Merced High falls short against Turlock’s Pitman, remains winless in CCC
Merced High’s Jared Pazin was just off the mark with his last-second three-point attempt, and Pitman High School held on for a 53-51 Central California Conference victory Friday night.
The Bears, who fell to 9-10 overall and 0-3 in the CCC, trailed by a bucket with 14.7 seconds to play when Merced coach Hector Nava called a timeout.
“We set up for an isolation play,” said Nava, who wanted the ball in the hands of Pazin. “It was designed for him to penetrate and go to the hole, but he decided to pull up for the three. I’ll back him up 100 percent. … I love that shot. I love that killer instinct.”
Pazin squared up and got a good look, but the ball caromed off the back of the rim.
“The defense came up and took away the lane, so I took the three,” said Pazin, who scored 14 points. “It just came off a little too strong.”
Pazin hit two free throws to give Merced a 48-47 lead and, after the Pride (10-6, 3-0) regained the lead on a three-pointer by guard Isaiah Marable, Pazin tied it with a field goal with just under two minutes to play.
Pitman again regained the lead on a three-pointer by senior Jando Diaz with 1:07 to play, and Merced cut the margin to 53-51 when Pazin hit one of two free throws with 42.8 seconds left.
The Bears got the defensive stop they were looking for when Marable turned over the ball with 27.3 seconds left and called timeout a few seconds later to set up a final shot.
Neither team started well. Merced made 3 of 12 shots in the first quarter while Pitman connected on 5 of 14.
“Our guys were trying to stay undefeated in league, and they were looking for their first win,” Pitman coach Harvey Marable said. “Both scenarios can make the adrenaline rush, and then you get going a little too fast.”
After a sluggish first half, A.J. Stewart emerged from halftime with renewed vigor and finished with a game-high 24 points.
“He showed what a great player he is,” Nava said.
Stewart threw down a vicious dunk to open the fourth quarter, giving Merced a 42-41 lead.
“My teammates were a little down at halftime,” Stewart said. “I told them to keep their heads up, and I just came out in the second half and did what I told them to do.”
Unfortunately for the Bears, Stewart fouled out with 5:36 to play, and the Bears were left without their main scoring threat.
“I had full confidence in the players we had on the court,” Nava said. “We managed to execute, but we just fell short on that last shot.”
Despite falling to 0-3 in conference play, Nava was encouraged by his squad’s performance. In their previous two league losses, Merced was outscored by a combined 29 points in the final quarter. Against Pitman, the Bears were outscored 12-11.
“We finished strong,” Nava said. “We’ve got seven games left in league. … We’re still in the running for a playoff spot.”
Joe Cortez: 209-578-2380, @ModBeePreps
This story was originally published January 16, 2016 at 2:05 AM with the headline "Merced High falls short against Turlock’s Pitman, remains winless in CCC."