BAY CITY — London senior Christian Olivares left the floor in pain late in the fourth quarter with the Pirates trailing by 10 in their Class 3A Division I state semifinal game against Orangefield.
The senior captain returned moments later to help lead one final push as London tried to extend its historic season.
Olivares ignited the Pirates with a jumper in the final seconds to cut the deficit to three, but Orangefield forced a turnover and held on for a 60-57 win Tuesday night at Bay City High School.
The loss ended a historic season for London, which finished 38-2 and advanced to the state semifinals for the first time in program history. Orangefield advanced to the state championship game to play Dallas Madison, a 78-71 winner over Brownfield.
“It didn’t matter what really happened,” Olivares said. “Even if I snapped my ankle, I knew I was going to get back up. We had 19 seconds left, and I knew I could give my team 19 seconds as hard as I could.”
London led by as many as six as both teams traded baskets in the first half.
Orangefield saved its best play for the second half and eventually built a double-digit lead late in the fourth before London rallied behind Olivares and Aidan Salinas.
“There really was no approach,” Olivares said. “Just give it everything you have. I told the guys to give me their last 19 seconds. It’s my senior year, and that’s all I had left. I gave it everything I had. I’m blessed to be in this position and proud of our guys for getting here. It’s the first time in program history.”
London boys basketball coach Sean Armstrong said the Pirates believed they still had a chance to win down 10 in the final minutes.
In fact, the Pirates faced a similar situation when Goliad built a 10-point lead in the regional final.
“I told them we were down, but we could still come back,” Armstrong said. “We’ve done it all year. We can score in bunches, and we did. We had the ball down three, and it just didn’t go our way. Our kids showed a lot of fight, grit and toughness today. We missed some layups early and some free throws, but I can’t take anything away from our kids. We ask them to leave it all on the court, and that’s what they did.”
It was a breakthrough season for London after the Pirates overcame two heartbreaking losses in previous postseason runs.
Olivares said the season and the memories he and his teammates made will stay with him for years to come.
“It was a special season,” Olivares said. “We knew this program had been close before, and we wanted to break through and get here. I’m thankful for the guys and the memories we made. It’s something I’ll never forget.”
The Pirates will graduate two seniors in Olivares and Jayden Gonzalez. London returns 11 underclassmen, which will play in Class 4A after the program moved up during January’s realignment.
“We’re young,” Armstrong said. “We only lose two seniors with Christian being a starter. A lot of these guys gained experience tonight, and hopefully it pushes them over the edge next year. Our JV was really good, and there’s a lot of talent coming up. It depends on how much work they put in, but we have the potential to be a really good team again.”
This article originally appeared on Corpus Christi Caller Times: London’s historic run ends with state semifinal loss to Orangefield
Reporting by Rey Castillo, Corpus Christi Caller Times / Corpus Christi Caller Times
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
