Shalhevet High School’s boys’ basketball team rallied from 14 points down Thursday night to defeat top-seeded Glendora, 67-65, in overtime in the CIF State Southern California Regional Division 3-A playoffs.
Shalhevet’s coach, Ryan Coleman, said his players have rallied too many times to think they were out of it. “This comeback was the sign of a team that has been through this before,” Coleman said. “We’ve had many double-digit deficits, and we have come back every time. They are all learning experiences. We didn’t think that we were out of it.”.
Down by 10 points in the fourth quarter, Shalhevet went on a 12-4 spree that cut hometown Glendora’s lead to 51-49.
Moments after Glendora widened its lead to 54-49, Shalhevet’s Avi Halpert (25 points, 11 rebounds) sank a three-pointer to tie the game at 55 with 45 seconds to go.
In overtime, Ze’ev Remer gave Shalhevet the lead, 66-65, on a layup and a free throw with18.5 seconds remaining.
On Glendora’s next possession, the Firehawks’ Jacob Pofsky (14 points, six rebounds) broke up a pass, was fouled and made a free throw for the final two-point margin.
The fifth-seeded Firehawks (22-3) were slated to play at second-seeded Bonita Vista on Saturday night in the regional finals, but that game will be rescheduled to respect Shalhevet’s Shabbat observance.
