Villa Park boys basketball tops Yorba Linda with Tristan Griffin’s jumper at the buzzer ...Middle East

ORANGE — One game-winning shot deserves another.

The Villa Park boys basketball team returned the favor Tuesday night after losing to Yorba Linda on a buzzer-beater in their first meeting. This time, Tristan Griffin’s mid-range jumper gave the Spartans a 59-57 victory over the Mustangs at Santiago Canyon College.

“That’s exactly how we lost to them the first time around,” Jesse Mercado, who is serving as Villa Park’s head coach, said of the Spartans’ first meeting with Yorba Linda. “It was nice that we didn’t let this one slip (away) and we were able to pull it out. Big time players make big time shots when it counts and Tristan stepped up and made a big one for us.”

“It’s very exciting,” Griffin said of his shot. “This was going to be the last time we played them, so we wanted to make sure we got the win and not go down to them again.”

Villa Park (16-8, 4-1) and Yorba Linda (17-6, 4-1) are now tied for first place in the Freeway League with three league games left.

The Spartans led 56-55 with 16.4 seconds remaining when Griffin was fouled intentionally and sent to the line. He made the first free throw but missed the second. Yorba Linda’s Kobe Pietsch (9 points) grabbed the rebound and got the ball to Rocco Gaffoglio around midcourt.

Gaffoglio, who scored 12 of his 17 points in the fourth, took the pass from Pietsch and quickly made his way to the basket and tied the game 57-57 on an acrobatic layup.

Villa Park center Diego Perez inbounded the ball to Johnson, who raced up the court and found Griffin on the wing.

Griffin was able to get his shot off over the outstretched arms of Pietsch and Elyas Hasseem, who came over to help.

“When we’re in those kinds of situations, I like to let the players go,” said Mercado, who has been filling in as head coach while Kevin Reynolds deals with some health issues. “Especially when Mal (Johnson) or Tristan gets it, we’re in good hands and also we didn’t want the defense to get back and set up. We had a timeout but I feel great when we get the ball in their hands. Less work I gotta do on my part.”

“In hindsight, I should have taken a timeout,” Yorba Linda coach Jason Pietsch said. “I’m frustrated with myself for not doing so and setting the defense, but sometimes you let it play out and see if you can get a turnover.”

Villa Park’s Dakari Harris scored 17 points and had seven rebounds while Perez collected 12 points and 10 rebounds.

“I’m just happy with the way we responded, because we were down 15-2 early and I thought maybe we were dead in the water,” Jason Pietsch said.

The Mustangs were able to trim that deficit to just four at halftime as they hit four 3s in the second quarter.

The Spartans appeared to beat the buzzer to end the third quarter as well when Sabeel Khan (6 points, 12 rebounds) sank a shot that would have given Villa Park a 10-point advantage.

The officials, though, got together to talk about the play and waved the basket off, making the score 47-39 to end the third.

“From my vantage point, he (Khan) hadn’t started the shot and the red lights were going off,” Jason Pietsch said. “I just wanted the other ref to help him out and he did and they took the points off the board.”

Jordan Laws had another big game for the Mustangs, scoring 14 points, and he helped spark a 10-0 fourth-quarter run along with Gaffoglio and forward Holden Nagin. But, as Pietsch pointed out, missed free throws were crucial.

“We were 11 for 21 shooting free throws,” he said. “If we make three or four of those then we’re not talking about this.”

Related Articles

Read More Details
Finally We wish PressBee provided you with enough information of ( Villa Park boys basketball tops Yorba Linda with Tristan Griffin’s jumper at the buzzer )

Also on site :

• BetMGM Bonus Code NW150: Get Latest $150 Bonus for NBA, NHL, UFC 315
• LSU sees 4-star 2026 WR flip commitment to SMU
• 43 Mother's Day Dessert Recipes to Satisfy Every Type of Sweet Tooth