But there were two things California High didn't have on this night: The confidence that comes with playing on your home court, and Marcus Gragg-Buchanan. Rancho Mirage had both.
Using a remarkable first-half blitz, the Rattlers took control of this game early and cruised to an 84-62 win, an impressive rout in a game pitting two teams ranked in the top 10 in the division.
"Honestly, I love it when teams pressure us and I could tell during our practice yesterday that we were ready," coach Rob Hanmer said. "We played 5 on 8 in practice and it seemed a little easier 5 on 5 tonight. We attacked and I was proud of our ability to focus after an intense game on Wednesday."
Rancho Mirage defeated Desert Christian Academy in a first-round CIF Division 4A basketball playoff game in Bermuda Dunes, Calif., on Wednesday, February 7, 2024. Gragg-Buchanan, a freshman who thrives in a frenetic game, finished with 29 points, most of them coming on hard drives to the basket, free throws and pull-up 10-footers in the paint. But he certainly wasn't alone, especially during a first-half run that saw the Rattlers clicking on all cylinders, which can be a scary sight for opposing coaches.
Two minutes into the game, the score was 4-4. Four minutes later, Rancho Mirage led 25-6. The spurt included a pair of crowd-frenzying dunks by junior Roland Barnett in traffic. A 3-pointer by Ryan Perrego, a three-point play by Gragg Buchanan, a Josh Walls lay-up, a Barnett putback and an offensive rebound and hoop from Jonathan Covington.
The visiting Condors did not have an answer. Then early in the second quarter, Hector Andrade swished a pair of 3-pointers on back-to-back possessions and all of a sudden the Rattlers led 40-15 and carried a 48-24 into halftime. The rest of the game never saw their lead get lower than 19. Junior guard Vincent Davis came through in the second half for the Rattlers, twice hitting a 3-pointer just when California was hinting at a comeback.
"You know this is the first playoff run for me and all of the guys, and I think we came out with the right attitude these first two games," Barnett said. "As far as the dunks, it just kind of happened. I got the ball and went up and just sort of dunked it all at once, I wasn't really thinking, I just did it. And getting that early lead was important becuase you could tell they were a confident team and they knew they were going to come back so we had to not let up, and we didn't."
To go with Gragg-Buchanan's 29, Barnett and Walls each finished with 12 points, with Walls adding tenacious defense all night, just as he did in the win over Desert Christian Academy on Wednesday. Andrade added 11.
"I've never had a team so balanced in my life," Hanmer said. "Any night can be someone else, we are getting different people stepping up on a regular basis. Like tonight those two dunks by Roland were huge for our energy, that's what makes coaching this team so fun."
Rancho Mirage, the only desert boys' basketball team still playing after Friday night losses by Palm Springs, Yucca Valley and Coachella Valley, will hit the road Tuesday for the quarterfinal to play Northview High School in Covina.
The Rattlers (22-8) are ranked No. 7 in Division 4A, and Northview is ranked No. 2, so they will need an effort like Friday night's to come home with a win.
"At this point, everyone you play is pretty good, so we need to be pretty good," H... Click here to read full article
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