the left wing to give them a one-point lead with two minutes left.
Sophomore guard Acen Jimenez made two more free throws to put La Habra up by three at 73-70 with 11 seconds left in the game. However, the Panthers were not done.
Backup guard Josh Gibson, who finished with a team-high 20 points, hit a game-tying 3-pointer from the top of the key to even the game at 73 with 5.4 seconds left.
With the ball being inbound on the far side of the court, Sinek received the inbound pass. He sprinted past multiple Jordan defenders, going the full length of the floor and somehow converted a finger roll layup with the final horn sounding, lifting his team to a dramatic win and avoiding a major upset.
Sinek said the Highlanders were calm coming out of the timeout for the final play.
La Habra guard @GraysonSinek finished with 11 pts and was the hero hitting a game-winning, buzzer-beating layup as time expired to lift Highlanders to a 75-73 road win over Jordan! @LHHS_Basketball @OCSportsZone @ocvarsity @BeachVarsity @presstelegram pic.twitter.com/B3AXvKWI6p
— Chris Camello (@Chris_Camello) February 10, 2024
“We drew up a play that we always practiced, so everybody in the huddle is calm, we’re all collected, we all knew something perfect was about to happen,” said Sinek, who finished with 11 points, four rebounds, and three assists. “We knew we were destined for this, and I got the ball in the open court and I knew it was my time to shine.”
Jordan coach Chris Francis explained what happened on the final play.
“Just not communicating,” Francis said. “The inexperience was the difference in the end.”
Jordan head coach Chris Francis talks about the heart-breaking loss to La Habra, how the game changed in the 4th quarter, and what went wrong defensively in that final play of the game @JTownHoopz @presstelegram @BeachVarsity pic.twitter.com/7TQJSwuxeC
— Chris Camello (@Chris_Camello) February 10, 2024
For the Panthers, it was a heartbreaking end to a game they had control of for nearly all four quarters. After Gibson hit one of his six 3-pointers, Jordan was leading 66-57 with four minutes left in the game.
However, that’s when La Habra went on an 11-2 run to tie the game at 68, sparked by Jimenez and Anderson, who combined to score 16 of the team’s 20 points in the fourth quarter.
Pickens said as the game got more intense in the fourth that’s when it started to turn for Jordan.
“It got rowdy in here, everybody got jittery,” said Pickens, who finished with 17 points, three rebounds, and three assists. “We came up short, that’s all it was, we came up short.”
Jordan senior guard @ibeengp talks about the heart-breaking loss to La Habra, what went wrong defensively in that final play, and how the game changed in the 4th qt
Pickens finished with 17 pts, 3 Rebs, and 3 asts for @JTownHoopz @BeachVarsity @presstelegram pic.twitter.com/zFdKi9lNj2
— Chris Camello (@Chris_Camello) February 10, 2024
Junior guard Jay’Mari Redmond said the pace of the game slowed down in the second half. He believed that’s what changed for Jordan.
“Coming out of the locker room, it was the pace,” said Redmond, who finished with 16 points, six assists, and four rebounds. “The pace of the game in the first half, we were running, running, and running, but in the second half, we got exhausted and we stopped running. That changed the pace of the game. We didn’t come out with the full intensity.”
Jordan guard @JayRedmond2007 talks about the tough loss to no. 1 seed La Habra, what changed in the 4th qt after leading by 9, and what broke down defensively on that final play in the 4th @JTownHoopz @BeachVarsity @presstelegram pic.twitter.com/3lNxYMu4hb
— Chris Camello (@Chris_Camello) February 10, 2024
The Highlanders were led by Jimenez, who nearly finished with a triple-double with a game-high 26 points, nine assists, eight rebounds and four steals. Anderson added 25 points and six rebounds, while knocking down five 3-pointers.
Coach Francis was gracious in defeat. He spoke highly of La Habra but also shared how proud he was of his team.
“Shoutout to La Habra, they’re a veteran team, they made shots, and they stayed disciplined, they stayed structured, and they pulled it out down the stretch,” Francis said. “I don’t take solace in losing. I’m obviously disappointed but at the same time, I’m very proud of my guys. We look forward to getting back at it pretty soon.”
