Atascadero’s charmed season ends with 67-61 state CIF loss to Colony
Atascadero High gave their fans a lot to be proud of this season with a deep playoff run.
But the Greyhounds’ season came to an end on Thursday with a 67-61 loss to Colony High, of Ontario, in San Bernardino County, in the second round of the Division 3 state playoffs.
No. 13 Atascadero (21-11) was looking to upset a Southern California opponent for the second time this week after beating No. 4 Warren on Tuesday.
But No. 5 Colony (22-12) held a double-digit lead for stretches of the first half before Atascadero mounted a comeback in the second half to take a one point lead at 61-60 with 2:39 in the fourth quarter.
Colony converted its baskets in a frenzied finish and Atascadero couldn’t capitalize on its opportunities, as the Greyhounds fell on the road to end their charmed run, which included a CIF-Central Section Division 2 runner-up finish and a first round win in state.
“The best way I can describe my feelings right now is, sad, tired, yet fully satisfied,” said Atascadero Coach Augie Johnston. “We had a really good season, and it was a lot of fun. We’re exhausted.”
Johnston said that getting down early made it a challenge to sustain the comeback and hold a lead, but his players battled and senior forward Damon Mitchell “played huge,” Johnston said.
“I didn’t get to see how much he scored, but Damon was basically the player of the game, and he was finishing all his layups and guarding their best player,” Johnston said. “Their little point guard had 40 points last game (in the first round) and he’s really good. He probably had 20 tonight. I think we did pretty good on him too. And we just made it hard for him.”
Johnston said it was a “sad locker room” after the game, but he’s proud of his players, who did well on the road and put themselves in position to win.
“If we’re at home, we probably win that game, but it was a big gym where we’re not used to shooting in and a five-hour bus ride,” Johnston said. “But they did a good job. They pressured us really, really well, and disrupted our offense, and they were switching everything on defense. I give them credit, and they played well.”
The Greyhounds graduate a core group of talented seniors this year, including Shea Buckley, Mitchell, Steven Ernst, Isaiah Rodriguez, Damian Marano and Dylan Martini.
“We got our fix,” Johnson said. “We didn’t lose in the first round, and had a great, great run.”
This story was originally published March 5, 2026 at 10:47 PM.
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