Serra Catholic drops overtime decision to California

By Jose Negron

jnegron@yourmvi.com

Night in and night out, Aaron Balla does his best to maintain a calm presence on the California sidelines. 

“I don’t know if I do or not, but I try not to show panic,” the Trojans’ second-year coach said. “My biggest thing is if I don’t show fear or if I show calmness, they can reciprocate it.” 

When his team went down by as many as 12 points late in the second quarter Tuesday, Balla never wavered. 

And his team didn’t either. 

The Trojans rallied in the second half and found a way to extend their winning streak to five with a 70-65 overtime victory over Serra Catholic in Section 2-2A play.

California (10-7, 5-4) outscored Serra Catholic, 11-6, in the extra frame with Kwondre Porter (5), Nathan O’Savage (4) and Cochise Ryan (2) accounting for the Trojans’ points.

“Nothing worries me with this group, it’s just a matter of how do I get them to be motivated, turn the tide and get things back in our favor,” Balla said. “They really stepped up tonight, big time.” 

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