The Spartans were able to only make it to the semifinals the past three seasons, but this year would be different.
Senior Ayo Adedeji led the way for the Spartans, chalking up a double-double (18 points, 13 rebounds) while sophomore Jeremy Hemsley added 17 points and four assists, including a stretch of six unanswered points in the fourth quarter as the Spartans pulled away from the Eagles, outscoring them 18-6.
“I didn’t want our seniors to leave this season without winning,” Hemsley said of the victory. “Our goal was to win it for the seniors.”
Hemsley had to sit out a stretch in the second quarter because of foul trouble. The Eagles took advantage, outscoring Damien 12-8 to take a 23-21 lead going into halftime.
“We hung in there, but it wasn’t too pretty,” Damien Coach Matt Dunn said. “We didn’t score too well in the second quarter. He’s a great competitor. And you know what, he’s an even better kid than he is a basketball player.”
Devonte Klines finished with 16 points for Santa Margarita as the Spartans were able to neutralize the Eagle’s big man Joe Furstinger to only eight points, five rebounds and three blocked shots. The Eagles finish 16-15.
“We knew that they were going into #23 (Furstinger) so we tried to keep him out of the game as best we can,” Hemsley said. “Their point guard #10 (Klines), however did a good job of keeping his team in the game.”
Damien is 25-6 and will most likely receive a bid into the state tournament, which will be announced Sunday.
“It feels good for the kids,” Dunn said. “Not even the current players, but even past players say that they feel a part of this and they are. It takes a little bit of luck and luck was on our side tonight.”
BOX SCORE
| School | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Final |
| Damien | 13 | 8 | 15 | 18 | 54 |
| Santa Margarita | 11 | 12 | 11 | 6 | 40 |
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