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BUENA PARK — The computer ratings that created the CIF-SS girls basketball playoff brackets only saw the numbers. The crowd that filled the Buena Park High gymnasium Thursday with deafening cheering and chants saw the storylines.
The drama didn’t disappoint.
The Coyotes faced their former standout players Alana White and Bella Harmon, and used clutch baskets from Mya Barnes and Jordyn McKnight in the final 65 seconds of the fourth quarter to defeat St. Joseph 66-59 in a riveting Division 2AA first round game.
After the final buzzer, Buena Park guard Hannah Fuentes tossed the ball high into the air as the top-seeded Coyotes (21-6) celebrated an emotional victory.
“It means a lot, to be honest, just because of the magnitude of the game,” Buena Park coach DeAnthony Wiley said of the triumph, which sends the Coyotes to West Torrance in the second round Saturday.
“It wasn’t anything personal. I actually love those kids, and I always will,” the coach added of Harmon and White. “We knew as the top seed, that the bottom seed wasn’t really probably a bottom seed. They were really good. … Great win for the kids.”
An early leg injury to White cast a major shadow on the anticipated game, which Buena Park led 62-59 with just more a minute left in regulation.
On an inbound play for Buena Park from its sideline with 1:14 left, Barnes tossed the ball to Gloria Barrera, Orange County’s leading scorer with a 29.8 average. The uncommitted senior dribbled toward the free throw line and passed out to Barnes, who sank a long jumper with 1:05 remaining.
On the ensuing possession, Barnes grabbed the defensive rebound off a miss by St. Joseph. After a quick foul, Buena Park attacked again with Barrera as the distributor.
Barrera received an entry pass at the high post and found a cutting McKnight for a layup and a 66-59 lead with about 40 seconds left.
The Coyotes’ faithful erupted and chanted “We love BP!” as the final seconds ticked away.
“It was really exciting just to play against them again but we pulled it off,” Barrera said of White and Harmon, who starred at Buena Park the past two seasons. “Because of the crowd, it was just intense. … We came and fought hard.”
Before the two clutch shots by Buena Park, St. Joseph (22-5) missed four consecutive free throws with 1:32 and 1:26 left that could have given the Jesters the lead.
Barrera scored 20 of her game-high 30 points in the first half. McKnight and Barnes finished with 15 and 12 point, respectively. McKnight, a junior, added 11 rebounds while Barnes, a senior, had seven rebounds and three blocks.
Fuentes, who suffered a season-ending knee injury last season, added nine points. In the middle of the fourth, she sank a 3-pointer off an assist from Barrera, who was doubled team.
“We want it,” Barrera said of her team’s resiliency. “We put in the work and having that chemistry on the court and off the court, it matters a lot.”
Buena Park, the Empire League champion, doubled teamed Harmon heavily in fourth period. The junior point guard finished with 22 points and 12 rebounds.
White, a junior post, started the first period strong with six points and took a charge. But with 2:47 left in the quarter, she went down while dribbling on a fastbreak. She limped off the court and tried to return later in the frame but couldn’t continue.
“I wish (her) all the best,” Wiley said of White, whose knee was wrapped after the injury. “You don’t want (an injury to happen) no matter who you’re playing. All these kids are college bound.”
Buena Park led St. Joseph, the Camino Real League champion, 18-17 after the first period, 37-36 at intermission and 53-51 going into the fourth. The teams traded the lead several times in the third.
Ava Washington and Tierra Jones added 12 and 10 points, respectively, for St. Joseph.
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