Bosco Technical College's Jayden Elami (2nd place) defeated Linwood's Jahaz Wright (13th place) by two points at the CIF Southern Section Championship held in Huntington Beach on Saturday, February 25, 2023. Bosco defeated Linwood 88-81. (Photo by Mindy Schauer of Orange County Register/SCNG)
The Bosco Technical College men's basketball team is looking for a chance to shake off some bitter feelings after losing to Alemany 86-80 in triple overtime in the CIF Southern Division Division 3A championship game on Feb. 24. Ta.
The loss was painful for several reasons, including the fact that it derailed the Tigers' efforts to win the division championship.
On Saturday night, Bosco Tech earned a coveted rematch with Alemany with a 79-60 win over San Marcos in the CIF Southern California Regional Division III semifinals.
Fourth-seeded Bosco Technological University (26-9) will play third-seeded Alemany (23-15) in the regional final Tuesday at 7 p.m.
Alemany advanced to the finals with a 68-55 victory over University City.
The winner will travel to Sacramento on Tuesday night to compete in the state championship game at Golden 1 Center on Friday at 4 p.m.
“Everyone is looking forward to it,” Bosco Technological University coach Michael Romo said of the rematch. “I haven't been getting much sleep lately. It was a very difficult game to lose, so I thought I'd probably have to sit out for a year or more before I could play again. I got another chance in 10 days. Who would have thought it would come?”
The CIF-SS Division 3A championship game was played at Colony High School, but the state final in Sacramento is the only game in the state playoffs to be played at a neutral site.
Bosco Technical College has a large fan base and moved two of its regional playoff home games to larger venues, Rio Hondo College and Whittier College, to accommodate the fan base.
Bosco Technical College asked Alemany to move Tuesday's game to a larger venue, but CIF State declined.
But Romo said there was some consolation. Alemany provided a private link for Boscotec fans to purchase tickets before they go on sale to the general public.
“That was a great attitude on their part,” Romo said. “We just advocated for our fans. They've been so great and followed us everywhere, and now we have another road trip for them.”
In the CIF-SS final, Bosco Technical University overcame an 11-point deficit with a second-half comeback that forced overtime. The contest turned into an epic 3 OT thriller with Alemany coming out on top.
Bosco Tech junior Jayden Elami scored a game-high 37 points. He hit a 20-foot 3-pointer to tie the game at 70 at the end of the second overtime. Senior Ryan Osborne scored 21 points.
Alemany senior Jared Mims scored a team-high 25 points. He scored six points, including the final two free throws in the third overtime that clinched the victory.
It's not the kind of game Romo enjoys watching in film sessions.
“It's a tough game to watch,” Romo said. “I felt like if we hadn't shot 19 percent in the first half, it might have played out differently. But overall, we need to improve our rebounding and keep them out of the paint.” Yes. And hopefully, I want to shoot the ball better and move the ball better.
“Last time it took us a week to prepare for them, but now I think we obviously know each other better. We just have to go out there and see if we can do it.” Yes, it will require even more effort.
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