Loveland – There was a bit of streetball, elbows flying and jaws flapping, and a little bit of neighborhood rivalry, but the deciding factor was purely technical.
Mullen, the defending Class 5A state boys basketball champion, constantly switched its defense from zone to man to a different zone and back to man. Those changes stumped Montbello’s high-scoring offense and sent the Mustangs into the state quarterfinals with a 60-47 upset victory Thursday night in front of a packed crowd at the Budweiser Events Center.
“The fact that we kept changing the defense was the most important thing,” Mullen senior Hassan Safieddine said. “We switched from man to 1-3-1 to 2-3, and they couldn’t figure it out.”
Safieddine led the Mustangs (15-10) with 16 points and 11 rebounds. The multitalented Devin Aguilar, who lives in the Montbello area and plays summer ball with the Warriors’ starting five, scored 14.
Montbello (21-4) went scoreless in the first half of the first and third quarters, and it finished those quarters with a combined 10 points.
After falling behind 7-0, Montbello senior Anthony Porch dropped in a floater for two points. Porch scored his team’s first 11 points, and Nate Nelson’s first basket pulled the Warriors to within 15-13.
Montbello tied the game at 22 at the half, but Mullen went on a 14-4 run that stretched into the fourth quarter. The Mustangs iced the game from the free-throw line, 27-for-34.
“We weren’t running our offense. We weren’t playing disciplined like we should have,” said Porch, who finished with 18 points and 10 rebounds.
Anthony Sorapuru came off the bench to score 10 points, all in the fourth quarter, for Montbello, which struggled from the floor (17-of-53).
Aguilar, who was harassed by the Montbello fans, said he wasn’t worried about the outcome.
“I know all these guys. … It was a personal game for me,” Aguilar said.
Mullen 11 11 12 26 – 60
Montbello 6 16 4 21 – 47
Mullen – Aguilar 3 8-10 14, Theret 1 2-2 4, Dent 4 4-4 13, Jones 2 0-0 4, Safieddine 3 10-12 16, Friend 0 2-2 2, Burns 2 0-2 4, Arias 1 1-2 3, McCullough 0 0-0 0, Smith 0 0-0 0. Totals 16 27-34 60.
Montbello – Littlejohn 2 0-0 4, Hairston 1 2-4 4, Porch 7 3-4 18, Nelson 3 2-4 9, Baker 0 0-0 0, McDonald 1 0-0 2, Jordan 0 0-0 0, Sorapuru 3 3-3 10, Williams 0 0-0 0. Totals 17 10-15 47.
3-pt. goals – Dent; Porch, Nelson, Sorapuru. Total fouls – Mullen 20; Montbello 21. Fouled out – Dent. Technicals – Montbello bench.
