BOYS BASKETBALL: Surging SSF Falls in PAL Final

The Score: Burlingame 62, South City 48.

The Star: South San Francisco High’s perimeter attack. Junior guard Marquis Johnson led the way with five 3-pointers and Uchendu Nzerem and J Taylor added two apiece in the Peninsula Athletic League tournament championship at Burlingame on Saturday night.

The Turning Point: Burlingame’s 9-0 run to end the first half – which sent the Panthers to the locker room with a 21-point lead. South City lurked within range of a plausible comeback late in the second quarter when trailing 28-16. But Burlingame reserves Connor Haupt and Neil DeQuant hit a 3-pointer and a layup, respectively, to aid the surge, and the Warriors could get no closer than 13 points the rest of the way.

The Quote: “I’m pretty sure we’re in. … You know what? We can match up with some teams in our division.” – South City coach Jorge Chevez, on his team’s Central Coast Section playoff possibilities.

What’s Next? The Warriors (15-14) await the results of today’s CCS seeding meeting. After streaking to the PAL tournament final, South City would love to see if it can extend its momentum.

The Bottom Line: After a spirited and surprising run to the PAL tournament championship game, including , South City finally bowed out as Burlingame (24-3) claimed its fourth straight title. As has often been the case, the Warriors dug themselves a hole … and then found it too big to climb all the way out of despite a game attempt down the stretch. Burlingame, No. 2 in , had prevailed by 33 and 34 points in the teams’ previous meetings, so Saturday marked a positive step for South City. At this point, it’s hard to believe the Warriors were just 2-8 in the PAL Bay Division. Coach Jorge Chevez said after the semifinals and championship that his team’s tournament run was a validation of sorts after a trying year. Suddenly confident, South City hopes to make some noise in CCS.

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Burlingame 62, South City 48

SSF – 8 8 15 17 – 48

B – 19 18 14 11 – 62

SSF: Nzerem 3 3-4 11, Vaioli 1 0-0 2, Johnson 5 0-1 15, Taylor 4 0-1 10, Smith 4 0-0 8, Estrada 1 0-0 2. Totals: 18 3-6 48.

B: Bailey 3 4-4 10, Grotz 3 4-4 10, D. Ferrari 2 2-2 8, Loew 2 3-3 7, Puliceno 4 6-8 15, DeQuant 3 0-0 7, F. Ferrari 1 0-0 2, Haupt 1 0-0 3. Totals: 19 19-21 62.

3-point goals: SSF: Johnson 5, Nzerem 2, Taylor 2. B: D. Ferrari 2, Puliceno, DeQuant, Haupt.

Records: South San Francisco 15-14. Burlingame 24-3.