The varsity boys basketball 2016-17 season came to an end on Wednesday night after the Yuba City Honkers converted a buzzer-beating shot to defeat the Tigers 63-61 and knocked them out of the Sac- Joaquin Section Division II playoffs.

The team finished third in Capital Valley Conference play and landed a seventh seed slot against the Honkers in the first round of playoffs – the first time Roseville High School boys basketball made playoffs since joining the CVC.

The Tigers jumped to a 21-5 lead by the end of the first quarter and held on to a 36-22 lead by halftime.

However, a quick 10-0 run at the start of the third quarter put the Honkers right back into the game. The game was tied 47-47 at the beginning of the fourth quarter and remained tied at 61-61 with 10 seconds left on the clock.

In the game’s final seconds, Honkers guard Elliot McAlister hit a bank shot from the left of the key that ended the game and the Tigers’ season.

Despite the loss, senior guard Sean Granucci is proud of what the team was able to accomplish both on and off the court this year.

“From day one the goal was to get to where we were,” Granucci said. “We were able to accomplish that, and in the process a bond and a chemistry was created that I was happy to be a part of.”

Granucci also feels that even qualifying for playoffs will have a major impact on the program as a whole.

“A couple of years ago we kinda entered the rebuilding process, and now we were in the playoffs,”  Granucci said. “Our JV team was really good, so I think we are establishing a winning culture that will hopefully stick.”

The Tigers finished the season 16-12, their best record since 2012.