The crumpled up piece of paper left on the ground of the Eddie Thomas Gymnasium was a story in itself for the Compton boys’ basketball team and its fans. Compton head coach Tony Thomas (Eddie’s son, by the way) tossed it there in frustration after one of several missed opportunities by his team down the stretch. Compton made plenty of plays, but not enough or at the right time in its CIF Southern Section Division 2AA quarterfinal game against Crescenta Valley, which the hometown Tarbabes lost in overtime, 66-62.
“They made plays when they needed to, we didn’t,” said Thomas after the game. “We were close, but we didn’t make the plays at the end of the game. Tough game.”
Point guard Reggie Trimble made a huge play to tie the game with less than 30 seconds left in regulation, whe Compton had been trailing for most of the last two minutes. He had another chance to win it at the buzzer but the layup attempt was blocked.
In overtime, Compton scored first to take a 60-58 lead, but fell behind 54-60 and had a missed layup attempt by Cameron Denson that would have gotten that back on top. Meanwhile, the Falcons closed the game by making their final four free throws. CV was also led by a sensational performance from Tyler Carlson, who had 35 points in the win including 10 made 3-pointers.
“He shot the lights out,” said Thomas.
Compton was led by Trimble’s 20 and Denson’s 17 points.
