Buzzer beater sinks Rebels

Zoey Espino’s last second shot finds the net and Colton defeats Miller 53-50

December 6, 2023

Zoey Espino sinks a last second shot to cap off a comeback victory for the Yellowjackets.

Colton, CA—With a second left on the clock and anticipation radiating from the stands, Zoey Espino got the ball, and as the buzzer blared, the ball hit nothing but net, and Colton celebrated a 53-50 buzzer beater victory over the Miller Rebels.

For a split second the crowd was in shocked silence. Then everyone went wild with excitement at the amazing finish. Only a few minutes earlier, no one would have predicted this finish.

After a close start to the game, Colton spent most of the game behind by double-digits, and it looked like they would leave with their fourth loss in five games. But behind Espino’s 16 second half points, Savannah Govea’s 18 points and in-game support from Jasmine “Boots” Jimenez, the team fought their way back into the game and put themselves in a position to win.

From the beginning of the game to the end, everyone was on the edge of their seats. In the first quarter, both teams stayed neck-and-neck. Miller finished with a narrow 13-12 lead. Things went downhill for the Yellowjackets as the game progressed into the later quarters, as they found themselves behind by 10 points at every turn.

In the fourth, the Yellowjackets turned things around and went on a huge run, tying the game at 50-50 with a second left on the clock. That was when Espino threw in her miracle shot

With this victory, Colton is now 5-3. This game was especially important to head coach Keisha Young. ”For me it was a big game because last year we lost to them, so it felt good that we stole from them what they stole from us. [I am] Super super happy.”

Young had even more to say about this year’s team. “This by far is the most talented team that I have coached so far.”

Expect the same energy and teamwork from the girls basketball ball team in their next games at Redlands on Thursday and Entrepreneur on Friday.

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About the Contributors

Mark Rodriguez, Staff Writer

Mark Rodriguez is a sophomore at Colton High School. Other than the fact he is taller than you would expect a 15-year old to be, he's a pretty average high school kid. He tends to get out of line, but he somehow manages to fix that (sometimes). He's "smart" but struggles because of a lack of effort. However, when he tries, he can do excellent work (according to some sources). He likes to make people laugh and smile, but somehow he still struggles to talk to people. This is Mark's second year writing for the Pepper Bough.

Ezra Ochoa, Staff Writer

Ezra Ochoa is a freshman at Colton High School who works for the Pepper Bough. This is his first year working for PB and is looking to have a successful year. He lives over in San Bernardino, but spends a majority of his life here in Colton. Although this is his first time at CHS, all of his older siblings have gone here, giving him a good idea about how things work around the school. He loves to write about what is going on with people and how they feel about the things going on in the school. And a fun little fact: he barely turns 14 on Sept. 1.