Tesoro Blocked By Walnut, 57-51, in First Round of Basketball Playoffs

It was too bad for Tesoro fans that the last two shots senior guard Dusty Baker took in a Titans boys basketball uniform did not have a chance to go down.

That’s because Walnut's sixth man, Brandon Croom, a 6-foot-3 junior forward with an expansive wingspan, blocked Baker’s three-point shot attempt that would have tied the score with 21 seconds left to play Wednesday night in a first-round game of the CIF Southern Section Division 1A playoffs.

With five seconds left and Tesoro down, 55-51, Baker looked to draw a foul on another three-pointer, but his shot was again blocked by Croom, helping to seal Walnut's 57-51 victory.

“His arms are a lot longer than I thought,” said Baker, the South Coast League's leading scorer this season who had a a game-high 26 points Wednesday. “Usually, I can get those shots up and over a defender. But he has a pretty good wingspan. He’s a pretty good athlete."

Said Walnut coach Josh Cameron of Baker: "He's incredible. We tried everything with our defense."

Croom scored 10 points and an assist to the player who beat him out for a starting position, Chibuzo Okoro, for the game’s final points.

“I knew I had to make a play,” Croom said. “I knew if I do this, my team and I can come out with a win. I had to stay on my feet [before the second blocked shot]. I knew if we get this [stop], we’ve got a win.”

Walnut (17-10) advanced to the second round, where it will play at 7 p.m. Friday against Quartz Hill, who upset seventh-seeded Crescenta Valley, 49-46, on Wednesday.

Tesoro’s season ended at 16-11.

“I like how our guys fought, after being down [28-19] at halftime,” Titans coach Steve Garrett said. “We had to force something [at the end]. I thought once they took the lead, it was tough. We let up that control. That’s a great game with some very even teams. I thought they should’ve been ranked higher, and we would be, too.”

Walnut took the lead for good with 34 seconds left. Okoro slid in between two defenders, and Zach Galman threaded the needle to find him for an easy lay-in for a 53-51 lead. Croom later had his first block on Baker, who got the ball back but flinged a pass that was stolen by Bryan Gholar, who led his team with 12 points and five rebounds.

Walnut missed a shot on its ensuing possession, but Tesoro missed an opportunity to tie the score when forward Tanner Lancona was nailed with an elbowing foul. Lancona scored 11 points and had six rebounds.

With 14 ticks left, Okoro was fouled on purpose, sending him to the line. Okoro, who is not a strong free-throw shooter, made both -- the second of which came with a little celebratory fist pump -- to effectively put the game out of reach.

The Titans took their final lead of the game at 49-47, with 2:39 left on two free throws by Baker. Croom tied the score at 49 on a steal and quick basket right underneath his own basket. Shawn Yamamoto of Walnut, who scored 11 points, made a fadeaway jumper, then Baker cleaned up his own miss and made a layup to tie the score at 51.

Tesoro’s lead was as big as four, 47-43. Dan Uniejewski popped a three-pointer, followed by Lancona’s three-point play that fouled out 6-foot-6 center Aubrey Coleman, who kicked the gym door open in frustration with 3:22 left.

Yamamoto later tied the score at 47 on a runner in the lane.

The Titans, who finished fourth in the South Coast League at 4-5, made huge strides this season. They upset Mission Viejo, which, for much of the season was the division's top-ranked team. They also defeated Corona del Mar, the No. 5 seed in the Division 3AA Playoffs.

“We overcame a lot of adversity,” Garrett said. “We had a positive season.”

Walnut finished second in the Hacienda League at 8-3.