Pacifica’s Rally Falls Short Against Redondo Union

WESTCHESTER —  After trailing by 30 points with more than half the game to play, Pacifica made the second half interesting but still couldn’t catch second-seeded Redondo Beach Redondo Union.

The Mariners cut the lead to nine early in the fourth quarter, before Redondo Union pulled away down the stretch won, 84-63, in a Southern Section Division II-A boys’ basketball quarterfinal game Friday at Loyola Marymount.

“We came back and battled in that third quarter; we made them work for it,” Pacifica Coach Bob Becker said. “But they were just too big for us. They got a lot of shots right under the basket, a lot of second and third opportunities. We just didn’t have the size. We had the heart but we didn’t have the size.”

The Mariners (24-5) fell behind by 10 after the first quarter, then Redondo Union went on a 17-0 run to start the second. Redondo Union’s Tyler Hoffman made seven of his first 10 shots and scored 17 points in the first half.

The Mariners trailed by 26 at the half, then Pacifica’s Jeff Swan hit consecutive three-pointers to start the third quarter, cutting the deficit to 20 points.

Pacifica’s Patrick Douglass finished the third quarter by hitting two free throws to make it 61-46, and Jeff Davidson made consecutive inside baskets to move the Mariners within 11 with 5:25 left in the game.

Redondo Union (27-2) then turned the ball over for the fifth time in six fourth-quarter possessions, and Adam Rachlin made two free throws to make it 63-54 with just over five minutes left.

But the Mariners went cold and were forced to start fouling, and the Seahawks made 17 of 26 free throws in the final five minutes.

Rachlin, who scored all 19 of his team-high points in the second half, found some consolation in making the game close in the second half.

“We didn’t want to go out with a blowout because we’ve got too much pride to do that,” he said. “We played as hard as we could and hoped to get back in it. We got close but couldn’t get over the hump.”

Redondo Union was led by Hoffman’s 24 points. Marcus Moore had 17 points and 10 assists and center Andrew Zahn had 15 points and 11 rebounds.