For three quarters Friday, Gustine’s frosh Redskins struggled against rival Orestimba.

Then things heated up, leading to an exciting finish that saw a furious Redskins’ rally fall just short as the host Braves escaped with a 33-29 win.

Going into the final stanza, it appeared Orestimba would cruise down the stretch. Gustine had been held to just seven points in the first half and still trailed by 20 points after three quarters.

That changed in a hurry, when Gustine exploded with a 20-3 run before running out of time. The Redskins pulled to within three points with 20 seconds to play before the Braves sealed the outcome with a free throw.

“We came in a little too overconfident in our abilities and it showed in the first half,” Coach Charlie Kothenbeutel commented. “We weren’t very aggressive on offense and the run was just too little, too late.”

Daniel Gardner and Alvaro Caballero each finished with nine points for Gustine. Sage Gill netted six, Sam Ramsour scored five and Daniel Ortiz chipped in two points.

Patterson 53, GHS 29

Patterson pulled away from the Redskins to open Gustine’s week last Tuesday.

Ortiz stepped up to lead Gustine with 12 opints, Dustin Goularte scored five, and Gardner, Marco Guzman and Caballero each scored four points.