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Sports

Neilson's Tip-In at Buzzer Lifts Diablos Over Cougars in League Title Showdown

Senior's last regular-season shot is game-winner, as Mission Viejo tops host Capistrano Valley, 58-57, to win South Coast League title.

Isaac Neilson lived out every basketball-loving boy's childhood dream on Thursday night in the final regular- season game of his high school career. Mission Viejo's celebrated senior center seized the Diablos' second consecutive South Coast League championship, tipping in the winning basket as time expired in a 58-57 comeback victory over rival Capistrano Valley.

Just seconds after the momentous shot dropped, Neilson stood 90 feet away, smack dab in the center of a swarm of teammates and fans. The expanding pileup produced enough volume to make the deathly-quiet Capistrano Valley home crowd almost unnoticeable.

"I was thinking, ‘Oh no, everyone is sprinting toward me and they’re going to kill me," Neilson said immediately after the win, wearing a grin wide enough to match his 6-foot-10 frame.

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Coach Troy Roelen's squad suffered its first loss of the season last Friday at Tesoro. Trailing the Cougars 40-26 midway through the third quarter, a Mission Viejo team that had so recently held aspirations of an undefeated season appeared on the brink of relinquishing an outright league title.

However, this is precisely how the Diablos (25-1, 7-1 in league) have done business most of this season. Mission Viejo entered the fourth quarter on the short end of the scoreboard in seven of its last 10 contests.

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Beside the Tesoro loss, the Diablos overcame each deficit, including a come-from-behind win in its Jan. 19 meeting with Capistrano Valley. Mission Viejo outscored the Cougars 11-3 in the final quarter on Wednesday night to claim the fourth league crown of Roelen’s nine-year tenure.

"This is such an overwhelming win," Diablos guard Frank Q Randall said. "We always seem to pick it up late and we came out on fire in the second half. It's great that we were able to earn this win with a comeback."

Randall was a pre-eminent part of Mission Viejo's rally. The senior scored 10 of his team-high 16 points during the second half.

"Coach told me at halftime that I needed to be a leader and help us get the lead back," Randall said.

He was the headliner of a mighty Mission Viejo bench, which outscored Capistrano Valley’s reserves 31-6 on the night. Sophomore swingman Evan Zeller accounted for 11 of those points.

The Cougars (20-6, 5-3) came out firing in search of a share of the league title. Junior Chris Bench’s eight first-half points helped Capistrano Valley build a 33-26 advantage at intermission.

The 6-8 center actually outplayed Neilson for much of the game and led the Cougars with 15 points. But with everything on the line, it was Mission Viejo’s man-in the-middle who rose to the occasion.

Neilson gathered five rebounds and rejected three shot attempts in the fourth quarter, when Capistrano Valley’s offensive attack grinded to a halt. He spearheaded a determined Diablos effort just as Mission Viejo appeared to be doomed.

"Our team just doesn't wear down," Neilson said. "We did a great job of keeping our heads up and continuing to play tough on both sides of the ball. When we needed shots, we hit them.”

Stephen Short, the Cougars’ most explosive playmaker, scored the final five points of the third quarter, increasing Capistrano Valley’s advantage to 54-46 with eight minutes remaining. The junior forward dropped 14 overall, but he wouldn’t connect from the field in the fourth quarter.

Mission Viejo chipped away at the lead in the game’s final frame and a Neilson jumper cut the deficit to 56-55, the closest the Diablos had been since late in the first quarter.  Neilson later converted on one of two shots from the charity stripe to again bring Mission Viejo to within one point at 57-56 with 20 seconds to play.

The Diablos intentionally fouled Short and sent him to the free-throw line for a one-and-one opportunity. His first shot missed and landed in the hands of Zellar, enabling Mission Viejo to call a timeout and map out its final possession with four seconds left.

Walking out onto the court, Randall relayed one last part of the game plan to his tallest teammate.

"I told Isaac, ‘If we miss the shot, you're the biggest guy on the court and no one can outrebound you, so go up and get it," Randall said.

Perhaps he has a future in Roelen’s profession.

Mission Viejo’s inbound pass went to guard James Cramer just beyond the three-point arc. The senior dribbled to his left, working his way inside the paint, before sending a floating lay-up attempt toward the rim.

Cramer’s shot had a bit too much air underneath it and bounced off the back of the rim. Neilson got enough of his hand on the rebound to send home the put-back as the scoreboard struck triple zeros.

The timely tip-in provided another prize for the Diablos’ trophy case and an indelible moment in South Coast basketball history. Mission Viejo now awaits its fate when the CIF Southern Section playoff brakets are announced Sunday. Capistrano Valley is bound for the postseason as well, despite the deflating loss.

"We played well tonight and this was a such good game. Unfortunately, they topped us with the tip-in," Cougars captain Taylor Hamasaki said. "We've got to continue to push through and stay confident."

In the aftermath of his late-game heroics, Neilson soaked in the scene, all the while keeping the Diablos’ ultimate goal in the crosshairs.

"Now we're ready for a great playoff run; we want a CIF [Southern Section] championship," Neilson said. "Can't ask for any better momentum than this.”

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