The Coronado gym was rocking Saturday night for the CIF Division III quarter finals match-up between our Islanders and the Mount Miguel Matadors. Both teams played tough, leaving everything they had on the court. The game started sharp with Coronado’s Vaughn Madariaga and Myles Manning hitting 3 point shots. But Mount Miguel was making their jumpers to take a 12-7 lead midway through the first quarter. The Islanders hadn’t played too many teams this year with the athleticism of the Matadors. Their quickness to the ball and to the hoop was evident throughout the contest. Coronado was not backing down. Towards the end of the first quarter Caden Gentry blocked a Matador drive and on the next possession, DJ Jackson demoralized a would be dunker by swatting the ball away. Coronado was a little sloppy trying to adjust to the quick Matadors and trailed 15-10 at the end of the first quarter.
To start the second period, Myles Manning drained a 3 from the left side. Then David Rusu drove the middle of the lane, dishing off to Bruen Roulier for an easy bucket pulling the Islanders within 2, 17-15.
The game see-sawed for the rest of the half with DJ Jackson controlling the boards and repeatedly getting inside buckets. Mount Miguel was playing with confidence that they just might be able to pull off the upset of the top seeded Islanders. The halftime score was Mount Miguel 25, Islanders 23.
Mount Miguel kept up their fast paced game in the second half, shooting well to push the lead to 32-25. Coronado’s only answer was to feed DJ Jackson in the low post. The Matadors could not stop Jackson in the paint.
The intensity ratcheted up during the fourth quarter. Coronado needing to get into a rhythm on offense and find some stops on D. The Islanders trailed 44-32 with 4 minutes remaining and started employing a 3/4 court press. The change up helped as the confused Matador guards tossed the ball out of bounds at half court. With 2:25 to go, Myles Manning stole the ball and fed Rusu for an easy lay-up, 44-38 and the crowd was feeling it. Myles was then fouled driving the baseline and converted both free throws making it 44-40. With one minute remaining, it was time to foul and make Mount Miguel earn it from the line. They answered that challenge by hitting 10 of 11 free throws to close out the game and move on.
Final score Mount Miguel 55, Islanders 45. Dejon Jackson led the Islanders with 17 points and 19 rebounds. Myles Manning added 11 points and David Rusu tossed in 10. The quest for a CIF championship is over, but it was a terrific, record setting season for Coronado High School hoops. With several underclassmen returning next year, the Islanders will most likely be favored to win the Central League in 2017-2018.
