Sylmar Defense Faces Challenges in Second Half of Division V State Match Against San Marin

SACRAMENTO — Sylmar High School’s quest for its first state boys’ basketball championship came to an abrupt end on Friday as San Marin dominated the Division V championship game at Golden 1 Center, winning 89-64.

The Spartans entered the second half with a slight lead, but the game quickly turned. Sylmar, which had a five-point advantage at one point, found itself trailing by 21 after a 14-0 run from San Marin. The opposing team made 23 of 35 shots in the final 16 minutes, with 68 of their points coming from inside the paint.

“We live with it, but how many shots did we miss?” Sylmar head coach Bort Escoto remarked, noting his team’s shooting performance of 25-for-64.

After trailing 31-17 at the end of the first quarter, Sylmar staged a comeback, scoring the first 14 points of the second quarter to tie the game at 31. However, they entered halftime down 39-37.

Midway through the third quarter, Sylmar briefly regained the lead at 48-43 following a three-pointer from Payton Perez. This lead shattered as defensive breakdowns and turnovers plagued the team, leading to San Marin’s consecutive layups and a daunting 77-56 deficit early in the fourth quarter.

“The difference was we didn’t score,” Escoto said, summing up the challenges faced by his team.

Rob Winn, who led Sylmar with 27 points, added, “This tends to happen to us a lot… It didn’t happen today,” highlighting the team’s struggles to capitalize on scoring opportunities.

San Marin, which improved to 22-13, was bolstered by 25 points from Miller Morgan, with Kellen Dunning contributing 16 and Jackson Young adding 15. Aiden Garcia was the top scorer for Sylmar with 14 points.

The loss marked a disappointing conclusion to a season that began with an 82-49 defeat against Venice. Following that game, Escoto transformed the team’s strategy to a run-and-gun offense, reminiscent of Paul Westhead’s approach at Loyola Marymount. This radical shift proved effective, as Sylmar turned their season around, winning 18 of their next 20 games and scoring over 100 points in five different contests.

“When we changed it, we weren’t going anywhere and it wasn’t fun,” Escoto reflected, acknowledging the positive impact of the new strategy, though it ultimately fell short on Friday.

Despite the loss, Sylmar secured the City Section Division III championship earlier in the season, a testament to their resilience and determination.