Arroyo Grande knocked out of state playoffs; Mission Prep moves on with overtime win

Despite its No. 2 seed, Arroyo Grande couldn’t keep up with its opponent from Pasadena and was eliminated Tuesday night in the first round of the Division 4 CIF State Basketball Championships.

Meanwhile, Mission Prep won a thriller in Division 3, coming out in an overtime win that advances the Royals to the second round of the tournament.

Blair 76, Arroyo Grande 62

Days after securing its first CIF Central Section championship, Arroyo Grande saw its season come to an end Tuesday in a 76-62 loss to Blair at home.

Blair, the No. 15 seed in the division, took an early lead over the second-seeded Eagles (22-9) and never looked back.

The Vikings’ ball pressure bothered the Eagles offense. On the other end, the Eagles couldn’t slow down Vikings’ guard Timmy Anderson, who finished with 35 points.

After falling behind 19-12 in the first quarter, the Eagles made a second-quarter push by scoring multiple fastbreak points. However, every time the Eagles made a big shot, the Vikings came right back with a crucial make of their own.

“They were always looking up the floor every rebound, and we couldn’t get back in time,” senior Adam Silmon said. The lefty forward finished with 18 points for the Eagles.

Arroyo Grande nearly matched Blair’s scoring output in the second and third quarters with 38 points to the Vikings 40, and game was within single digits heading into the fourth. But the Vikings then went on a run to go up 15 points with six minutes left of play.

Silmon responded with a cut to the basket and finished an and-one layup to bring it within 11. The Eagles then narrowed the lead to eight points with under a minute to go, but a dagger three from Blair’s Anderson put the game out of reach.

While Arroyo Grande fell in the first round of state, the Eagles were still able to secure the Division 2 Central Section title.

“I thought we were average at first when the season came along,” Silmon said. “Then when playoffs came around, we skyrocketed. We played way better than we were throughout the whole time. ... We just kept getting better and better through CIF and playing better teams and still outscoring them by like 20 or more.”

Silmon graduates along with Damien Santos, Aiden Peralta, Noah Morris and Tyler Schmidt, all of whom made contributions through the team’s run.

“I played with Tyson, Peralta and Noah Morris all in Vegas this past season. We got second in our division in the Las Vegas Classic,” Silmon said. “I thought it was special. We’ve been friends for awhile. They’re special guys.”

Junior guard Zach Soriano scored 16 points and converted on four triples, while junior guard Nic Simmons chipped in eight points.

Mission Prep 64, AGBU 60

Mission Prep won in a nail-biter on the road at AGBU of Canoga Park to advance to the second round of the Division 3 tournament.

The Royals (22-9) had to fend off a late 3-pointer that tied the score at 50-50 at the end of regulation and sent the game into overtime, where Mission Prep squeeze out the 64-60 win.

Senior Jamar Howard had 26 points in the contest, to go along with 16 points from point guard Jayden Nozil and 14 points from Roman Benedetti.

“It was a packed house, a very intense environment and a fun game,” Head Coach Terrence Harris said.

In OT, Howard hit a free throw and a 3-pointer right off the bat to establish momentum early and take a 54-50 lead.

But the Titans (23-6) fired back with a 3-pointer to make it 54-53 and it was neck and neck the rest of the way.

In a tense road game in front of a full house, Mission Prep held its poise down the stretch as Howard and Benedetti both converted on two free throws apiece.

“Playing at St. Joseph, Arroyo Grande on the road and in the Washington and (Mission Prep) Christmas Classic prepared us for this,” Harris said. “They were ready for the moment.”

A frenzied attempt to match the Mission Prep firepower came up short for AGBU in the closing seconds and Mission Prep moves on.

“Roman got us some key early buckets and Jayden did a great job on the offensive boards, as did Luke Jacobson,” Harris said. “With their style of D, we had to grind it out. We had to win a game when we weren’t at our best. Our bench guys read the scouting report and stayed up the whole game.”

The Royals, the No. 11 seed in the Division 3 of CIF state playoffs, plays on the road Thursday against No. 3 seed, Mission Bay of San Diego (24-9), at 7 p.m.

This story was originally published February 28, 2023 at 11:11 PM.