TEMECULA, Calif. — The postseason journey for the Temecula Valley Golden Bears came to a close Friday night in the second round of the CIF Southern Section Division 3 playoffs, following a commanding performance by league rival Murrieta Mesa.
The Golden Bears opened their playoff campaign with a strong victory earlier in the week but could not replicate that success against a familiar Southwestern League opponent.
In the opening round, Temecula Valley hosted Oak Park and delivered a solid performance on their home court. The Golden Bears controlled the tempo throughout the contest, securing a 66-54 victory to advance. The win set the stage for a highly anticipated second-round matchup against Murrieta Mesa, a team they had battled during the regular season.
Friday’s second-round contest at Temecula Valley presented a unique scenario: a third meeting between league opponents, with the final outcome to be decided in the postseason. Murrieta Mesa, this year’s first-ever Southwestern League champions, arrived looking to avenge their only league loss of the season—an 83-78 defeat at the hands of the Golden Bears on Jan. 6.
This time, the outcome was decidedly different. Murrieta Mesa dominated large stretches of the game, defeating Temecula Valley 88-67 to advance to the quarterfinals for the first time in school history.
The game began tightly, with Temecula Valley taking an early 3-0 lead on a 3-pointer from Maximus Goettsche. However, Murrieta Mesa quickly responded. Carlito Christian scored eight consecutive points to give the Rams an 8-5 advantage.
While a floater by Liam Hodgkinson brought Temecula Valley within one point at 11-10, the Rams closed the first quarter on a 13-2 run. Fabian Ruiz was instrumental in this surge, scoring eight of his game-high 28 points during the stretch, including a buzzer-beating 3-pointer that gave Mesa a 23-13 lead after eight minutes.
The momentum continued into the second quarter. Murrieta Mesa executed a 12-0 run over a span of nearly three minutes, extending their lead to 22 points. Kingston Saul contributed six straight points on layups, and Ray Riley connected on a 3-pointer at the buzzer to send the Rams into halftime with a commanding 46-27 advantage.
“I really didn’t want to play any of the local teams in the playoffs but at the end of the day it’s about playing whoever is in front of you,” Ruiz said regarding the matchup.
Despite the deficit, Temecula Valley continued to battle in the second half. Trailing 67-43 entering the fourth quarter, the Golden Bears mounted a final charge led by junior guard Evan Fratt. Fratt scored 12 of his team-high 20 points in the final period, helping whittle the 24-point lead down to 13 with just over four minutes remaining.
“In that fourth quarter, I was telling the guys that they aged me about five years while Temecula Valley was making that run,” Murrieta Mesa coach Chris Featherly told the media. “Temecula Valley is a well-coached team and we knew they weren’t just going to roll over in that second half. Sure enough, they battled and gave us some things to work on going into Tuesday, but we’re playing some pretty good basketball.”
The rally was ultimately halted when Jagger Saul hit a crucial 3-pointer with 3:40 left on the clock, pushing the lead back to 16 and effectively sealing the victory for the Rams.
Murrieta Mesa (23-6) will now host Ontario Christian in the quarterfinals. For Temecula Valley, the loss marks the end of a season that saw them finish fourth in the tough Southwestern League but still manage to secure a playoff victory against Oak Park.
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