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(27-3), who topped Vista that are really long likethat, what yon try to do to Iv.Rancho Christian. 68-61.in semifinalsBy KENNY CONNOLLYSTAFF WR!T£Rmission 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-high 22 points as the Cougars shot better than 53 percent from the field and overcame what appeared to be a matchup nightmare against a towering Rancho Christian of Tbmecula team, 68-6L Friday night in a CiF-SS Division 2A semifinal at Capistrano Valley 1 ligh.The second-seeded Cougars (24-6) advance to the CIF final Saturday and will play top-seeded OxnardMurrieta 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 still have 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 haveone more game to go.”With a trio of RanchoChristian starters standing at. 6-foot-7 or taller, lipovic, Dawson Raker and Grayson Bee man - each listed at 6-foot-3 - were forced to defend the Eagles’ giants, despite giving up at least four to six inches in height. Rancho’s 6-foot-9 sophomore forward Isaiah Mobley scored at will in the first quarter, accounting 12of his 22 points in theopening frame, feasting onthe undersized Cougars In the paint.Capist rano Valley trailed bv seven with two minutes remaining in the first when Coach Brian Mulligan called a timeout.‘When you play teamsnegate their length is keep the ball moving,” he said. “You can keep the ball j moving all you want, if you j don’t make shots, it doesn’t j work. Once we started I making those shots, I think j there was a little bit of frustration in their kids.”Three 3-pointers and a J Baker fadeaway jumper at jthe buzzer cut Rancho’s j lead to two points heading 'into the second. In con- j nee ting on 10 of 13 shots in i the second, the Cougars ; took a 40-32 lead into the break it would never relin- I quish.Baker finished with 15points and Beeman addedlipovic buried five of his j first six shots after half-time, including four 3s, ♦hat helped Capo earn an eight-point lead with two j minutes to play in regula- i lion. ;“Coach always says i when 1 defend belter 1 j shoot better, lipovic ad- j ded. “Every shot fell right ” ICONTACT THE WRITER:
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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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