JSerra boys basketball dominated by St. John Bosco with Trinity League title at stake – Orange County Register

SAN JUAN CAPISTRANO — In the Trinity League boys basketball game between St. John Bosco and JSerra on Tuesday, it was apparent very early that one team was playing to win a league championship and the other team was having a bad night.

St. John Bosco dominated JSerra 71-53 to earn a share of the Trinity League championship.

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St. John Bosco point guard Elzie Harrington shoots the ball during a 71-53 win in a Trinity League game against JSerra on Tuesday, Feb. 4, 2025. (Photo by Jeff Antenore, Contributing Photographer)

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The Braves (24-4, 8-2) will share the league title with Santa Margarita (8-2 league), which beat Servite on Tuesday. St. John Bosco and Santa Margarita split their two league games this season.

“Obviously we’d like to win it by ourselves, but with the schedule we played and the travel, I’m really proud of these guys,” St. John Bosco coach Matt Dunn said. “This is the best league in the country so to win it is a big honor.”

St. John Bosco overwhelmed JSerra (21-7, 6-4) with its defense in the first half. The Braves held JSerra to single-digit scoring in the first two quarters and the Lions made just 5 of 26 field goal attempts.

“I thought we were great defensively,” Dunn said. “The guys were really locked in with what we were trying to do.”

St. John Bosco went on a 9-1 run in the first quarter and a 12-2 run in the second. The Braves led by 20 points at halftime and outscored JSerra in the paint 20-4.

JSerra coach Keith Wilkinson praised St. John Bosco but was very disappointed in his team’s effort.

“They are really talented and their length and athleticism disrupts us,” Wilkinson said of the Braves. “That was the most embarrassed I’ve ever been in terms of our competitive effort. We weren’t rotating on defense, playing with any physicality or any effort. If you do those things against one of the best teams in the country, that’s going to be the result.”

St. John Bosco’s two star players delivered on both ends of the court. USC commit Elzie Harrington had a complete game with 20 points, seven assists and seven rebounds. Brandon McCoy Jr. had 20 points with six rebounds and a pair of steals.

Wilkinson has coached against players like Jalen Green and Josh Christopher who went on to reach the NBA, and he praised Harrington as one of the best players he has ever coached against.

“He does everything. He rebounds, defends, he’s smart, plays with pace and makes shots,” Wilkinson said. “I can’t wait for him to be gone because he’s so darn talented. They have so many talented pieces, but he really connects them. And Brandon McCoy is so talented.”

St. John Bosco was able to score from inside and out against JSerra’s defense. The Braves outscored JSerra 34-16 in the paint and made 45 percent of their 3-point shots. Max Ellis made his first three 3-pointers of the game and Chris Komin made two 3-pointers in the second quarter.

SMU commit BJ Davis-Ray led JSerra with 18 points and had a team-high eight rebounds. Brannon Martinsen and Grayson Sinek each had eight points. Sinek made two consecutive 3-pointers to open the second half.

Both teams are likely going to be placed in the Open Division of the CIF-SS playoffs. St. John Bosco is No. 4 overall in the latest CIF-SS rankings and JSerra is ranked No. 7.

The playoff pairings will be announced Saturday at noon.

“I think when we compete with the right energy level, we can play with anyone in the country,” Wilkinson said. “If we put the effort out we did tonight, we aren’t winning any playoff games in any division.”

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