Hemet boys basketball team rallies past Summit in Division 3A second-round game – Press Enterprise

FONTANA — In motorsports, there is a saying: it doesn’t matter what lap you’re leading as long as you lead when the checkered flag flies.

Friday night on the road, the Hemet boys basketball team fell behind top-seeded Summit by as many as 12 points in the first half. However, the Bulldogs used a 7-0 fourth quarter run to take back a lead they hadn’t held in 20 minutes and led at 69-66 at the finish of a CiF Southern Section Division 3A second-round game.

The win advances the Bulldogs (23-2) to a quarterfinal game Tuesday night at Keppel, a 52-49 winner in overtime over ninth-ranked Woodbridge.

Quinton Skinner led Hemet with 23 points, 16 coming in the second half. Matthew Torres added 17 points, and Kee-Esoul Pitchford chipped in another 15 points.

“This was the second time we’ve been down all year at the half, and our guys just found a way to grind out a win against a well-coached Summit team, ” Bulldogs coach Jared Wells said. “Down 12, this game could’ve easily gotten away from us. But to a man, our guys stayed together and never lost faith in each other. It’s all about mental toughness in a position like that.”

Summit’s Makhai Davis scored eight straight points and 10 of his 13 in the game as Summit jumped out to a 20-14 lead after a quarter. Davis hit back-to-back 3-pointers and then got into the game defensively with a steal that he turned into a layup in that 8-0 run.

Pitchford had eight first quarter points as the Bulldogs stayed within striking distance in a game that very quickly turned into a track meet.

The SkyHawks pushed their lead to a game high 12 points (26-14) with 6:48 until the half after a reverse layup from Baraka Thompson. Behind four second quarter 3-pointers, including a trio from sophomore guard Matthew Torres, Hemet trailed by just seven at intermission.

Torres hit a mid-range jumper and a pair of free throws to cut the Summit lead to 47-43 with 1:27 left in the third quarter  Cruz Plascencia then got to the rim and converted a three-point play with 22.2 seconds left to keep Hemet behind by just a pair of scores at 52-46 after three quarters.

Pitchford and Julian Subia converted three-point plays to give the Bulldogs a 54-52 lead just over a minute into that final quarter. Summit’s last lead was 63-60 with 2:16 left after Barcelo split a pair of free throws. Skinner, son of MSJC men’s basketball coach Trent Skinner, then hit the go-ahead 3-pointer for Hemet with just under two minutes left before fouling out.

“If there’s a role we know well it’s being the underdog and we had to embrace that role again tonight,” Skinner said. “Every man on this roster believed we could get this done and we had to fight but eventually got it done.”