After slow start, South City buries Del Mar

South San Francisco High boys' basketball coach Jorge Chevez thanked the heavens that Curtis Jackson was able to come back this season. It's easy to see why. Jackson, a standout senior shooting guard, scored a game-high 17 points -- all in the second half -- in powering host South San Francisco to a 59-38 win over Del Mar-San Jose in a Central Coast Section Division III playoff opener on Tuesday. The No. 11 seed Warriors (16-10) will face a familiar foe in Thursday's second-round matchup in Peninsula Athletic League Ocean Division champion and No. 6 Hillsdale (20-6). "We have something to prove," said Jackson, who was playing in his fifth game back after suffering a hairline fracture to his fibula a week before the league season started. "It feels great to get this win. I'm glad we got it for him (Chevez)." The Warriors' final margin of victory belied the dogfight they were in for nearly three quarters. South San Francisco actually trailed 11-3 midway through the first quarter before whittling the deficit to 24-21 heading into halftime. "They were beating us to the rim constantly in the first half and we were helping them," Chevez said. "The bottom line is our intensity and activity was outstanding in the second half." Was it ever. The Warriors, after allowing No. 14 Del Mar (11-14) to get open looks along the perimeter in addition to dribble-drive penetration, completely shut down the Dons in those two areas in the second half. South San Francisco outscored Del Mar 18-6 in the third quarter and 20-8 in the fourth to turn a close game into a blowout. The Warriors trailed for most of the way before taking the lead for good on two Jackson free throws to make it 28-27 with 3:02 left in the third. Moments later, Gary Wu (nine points) hit a 3-pointer from the right wing, Jay Taylor (10 points) followed with a layup and Mwuattay Mabrey (10 points) hit back-to-back baskets. Jackson then capped the 13-2 run with a putback, and the Warriors led by nine entering the fourth. From there, Jackson showed why he's the team's best playmaker. Midway through the final quarter, Jackson scored eight consecutive points. He drove to the basket with authority, got loose on the fastbreak and came off screens strong in nailing some outside jumpers. Jackson also spearheaded the Warriors' defensive pressure in the second half, which wreaked havoc on Del Mar. "We definitely missed him (Jackson) for the five weeks he was out," Chevez said. "You saw the difference he makes. He affects the tempo on both ends (of the floor) and at times he bailed us out in the second half by hitting some big shots. We're 4-1 since he came back, so obviously he means a lot to our team." What made Jackson's performance all the more remarkable was he got pulled in the opening minutes after committing two sloppy turnovers. When Jackson was on the bench, he told himself he had to turn things around because he would be needed at some point in the game. "I sat down and talked to myself and got focused," Jackson said. "I told myself that in order for us to win, I needed to have a great game. I don't know what it was, but I felt I could make whatever shot I wanted (in the second half). I'm only looking to add to the team because we have a lot of good players. We got together at halftime and came together. We've always been a second-half team, so the slow start didn't really surprise us." Wu did his usual excellent job of dictating the tempo and hitting shots in key moments. After a slow start, the Warriors steamrolled the Dons with a devastating second half. They shared the ball well and communicated defensively, the hallmarks of team basketball. South San Francisco limited Del Mar to 4-of-24 shooting (16.7 percent) in the final two quarters. Meanwhile, the Warriors shot a blistering 58.3 percent (14 of 24) in the second half. For the first time in a while, the Warriors have everyone healthy and are seemingly clicking on all cylinders. They're certainly looking forward to another game against Hillsdale. The teams will be playing for the fourth time this season. South San Francisco won the first meeting in the final of its own tournament. However, Hillsdale didn't have its best player, Ajani Norman, for that game. In the Knights' two league wins, the Warriors didn't have Jackson. So it's going to be interesting to say the least as the fourth and final meeting between the teams promises to be the best and most compelling matchup. "When we do things properly and execute the fundamentals, we're a a good team," Chevez said. "We're quick, we're athletic and we rebound. Hopefully we can even the series out (with Hillsdale). They're a good team and we'll have to be at our best."