Prep Boys Basketball: Poway High beats Rancho Bernardo in a thriller
Poway High boys basketball coach Scott Fisher was at a loss for words. Senior Dalton Soffer was all smiles. And freshman Zach Reiter?
Well, he was busy getting the hero treatment.
Reiter’s drive and layin with 20 seconds left gave the Titans a 68-67 lead and they would hang on to beat hard-charging Rancho Bernardo in a thriller 69-67 Friday night in front of an electrifying crowd at Poway High.
“This is amazing,” said the 6-foot Reiter with an ear-to-ear smile. “I have never felt so good in my life.”
The Titans’ student section stormed the court after a 3-point attempt by Devaughn Vele fell short at the buzzer. The edge-of-your-seat finish capped off the closest contest between the two rivals since the Broncos’ 70-69 victory in 2005.
“That was amazing,” said Fisher, who was out of breathe and struggled to come up with a way to explain what he just saw. “I think they grew up a little bit tonight.”
Soffer, who was sick all week and struggled to catch his breathe in the fourth quarter, finished with a career-high 39 points and 11 rebounds. The 6-5 wing staved off nearly every Rancho Bernardo push in the second half, getting several buckets with ease in the post.
“It was hard to breathe, but I play through stuff all the time,” said Soffer, who will play for Seton Hall next year. “Honestly, some of my best games have been while I was sick.”
This was arguably his greatest and the Titans (13-9, 2-2) needed every bit of it the way Rancho Bernardo kept charging. The Broncos, who trailed by 10 at the half, pulled within two five times before finally getting over the hump late in the fourth.
JJ Overton knocked down a 3-pointer with 36 seconds left to give Rancho Bernardo its first lead, 67-66, since the 5:36 mark in the second quarter. It was Soffer answering the call most of the night, but this time it was Reiter.
“Coach drew up the play in the huddle and I wanted to do it for my teammates and for Dalton,” Reiter said of his only field goal of the night. “Dalton had such a great game. I didn’t want to let him down.”
The Broncos could not convert a layup with 10 seconds to go and was forced to foul Poway’s Derek Sit with six seconds left. Sit hit the first free throw and then missed the second. Devin Goodloe grabbed the rebound and raced up the court before passing to Vele, who missed at the buzzer.
Overton finished with a team-high 22 points, including three 3-pointers for the Broncos. Michael Langford chipped in with 10 and Goodloe added nine for Rancho Bernardo (11-9, 1-3).
Outside of Soffer, Sit was the only other Titans player to finish in double digits. The sophomore guard scored six of his 11 points in the second half. Matt Beeler, who drew a charge with 45 seconds to go and the Titans clinging to a two-point lead, finished with nine points, 12 assists and nine rebounds.