Roadrunners rally for playoff win

ROSAMOND – Kenny Price has had to wait two years for this moment. And Price was going to make the most of it. That was for sure.

In 2023, Price’s Rosamond boys basketball team entered the Division 4 playoffs with a 22-6 record. That year, the Roadrunners squandered an 11-point lead in the fourth quarter to be ousted out of the playoffs in overtime. “That one stung,” Price remembered.



But not Saturday night. In fact, Rosamond had to erase a five-point deficit at halftime and played solid defense in the second half as they defeated Hi-Lo League champion Lone Pine, 55-44, in the opening round of the CIF-Central Section Division 6 playoffs, at Rosamond High School. “I knew they were going to be a tough team.

They (Lone Pine) executed in the first half. But honestly, we just didn’t put the ball in the basket in the first half,” Price said. “In the second half we started hitting shots.

We’ll shoot better on Wednesday.” With the victory, the Roadrunners, seeded No. 3 in the playoffs, will face No.

6 Fowler at home on Wednesday in the second round. The Redcats (14-13) defeated Summit Charter Collegiate Academy, 77-36, on Saturday, to advance. There were certainly playoff jitters in the beginning of the game as the Eagles (20-6) built a 9-1 lead, while holding Rosamond without a field goal for the first four minutes of the game.

The Roadrunners (14-12) settled down and used a 7-0 run of their own to inch closer, 9-8. After that, the game remained close. With the score tied 25-25 in the second quarter, Lone Pine closed the half with a 5-0 run, including a last second layup by Perfecto Valdez to stretch the lead.

“In the beginning of the game our nerves were messing with us. We were making dumb decisions. Coach (Price) told us it was us versus us.

He told us not to stress. We knew we’d win this game,” Rosamond’s Tyshawn Flowers said. “We didn’t want to go home today.

We just have to keep going. This is my first playoff victory ever, even in football. They couldn’t do anything once we switched to man.

” The Eagles shot the ball well in first half, including knocking down six 3-pointers on 18 attempts. However, Price changed his defense to man-to-man in the second half and it worked. Rosamond’s defense was stifling as it allowed only 14 points (seven each quarter) in the second half.

Lone Pine’s long-distance shooting hit a stale mate as it was 0-for-8 in the second half from distance. The Roadrunners outscored the Eagles, 30-14, in the second half. “When we’re forced to play man, we seem to do better.

But that means they have to work harder on defense. They weren’t going to get any open looks from 3-point range,” Price said. “They played great defense.

I’m so excited for this win. I’m so excited for the kids and the town.” Rosamond used a 10-0 run to open the third quarter, to grab a 35-30 lead.

They held on to a 38-37 entering the fourth quarter. While Lone Pine struggled shooting the ball, Rosamond kept its foot on the gas. A 3-pointer by Zymere Hopkins gave his team a 41-37 lead to open the quarter.

Later in the quarter, Jaylen Lopez hit bucket as the Roadrunners led 46-39. Hopkins finished with 11 points, including three 3-pointers, while Lopez had 13 points. Flowers finished with 11 points.

The dagger came later in the period when Owen Bossard netted his third 3-pointer of the game, in front of his own bench, which gave the Roadrunners a 49-40 lead with two minutes remaining. Bossard finished the game with a team-high 14 points. Rosamond was 8-of-28 from beyond the arc.

“We won this game with mainly our defense. We stuck together, and our offense started flowing. In the first half, we got good looks, they just weren’t falling.

But once we started shooting better, our morale went up,” Bossard said. “At halftime, we told each other we can play better. Games are won on defense.

In the beginning, we were nervous because we knew this could be our last game. But we settled down and our nerves went away.”.