As of this Tuesday, the Bruins had only been to the first round of the CIF playoffs once. Two years ago, they faced off against Dunn High School (no, not Livvy) and were destroyed. Yesterday was a different story.
This was probably the healthiest the Bruins have been all year, and at the perfect time. Despite losing Nathan Muhumuza for the De-Toledo All-Invitational, Jordy Ohebsion to a finger injury, and numerous other injuries throughout the year, Geffen Academy had their entire team healthy and suited up, complimented by several JV players who'd been brought up to the varsity squad for the playoffs. The Warriors, who were far less talented and deep, looked to face an uphill battle from the start. But junior guard James Corona (no, not the beer), despite being heavily undersized compared to the Bruins, took advantage of his opportunity and spent the evening constantly penetrating Geffen Academy defense. The Warriors played full-court defense for the duration of the contest, and even had the score at 21-21 towards the end of the first half. The Bruins widened the gap, however, and led 28-22 at the break.
Differing from their season trends, the Bruins didn't really have one player who stuck out from the rest; it was a team effort. Nathan Muhumuza, Stevan Markovic, and Connor Branch combined for 41 of Geffen Academy's 54 points, though all three didn't play particularly well. Muhumuza struggled taking care of the basketball, Markovic went cold in the second half, and Branch missed three key free throws at the end of the second quarter. The game would stay close until the end of the fourth quarter, as the Bruins couldn't seem to put the pesky Warriors away for good. Markovic was fouled with the Bruins up 51-49, and went one of two from the stripe, before he was fouled again and missed both free throws. Patriot High School never got off a potential game-tying three-pointer, and Muhumuza iced the game at the line in the waning seconds.
Twenty-two turnovers and a bad shooting night later, the Bruins are headed to the second round of the playoffs, for better or worse. Instead of a home game at UCLA's Student Activity Center, they'll be forced to make the long bus journey to Perris, California to take on the Citrus Hill Hawks Friday night at 7:00 PM. This is unknown territory for Geffen Academy Boys Basketball, and whatever happens from here, there's no doubt it's been an extremely successful season. Still, it can't hurt to dream. The Bruins are now officially three wins away from an appearance in the state playoffs, and four wins away from a Division 4A championship. Until tomorrow, folks.
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