Damien secured a place in the CIF State playoffs after defeating Etiwanda 59-46 in a tense qualifier held on Friday night. The victory took place in La Verne, where the stakes were high, with both teams accustomed to intense competition, typically battling for supremacy in the Baseline League.
The win was crucial for Damien, who implemented a significant 15-0 run in the third quarter to create a comfortable lead. The Spartans, now boasting a record of 27-7, will find out on March 1 whether they will compete in the Open Division or Division 1 of the state playoffs. In contrast, Etiwanda”s season concluded with a 26-4 record, marking their third loss in the Open Division.
This year introduced a new CIF-SS Open Division format, featuring twelve teams divided into four pools. The top eight teams advanced to a single-elimination round, automatically qualifying for the state playoffs, while the remaining four faced off in play-in games to fill the final two playoff spots.
Initially seeded tenth, Damien faced setbacks against higher-seeded teams, losing to No. 2 seed Santa Margarita and No. 7 seed Harvard-Westlake. These defeats led them to a must-win situation against the eleventh-seeded Etiwanda, who had also suffered losses to No. 3 seed Redondo Union and No. 6 seed Corona Centennial.
Coach Mike LeDuc expressed the pressure his team felt entering the play-in game, stating, “It was fun but also a little bit of self-inflicted pressure. We really wanted to go forward into the eight-team Open Division knockout round.” The Spartans were eager to avenge a previous loss to Etiwanda, which further fueled their determination.
Leading the Spartans were junior guard Zaire Rasshan and seniors Eli Garner and Elijah Smith. Rasshan stood out with 20 points, while Smith and Garner contributed 16 and 15 points, respectively. Garner also recorded eight rebounds in the game.
Prior to this postseason clash, Damien and Etiwanda had split their regular-season matchups. Damien triumphed 56-43 at Etiwanda on January 8 but was defeated 50-43 by the Eagles in the Baseline League tournament final on February 3.
“There was no other team in the world we wanted to play,” Rasshan remarked after the victory. “We were like we just have to bring it home. If we play to our best, we”ll win every time. We just had to come out and show it.”
Damien led 33-30 at halftime, but the game shifted dramatically in the third quarter. After Etiwanda”s sophomore Devin Mitchell scored to narrow the gap to 33-32, the Spartans tightened their defense, leading to a decisive 15-0 run that ended the quarter at 48-32. Rasshan was instrumental during this stretch, contributing seven points.
Despite a free throw from Mitchell that broke the run early in the fourth quarter, Etiwanda struggled to find the basket, managing only one field goal until late in the game. By that point, Damien had established a lead that proved insurmountable, finishing strong with a final score of 59-46.
Mitchell was the standout for Etiwanda, scoring 16 points, while teammates Achillies Orji and Isaiah Benn each added 10 points to their efforts.
