BURBANK — The San Dimas boys basketball team kept calm despite a barrage of first-half 3-pointers by Providence of Burbank.
The Saints kept cool when Providence built a nine-point lead in the third quarter. And they kept collected when having to defend against one last shot to hold on to their lead.
San Dimas never wavered under all that pressure and hung on for a thrilling 65-64 overtime win over Providence in the CIF Southern Section Division 3A quarterfinals Tuesday night.
San Dimas (19-11) will be home in Friday’s semifinal against Norte Vista, a 94-90 winner over Quartz Hill on Tuesday.
The Saints were led by senior Nathan Yearout, who scored a game-high 28 points. But it was fellow senior Luke Chavez who hit the game-winning shot with 14 seconds left in overtime.
It happened when San Dimas was trailing 64-63. Junior guard Andrew Diep was dribbling on the left wing behind the 3-point line when he saw Chavez open under the basket on the right side. He fired a pass to Chavez who then hit the layup.
“It feels amazing,” Chavez said about the win and his game-winning shot. “We’ve been working all this time. It’s a surreal feeling.”
Diep described the play.
“That’s something we’ve done all year,” he said. “(Chavez) is always there. He’s always in the right spots to get an easy layup and I always know when to find him.”
That wasn’t the only big shot Chavez hit. He threw up a desperation heave from the half court line at the buzzer to end the third quarter. The ball banked in for a 3-pointer that gave San Dimas a 45-42 lead.
“I heard him call bank on that,” joked San Dimas coach Jeremy Ketterling.
But did Chavez actually call bank?
“Yeah, I called it,” he laughed.
San Dimas still had to play defense after Chavez hit his big overtime shot. Providence (14-13) called time out with seven seconds left. Elijah Orjuela dribbled at the top of the key and passed down low to the baseline to a cutting Griffin Berschneider. He was under the basket and passed to the left baseline to Madden Velasco whose 10-foot jumper bounced off the rim as time expired.
“I was so scared,” said a relieved Yearout about the last shot by Providence. “I was watching the ball in slow motion as it was going to the net, hoping it would miss.”
Yearout scored 18 of his 28 points in the second half and overtime, hitting several clutch shots. He hit three 3-pointers in the third quarter, including two back-to-back which tied the game at 42 after Providence built a 37-28 lead earlier in the quarter.
He hit a running floater and then a 14-foot jumper midway through the fourth quarter to give San Dimas a 53-50 lead.
Yearout started the overtime period by hitting a running one-handed 6-foot jumper from the left side to put San Dimas up 60-58. He then hit a 20-foot 3 with under a minute remaining to give the Saints a 63-61 lead.
“I felt my rhythm,” Yearout said. “I was making my shots. I was focused on defense. (Providence) was making all their shots too. So I was just locked in ready to go.”
“(Yearout) made some really big shots,” Ketterling said. “He’s been the focal point of the other teams’ defensive plans. He made some tough shots. I’m happy for him.”
Diep added 10 points for San Dimas and sophomore Jeremiah Garzon scored 12 while grabbing eight rebounds.
The Saints withstood hot 3-point shooting from Providence. The Pioneers hit 16 of 31 3-pointers for the game. They started hitting six of their first 8 to lead 20-14 at the end of the first quarter.
“They hit so many (3’s),” Yearout said. “It felt like there was a magnet on the net.”
Ketterling credited his team’s poise to breakthrough to the semifinals which will be his first as coach at San Dimas.
“I tell them pressure is a privilege,” he said. “It’s just a game. Go out there and have fun. Enjoy the moment and they did.”
San Dimas will be at home which is exciting for Ketterling and the players.
“A little home cooking,” Ketterling said. “We shoot better. We’ll have a crowd. Hopefully, we can take advantage of this opportunity.”
“Friday night—hopefully the gym is packed,” Yearout said. “It’s going to be a big game.”