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MORENO VALLEY — Rancho Verde boys basketball coach Johnny Dukes crunched the numbers in the days leading up to Friday night’s playoff game.

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Rancho Verde’s Semaj Carter blocks a shot by by Great Oak’s Angel Carbajal during a CIF Southern Section Division 2AA boys basketball second-round playoff game in Moreno Valley on Friday, Feb. 14, 2025. (Photo by Milka Soko, Contributing Photographer)

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Dukes learned Great Oak averaged 69.3 points per game in its 21 victories this season but only 56.3 points per game in eight losses.

“They were held in the 50s in most of those losses,” Dukes said of the Wolfpack. “So that’s the number we were chasing tonight. Keep them in the 50s.”

The Mustangs did much better than that.

Rancho Verde struggled at times on offensive Friday evening, but defense carried the day during a 49-37 victory in a CIF Southern Section Division 2AA second-round game. The 37 points was a season low for Great Oak and lowest output since a 48-35 loss to Redlands East Valley in December of 2023.

“We work so hard on defense at every practice, and it shows on the court,” said senior guard Trestyne Nguru, who recorded game highs of 21 points and 11 rebounds Friday. “It always starts on defense for us… And we know that if we’re out there playing great defense, we have a chance to win any game.”

Great Oak (21-9) matched the defensive intensity, especially at the start of the game. Rancho Verde (24-6) scored only nine points in the first 12 minutes.

Gor-el Zollicofer and Jaxon Allensworth each drained a 3-pointer in the opening quarter to give the Wolfpack the early advantage. Great Oak opened the second quarter with a 5-0 run and led 15-9 after a bucket by Zollicoffer. Rancho Verde was shooting only 4 of 20 from the field at that point of the game.

But then everything started to fall for the Mustangs, who finished the first half on a 16-2 run to take a 25-17 lead at intermission. Nguru sparked that run, scoring 12 points in a span of 3 1/2 minutes, Nguru banked in a pair of 3-pointers during that important stretch, including one that just beat the buzzer.

“Once you hit that first one, you get that feeling like you just can’t miss,” Nguru said. “I just felt confident. I was throwing up shots and they were falling.”

It’s not the first time Dukes has seen Nguru go on a scoring run like the one he had at the end of the first half Friday night.

“Luck favors the prepared,” Dukes said, “That’s a kid who’s in the gym day in and day out. He’s a gamer, and we’ve kind of gotten used to it from him.”

Great Oak started the second half on a hot streak and got within 30-27 midway through the third following a 3 by Zollicoffer and a basket by Allensworth.

Allensworth sank a pair of 3-pointers early in the fourth quarter to cut the deficit to two points, but the Wolfpack made just 1 of 9 shots down the stretch.

“I’m a firm believer that defense wins championships,” Dukes said. “We had an off-night on offense, but playing great team defense makes up for that.”

Semaj Carter scored eight of his 13 points in the fourth quarter, including four free throws in the final minute that put the finish touches on the victory.

Allensworth and Zollicoffer finished with 13 and 10 points, respectively, to lead Great Oak, and Allensworth also led the Wolfpack with seven rebounds.


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