SOUTHERN SEC. DIVISION I-AA: QUARTZ HILL WINS THRILLER RESERVE HITS GAME-WINNER QUARTZ HILL 79, A.B. MILLER 78.

Byline: Gideon Rubin Staff Writer

QUARTZ HILL - Byron Manuel buried the shot of his life. Then he got buried at the bottom of a dogpile.

Manuel, a junior sixth man, came off the bench and hit a decisive 3-pointer at the buzzer to lead Quartz Hill High to a 79-78 double-overtime victory over A.B. Miller of Fontana in a Southern Section Division I-AA wild-card playoff game.

Manuel got a look from the right wing on an inbounds pass from senior guard Casey Garland on a set play.

``There was somebody in my face, but it didn't matter,'' he said. ``There was one second left and I had to shoot it.''

The next thing he knew, he was gasping for air.

``It hurt,'' he said. ``I was at the bottom and I couldn't even breath, but it was good pain.''

The Rebels (15-11) will travel to Lynwood at 7:30 p.m. on Friday in an opening-round playoff game.

Senior center B.A. Harrell led Quartz Hill with 26 points, and senior guard Andrae Johnson added 15.

``At first you go, `Oh man,' '' Harrell said. ``But when he hit it, words can't describe how you felt once that shot went in.

``Big players step up in big games and he's a big player for us. He hits big shots for us all the time.''

Quartz Hill wouldn't have even made it to the second overtime if not for a big play by Harrell. With 1.6 seconds left in the first overtime and scored tied at 73, A.B. Miller's Ragland Cole drove into the lane for a layup, and Harrell emphatically rejected what would have likely been the game-winner.

Then he pumped his fist and went into a animated spin dance the way only a 6-foot-4, 260-pounder can.

``I just saw it coming and he put it right in my face,'' Harrell said. ``It kept our chances alive and we capitalized on it.''

Quartz Hill could have made the finish less exciting, though. It led 62-54 with just more than four minutes remaining in regulation on a Garland 3-pointer.

But that lead evaporated quickly. A.B. Miller went on a 9-2 run to close to within 64-63 with 22.2 seconds remaining on a Jeremiah Ward layup.

With 17.8 seconds left, Garland hit both ends of a 1-and-1 to extend Quartz Hill's lead to 66-63.

A.B. Miller tied the game on a Ward 3-pointer with 6.8 seconds left.

Then, after a Quartz Hill turnover, A.B. Miller tried a desperation play with 1.3 seconds left in which one of their players went on all fours and started barking. The distraction worked, setting up another open look for Ward from the left baseline, but he was unable to convert.

Ward finished with a game-high 32 points.