After a convincing win over Mark Keppel, the Mira Costa Mustangs traveled to Lawndale to play the Cardinals for a berth in the Final Four. Overmatched by Lawndale’s height, Costa had to adapt rapidly. Costa overcame a 17-point deficit, climbing to within two points of the Cardinals, but ultimately could not finish the comeback, falling to Lawndale, 67-59.
The Cardinals quickly jumped to a 19-2 lead after the first quarter, as 6-10 senior forwards Brodricks Jones and USC-bound Chimezie Metu blocked Costa’s field-goal attempts with ease. Despite the lead, a game seemingly already lost was far from over. The Mustangs went on an 11-0 run and were down 29-20 at the half. Coach Jeff Amaral’s Mustangs weren’t going to go easily; both teams took on scoring streaks in the third and fourth quarters.
“We talked about resiliency throughout the year and the fact that this team showed that in their final game is something they won’t forget and something the coaching staff appreciates and won’t forget either,” Amaral saud.
With under three minutes left and the Mustangs down 54-46, senior guard Dylan Kim made a three-pointer under pressure and made the free throw to complete the four-point play. Despite the scare, Lawndale pulled away with the win in the last two minutes. Costa’s Kim finished with 22 points, capping off a stellar senior season. The Mustangs finished the year 18-11 overall in Amaral’s fourth season.
– Connor Layden
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