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’apislrano*cillevr#*lt;CougarsRanchoChristian. 68-61in semifinalsBy KENNY CONNOLLYSTAFF WR-'TERmission viejo • What Capistrano Valley lacked in size, it more than made up for in effort. And with a rotation filled with guys capable of knocking down open looks, the Cougars rode their shooters to championship weekend.Junior guard Nic Lipovic drained six 3-pointers and finished with a game-high22 points as the Cougarsshot better than 53 percent from the field and overcame what appeared to be a matchup nightmare against a towering Rancho Christian of Temecula team, 68-61, Friday night in a CIF-SS Division 2A semifinal at Capistrano Valley High.The second-seeded Cou gars (24-6) advance to the CIF final Saturday and will play top-seeded Oxnardgiant lesl(27-3), who topped Vista Murrieta in the division’s other semifinal. Rancho Christian finished its season with a 20-11. mark. The game will begin at 2:45 p.m. at the Honda Center.“It’s amazing but we stillhave one more to go,” said Lipovic. amid a sea of fans on the court after the final buzzer. “We can’t start celebrating now, we still have one more game to go.”With a trio of Rancho Christian starters standing at 6-foot-7 or taller, lipovic, Dawson Raker and Grayson Beeman - each listed at 6-foot-3 - were forced to defend the Eagles’ giants, despite giving up at least four to six inches iu height.Rancho’s 6-foot-9 sophomore forward Isaiah Mobley scored at will in thefirst quarter, accounting 12 of his 22 points in the opening frame, feasting on the undersized Cougars in the paint.Capistrano Valley trailed bv seven with two minutesthat are really long likethat, what you try to donegate their length is keep the ball moving,” he said. “You can keep the ball moving all you want, if you don’t make shots, it doesn’t work. Once we started making those shots. I think there was a little bit of frustration in their kids.’’Three 3-pointers and a Raker fadeaway jumper at the buzzer cut Rancho’s lead to two points heading into the second. In connecting on 10' of 13 shots in the second, the Cougars took a 40-32 lead into the break it would never relinquish.Baker finished with 15 points and Beeman added IILipovic buried five of his first six shots after half-time, including four 3s, ♦hat helped Capo earn an eight-point lead with twominutes to play in regulation.remaining in when Coach Brian Mulligan called a timeout. “When you play teams“Coach alwavs saysw - wwhen I defend better, 1 shoot better,” Lipovic ad-the first ded. “Every shot felt right”CONTACT THE WRITERkconnoUy@5cnQ com
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San Juan Capistrano Valley News
San Juan Capistrano, California, US
Thu, Mar 02, 2017
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CA, USA 27 Jun 2022
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