IRVINE — San Juan Hills boys basketball coach Jason Efstathiou admitted that his team’s record entering the CIF-SS playoffs was average at best, but the team has adopted a new mentality that has helped it succeed in the postseason.
The Stallions defeated Irvine 75-63 on Friday night at Irvine High in the second round of the CIF-SS Division 5 playoffs.
San Juan Hills (16-13) will host Verbum Dei of Los Angeles in the quarterfinals on Tuesday.
“We’ve just been talking about the season we’ve had with all the adversity,” Efstathiou said. “We had a very mid record, but we’ve ended up in the position we’re in as a result of all these crazy things. And we tell the guys that, you know, we have to have this mentality, and we developed this ‘whatever it takes, everything it takes’. And it’s kind of just something we’re preaching every day.”
The Stallions were led by the duo of Rocco Jensen and Cam Goltara. Jensen scored a game-high 22 points with four 3-pointers and Goltara added 20 points and knocked down three 3-pointers.
The Stallions made 10 3-pointers overall. Garrett Brehmer made one and freshman Cash Harris added a pair of 3s.
“Garrett’s our guy, in terms of being an engine, you know,” Efstathiou said, “and being the heart of the team. …Then you got Rocco, he shoots, and he can rebound for us. And then Cam is, you know, creative.
“So it was just nice to see the three of them, because they’ve all been with me on varsity, it’s like their fourth year together, so it’s just awesome to watch them grow.”
Goltara scored 13 points in the opening quarter and 17 in the first half. Jensen got hot in the third quarter and contributed nine points.
Irvine (18-12) made several attempts at trimming its deficit but San Juan Hills was able to respond every time.
Late in the third, the Vaqueros got within five points, but a quick 8-0 run by San Juan Hills, which included back-to-back 3s by Jensen and Goltara, helped the Stallions build an 11-point lead as they entered the fourth.
Efstathiou said it was an important to see his team respond to Irvine’s run, especially in a playoff game on the road.
“We told our guys that if you want to win big and, you know, you want to do something as rare as (win) CIF, you have to win on the road,” he said.
Irvine coach Harry Meussner was equally as pleased with how his team handled the early adversity Friday.
“I thought we really weathered a storm and kept punching back,” Meussner said. “I wish we could have paired some of the offense with a few stops as well.”
Junior Holden Stearns and freshman Francisco Martinez scored 18 points apiece and senior Jalen Yim finished with 13 points for the Vaqueros.
Meussner gave credit to his senior players for helping set a new standard for Irvine’s program.
“It was just a really good run, and I’m just really proud of the growth of these boys,” he said. “You know, like I said, credit to the seniors, but also I’m really excited about the group we’re bringing back next year. And just want to take the time to relish in what we did well this year first, and then continue to put in the work that’s made us successful.”