SAN BERNARDINO — The Yucaipa boys basketball team is chasing history. The program has not won a league title since 1971. The Thunderbirds took a big step in rectifying that Thursday night, defeating chief rival Cajon 43-42 in an important Citrus Belt League game. Point guard Malik Young scored 21 of his game-high 22 points in the second half. That included two clutch free throws with 11.1 seconds left that stood up as the game winner. Young said he was not nervous. “Pressure makes diamonds,” he said. Cajon had a chance to take the lead, but Yucaipa’s Jake Lane drew an offensive foul to give the Thunderbirds (18-3 overall, 5-0 in league) possession with 7.8 seconds left. The Cowboys (12-8, 3-1) got the ball back with time running out, but a desperation lob pass was intercepted by Yucaipa’s 6-foot-8 Jonathan Campbell as the T-Birds celebrated. “It means a lot,” Young said. “We’re making history. We’ve got to keep going. We want to win it all. We’re the best team out here.” Cajon’s Lee Stewart drives to the basket during a Citrus Belt League boys basketball game against Yucaipa on Thursday, Jan. 16, 2025. (Photo by John Murphy, Correspondent) Yucaipa had a nightmarish first half against a voracious Cajon man defense, led by bruising forward Amahj Nolley, a defensive end on the Cowboy football team. “Twenty-three (Nolley) is the best big man in the league,” Cajon coach Randy Murray said. Cajon led 7-3 after a slow first quarter and 18-9 at halftime. Yucaipa only had six points until 24 seconds left in the first half when Mason Lazzar sank a 3-pointer. “They’re physical, strong, quick, and fast,” Yucaipa coach James Simpson said. “It’s an adjustment. We didn’t shoot the ball well in the first half, but I give a lot of credit to Cajon for that. They played good defense and we didn’t make the shots.” Young picked up his second foul midway through the first quarter and didn’t play at all in the second period. That hindered the Thunderbirds. But it all changed in the second half when Young re-entered the game. The senior guard scored 14 third-quarter points as Yucaipa trimmed its deficit to 35-32 entering the fourth quarter. “We made some adjustments at halftime and it certainly helps to have Malik on the floor for 16 minutes in the second half,” Simpson said. Said Young, “After the first half I reflected on what I needed to do and beginning in the third quarter, it all opened up for me.” Murray was frustrated with a slow first half when he thought the Cowboys could have widened their lead. “We had opportunities to be up by a lot more,” Murray said. “We should have been ahead by a lot more at the end of the first and should have been ahead by more at halftime.” Said Cajon guard Lee Stewart, “I think we played well, but it came down to late-game possessions and we didn’t execute and hit our shots.” Cajon led 38-32 with 6:57 left in the game when Yucaipa went on a 7-0 run to take its first lead of the game. A free throw by Jaxon Lerma, three free throws by Mason Lazzar, and a driving lay-in by Young put Yucaipa ahead. It was a see-saw battle after that. Related Articles High School Sports | Roosevelt boys basketball team cruises past Centennial in Big VIII League showdown High School Sports | Bella Medina’s 3-pointer at the buzzer lifts Moreno Valley girls basketball team past Rancho Christian High School Sports | Prep Football Notes: Lakeside hires 23-year-old to take over struggling program High School Sports | Inland girls athlete of the week: Natalie Rodriguez Romero, Citrus Hill High School Sports | Inland boys athlete of the week: Jake De Corte, Ontario Christian Besides Young’s big night, Lerma, Lazzar, and Lane all had six points for Yucaipa. Miles Snowden paced Cajon with 13 points and Nolley and Jackson Murray had six points each. The teams meet again Feb. 4 at Yucaipa. Related Articles High School Sports | Roosevelt boys basketball team cruises past Centennial in Big VIII League showdown High School Sports | Bella Medina’s 3-pointer at the buzzer lifts Moreno Valley girls basketball team past Rancho Christian High School Sports | Prep Football Notes: Lakeside hires 23-year-old to take over struggling program High School Sports | Inland girls athlete of the week: Natalie Rodriguez Romero, Citrus Hill High School Sports | Inland boys athlete of the week: Jake De Corte, Ontario Christian