In what could have been the most thrilling game in Pacifica Christian Basketball history, the Tritons came out on top 84-80 after a double overtime win against Corona Centennial in the Division 2AA CIF-SS Semi-Finals Friday night. The Tritons will now face league opponent and their biggest rival, Fairmont Prep in the CIF-SS Finals. 

Corona Centennial would be the strongest opponent the Tritons had faced in this playoff run, as the host Huskies have been an Open Division school for the past five years, this year being their first time not being Open Division since the 2018-2019 season. Corona previously beat Rancho Christian, Oak Hills, and Camarillo in their playoff run and is known for their ability to catch opponents on the break and knock down the three from anywhere which is exactly what they did Friday night. 

It was a slow start for the Tritons, but nothing that they aren't used to. After the first quarter of play, they were trailing the powerhouse Huskies 8-20 and at one point were losing by 15 points. But, the Orange and Navy got settled in as Solomon Huang had two three-pointers and Donovan Hogan and Michael Noel each had one to help cut the deficit to two points, now only trailing 34-36 at the half. 

EJ Spillman, who had a team-high 33 points, was dominant in the paint in the third quarter. Spillman also had 11 rebounds and 10 assists. After the third quarter, the Tritons were up 50-48 and seemed to have found their groove on offense. The fourth quarter was tense, as with less than ten seconds left on the clock, Michael Noel hit the game-tying three-pointer and the Tritons got the stop on defense with a few seconds left on the clock to send the game into overtime. 

Things only got more exciting from there as with under a minute thirty left in OT, the Orange and Navy were up 73-66 as Hudson Reynolds hit a huge three-pointer to increase the lead, but no lead was too much for the Huskies to come back from, as they proceeded to hit three three-pointers in a row, including one final one at the buzzer to tie the game 75-75 and send the game into double overtime.

It all came down to free throws as the Tritons were continually intentionally fouled by the Huskies in double overtime. Up by two with three seconds remaining, the Tritons got the defensive rebound and were then intentionally fouled by the Huskies. It was Joaquin Rigdon who sealed the deal as he made the next two free throws, winning the game 84-80. 

Hudson Reynolds finished the game with 19 points and 10 rebounds, Michael Noel had 11 points and Logan Stewart had 8 points and 10 rebounds. Defensive efforts were impressive across the board from the Tritons, which has proven to be a huge strength in this playoff run. 

On the opposite side of the bracket, Fairmont Prep beat Riverside Poly 53-45 and will face the Tritons in the CIF-SS Finals. This will be the second time these teams have met in the CIF Finals, as during the 2019 season, these two faced each other. During the league play this season, each team won one game.