Miles Tolosa's buzzer-beater 3 lifts El Camino hoops

Boy, did that change in the closing second as Tolosa drilled the game-winning, buzzer-beater 3-pointer to send the Colts (5-1 overall) to a dramatic 38-37 victory.

“Those types of shots, those are the things I dream about … just hitting shots like that,” Tolosa said, “So when it actually happened, it was a dream come true.”

While junior Jonathan Claybon scored a team-high 19 points, and 6-5 senior center Javian Caston posted a double-double with 16 points and 12 rebounds, Tolosa finished the night with 3 points — just enough to lift the Colts to victory and set off the postgame celebration.

Things were looking grim for El Camino inside the final minute. Jefferson led by 2 and looked to add on after the Colts missed two free throws. The Grizzlies came up with the rebound and heaved the ball downcourt to attempt a quick layup. But Tolosa — who cut his teeth in his first season with the varsity football team earlier this year — read the pass and got back to defend.

“I had to turn on my defensive back instincts and run all the way back down there,” Tolosa said. “I wasn’t able to swipe it away, but I was able to disrupt it to where [the shooter] had to double clutch.”

Claybon grabbed the rebound and El Camino called timeout with eight seconds remaining on the game clock.

El Camino junior Andrew Giron was initially tabbed to take the final shot but after the Colts pushed the ball up the court, Giron took the ball only to see the Jefferson defense quickly collapse on him. So, Giron passed the ball to junior Anthony Kallas, who quickly kicked to Tolosa at the top of the key with just under three seconds to play.

“I knew it was then or never,” Tolosa said.

A left-handed shooter, Tolosa said he thought he faded the ball to the left as he released the shot.

“I leaned all the way back because I was like: ‘Oh my God, it’s falling left,’” Tolosa said. “My shot has a really weird rotation. … My friends always drill me for it but this time it worked out. It kind of rotated right and fell right in.”

The reaction was a postgame celebration worthy of the viral buzz the big finish received on social media Monday. Tolosa ran over to the crowd — while El Camino isn’t admitting students to games, there was the boys’ junior-varsity and girls’ varsity teams in attendance — and soaked in the moment he’d always dreamed about.

“It was the best experience I’ve ever had in high school up to this point,” Tolosa said.