Burlingame comes up short

Shiller did his part. He scored 33 points, but the 5-foot-11-inch guard also took a season-high 36 shots to make 14 baskets.

Teammate Troy Kalbhem added 13 points, but the rest of the Panthers (26-6), making their third straight NorCal appearance, could manage just seven points.

Despite heavy contact on the last play, Shiller offered no excuses. He eventually got to his knees, sat on the bench for another five minutes before talking with any one.

It was a bitter end to a brilliant career for the USF-bound guard, who led the Central Coast Section in scoring at 24.1 per game.

"I had a good look," he said. "Yes, it probably was a foul, but it doesn't matter. I thought it was going in. No excuses."

Burlingame actually had few excuses for letting this one slip away.

With leads up to 12 points, the Panthers controlled the first half against the North Coast Section champions. They led 29-19 at halftime, taking advantage of 8-of-25 shooting from the field and 2-for-10 from the line from the Cougars (25-5).

Ross Nakamura, a soft-shooting 6-foot guard, found the range, hitting 6-of-9 second-half shots when he scored 14 of his team-high 16 points. He hit the eventual game-winner, a 15-footer, with 40.1 seconds left. Teammate Chris Blackwood added 13 points and Billy Colonna 10.

"I really thought the difference was on the defensive boards," Burlingame coach Jeff Dowd said. "We did a great job of limiting them to one shot in the first half, but they got too many shots in the second."