Atascadero defeated Calvary Chapel 64-48 In First Round

ATASCADERO — The Atascadero Boys basketball team lost in the CIF Central Section Division II title game 61-49 to Roosevelt High School on Jun. 11, but that did not end their season as they were selected as one of the teams to play for the 2021 CIF Southern California Regional Championship Tournament the following week.

The Greyhounds entered the Regional tournament with a 17-5 overall record and earned the no. 6 seed in the eight-team bracket. The other schools in the bracket included familiar foe, Roosevelt, as the no. 1 seed, followed by Sage Creek, Calvary Chapel, Palisades, Costa Mesa, Valley Torah, and AGBU.

In the tournament’s first round, the Atascadero boys were up against Calvary Chapel, no. 3 seed, from the Santa Ana area, 22-6 on the year and fresh off a CIF Southern Section 5AA Title. The Greyhounds bounced back following their loss in the title game and once again applied their suffocating defense, which led them to the 64-48 victory and into the Regional Semifinals.

Senior Drew Ardouin led the Hounds offensively over Calvary Chapel, scoring 24 points while knocking down six triples. Atascadero was still without their big man Micahel Porter, which meant rebounds were up for grabs and junior guard Stevie Waiters crashed the boards just as he did all through the CIF-CS playoffs. Waiters finished with 11 points and seven rebounds to lead the Hounds on the glass.

Two nights later, Atascadero played again in the Regional Semifinal against Sage Creek, the CIF Champions of DIII in the CIF San Diego Section. Atascadero came out firing and shot exceptionally well from behind the arc (10-19) but could not slow down the Bobcats, who won 86-63. Sage Creek would go on to win the Regional, defeating Roosevelt High School in the championship game.

Senior guard Mitchell Carpenter led the Hounds in their final game of the season, scoring 23 points and making 5-11 shots from three-point distance. Ardouin added 16 points on 4-5 shooting from three.