The MCAL tournament is still weeks away, but as San Marin head coach Chris Lavdiotis put it, “Every game is a playoff game.”

The host Mustangs won a 73-72 overtime thriller with The Branson School on Friday night to snap a 15-game losing streak against the Bulls dating back to 2016.

“On paper, people might say this was an upset,” Lavdiotis said. “But I don’t think it’s an upset. Our guys expected to win. They really did.”

Senior Rio Seiler hit the back end of a pair of free throws to give San Marin a one-point margin over Branson in overtime. With just 11 seconds on the clock, the Bulls saw they still had a chance to make some magic.

Star sophomore NJ Gray took the inbounds pass from the end line and let loose with a 3-point shot before falling to the court. He watched the ball hit the iron and bounce away. The Mustangs’ JD Rhodes seized the rebound and started celebrating the momentous victory with his teammates as the final buzzer sounded.

“We’re a young team and we made some young mistakes,” said Gray, who electrified the gym with a game-high 28 points and five rebounds. “We could have gotten back faster, played better defense.”

The Mustangs (10-7, 2-1 MCAL) were coming off a heartbreaking 59-55 loss to Marin Catholic, but fixed some problems ahead of Friday’s matchup with the Bulls (9-9, 1-2 MCAL).

The star-studded matchup, with some of the most energetic players in Marin County, more than lived up to its billing. Chase Robertson and Tyler Wells each scored 11 points for the Bulls. Drew Kalafatas added nine points and Tom Lardner had six points and five rebounds.

Seiler scored a team-high 19 points and Grant Means pumped in 15 points for the Mustangs. Rhodes had seven points, three rebounds and 10 assists.

Jason Gillen turned in a surprise performance in the third quarter when he scored 13 points in a row, including three big 3-pointers, to spark the Mustangs to a 52-44 advantage, their first lead since the opening quarter when they led 11-10. Gillen finished with 16 points after hitting another 3-pointer in overtime.

“We’ve seen what he can do in practice and we were just waiting for an explosion like this,” Lavdiotis said. “He was told, if he’s open to take the shot.”

San Marin’s lead continued to wax and wane through the fourth quarter, until Bulls junior Tyler Wills hit a game-tying 3-pointer with just 24 seconds left in regulation.

The Mustangs set up for a winning shot, but a pass through traffic in the paint went astray. The Bulls had just seconds to drive the length of the court for a chance to end the game. They put the ball in the hands of Gray, who had reeeled together a highlight night of layups. But Gray’s midair shot missed the target, sending the game into overtime.

Gray and Seiler traded free throws in overtime before Wells’ 3-pointer with 1:10 left gave the Bulls a lift. But Gillen tied the game again with his fourth 3-pointer of the night. Facing the prospect of double-overtime, the Mustangs went hard toward the basket and Seiler drew a foul. He missed the first attempt, giving the Bulls some hope, but hit the second for the winning margin.

“I think people will perceive us as second tier. I think we perceive ourselves as somebody who can steal this league,” Lavdiotis said. “And I don’t say that lightly.”