Cypress rallies to beat Edison in overtime

Edison and Cypress battle for a rebound in the last seconds of the game in the Larry Doyle and Dan Wiley Tournament of Champions at Marina High on Thursday.

By Andrew TurnerStaff Writer

Dec. 26, 2019 9:22 PM PT

After the third meeting between the Edison High girls’ basketball team and Cypress this season, it seems fair to wonder whether the players consider themselves to be rivals or friends.

The two schools do not belong in the same league, or even the same conference, but their matchups are providing the same level of spirited competition that would be expected if they were.

If the rubber match on Thursday night was any indication, a postseason meeting between these two CIF Southern Section Division 3AA foes could present high drama.

Cypress rallied from a seven-point deficit in the final three minutes, and the Centurions went on to defeat Edison 59-56 in overtime in a pool-play game of the Larry Doyle and Dan Wiley Tournament of Champions at Marina High.

Saba Tailor had 13 points, five rebounds and four steals for the Centurions (7-9). The senior guard hit a go-ahead three-pointer from the right corner to give Cypress a 47-46 lead with 47.7 seconds left in regulation.

In overtime, Tailor scored five more points. She was fouled on a three-point attempt and made all three of her free throws. She also banked in a shot on the run with 40 seconds to go to give Cypress a 57-54 lead.

“I was just having fun,” Tailor said. “I stayed calm, and I knew it was going to go in. That’s my job on this team, so I knew that’s what I had to do, and I did it.”

Lilly Roberts added 16 points, five rebounds, three blocked shots and two steals for Cypress. Ilyana Caceres and Jan Lim each had 11 points, and Nathalie Campos chipped in with seven points and nine rebounds.

The Chargers (8-7) held a 44-37 lead inside of three minutes when the Centurions began to mount their comeback. Fueled by a full-court press, turnovers helped Cypress climb back into the game.

“They worked what we worked on in practice, so that was perfect, that situation where everything that we worked on worked out,” Centurions coach Nathaniel Rivera said. “It’s a blessing that it worked out, which is good.”

Edison's Taylor Fullbright and Lainey Johnson (14) hold up teammate Gwen Ontiveros after she made two critical free throws to put the game into overtime in the Larry Doyle and Dan Wiley Tournament of Champions at Marina High on Thursday.

Edison did not get the result that it had hoped for, but the end was not without highlights. Gwen Ontiveros converted on a pair of free throws with 11.9 seconds remaining to send the game into overtime.

After sustaining a lower-body injury upon contact, Ontiveros stepped up to the free-throw line with 33.7 seconds left in the extra session and made the pair again, grimacing as she took them.

“Those were big-time,” Chargers coach Mark Decker said of Ontiveros’ free throws. “We made some mental mistakes, a couple of turnovers that gave them opportunities. That is uncharacteristic of us.

“We take that situation 10 times, I think we’re going to make the right play most of the time. We didn’t tonight, so that opened the door for them.”

Taylor Fullbright had a game-high 18 points to go with 10 rebounds and three steals. The senior forward has turned into another option in the post for the Chargers to accompany senior center Madison Copeland, who was a first-team all-Surf League selection last season.

“In the past, I haven’t been running down the court, but this year, I find myself running and getting wide-open layups a lot and powering through,” Fullbright said. “That’s really what has been exciting.”

Lainey Johnson had 11 points and nine rebounds for the Chargers. Copeland added 10 points, seven rebounds and two steals.

Brooklyn Chang had five points and three steals, and Bailey Chang added four points.

Edison will square off with Segerstrom on Friday at 1:30 p.m., while Cypress will continue tournament play with a game against Cerritos Valley Christian at 6 p.m.