Rancho boys solve third-quarter woes, top Mountain View

Melvin Shivers is well aware the third quarter has been the Achilles' heel for the Rancho boys basketball team this season.

So when the veteran coach left the locker room after halftime Thursday, he was surprisingly confident that the Rams could overcome their weakness.

Led by a trio of dynamic scorers, Rancho conquered its third-quarter woes to outlast Mountain View 62-57 in a quarterfinal of the Vegas Invitational.

"It sounds good to me," Shivers said of his 2-8 team's two-game win streak. "I told the kids, one more win and we'll be in the finals. That's something we haven't done in a few years."

Senior guards Josiah Timpson and Joseph Ortiz led the Rams' sharp-shooting perimeter attack, scoring 19 points each. Jawaan James had 16 points and 10 rebounds for Rancho.

"Every night it's going to be a different guy," Shivers said. "Last night, it was Timpson. Tonight it was the big guy. That's how our offense runs. It's predicated on defense."

However, no player proved more beneficial in the third quarter than Ortiz. The 5-foot-9-inch guard, who had nine steals, tallied 11 points in the period as Rancho held a 26-15 scoring edge.

"In the past, the third quarter has been our downfall," Shivers said. "We don't come out intense, and we make a lot of turnovers. This time I told them that if we protect the ball, we have a good chance of surviving this game."

Fearlessly driving the lane, the Rams opened the second half with a 13-2 run. The swing allowed them to build an 11-point edge that was capped by Ortiz's steal and successful layup. Timpson chipped in nine points in the third quarter, and Rancho shot 14 of 19 from the field in the second half.

Mountain View (6-6), which led 32-29 at halftime, committed seven fourth-quarter turnovers and shot 0-for-6 on 3-pointers in the period.

T.J. Kissinger led the Saints with 18 points.

Contact reporter John W. Scafetta at jscafetta@reviewjournal.com or 702-383-0430.