Jeff Tully
BELLARMINE-JEFFERSON HIGH -- The fans at the Bell-Jeff Holiday Classic
were treated to an episode of "The Cleveland Show" Thursday in a
pool-play game at Bellarmine-Jefferson High.
But the star of the show didn't turn out to be the L.A. Cleveland High
boys' basketball team Burbank High was taking on. Instead, the rave
reviews went to Bulldog senior Trent Cleveland, whose late-game heroics
helped propel the Bulldogs to a 68-62 overtime win at
Bellarmine-Jefferson High.
With the Bulldogs (7-1) down by 12 points late in the fourth quarter,
Cleveland took charge and scored 10 points -- including eight points and
two big three-pointers in the last 1:11 -- to send the game into
overtime.
His clutch 22-footer with 22 seconds left tied the game at 53 and gave
Burbank new life with an extra period.
For good measure, Cleveland scored a bucket in overtime to give him a
game-high 27 points. He also had five three-pointers.
"I've seen a lot of good shooters since I've been a coach," Burbank
Coach Ron Quarterman said. "But Trent may be about the best shooter that
I've had. He just goes at it and makes it happen."
In the fourth quarter, Cleveland made most of his shots with two or
three Cleveland (3-4) players either in his face or hanging all over him.
"I was just trying to help out my teammates," Cleveland said. "I was
just out there trying to get us back in the game."
In the early going against the Cavaliers, the Bulldogs had trouble
running their offense. Cleveland's Gabe Bernard took away Burbank's
inside game and forced the Bulldogs to settle for mostly perimeter shots.
Bernard had 15 points and teammate Matthew Awad scored 16 for the
Cavaliers.
With more than two minutes left, the Bulldogs found themselves in
trouble, down, 51-39, and fighting to stay in the game.
Although Burbank inched back to within 51-42 with less than two
minutes left, the Bulldogs were forced into fouling as a last resort.
However, Quarterman's strategy worked perfectly, as the Cavaliers
missed late free throws and Trent Cleveland went to work.
"We had to foul at that point," Quarterman. "We had to do what we
could to get back in the game. And it worked."
In overtime, Burbank sank six of its seven free throws to complete the
comeback.
For Burbank, Jason Flowers scored 13 points and Suren Arzumanian added
10.
In Burbank's opening game of the tournament Tuesday, it defeated L.A.
Poly, 56-46.
BOX SCORE
Cleveland 10 17 15 11 9 -- 68 Burbank 14 7 10 22 15 -- 62
CLEVELAND -- Awad 16, Bernard 15, Madden 11, Young 8, Johnson 7,
McMillian 2, Livingston 2, Bednash 1.
* Three-pointers: Awad 3, Madden 3, Bernard, Johnson.
BURBANK -- Cleveland 27, Flowers 13, Arzumanian 10, Street 8, Burton
7, Ballis 3.
* Three-pointsrs: Cleveland 5
