Bynum, Rancho fend off Agassi Prep rally

Rancho junior swingman Byron Bynum didn’t see anything too special about his performance Monday night.

But the assessment of Agassi Prep coach David Claerbaut did justice to Bynum’s 28-point outburst.

“It devastated us early,” Claerbaut said.

Bynum made three 3-pointers and scored 21 of his 28 points in the first half, and the Rams withstood a 16-point comeback by the Stars to hold on for a 70-68 home victory.

“It feels good to win because in the preseason we had a bad start,” Bynum said. “But we’re focused now and ready.”

Tyler Gaston added 14 points for Rancho (3-9), which is 3-1 in its last four games.

“It seems like we’re turning the page now,” Rams coach Melvin Shivers said. “We got off to a slow start this year, but now I think the kids are learning the system.”

DeShawn Battle led Agassi Prep (6-7) with 27 points, six rebounds and five assists. Quincy Brown had 19 points and James Turner contributed 10 points and eight rebounds.

Aerontay Shepherd’s layup capped a 25-9 Agassi Prep run to tie the game at 67 in the final 2:15. But a put-back by Gaston gave Rancho a 69-67 edge it maintained to the finish.

“We wanted to keep the pressure on the whole game,” Claerbaut said. “If we could wear them down late, we could come from behind and make a game of it, which is exactly what happened.”

It was almost a repeat comeback for Agassi Prep, which rallied from a 16-point fourth-quarter deficit for an 88-86 overtime win at defending Class 2A state champion Lincoln County on Saturday.

“We’re not afraid of anybody, and our kids are now believing,” said Claerbaut, whose team is 3-1 in the 2A Southern League.