Banning Rallies to Score 81-80 Upset Victory Over Cleveland

Banning High School, which trailed by eight points after three quarters, made eight of its 10 free-throw attempts in the final quarter to defeat Cleveland, 81-80, in a City 4-A quarter-final playoff game Wednesday night before a sellout crowd at Cleveland High.

The Pilots trailed, 70-62, entering the fourth quarter, but rallied as the Cavaliers scored just four points in the first 7:30 of the final eight minutes.

Banning’s Reggie McCoy hit four crucial free throws in the last two minutes to end the season for the Cavaliers (22-2), the second-seeded team entering the playoffs.

Trailing, 74-73, McCoy stole the ball from Tyrone Mitchell, drove to the basket and was fouled. His two free throws with 1:16 left gave the Pilots (17-7) the lead for good.

After Cleveland’s Trevor Wilson (40 points) missed a shot, Joe Johnson made two more free throws for Banning.

The Cavaliers, whose winning streak was stopped at 18 straight, then turned the ball over again. Eric Cooper then made a spectacular reverse layup with 35 seconds left to give Banning a 79-74 lead.

Cooper, the 6-4 guard who will play at the University of Arizona next season, was the star for the Pilots. He scored 31 points, 21 in the first half when Banning built a 46-42 lead.

The Cavaliers started the second half by making nine of 12 shots to grab a 55-49 lead, which they increased to 72-60 by the end of the quarter. Wilson, the 6-7 junior forward, scored 11 points in the quarter, while center Andre Washington had eight. Washington finished with 18 points.