Mission Prep’s big third quarter propels Royals to CIF Championship game
Shots weren’t falling for Mission Prep in the first half of the Royals’ CIF Central Section semifinals game.
The score was 27-20 against No. 12 seed Frontier out of Bakersfield. The Titans, however, were no ordinary 12 seed. They went 8-0 in league and had strong guard play and two players standing at 6 foot 7, who dominated the first half.
Going into the break, the momentum was with the Titans. But the Royals were unfazed. Last year in the semifinals, they were in the same situation down eight points and ended up winning by 15.
When the Royals came out onto the floor in the third quarter, they blitzed the Titans to the tune of 37 points in the eight minute quarter. Three-pointers rained in from all over the floor. The Royals’ also adjusted their defense to keep the ball out of the hands of the Titans’ key players.
By the end of the quarter, the score was 57-42. The Royals held their lead in the fourth quarter to win 67-55 and move on to the championship game of Division 2. They will take on No. 3 seed Central at Selland Arena in Fresno.
“We feed off our defense, and our defensive energy wasn’t good enough in the first half,” Mission Prep head coach Terrance Harris said. “The defensive energy changed dramatically in the third quarter, and we feed off that.”
Jayden Nozil led the team in scoring with 29 points. The 6-foot-1 guard relentlessly attacked the basket and found ways to score around the rim or the free throw line.
Brayden Mott scored three points, but the senior forward played a crucial role for the Royals. He played the backline of their zone defense that disrupted the Titans’ offense. In their two playoff games, his defense and tenacity has been crucial.
On one play in the third quarter, the ball was tipped and looked to be sailing out of bounds, but Mott intercepted it and called timeout while falling out of bounds to get the Royals a possession.
“Brayden’s leadership in so many ways has been really critical for this team,” Harris said. “They feed off of his energy and his tenacity. He is an incredibly unselfish player.”
Mott along with the other seniors have played with each other since the third grade.
“Brody, Roman, Jayden, I know what they’re gonna do,” Mott said. “It’s in the back of my head. Its ingrained. Just that chemistry is kind of what we got. I don’t think we’re the biggest, most physical team, but we know exactly how to win with each other, because we’ve done it for 10 years.”
The CIF title has eluded the Royals for many years, but this current group crrently has been through those battles.
Mott pointed out they’re ready for the championship stage. They know it’ll be a hostile environment, and the floor at Selland Arena is more sticky than they are used to.
After the game, players and parents circled around Harris. On one knee he talked about how proud he was of this group and how they battled back even when the game wasn’t going their way.
He ended with a message to everyone: “Job’s not finished.”