Apollo Creed said it best at the end of “Rocky.”

“Ain’t gonna be no rematch.”

After being unceremoniously upset on the road last month by Monterey Trail, the Davis High boys had all they could handle Friday night in finally getting past the upstart Mustangs.

However, before a Break the Record Night all-time attendance mark of 1,123 fans, the Blue Devils inched closer to a Sac-Joaquin Section playoff berth with a 71-68 victory.

“It’s true. They’ve proved to be a bad matchup for us,” admitted DHS coach Dan Gonzalez after watching the 6-19 visitors take the Devils down to the last seconds again. (On Jan. 20, The Trail shocked the Devils, 64-61.)

This time, however, the local tandem of Kevin Sorensen and Ilanko Nataraajan were catalysts in a 19-7 final-period run that put Davis at 14-10 overall and 5-3 in the Delta Valley Conference.

Sorensen — with an energized student-body section creating havoc — scored nine of his 21 points in the fourth quarter.

The last 4:23 was cardiac conditioning for coaching staff, players and fans alike.

DHS, which had trailed by as many as 16 in the second period, was on a determined crawl back into contention. Long-range accuracy from Hayden Russell and Elvis Bikoba had given the Blue Devils hope. Still, deep into the final quarter, Monterey Trail led by as many as nine.

Grant Dickerson’s first trey of the fourth quarter closed the gap to 63-60. Terrific defense forced a bad Mustang shot on the next possession and Nataraajan and Sorensen started to get real busy.

Nataraajan went inside with a no-look bounce pass to a cutting Sorenson. When Royle Carr stepped in front, Sorensen glided past and sank a reverse layup.

Now it was a one-point game, and Monterey Trail needed a timeout.

Lorenzo Hawkins came out of the break with two of his 18 points before Dickerson’s bomb tied the game at 65 with 3:42 left and sent the student rooting section into a frenzy.

So much so that Monterey Trail guard Sanam Jhajj, in missing a 3-point try from the left corner, stepped on a Devil fan’s foot, twisting his ankle.

Down in pain went Jhajj, but play continued until Nataraajan was fouled at the other end. Once the whistle blew, the Mustang staff was upset with the proximity of the DHS faithful. The concern prompted referees to mobilize Davis High Principal Jacqui Moore and Athletic Director Dennis Foster to marshal back the crowd.

Nataraajan and Carr each hit a free throw in the next 10 seconds. Knotted at 68-68, the two schools traded unrequited possessions before the coup d’grace.

With 65 ticks remaining, Nataraajan yo-yoed the ball at the top of the key. He stopped his dribble, looked up. Mustang players froze with the thought of the Blue Devils launching their 33rd 3-point attempt.

Nataraajan got a glimpse of the cutting Sorensen, hit him in stride and the junior post converted and took a hard foul.

In the bedlam that was the North Gym at 10:02 p.m. Friday, Sorensen calmly converted the free throw and, thanks to solid defense in the final 58 seconds, DHS was home safely with a stepping-stone Delta Valley Conference victory.

At the final buzzer, much of the record throng stormed the court. Drained, the Devils had removed the Monterey Trail monkey from their collective backs.

“It was a great atmosphere. Having a crowd like that makes it special,” Gonzalez said, adding: “Remember, we made a (lineup) switch a few games ago.”

Gonzalez was talking about his relentless use of shifts on the court. At the beginning of the season, Nataraajan and Sorensen rarely saw each other because of the line changes with which they played.

“We noticed their chemistry on the court a while back and made that change,” Gonzalez explained.

That chemistry was toxic for The Trail on Friday.

“That crowd was amazing,” Nataraajan told The Enterprise. “I’ve said it a hundred times — I think we have the best fans in the country. And last night we wanted to send them home with a win.”

Sorensen reports that he likes to run the floor, looking for openings. He’s become one of the most active posts in the region, but said he really had to work to shake loose Friday …

“They’re better than their record,” Sorensen said. “A lot of good teams have struggled with them. (They) know how to break teams down and (their coach) knows where to put matchups.”

Russell scored 10 points and Dickerson and Bikoba each had nine for Davis. Tyler Sousa and Arnell Rusanganwa both tallied six as the Blue Devils dug deep to keep rallying from double-digit deficits in each quarter.

DHS was 12-for-32 from beyond the arc and made 26-of-60 (43 percent) overall. The Mustangs were outrebounded, 40-22, but shot a wicked 55 percent (27-for-49) from the floor. Hermon Brown scored 16 points and Jhajj and Carr had 11 each.

With Monterey Trail safely behind them, the Devils will now concentrate on a section playoff berth.

Ranked 16th in D-I, if the regular season ended now, DHS would be in the postseason. But looming Wednesday is a home game with fourth-ranked Franklin (19-5, 7-1) on Senior Night, then a road game at pesky Elk Grove (10-12, 4-4) on Friday ends the regular season.

Notes: Harrison Allen-Sutter had three big rebounds, each of them leading to a Davis score. He also added an assist. … Nataraajan finished the night with two free throws, but had seven assists (four down the stretch), four rebounds and two steals. … Monterey Trail guard Gabe Tavora went down hard — then had his face stepped on — and left the game with a concussion at 5:41 of the fourth quarter. Personnel attending to the junior said he looked “like he’ll be all right.” … On Wednesday — at Senior Night — five surviving members of the Blue Devils’ 1962 undefeated boys basketball team will be honored in a pre-game ceremony. Game time is 7 p.m. … The old attendance record was 1,117, according to school officials. … In other DVC action Friday, Franklin beat Elk Grove, 54-48, and Laguna Creek lost to Grant, 77-65.

— Reach Bruce Gallaudet at [email protected] or (530) 747-8047.

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DHS senior Ilanko Nataraajan puts up a scoop shot during the Blue Devils’ 71-68 home win over Monterey Trail in front of a record crowd. Nataraajan was instrumental, running the show for Davis late in the game. Sue Cockrell/Enterprise photo

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