A second half surge by visiting Oxnard spoiled a solid performance by the San Marcos High boys’ basketball team as the visiting Yellowjackets rallied for a 67-56 victory on Friday night at the Thunderhut
The Royals came into their matchup with first-place Oxnard having won five of their previous six contests but have struggled to close out games against quality opponents this season.
“That’s just our story, we’ve had great first halves and then we just can’t sustain it. That’s a part of our growth process,” said San Marcos High coach James Kinzler. “I told them right now that we’re not really even close to our ceiling. We’ve got so much growth left to do with five games still to go.”
The first quarter was short on shot making and high on defensive intensity for both teams. A three-pointer by Joe Pasternack tied the game at 7-7 with 2:10 remaining in the first quarter.
However, a steal and layup by Marcos Ramirez put the Yellowjackets ahead 9-7 at the end of the first quarter.
San Marcos got its offense going in the second quarter and opened the period on a 7-2 run capped off from a slick pass inside from Pasternack to Micah Jacobi that gave the Royals a 14-11 lead with 5:35 remaining in the second quarter.
A corner three-pointer by Brody Green increased the San Marcos lead to 20-14 midway through the second quarter. However, Oxnard closed its deficit to 27-24 on a midrange jumper by Matthew Samaan just before the halftime buzzer sounded.
The Oxnard offense found its groove in the third quarter, scoring 24 points in the period. A floater by Ramirez capped off a 16-8 run by the Yellowjackets that put them ahead 40-35 midway through the third quarter.
The back and forth continued as a fastbreak layup by Jacobi cut the San Marcos deficit to 42-41 and forced an Oxnard timeout. Ramirez immediately responded for Oxnard with a three-pointer off the dribble, increasing the Oxnard lead to 45-41 with two minutes remaining in the third quarter.
A corner three-pointer by Shane Kadlec brought the San Marcos deficit down to 47-45 going into the fourth quarter.
Kadlec opened the fourth quarter to give San Marcos its final lead of the game at 49-48. From there it was the Ramirez show for Oxnard as he scored eight fourth quarter points and made an amazing one handed cross-court pass to Samaan for a three-pointer that gave the Yellow Jackets a 56-50 lead with just over seven minutes remaining in the game.
“It’s just who he is. He’s the hardest worker I’ve ever seen, and I’ve been around this game my whole life,” said Oxnard coach Jeff Staniland Ramirez, who finished with 25 points, seven assists and four steals. “Everything he gets he deserves. He hasn’t come off the floor in weeks. He is a 32 minute per game guy and his effort never fails.”
Ramirez’s final three-pointer of the game increased the Oxnard lead to 62-53 with just under two minutes remaining in the fourth quarter and served as the dagger to the Royals’ upset hopes.
Jacobi led San Marcos with 17 points, Koji Heffner added 12 points and Pasternack chipped in eleven points.
San Marcos drops to 11-11 overall and 5-4 in Channel League play. Oxnard improved to 19-4 overall and 9-0 in Channel league play. Oxnard has won 54 consecutive league games.