Buckley Aims to Win First State Playoff Game in School's History

Despite losing Saturday in the Southern Section Division IV-A basketball final, Buckley High has been granted new life.

By making it to a final, the Griffins from Sherman Oaks have qualified for the state playoffs, opening Tuesday against visiting Bakersfield Christian (21-8) at Birmingham High in the first round of the CIF Division IV Southern California Regionals. Tipoff is 7 p.m.

“Overall, the season is going great,” sophomore Tyler Coppin-Carter said. “Not too many teams get to reach the CIF finals except for us, and not too many have made it this far. We’ve really put the Buckley name out there for small schools.”

Coppin-Carter scored 22 points Saturday in a 66-48 loss to Oaks Christian  in the section final in Anaheim. It was a tough loss, but after falling behind 30-9, Buckley played the high-powered Lions even the rest of the way, even pulling to within 13 points in the fourth quarter.

“It was a pretty hard effort on our part. We played hard the whole game, no  matter what,” Coppin-Carter said. “We got it to 13 but just couldn’t finish it off.”

Buckley is trying to win a state playoff game for the first time in school history. If the Griffins are to pull it off, they will need a big performance from 6-foot-6 Nick de Bonfilhs, the team’s leading scorer but held to one point in the loss to Oaks Christian.

“After watching film from Saturday, we’re going to do a much better job freeing Nick up and running screens. Last time, that was my fault,” Buckley coach Mike Hamilton said. “We fixed it in practice and solved some of the mistakes I saw on film. I’m looking forward to Nick having a big game.”

Buckley has never made it to the state tournament in the school’s 75-year history.

“You know what? I want to go as far as we can, one game at a time, one day at a time,” Hamilton said. “I just think this is great. It’s all gravy, a lot of fun. I think it’s been a learning experience getting to the section final, a learning experience for the kids and for me as a coach.”

The Griffins, who came into Saturday’s final with a 14-game winning streak, have one day to forget about the past and start over again.

“I’m looking forward to seeing how we respond from Saturday. We’re a little battered and bruised,” Hamilton said. “It will be interesting ... because I honestly could not remember the last time we lost.

“We have to get up, dust ourselves off, roll up our sleeves and play hard. It’s a huge step for the team, the program, the whole school.”

School spirit was flying high Saturday, as hundreds dressed in Buckley red as part of the school’s “Red Army.”

“It was great to see everyone like that,” Coppin-Carter said. “I think pretty much every student from the high school was there and every student from the middle school, too. That was nice because the game was far away at 9 o’clock in the morning. I was surprised how many people showed up.”

Bakersfield Christian, led by Tyler Harris (18.2 points) and Jordan Kinglee (17.2 points) loved shooting from the outside, converting 169 three-pointers. However, Bakersfield was 7 for 24 on three-pointers Wednesday in a section-final loss to Washington Union.

HIGH SCHOOL BASKETBALL

  CIF State Playoffs

  Buckley vs. Bakersfield Christian

  When: Tuesday, 7 p.m.

  Where: Birmingham High School, Van Nuys

  Records: Buckley 22-5; Bakersfield Christian 21-8
  Coaches: Mike Hamilton, Buckley; Pete Rivera, Bakersfield Christian

  Nicknames: Buckley Griffins; Bakersfield Christian Eagles