Down by 16 points less than two minutes into the second half, Desert Christian’s Judah Garrison still had faith in his team.
“I knew it was going to be a hard fight since the beginning of the game. Coming out (Desert Hot Springs) had a good run,” Garrison said after scoring 20 points in the fourth quarter to spark a come-from-behind 63-57 victory over Desert Hot Springs in a first-round Division 8 CIF-Southern Section playoff game in Bermuda Dunes. “But I believed in our coaches, that the play calls were the right calls.”
Still trailing by 10 points at the start of the fourth quarter in front of a loud crowd from both desert schools, Judah Garrison hit a 3-pointer early in the period to cut the Desert Hot Springs lead to 43-36. After a Desert Hot Springs basket for a 45-36 lead, the Conquerors turned the game around with a remarkable 17-0 run in the next 4:31 seconds to lead 53-45.
Much of that 17-0 run was because of Judah Garrison, who scored 11 of the points with three 3-pointers and two free throws. He finished with 35 points on the night. But the turnaround was really about changes on both ends of the court, Desert Christian head coach Matt Garrison said.
“We started moving the ball on offense,” Matt Garrison said. “And we started pressuring them into dribble attack. And it was just, if they get to the rim, just foul. Make them make free throws.”
The changes worked for Desert Christian, which improved to 15-10. Having scored just 33 points through three periods, the Conquerors scored 30 points in the fourth quarter alone.
The loss dropped Desert Hot Springs to 13-9 for the season and ended the team’s strong season.
“Basketball is a game of runs,” Desert Hot Springs head coach Justin Flores said. “We made our run in the third, they made their run in the fourth. Unfortunately, they pulled through. But like I told my guys in the locker room, they have to keep their heads up. They did some great things. Unfortunately, the ball didn’t go through. It didn’t go our way today.”
The ebb and flow of the second half was in stark contrast to the first half, when both teams struggled with missed shots and turnovers with Desert Hot Springs leading just 9-8 at the end of the first period and 24-19 at the half.
The Eagles took control of the game early in the third period, starting the quarter on an 11-0 run. Five of the points came from Denny Castro, giving Desert Hot Springs a 35-19 lead.
Desert Christian battled back, with senior Josiah Garrison scoring six of his 15 points in the third period, helping the Conquerors back to a 43-33 deficit. Then came the fourth-period explosion.
The 17-0 run gave Desert Christian a 53-45 lead with 2:49 left in the game, but the Eagles fought back and trailed just 58-55 with 35 seconds remaining. Five free throws in the closing seconds, three from Judah Garrison and two more by Daxon Scott, sealed the game for Desert Christian.
The Garrison brothers were the only Desert Christian players to reach double figures in scoring, combining for 50 points. Castro led Desert Hot Springs with 27 points, including 11 in the third quarter to help the Eagles to the lead. Tyron Grays added 11 for Desert Hot Springs.
Matt Garrison was pleased with his team’s overall effort and calm demeanor late in the game as the Conquerors look forward to a second-round game on the road against South El Monte.
“We got a ton of rebounds. We had three steals down the stretch. We got an offensive rebound on a free throw,” Matt Garrison said. “And we made our free throws.”
This article originally appeared on Palm Springs Desert Sun: 30-point fourth quarter pushes Desert Christian Academy to playoff win
Reporting by Larry Bohannan, Palm Springs Desert Sun / Palm Springs Desert Sun
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
