Pogue’s late jumper seals first league win for Cap

After scoring just three points in the first half, Pogue erupted for 11 points in the third quarter and finished with a team-high 18 on the night. None were bigger, though, than with the Mustangs trailing by 1 when the junior guard looked for a driving lane off the left side, didn’t find one, then angled around a screen to take an off balance 19-footer from just inside the arc to give Cap the lead for good at 50-49.

“I work on that shot, so I was able to pull up and I was able to knock it down,” Pogue said. “They were in foul trouble, so I was looking to drive, but the bigs pulled back, so I dropped back.”

It was a tall order for Westmoor first-year head coach Jake Jones just to fill out a lineup card Friday, as the Rams were down four starters. The culprit in all four absences was Wednesday’s PAL Ocean Division opener, a grueling 33-32 loss at South City, with two Westmoor players going down with injuries, including 6-4 junior forward Adrian Payne, who turned his ankle when landing on another player while trying to grab a rebound.

To make matters worse, frustrations stemming from the physical showdown at South City boiled over after the game, as two Westmoor players had words with the referees. Jones said the referees filed a complaint to the PAL, and Westmoor made the decision to suspend the two starting guards.

“We had guys who were banged up, our point guard couldn’t see out of left eye,” Jones said of the physicality of the game. “These guys had looked like they had just been a dogfight.”

Westmoor center Austin Prado was the only regular starter on the court Friday, and shouldered a load of 23 points and eight rebounds. Senior transfer Grant Takahashi, a point guard from Terra Nova, made his season debut in the starting five.

“I think tonight, even though we lost, we were able to learn about our players,” Jones said. “I feel like we won in that we were able to find guys that can be rotations guys ... and I think we’re able to be a deeper team now ... and we’ll be able to roll with a deeper rotation later on down the line.”

The home league opener began with a spirited back-and-forth, including five lead changes in the first quarter. The Rams (0-2, 5-9) took a 24-22 lead into the half.

The Mustangs turned it around with a 20-15 run in the third quarter, as Pogue boosted the lead to 39-35 with a layup and-1. Westmoor answered back, tying it on a pair of Prado free throws. Cap got to the line for the final points of the quarter, as senior Matthew Alas dropped both shots to send the Mustangs to the fourth up 41-39.

Westmoor’s indecisive shooting tempo saw Cap seize the early momentum in the fourth. Senior post Erick Velazquez-Diaz took a creative hook pass over the top from Pogue to score a layup, pushing the lead to 44-41. Then, Javier Carter scored in transition on an assist pass from Alas to make it 46-41.

But the Rams battled back. Prado dazzled with a post-up redirect, pivoting off his left shoulder for a sweet Euro-step finish off the right side to give Westmoor a 47-46 edge with just under three minutes to play. Cap took the lead back after senior Christian Dimaano forced a turnover near the sideline, and Pogue scored at the other end on a scoop layup to make it 48-47.

Westmoor turned it over on two straight possessions, but its defense kept it a one-score game for senior Justin Li to zig-zag through traffic for an underhand layup with a minute to play — setting the stage for Pogue’s game-winning heroics.

“We already had momentum,” Pogue said. “I’m proud of my bench. They always hype it up, and with my hitting that shot, I feel like it gave us the confidence we needed to close out that game.”

Carter finished with 16 points for Cap. Westmoor junior Diego Sotomayor Calero had eight.