SoCalHoops High School News

CIF Southern Section Playoffs:  
Friday Game Details--(Feb. 28, 1999)

We've got all the details from almost every game played Friday night in the Southern Section Playoffs. Here they are:

Division I-AA Quarterfinal Results

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Artesia 78, Eisenhower 51-- The reports we've been getting on the Artesia game have been pretty much nasty, angry,   high-pitched pleas for the Eisenhower coach's head, and the heads of some of his players.  This was one of those fights where for a while, a basketball game broke out.  We weren't there, and in such cases, we turn to one of the best, Louis Johnson of the Press Telegram.  Here's his report on the game (Hey, when you get all the details this well written, why change a thing?): "For the Artesia High boys basketball team, winning Friday night's Division I-AA quarterfinal against Eisenhower became secondary to just escaping the contest without a serious injury. The top-seeded Pioneers were able to exploit their superior advantage on the low block, as the frontcourt of Jason Kapono, Jack Martinez and Amaury Fernandez scored a combined 60 points and Artesia rolled to a physical 78-51 victory over the Eagles at La Palma Kennedy High. While most of those in the packed gym at Kennedy expected to see basketball, they instead got basket-brawl for most of the second half. Eisenhower (22-7), after becoming frustrated by their large second-half deficit and the officiating, decided to exact its own revenge on Artesia (28-2) by resorting to its own style of physical play, which included committing a pair of flagrant fouls, one of which resulted in the ejection of guard Derrick Owens. With his team trailing, 76-47, with just over four minutes remaining in the game, Owens nearly decapitated Pioneers' freshman guard Franklin Matos on a breakaway layup, creating a frenzy that saw several players from both teams square up against one another and scattered fans of both teams run on to the court. Officials from both schools, along with local law enforcement, immediately restored action, and Owens, who began to dance and celebrate with his teammates after the hard foul, was ejected. "It was a very physical game . . . sometimes, when you get to this level of the playoffs, people take it too seriously," Artesia coach Wayne Merino said. "They lost their poise early, and they showed a real lack of discipline, both their players and their coaches." Kapono was sensational, scoring a game-high 31 points to go with eight rebounds. Fernandez added 12 points and seven rebounds, while Martinez came off the bench to contribute 17 points, 10 rebounds and three blocks. The defending champion Pioneers will face fourth-seeded Jordan, which downed Ayala Friday night, 57-49, in a semifinal game Tuesday night at a site to be determined." 

Ok, same game, different perspective.   Here's what Richard Rasmus had to say in the Riverside Press-Enterprise today: "Considering top-seeded Lakewood Artesia had a starting guard taller than Rialto Eisenhower's tallest starter, it came as no surprise the Pioneers dominated the rebounding Friday night. Actually, Artesia dominated all phases, rolling to a 78-51 victory in a Division 1AA quarterfinal playoff game at La Palma Kennedy High. To have any chance to beat the defending division champion, Eisenhower (22-7) needed to play strong help-side defense, box out and shoot well from the outside. After the first few minutes, the Eagles were unable to accomplish any of those goals. Jason Kapono, a versatile 6-foot-9 forward, scored 13 points in the first quarter to lead the Pioneers, ranked 13th in the nation by USA Today, to a 22-10 lead. Kapono scored 18 of his game-high 31 points in the first half as Artesia (28-2) took a 42-24 lead. Artesia, which defeated Eisenhower in the quarterfinals last season, shot 49.1 percent (26 of 53) and had a 44-24 advantage in rebounds. Jack Martinez, a 6-8 forward, had 17 points and 10 rebounds for Artesia, and Kapono had nine rebounds. "I think in the first half we needed to be stronger on defense," Eisenhower coach Steve Johnson said. "We weren't being physical. They were going over the top (of the rebounders), and we had to push them farther out." Eisenhower was more physical in the second half, but it only led to frustration. The Eagles were called for four technical fouls and had two players ejected in the second half. Johnson got into a war of words with Artesia coach Wayne Merino over the Eagles' aggressive play. Merino complained several times the Eisenhower players were undercutting his rebounders. "We get one `T' (technical) all year, and they think our kids are out of control. Our kids are never out of control," Johnson said. "I take offense at their coach telling me how to coach. Our kids don't low bridge. Our kids play aggressive. They don't cheap shot." Trenell Eddings, who did his best to keep the Eagles close with several three-pointers, picked up two personal fouls and a technical in a four-second span of the third quarter and fouled out with 1:52 left. Eddings, last season's San Bernardino County player of the year, finished his career by scoring 20 points. EISENHOWER (51) -- Owens 1, Eddings 20, Afualo 5, Wilson 6, Ang 5, A. Rouzan 6, James 2, Franklin 3, Baber 3. ARTESIA (78) -- Fernandez 12, Hazel 7, Kapono 31, Hamilton 1, Steffanson 4, Matos 2, Reyes 3, Heron 1, Martinez 17. Halftime score -- Artesia 42-24. Three-point goals -- Eddings 5, Afualo, Baber, Hazel, Reyes. Total fouls -- Eisenhower 22, Artesia 18. Fouled out -- Eddings. Technical fouls -- Eisenhower bench, Eddings, Owens (flagrant-ejection), James (ejection).

Long Beach Jordan 57, Ayala 52-- Here's the report on this game from the Inland Valley Daily News: "The outside shot that propelled Ayala to Friday's CIF Division 1AA quarterfinal deserted the Bulldogs in their hour of need. Plagued by 28-percent field-goal shooting and night-long frustration against a punishing Long Beach Jordan front court, the Bulldogs bowed out of the playoffs, losing 57-49 at Brea Olinda High School. "They do so much pushing that it takes your legs," Ayala coach Tom Gregory said. "If you noticed, our shots were falling short, especially our threes." Ayala (20-9) nearly overcame its scoring woes by forcing 21 Jordan turnovers and rallied from a seven-point fourth-quarter deficit to trail, 51-49, when Marcel Burke scored on a length-of-the-court drive with 1:34 left. Jordan's Kendell Lucas then committed a five-second violation, turning the ball over to the Bulldogs and setting up two Jack May free throws with 37.9 seconds remaining. May missed both off the back of the rim, but rebounded his second miscue.  Burke took a 10-footer that bounced off the rim, Jordan center Travon Bryant grabbed his 19th rebound and May fouled him. Bryant made both free throws, Ayala's Marc McCoy traveled and the Panthers (24-6) tacked on the game-icing points from the line. Bryant, a 6-foot-7, 225-pound junior, also scored 18 points while Panther senior power forward Darren Peterson, who's being recruited by Fresno State, Utah and Cincinnati, scored 19 points with five rebounds. "(Ayala) doubled Travon, but one man can't handle Darren," Jordan coach Ron Massey said. "We definitely felt that we were going to be able to take care of things down low," Bryant said. The Bulldogs had their share of interior success. May, the Bulldogs senior forward, scored 19 with nine rebounds while center Daniel Sherman contributed eight points and 10 rebounds. The difference was Ayala's 19-of-68 effort from the field. In Tuesday's 72-65 upset over the Inland Valley's No. 1-ranked team, Upland, the Bulldogs buried seven of their first eight 3-point attempts and shot 64 percent from the field in the first half. On Friday, Ayala was 2-of-19 from 3-point land. "Two more and I believe we win the game," Gregory said. Gregory tried to talk his star shooters, Marc McCoy and Chris Pacana, into a hot streak, pulling them aside during a third-quarter play stoppage. "I was telling them to get mentally tough," Gregory said. "I was seeing their whole technique change and told them that I considered them 0-for-0, to start over." The Bulldogs made just one second-half 3-pointer. Holding three CIF championships in the 1990s, Jordan advances to Tuesday's 1AA semifinals, where the Panthers will meet Artesia at a site to be determined today. LONG BEACH JORDAN (57) Glasco 2, Peterson 19, Calloway 13, Lucas 2, Bryant 18, Gathrite 3. AYALA (49) May 19, Pacana 5, Burke 10, Sherman 10, McCoy 5. Jordan 15 13 14 15 -- 57 Ayala 14 9 12 14 -- 49 Total fouls: J 15; A 15. Fouled out: None. Technical fouls: None."  And a second report, much briefer than the first, from the P-T: "Jordan High moved into the semifinal round of the CIF-Southern Section Division I-AA playoffs with a 57-49 victory over Ayala on Friday night at Brea-Olinda High. The Panthers (24-6), who got 19 points from Darren Peterson and another 18 points from Travon Bryant, got a bit of a scare down the stretch, when the Bulldogs (20-8) closed to within 51-49 on a coast-to-coast effort from Marcel Burke. On the ensuing possession, Jordan turned the ball over on a five-second violation. Ayala's senior center Jack May, who finished with 19 points, was fouled with 37.9 seconds to go but missed both free throws and a chance to tie the score."

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Corona Centennial 89, Valley View 88--A fiercely competitive game loaded with clutch plays from both sides ultimately came down to one decision. For Moreno Valley View, it was a trick question: two choices, neither one correct. With outside shooter David Sybesma drawing the defense, Corona Centennial got the ball to Jamaal Williams inside. Williams' 6-foot turnaround jumper from the baseline with 15 seconds left in overtime gave the Huskies an 89-88 victory, sending them to a Division 1AA semifinal date Tuesday against Long Beach Poly. The site for that game will be determined by coin flip.
Sybesma had hit three three-pointers and scored 17 points. Jerry Dupree, Valley View's top inside defender, spent most of the night battling Williams but had helped on Sybesma. When Sybesma had the open look, Dupree stepped out. "David had hit some key shots," Centennial coach Val Popov said. "It's a tough choice. David did a great job in getting the ball to Jamaal. And that still wasn't an easy shot." Williams had hit a similar shot with seven seconds left in regulation, and Valley View had answered. This time, however, Charles Logan's shot from the wing bounced off and Stephon Seales grabbed the rebound and hung on until the celebration began. Williams, one of the top sophomores in Southern California, came up huge. He scored eight of the Huskies' 12 points in overtime, finishing with 33 points and 12 rebounds. Early, Valley View frustrated Williams by denying him the ball. But he still was a huge factor, scoring five putback baskets in the first half. Valley View (20-8) led by eight at halftime, but led by Demetreus Ross, Centennial rallied for a one-point lead in the third quarter. Ross scored 10 of his 14 points in the period. "He's able to do that because of our defense and the turnovers we got," Popov said. "He's so strong and finishes so well. He got a lot of layups. I don't think there's a lot of people who want to get in his way." Neither team led by more than four in the fourth quarter. Centennial almost closed it out on Williams' basket, especially when Mark Peters missed a layup after driving the length of the floor. But Dupree beat the buzzer with the follow. Valley View hit three three-pointers at the outset of overtime, but Centennial converted all four of its free throws to stay close. "We played good defense, and we hit some huge shots," Valley View coach Jim Long said. "We made a lot of clutch plays. They just made one more." Isaac Russ led Valley View with 20 points, and Dupree had 18 points, 12 rebounds and three blocks. Peters had 17 points and eight assists. CENTENNIAL (89) -- Sybesma 17, Gonzales 11, J.Williams 33, Adams 2, Ross 14, Seales 8, B.Williams 4. VALLEY VIEW (88) -- Peters 17, Hampton 18, Dupree 18, Russ 20, Logan 13, Mann 2. Halftime score -- Valley View 46-38. Regulation score -- 77-77. Three-point goals -- Sybesma 3, Gonzales 3, Peters 3, Hampton 4, Russ 3, Logan. Total fouls -- Centennial 16, Valley View 13. Fouled out -- Ross.

Long Beach Poly 64, Ontario 50-- Two reports, first from the Inland Valley Daily News: "As the No. 2 seed in CIF Division 1AA, Long Beach Poly's boys basketball team can beat you in many different ways. Ontario saw all the ways in the first quarter. And while the Jaguars recovered from a sluggish start, it wasn't enough as Poly posted a 64-50 victory in a quarterfinal game at Etiwanda High School. Poly will play Corona Centennial in the semifinals Tuesday at an alternate site to be determined by coin flip. Poly went on a 21-2 run early and led by as much as 18 (23-5) before settling for a 23-7 lead after a quarter. "In the four games we lost this year, we had one bad quarter in each," Ontario coach Jerry DeFabiis said. "But our kids never quit." Said Jackrabbits coach Ron Palmer: "The one thing we knew was that they pressed a lot. Our philosophy is to press the presser. It creates problems for them."  The Jaguars (25-4) rallied in the second quarter, and got the deficit down to 10 (34-24) by halftime. Ontario twice got as close as six points in the third quarter, at 36-30 and 38-32. But Poly closed the quarter on a 9-4 run and Ontario couldn't get the deficit to single digits again until Jason Burrell's basket with 1:35 to play cut the margin to 54-45. "We just never got over that hump," DeFabiis said. "If some of those shots (in the first quarter) fall, it might've been different." Ontario was 3-of-11 from the field in the first quarter, with six turnovers. Meanwhile, Poly made 9-of-14 in the first quarter. "We just didn't hit our shots," said Ontario senior Mike Niles, who finished with 12 points. "But we played them well the last three quarters É and we had success." Ontario struggled, particularly early, in denying the ball to Jackrabbits center Joe Travis, who made 6-of-7 shots from the field in the first half and finished with 19 points and 15 rebounds. While DeFabiis felt that the nerves of playing in a big game against a big-time opponent might have been a factor, Niles disagreed. But Palmer made a different point. "This is just what we expect to do," Palmer said. "We expect to be here. É But we expect every game from the quarterfinals on to be very difficult." Micah James led Ontario with 17 points, including 10 in the fourth quarter and Chris Burns had all six of his points and all 11 of his rebounds in the second half. Ken Wright added 18 points and Shea Anderson added 14 points and 10 rebounds for Poly."

The second report is from the Long Beach Press-Telegram's staff reports: "It didn't take long for Poly High to cast its domination over Ontario, defeating the Jaguars, 64-50, in a CIF-Southern Section Division I-AA quarterfinal Friday night at Etiwanda High. The Jackrabbits (23-6) jumped on top of Ontario early, taking a 23-7 lead after the first quarter. Poly's pressure defense caused six first-quarter turnover and the result was several easy baskets. Center Joe Travis and Ken Wright led the way in the first quarter, combining for 14 points. Travis finished with a game-high 19 points and 15 rebounds, and Wright had 18 points.  The Jaguars (25-4) rallied to cut the Poly advantage to 38-32 midway through the third quarter behind the guard tandem of Micah James and Mike Niles, who combined for 29 points. But the Jackrabbits, who also got 12 points and 10 rebounds from forward Schea Anderson, repelled the third-quarter comeback, closing the period with a 9-4 run to thwart Ontario's efforts. Poly will face Corona Centennial (18-7) on Tuesday night in a semifinal game at a site to be determined."

Division I-A Quarterfinal Results

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Glendora 64, Nogales 43--Incredibly, we couldn't find any report on this game in any of our usual media sources, and apparently no one we knew went to this game either.  C'mon out there, we know somebody must have been there to watch Casey Jacobsen, Chris and Chad Clark, Bruce Hatch and the rest of the team. We did however find a box score for the game in the Pasadena Star-News.   Here it is:

The scoring was:  Glendora (64)--Chris Clark 17, Casey Jacobsen 28, Bruce Hatch 2, Michael Ahmad 6, Chad Clark 9, Jason Davis 2; Nogales (43)-- Ropnald Quinine 2, Darryl Brown 6, Adam Talley 15, Quartin Rodgers 3, Trevian Laster 6, Denver Lopez 11.  3-point goas: Talley (N) 2, Rodgers (N) 1, Lopez (N) 3, Chris Clark (G) 1, Chad Clark (G) 3, Jacobsen (G) 2.

San Bernardino Pacific 64, Santa Barbara 58--It took Santa Barbara High's basketball team a full half to get a handle on just how fast and athletic Pacific was in Friday night's CIF 1-A quarterfinal at City College. By the time the Dons got up to speed, they were down 18 points. They eventually rallied, even pulling within a single basket with 1:40 to play. But Pacific didn't crack. Chaun Ballard hit a big 3-pointer and the Pirates pulled out a 64-58 win. The Pirate press was  the difference early as the Dons had 12 turnovers in the first quarter alone as Pacific overcame an early 10-3 deficit for a 19-12 lead. It almost seemed Pacific was playing with an extra man: Every time a Don caught a pass he instantly had two defenders on him and clawing at the ball.  The problems for Santa Barbara continued in the second period as Pacific pulled to a 36-21 lead. The Pirates peaked when Michael Hall hit a 3-pointer in the opening minute of the third period. They hit nine 3-pointers in the game. Santa Barbara, 24-6, did not fold. Instead, the Dons began to chip away by hitting the offensive boards and taking care of the ball (no turnovers in the third period). Sean Kelley (12 points, six rebounds) started the
comeback when he hit a short jumper and Craig Christ followed with two free throws. Rebound follows by Christ and Brent Williams cut the lead to 44-29. A 3-pointer by Williams made it 47-38 and Christ hit a basket near the buzzer to make it 50-40 entering the final period. Williams led all scorers with 20 points - including four 3-pointers - and also had nine rebounds. Christ had 18 points and eight rebounds. Williams opened the fourth with a 3-pointer and hit another with 5:10 to play that made it 52-48. Nervous time for Pacific. But James Burries responded with a rebound basket to slow the momentum and Ballard hit a 3-pointer after Kelley answered Burries. A basket by Kelley, followed by a rebound basket by Williams made the score 59-56 with 1:40 to play and the Dons nearly scrapped for a rebound at the other end. But Pacific recovered and found Ballard on an inbound pass for a key 3-pointer. Christ made a steal in the final minute but it led only to a missed free throw, and Hall hit a free throw at the other end to make it a three-basket game at 63-56. Santa Barbara, however, sorely missed a healthy Tony Freeman. The 6-foot-4 senior has been hobbled by a calf injury for the last month. He played most of the game but clearly lacked the explosiveness that made him the Dons' leading scorer and rebounder, as well as their best defender. He finished with three points, four rebounds and  two assists. With Freeman healthy, for instance, Santa Barbara almost certainly world have assigned him to cover Ballard instead of playing a zone in the first quarter. Pacific ate the zone up, with Ballard scoring 12 of his 18 points.Pacific had its own problems to overcome. Ballard picked up his third foul early in the second quarter and his fourth early in the third period. Point guard Chris Smith also played most of the fourth quarter with four fouls. Pacific, 25-4, will play defending champ and top seed Glendora Tuesday in a rematch of last year's final. PACIFIC-Jury 5, Terrell 2, Smith 13, Mi. Hall 13, Burries 13, Ballard 18. Totals 25-56 5-12 64. SANTA BARBARA-Shelton 3, Burke 2, Freeman 3, B. Williams 20, Christ 18, Kelley 12. Totals 23-50 8-13 58. 3-point goals-P 9 (Ballard 4, Mi. Hall 3, Smith, Jury). SB 4 (B. Williams 4). Fouled out-none. Rebounds-P 32 (Mi Hall 8). SB 40 (B. Williams 9). Turnovers-P 15, SB 22.

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Simi Valley 70, Ventura 58-- This is from the Ventura County Star: "No style points here. To survive Ventura High's emotional fire, the Simi Valley High boys' basketball team relied on its icy cool under pressure Friday night.  "We've been in situations like that all year," said Simi Valley junior guard Branduinn Fullove. "We've worked so hard, practiced so hard. When it gets tough, we have the confidence we'll step up."  Pushed to the max by game, feisty Ventura before a raucous full house, Simi Valley relied on its poise and big performances from Rafael Berumen, Branduinn Fullove and Dustin Villepigue to scratch out a 70-58 victory in the quarterfinals of the CIF-SS Division I-A playoffs at Royal High.  Berumen scored 23 points, including 11 in the fourth quarter, Fullove finished with 21 and Villepigue collected 11 points and 15 rebounds as Simi Valley preserves its championship quest by moving into Tuesday's semifinal round. Third-seeded Simi Valley, 28-2, will play second-seeded Mater Dei.   Ventura, barely relinquishing its Cinderella slipper, ends its season at 18-11. Jeff Staniland, as he has all season, led his club with 20 points, while Gary Peterson notched 15 points on five 3-pointers.   An overflow, energic crowd, and high stakes that included Ventura County bragging rights, forced both teams to reach deep Friday. It also left both clubs feeling like winners at game's end.  Playing before a jam-packed gymnasium and matching up with an opponent fueled by its own frenetic fire, Simi Valley was forced to respond in the fourth quarter for the second playoff game in succession.  After Ventura sliced the deficit to 55-50 with three free throws following personal and technical fouls, Simi Valley finally took control for good.   Fullove sank two free throws after driving to the basket, and Berumen scored his teams next 10 points by asserting his dominance inside. An over-the-top throw-in and basket made it 59-50. His three-point play with 2:51 remaining upped the advantage to 64-53.  Among Simi Valleys key players was Villepigue, a 6-foot-9 sophomore who stepped into the centers role when Berumen sat down with three fouls in the third period. He added three blocks to his 15 rebounds.  When Rafael went out, I knew I had to pick up my game, he said. I looked at it that I was the big man now. I had to play like it.   Ventura had its heroes emerge, too.  With Simi Valley using a box- and-one to shadow Staniland, Peterson knocked down three 3-pointers in the second period to push his club back into contention. His finished with five, while hitting 5 of 7 shots from long distance.  We all knew that Simi Valley was going to do whatever they could to slow down Jeff, said Peterson. Everyone in Ventura County knows what they had to do. It was up to the rest of us to come through.  Simi Valley broke fast, building a 14-3 lead midway through the first quarter, and held a 21-7 lead after one quarter.  After hitting just 2 of 13 shots in the opening quarter, Ventura heated up behind Staniland and Peterson to spark a 9-0 run. By halftime, Simi Valley led 35-28.  Simi Valley seemingly assumed command with a 5-0 run at the end of the third period, including Fulloves rebound basket. But Ventura, as it had all season, refused to fold. A 12-2 run at the top of the fourth period, then the three free throws by Scott Ellis and Staniland closed the deficit to 55-50. "

Mater Dei 72, Moreno Valley 54--The Mater Dei boys' basketball team usually has the best starting five players in the county, if not the Southern Section.  The running joke among opponents, however, has been that the second-best team around has often been sitting on the Monarchs' bench.  Friday night that was no joke.  Mater Dei, minus three key regulars, got ample production out of its reserves and had little trouble pounding Moreno Valley, 72-54, in a Southern Section Division I-A quarterfinal at Ocean View High. Two higher-profile starters, guard Derrick Mansell (18 points, six assists, seven rebounds) and center Mike Bayer (21 points), led the way against the Vikings (20-8), but the game was most notable for who didn't play and who did.  Missing was 6-10 sophomore center Jamaal Sampson (injured foot) and swingman Cedric Bozeman (injured knee). Guard Steve Scoggin, who left the game in the first quarter with a concussion and did not return, is expected back Tuesday for the semifinal against Simi Valley. But the others are listed as day-to-day, as is Bayer, who is recovering from mononucleosis.  Light-scoring guard Imran Sufi got a start, played 29 minutes and scored nine points and had four assists. His ball-handling became even more crucial when Scoggin left.  Center Erik Soderberg got a rare start and had eight points and three rebounds in 19 minutes.  Little-used guard Christian McGuigan had two points and two assists in more than 19 minutes.  Guard Ricky Porter scored seven points and had three rebounds in a little less than 13 minutes.  And much-heralded freshman guard Mike Strawberry, who has struggled to find his role, scored four points and had three assists in 14 minutes. Mater Dei jumped out to a 25-15 first-quarter lead thanks in part to four points, two steals and two assists from Sufi and a steal and an assist by Strawberry. The Monarchs made 10 of 15 field-goal attempts in the first quarter.   Moreno Valley made just one of its first 11 shots in the second quarter. McGuigan's basket with 53 seconds left before halftime gave the Monarchs an 11-point lead and as the clock wound down McGuigan passed to Sufi who fed Strawberry for a buzzer-beater and a 35-22 lead. Mike Bayer scored a game-high 21 points and Derrick Mansell added 18. Steve Brown paced the Vikings with 13 points. MORENO VALLEY (54) -- Brown 13, Beasley 12, Emanuel 8, Lands 6, Hayes 4, Goudeau 3, Jones 2, Trapp 6.  MATER DEI (72) -- Sufi 9, Mansell 18, Bayer 21, McCuigan 2, Scoggins 0, Porter 7, Strawberry 4, Soderberg 8, Baker 3.   Halftime score -- Mater Dei 35-22. Three-point goals -- Brown 4, Goudeau, Sufi, Mansell. Total fouls -- Moreno Valley 20, Mater Dei 15. Fouled out -- none.

Division II-AA Quarterfinal Results

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Dominguez 74, Sonora 59--The Dons (26-3), who routed Sonora (23-7) in the playoffs the previous two years, withstood every rally the Raiders could muster Friday night and ousted Sonora yet again in a 74-59 CIF Southern Section Division II-AA quarterfinal victory at Compton College. Dominguez, ranked ninth in the nation by USA Today, led throughout and never let Sonora get closer than 11 points in the second half, though it didn't always seem as if the Dons were in control. Sonora's best run came late in the third quarter and continued into the fourth when it shaved 11 points off Dominguez's 51-29 lead, cutting the deficit to 51-40 on Marqui Worthy's driving layup.   But the Dons awakened. Soon their lead was 17 as Ronald Jackson made a 3-pointer with 3:43 remaining. Dominguez's defense was more potent than its size, and couldn't take advantage of the height disparity because Sonora's zone matchup kept sealing off Tyson Chandler down low. But Marcus Moore made up Tyson's lack of offensive scoring, hitting for 19 points and seven assists. And Marcus also played great defense too, finishing with five rebounds and three steals, time again forcing the Raiders to take
ill-advised shots. When Dominguez switched Marcus to defending Sonora's Bim Okunrimboye,   it slowed their offense down; Bim had been gettingeasy drives to the basket, but Moore stepped up big on defense to stymie Okunrimboye. Sonora's Marqui Worthy scored a game-high 29 points in the loss.  Dominguez now moves on to the play Rancho Verde.   

Rancho Verde 81, Newport Harbor 70--Brandon Shaw and J.S. Nash each scored 20 points to lead the Mustangs (26-4) over the Sailors (26-4) at Perris High. Matt Jameson scored a game-high 29 points for the Sailors. Brandon Shaw and J.S. Nash each scored 20 points as Moreno Valley Rancho Verde defeated Newport Harbor, 81-70, in a Division 2AA quarterfinal game. The victory sets up a battle against top seeded Compton Dominguez at site to be determined. "They (Newport Harbor) came in with about 40 set plays and they put us on our heals early," said Rancho Verde coach Bill Ciancio. "They played us very close and smothered us in the first half." Rancho Verde led by three, 71-68, with 1:11 remaining when Fraances Brown hit a 20 foot jump shot. Nash then stole the inbounds pass and made the layup to extend the lead to seven, 75-68.  "J.S. comes through with that steal and the basket, which put the stake in their hearts," said senior Preston Norman. Matt Jameson scored 29 points and grabbed seven rebounds and Gary Robinson added 17 to lead Newport Harbor. "I told our kids at halftime that we needed to shut down (Preston)," said Newport Harbor coach Larry Heist. "They came out and jumped on us in the second and took advantage of our double teaming." Rancho Verde struggled early, missing their fist three shots and the Sailors forced three quick turnovers. Newport Harbor (24-6) took advantage and jumped out to a 5-0 lead. "When we got down early, I thought I was going to be in for a long night," said Ciancio. Norman scored 17 of his 18 points in the first half and added 11 assists, all in the second half. "I was getting a lot of good looks at the basket in the first half, so I took them," Norman said. "In the second half, they were double and triple teaming me so I dished it out to my teammates." Rancho Verde (26-4) trailed 35-32 with 54 seconds remaining in the first half when Nash hit a three-pointer to tie it. Nash then stole a pass and hit another three giving the Mustangs the lead at the half. "We could tell they were getting tired at the end of the first half and decided to go after the ball," said Preston. "We came out running early in the second and took advantage of our speed." The Mustangs came out and played a full-court pressure defense to start the second half, which forced Newport Harbor into five quick turnovers. Rancho Verde took advantage of the Sailors' mistakes and stretched the lead to 10 early in the third at 56-46. Newport Harbor went on a 10-3 run early in the fourth to cut the lead to three. The Sailors smothered Preston under the basket and always had three players collapse on him, forcing him to pass. "They doubled up on Preston and the other kids nailed a lot of open shots," Ciancio said. "He did an outstanding job of dishing the ball off when they doubled him."

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Gahr 63, Brea Olinda 61--They played each other four times this season, a total of 128 minutes, but the only minute that mattered was the last one.  It was during the final minute Friday that Cerritos Gahr nearly blew a five-point lead over Brea Olinda. But Gahr held on to win a Southern Section Division II-AA boys' basketball quarterfinal, 63-61, at Cerritos High.  Tajuan Jackson made a layup from the baseline with 2.3 seconds left, giving give Gahr (19-10) its first victory over the third-seeded Wildcats (26-3) this season.  Brea, which trailed 51-41 with 5:42 to play, had one last chance, but Ryan Wilber's half-court shot at the buzzer came up short.  Brea got a three-pointer from Jerrett Skrifvars, steals by Dexter Villapando and Kyle Dodd and a layup by Ryan Moore, all in the last minute to tie the score at 61-61 with 26 seconds to play.  Unlike the previous three meetings, Gahr  went to its inside game, throwing the Wildcats off balance. The Gladiators also seemed a step quicker on rebounds.  Accurate shooting in the second half didn't hurt either. The Gladiators, who shot 46% for the game (23 of 50 made 15 of 24 shots (62.5%) in the second half.  Wilber led the Wildcats with 19 points, including back-to-back three-pointers to start a 17-8 Brea run midway through the fourth quarter. Skrifvars had 12 of his 14 points in the fourth quarter. Kyle Dodd, ailing from a fever, did not score after the first quarter and finished with seven points.  The Gladiators took the lead for good with just under five minutes left in the second quarter when Marques Jordan banked in an 8-footer for a 19-17 advantage. The biggest lead came at 51-41 with 5:46 left and still led by eight (57-49) with 2:57 remaining. Davis made four free throws in the final two minutes, but Brea Olinda wouldn't go away. The Wildcats took advantage of two late Gahr turnovers and some timely offense to finally tie the score at 61-61 with 26 seconds left on a layin by Ryan Moore. Gahr High senior Anthony Davis had an opportunity to take the game-winning shot attempt for the second consecutive game, but he dished off for the shot to sophomore Tajuan Jackson who dropped in the winning basket with two seconds left as Gahr continued its surprising run through the CIF Southern Section Division II-AA playoffs with a frantic 63-61 quarterfinal victory over nemesis No. 3 seed Brea Olinda at Cerritos High. The winning sequence began with the score tied at 61 and the Gladiators (19-10) inbounding the ball with 17.9 seconds left. Davis, who hit the game-winner in a second-round triumph over Tustin on Tuesday, dribbled around at the top of the key before beginning his penetration. The Brea Olinda defense moved out to slow Davis down and he threaded a slick pass to a slicing Jackson, who calmly laid the ball in for the victory.   The victory not only moved the Gladiators into Tuesday's semifinals against Pasadena but it also was the first Gahr win over Brea Olinda (26-3) in four games this season. A big difference in this meeting was the ability to shut down Wildcat guard Kyle Dodd. With Davis hounding Dodd for 32 minutes, the Brea Olinda guard managed only seven points, which is 11 below his scoring average, and missed all five of his second-half shot attempts. Senior Darrell Handy led the Gahr offense with 18 points and James Perkins added 13.

Pasadena 60, Redondo Union 50-- 50: Junior center Andrew Zahn scored a game-high 27 points and added 12 rebounds for the Sea Hawks (21-7) in their road loss to the Bulldogs (24-7). Redondo had an eight-point lead at the half, but were outscored 23-9 in the third quarter due to turnovers forced by pressure from Pasadena's guards.  And as much as we don't like to rely on Frank Welch of the Pasadena Star-News for details he was apparently the only large circulation paper who wrote about the game.  Here's some of what he had to say:  "It had become a weekly ritual for Pasadena High School boys basketball coach Tim Tucker.  Early in each week, Tucker would inqauire about where his team was ranked in the latest CIF Southern Section Divisoin II-AA top 10 poll.  When told every seven days thqat his team was not in the top 10, he would shake his head with a sly smile. "We're going to prove a lot of people wrong," Tucker said after each weekly snub.  "Mark my words.  Make sure you print that, once we win a few playoff games."   Pasadena did indeed prove a lot of people wrong when it posted a 60-50 upset victory over second-seeded Redondo Union in Friday night's quarterfinal-round game at Occidental College. The Bulldogs (24-7), winners of eight in a row, will now face Gahr in Tuesday night's semifinals.  Gahr knocked off third-seeded Brea-Olinda 63-61 on Friday night.. . . Pasadena's latest victory was impressive from the standpint that it shook off a three-point first quarter that saw the team go 1 for 10 from the field.   The Bulldogs, despite the slow start, stayed close enought for long enough.   Pasadena Trailed 25-17 at the break and Redondo junior center Andrew Zahn wa having his way inside.  After 16 minutes, Zahn had 19 points, seven rebounds, two blocks, and two assists.  but Tucker, looking for someone to step up found several willing players during the team's most critical point of the season.  Those players were the reason the Bulldogs rolled up a 43-25 edge in the second half to win.  Justin Davis was inserted into the game to lean his 6'-7" body on Zahn, who stands hree inches tall.  Davis' physical work in the pain dramatically reduced Zahn's touches.   Zahn finished with 27 points, 12 rebounds, and five blocks.  When Pasaden couldn't get the ball inside, George DeJohnette stepped up, scoring all 15 of his points in the second half and 13 of them in the third quarter.  DeJohnett's third 3-point shot of the quarter gave Pasadena a 36-34 lead with 1:20  to play.   Senior Jasun Ridley also provided a steady influence, scoring 13 of his team high 20 points in the second half; his 3 ponter put Pasadena up 50-42 with 3:36 to play.  Reggie Harmon also played great, scoring 12 points, using quickness and great ball control.

Here's the box score for the game:

Redondo Union (50)-- Andrew Zahn 27, Dijon Thompson 9, Titus Hunt 8, Walter White 6; Pasadena (60)-- Jasun Ridley 20, George DeJohnette 15, Reggie Harmon 12, Kevin Richard 6, David Ball 4, Douglas Thomas 2, Justin Davis 1.   Three-pointers:  Hunt (R) 2; Ridley (P) 3, DeJohnette (P) 3, Harmon (P) 2, Fouled out: Keith Ellison (R).

Redondo finishes up the season at 21-7, and Pasadena advances with a record of 24-7.

Division II-A Semifinal Results

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Inglewood 65, Ocean View 45--Sandy Fletcher and Skip Esene each scored 15 points for the top-seeded host Sentinels. Ocean View ends its season at 25-6. Inglewood scored 12 of the game's first 15 points and never let the Seahawks back in the game, cruising to a 64-45 victory in a CIF Division II-A playoff semifinal at Morningside High. The Sentinels (29-3) played their up-tempo offense and suffocating pressure defense to perfection in the first half. Twice in the game's first four minutes, the Sentinels forced a turnover and converted an uncontested slam dunk, and their fastbreak offense rarely allowed the Seahawks (25-6) to set up a half-court defense. "Coming in, we didn't feel that they had the athleticism to run the floor with us and take us off the dribble, so we tried to take it too them," Inglewood coach Patrick Roy said. "We didn't anticipate getting so many steals, but they weren't doing a real good job of passing the ball." Even when the Seahawks were able to set up an offense in the first half, they rarely got good looks at the basket. The Sentinels played tough man-to-man defense on guards Tony Dow (six points) and Wes Bacchus (two points), and Inglewood center Noiel Felix had four blocked shots in the first quarter. The Seahawks trailed by only nine after Dow's short jumper 30 seconds into the second quarter, but they wouldn't make only field goal until 36 seconds remained in the half. Inglewood pushed the
lead to 35-12 at halftime. "I had no idea it would be that easy," Roy said. "I was a little concerned, because I saw how well they played Crenshaw earlier this year, but that second quarter was a big momentum shift." Ocean View prevented a blowout in the second half, thanks to the play of forward Rawshaw McAfee, who totaled 15 points and 18 rebounds, both game highs, and Casey Lawson (10 points). Inglewood got sloppy on offense in the third quarter and often forced up quick, off-balance shots. McAfee was a force under the basket, fighting his larger opponents for loose balls. The Seahawks used a 10-4 run to cut their deficit to 16 midway through the third quarter, but the Sentinels pushed the lead back to 19 points after three quarters and were never threatened again. Forward Skip Esene had 15 points and five rebounds to lead the Sentinels, who will face Mayfair next Saturday at Arrowhead Pond of Anaheim.

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Mayfair 64, Santa Margarita 53-- Mayfair reached the championship game after beating defending State Champion Santa Margarita on Friday night in a CIF-Southern Section Division II-A semifinal. And for the first time in the school's history, the Monsoons (24-6) have reached the title game, beating the Eagles, 64-53, for the right to meet Inglewood on March 6 at the Pond. It took 24 points from sophomore guard Josh Childress, another 22 from senior guard Jesus Miranda and a strong defensive effort in the fourth quarter to dispatch Santa Margarita (26-3), which managed just one field goal and four free throws over the final eight minutes. Mayfair found itself down, 47-44, entering the fourth quarter.  The Monsoons picked up their man-to-man defense and rallied to outscore the Eagles, 20-6.  Mayfair Coach David Breig switched his defense throughout the game, but it was when he went to man-to-man with five minutes left that made the difference.  Santa Margarita (26-3) was outscored 20-6 in the final quarter.Kelly Kramer's 17-foot jumper from the left side with 6:33 to play gave Santa Margarita High's basketball team a five-point but it was his team's final field goal of the evening — and of the season — as the Monsoons overwhelmed the Eagles down the stretch  Leading scorer Spencer Gloger was 0-5 from the field in the last eight minutes; his team was one for 12.  After Gloger (27 points) gave the Eagles a 51-46 lead with 5:35 left, Breig made the switch on defense and got some three-point help on offense, turning the game Mayfair's way.  Guard Jesus Miranda, the only senior in Mayfair's starting five, hit a three-pointer with 3:50 left, pulling the Monsoons to within one at 51-50.  Gloger was called for charging on the opposite end and sophomore forward Josh Childress gave Mayfair the lead for good at 52-51 with 3:20 left. The Monsoons (25-6) took what should have been a major hit when sophomore guard Edwin Draughan went to the bench for the rest of the evening with sprained left ankle 90 seconds into the game. But their superior team quickness ultimately enabled them to earn their school's first trip to a basketball title game. And the presence of sophomore Josh Childress (24 points) and senior Jesus Miranda (22 points) didn't hurt, either. The 6-foot-5 Childress hit six of seven jump shots to help the Monsoons take a 30-27 advantage at halftime. After missing six shots in a row over the third and fourth quarters, he found the range again, scoring 10 points over the final 3:25. The first of those, a 19-footer from the top of the key, put his team ahead to stay, 52-51.  Miranda kept his team close when Santa Margarita (26-3) seemed on the verge of pulling away in the second half. And when the Monsoons switched to their man-to-man defense with five minutes to play, it was Miranda who drew the assignment of the Eagles' best player, 6-5 Spencer Gloger, who scored 25 points over the first three quarters. But Gloger, who seemed to tire in the late going, missed his final four shots and was forced into two key turnovers by Miranda.

Division III-AA Semifinal Results

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Bishop Montgomery 70, Pomona 60-- The Pomona Red Devils played catch-up in the fourth quarter and eventually fell to Bishop Montgomery, 70-60, in the semifinals of the CIF Division 3AA boys basketball playoffs Friday at Garey High. Pomona trailed by only three points after the third quarter but Bishop Montgomery then went on a 12-2 run to open the final quarter and never looked back. "I have to give all respect to Bishop Montgomery," said Pomona coach Derrick Pugh. "Our guys played hard but only one team could win." Errick Craven of Bishop Montgomery led all scorers with 23 points (three 3-pointers) along with four assists and Derrick Craven added 18 points."I thought we played well," said Bishop Montgomery coach Doug Mitchell. "It was a hard fought game." Shomari Sarpy was the high scorer for the Red Devils with 18 points. Dustin Jourdain was the only other player for Pomona to score in double figures with 11. The opening quarter was very fast paced with both teams running the floor. The Red Devils brought the crowd to its feet when Aaron Thomas lobbed the ball to Chris Lee for an alley-oop and Pomona took a 14-11 lead after one period. The Knights went on a 7-0 run early in the second quarter to take an 18-14 lead behind a layup by Marvin Perez, a three-pointer by Kenny D'Oyen and then a layup by E. Craven. Pomona stayed close with block shots by Sarpy and Lee and the score was tied 30-30 at the half. The third quarter twisted into the Knights' favor as the Red Devils turned the ball over four times, each but one leading to easy baskets for Bishop Montgomery. More turnovers and questionable calls buried the Devils' chance in the final period where they were outscored 24-17. "I thought we had a good season," said Pugh. " We showed a lot of pride the second half of the season leading all the way to this game." Twin brothers Errick and Derrick Craven proved to be too much for Pomona to handle as visiting Bishop Montgomery won, 70-60, Friday in a boys basketball semifinal game of the CIF Division III-AA playoffs. The Knights (24-4) play in the finals Saturday at the Pond against San Dimas at 11:15 a.m. Guard Errick Craven led the Knights with 21 points, including three three-pointers, and Derrick, also a guard, added 18 points. The Knights had a slim lead, 46-43, heading into the final quarter, but were able to outscore Pomona 24-17 to lock down the victory. Center Gabriel Hughes added 13 points for the Knights.

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San Dimas 77, Alemany 72--  In a game that featured 20 lead changes and 10 ties, San Dimas outlasted Alemany, 77-72, on the strength of one final, critical 9-0 run in the Southern Section Division III-AA playoffs Friday night at College of the Canyons.  Third-seeded Alemany led, 67-66, with 2:52 left before second-seeded San Dimas scored the next nine points, earning a date with Bishop Montgomery in the championship game at the Pond of Anaheim next Saturday.  Alemany (19-7) made it close with five points in the final 19 seconds, but close doesn't count for much in the playoffs.  Montgomery finished with 20 points against San Dimas (26-3), a team that narrowly lost to Division I-A power Glendora, 64-61.  D.J. Hackett, who has signed to play football at Cal State Northridge, scored 25 points for San Dimas, which trailed near the end of the second quarter, 42-33, but withstood nine Alemany three-pointers. Josh Smith, who has signed with Azusa Pacific, scored 15 points for San Dimas despite picking up his third foul early in the second quarter.  For Alemany, the season was a far cry from last year, when it won only five games. The Indians shared the Mission League title with
Chaminade and advanced to the playoffs for the first time since 1987. 

Division III-A Semifinal Results

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Chaminade 60, Harvard-Westlake 57--Chaminade won this Mission League game. . . er, um, oops, this was a CIF Southern Section playoff game.   Well, the third time isn't always a charm as Harvard-Westlake lost in the closest contest of the year between these two league rivals.  The headlines and story in the Daily News said that Chris Canoles was the hero, but we really don't necessarily agree with the Daily News' reasoning:  They said it was because Canoles took a charge from Russell Lakey, which was his fifth foul with less than two minutes to play and the game at one point.  We do agree that Canoles' play was critical, but not for the reasn suggested.  Instead, we think it was his defensive hustle and hard play throughout the game that was key.  Of course, had Lakey not fouled out, well, it might have been a different story, but he did, and that's that. 

This was not a very pretty game to watch.  Chaminade was really lacking in the shooting department, and the normally hot-handed Clarence Mitchell couldn't hit anything really and he only finished with 2 points.  The leading scorers for Chaminade were Cayce Cook who hit for 12 points all within the paint off of layups or short pull up jumpers off penetration, and 15 points by Scott Borchart, who hit them all from inside.  But if this team ever figures out that they've got two potentially great post players in J.J. Todd and Scott Borchart, Chaminade should be unstoppable.  The only problem is that apparently no one, including the rest of the Chaminade team, has figured out how to use these two potential weapons.  Friday night, H-W center Dan Kinzer was able to seal Borchart without much difficulty, and maybe it was because Scott was sick all last week, but he rarely was able to establish position in the paint, and if Chaminade hopes to advance in the State Tournament (in which they are now guaranteed a berth, because both the winner and runner up in a CIF Division get to go), then both Todd and Borchart will have to quickly improve their footwork and movement in and out of the key.  And the guards will have to actually consider these guys as scoring options, and from what we've seen lately, they don't.  There was one disturbing moment, which lasted for about 4 minutes in the fourth quarter, when Jeff Young pulled out Cayce Cook, who had picked up his 3rd or 4th foul, and substituted Robby Tanyoue at the point.  Now Tanyoue is a decent enough point, good speed, nice court vision, but no one, we mean no one, was willing to drive, shoot, and no one even looked inside to get the ball to either Borchart or Todd.  It was during Cook's absence that Harvard-Westlake was able to make it's big run, pulling within three points several times.   But in the end, after Lakey fouled out, Harvard-Westlake was really finished.   The final shots of the game, two three pointers to tie the score and send it to overtime, were launched by Alex Holmes who finished with 17 points on the night, and both missed.   Russell Lakey finished with 14 before fouling out.  This actually was an extremely close game in the final minute and it could have gone either way.   With 4:51 left to play in the game, H-W went ahead 52-48; at 4:03 Robbie Tanouye tied the game at 52 with a free-thorw, and then Darren Tarlow hit a free throw to put Chaminade up 52-53.  At 2:12 to play, the score was 52-54 Chaminade, and after a minute of no scoring, H-W called a timeout with 1:09 to play, the Wolverines trailing by two.  With 1:01 to play, Lakey tied the score with a two-pointer, and then stole the ball on the inbounds, and Harvard quickly called a timeout again with 57.6 seconds remaining. Lakey's charge call then occurred at 29.2 to play, and he was out.  To add to H-W's personnel problems, with 25.2 seconds to play, and Chaminade with the ball, Kinzer fouled, pickng up his 5th personal and he was gone too. Tanouye, fouled by Kinzer, made one of two, and with the score at 55-58, H-W was taking the ball out.  With Alex Holmes bringing the ball up, Scott Borchart committed a foul on Holmes, who went to the line, where he made two free throws to bring H-W to within one point, 57-58.  But then with Chaminade again on the inbounds play, Eric Geffner fouled Borchart, who made both free throws, and again, Chaminade led by three 60-57.  H-W, employing the same offense they've used for most of the year, something we call the "jacket" offense (you know, "jack it up" whenever you have a look at the bakset), puts the ball in the hands of senior Alex Holmes, a 320 lb. Division I football prospect, who has been known to hit a couple of threes, and he launched two three pointers in the final 14.2 seconds, both of which missed and the net result was that H-W lost and Chaminade won.   For Harvard-Westlake, in addition to Lakey's 14 and Holme's 17, Bryan Berkett had 2, Todd Kurihawa had 5, Alex Minn 8, Eric Geffner 2, Gillig 3, Kinzer 4, and Hooks 2.   For Chaminade Arceo had 5, Tanyoue 4, Johnson 5, Mitchell 2, Canoles 4, Cooke 11, Tarlow 8, Borchart 14, Lefebvre 2, and Todd 5.

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Corona del Mar 61, Nordhoff 45--Unseeded Corona del Mar held off a late run by third-seeded Ojai Nordoff and advanced to the Southern Section Division III-A boys' basketball final with a 61-46 victory Friday at Corona del Mar.   Corona del Mar returns to the final for the first time since 1995 when it defeated Playa del Rey St. Bernard, 47-46, to win the Division IV-AA title. Corona del Mar also won titles in 1993 (IV-AA) and '77 (3-A).  The Sea Kings (18-10) pulled ahead with a 19-7 second quarter, but their 18-point lead was cut to seven with 4 1/2 minutes remaining. Justin Shea made three consecutive baskets to halt the Nordhoff rally and seal the victory. He finished with 14 points.  Alec Hanson also scored 14 for Corona del Mar, which will play West Hills Chaminade March 6 at the Arrowhead Pond.  Dennis Alshuler and Kevin Hansen each scored 13 points for Corona del Mar.  Etienne Emmanuel led Nordhoff (19-6) with 18 points. fter two playoff victories,
Corona del Mar has advanced to the CIF-Southern Section Division III-A championship game. The Sea Kings (18-10) will play Chaminade of West Hills (23-4) in the morning session of the CIF-Southern Section boys basketball championships at Arrowhead Pond of Anaheim on March 6. It will be Corona del Mar's sixth appearance in a CIF-SS boys basketball championship game. The Sea Kings won section titles in 1977, 1981, 1993 and 1995. Basketball playoff divisions are based on enrollment, and only eight boys basketball teams in the 500-school Southern Section fell within the enrollment boundaries of Division III-A, while each of the nine other divisions had at least 16 teams qualify, and several had 32. Nordhoff (19-6) was without three starters Friday night, including its leading scorer.  Rangers coach Jim Hall benched the three for breaking school rules. Among them was Andy Flores, averaging 22 points a game.  "That coach did what he had to do," Corona del Mar coach Paul Orris said. "My hat's off to him for sticking by his standards." The Sea Kings took early advantage of the Rangers' lack of firepower, jumping to a 12-5 lead. Nordhoff soon closed the gap, and it was 12-12 at the end of the first quarter.  The teams stayed close through most of the second quarter until Corona del Mar scored the quarter's last 12 points to take a 31-19 lead into halftime. Corona del Mar built a 17-point cushion at the end of the third
quarter. The Rangers cut that to 51-43 with 4:39 to go. In the next two minutes, the Sea Kings' Justin Shea muscled in two short turnaround jumpers and Dennis Alshuler added a basket to put the Sea Kings comfortably ahead again, 57-43. Shea scored half of Corona del Mar's 12 fourth-quarter points and finished with 14, tying Alec Hanson for team-high honors.
"In the fourth quarter," Orris said, "we needed somebody to step up for us. Justin stepped up." Alshuler scored 13 points, as did Kevin Hansen, who also had nine rebounds. Etienne Emanual led Nordhoff with 18 points and 10 rebounds.
Corona del Mar finished fourth in the Sea View League and qualified for the playoffs as an at-large entrant. Nordhoff was co-champion of the Frontier League with Santa Clara and beat Santa Clara in a league game. Santa Clara
advanced to the V-AA semifinals Friday night.

Division IV-AA Semifinal Results

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Serra 61, St. Paul 59--We've already received Jason Day's report on this game and it's posted here, but here are some additional details we've managed to scrounge together from the Long Beach Press-Telegram's staff reports: "Ryan Odoms scored the game winning basket with five seconds remaining in the fourth quarter to put Serra ahead for good, 61-59, as the Cavaliers defeated the Swordsmen in the semifinals of the Division IV-AA CIF Southern Section playoffs at Loyola Marymount. Aerick Sanders had 19 points to lead Serra, who improved to 18-12 with the win. The Cavaliers will now play Twentynine Palms on March 5 in the final at the UC Irvine Bren Center.  St. Paul, who saw it's season end with a mark of 17-13, was paced by Alex Villegas's 18 points."

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Twentynine Palms 65, Crespi 53--Twentynine Palms 65, Crespi 53--Crespi rallied from an eight-point deficit midway through the fourth quarter but was outscored, 17-5, in overtime of a semifinal at Yucca Valley High.  Marcin Jagoda, who led Crespi (19-9) with 16 points and 10 rebounds, made a basket with about a minute to play to tie the score, 48-48.  Twentynine Palms (23-5) began overtime with a 6-0 run. Maurice Buchanan scored 17 of his game-high 25 points in the second half and three in overtime.  Blake Tibbetts had 15 points and Andrew Moore had nine points and seven rebounds
for Crespi. Gregg Guenther had seven rebounds. Twentynine Palms (23-5) outscored Encino Crespi 17-5 in overtime to earn a spot in the Division IVAA final. Maurice Buchanan led the Wildcats with 25 points and 10 rebounds. Twentynine Palms led 46-36 after three quarters, but Crespi managed to tie the game after regulation, 48-48. "We were up in the fourth but missed some shots," Twentynine Palms coach Brian Murray said. "In overtime we put on our rat pack offense. It's like a rat eating at your leg in a subway. It was that offense that made the difference." Greg Harris added 10 points and 10 assists, and Viliamu Morton had 11 points and 14 rebounds. "We played good defense the whole game," Murray said. "We were peaking at the right time." Crespi was led by Blake Tibbets with 15 points. The Wildcats will face Gardena Serra, a 61-59 winner over Santa Fe Springs St. Paul, 61-59, in the final Friday at UC Irvine. CRESPI (53) -- Bornan 2, Moore 9, Lioneli 5, Tibbetts 15 , Jagoba 14, Guentater 5, Biernat 1. TWENTYNINE PALMS (65) -- Harkley 8, Harris 10, Cotton 11, Buchanan 25, Morton 11.   Halftime score -- Twentynine Palms 26-24. Three-point goals -- Harris 2, Cotton, Buchanan 2, Moore 3. Total fouls -- Crespi 21, Twentynine Palms 17. Fouled out -- none.  

Division IV-A Semifinal Results

Upper Bracket

Verbum Dei 77, Mojave 46--As always, news travels slowly out of the High Desert area, and this time it's no different. We haven't got a clue what really happened here except that as expected, Verb won.  As far as who did what to whom though, we'll have to wait until we see David Greenwood and his group again so we can check their scorebook.  If anyone out there has any of the details, let us know.

Lower Bracket

Crossorads 73, Santa Maria St. Joseph 56--Matt Cova had 20 points but it wasn't enough as a seven-minute scoring drought in the second half proved fatal in a Division IV-A quarterfinal.  

Division V-AA Quarterfinal Results

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Pasadena Poly 40, Campbell Hall 34--For more than three quarters, Campbell Hall had top-seeded and undefeated Pasadena Poly right where it wanted.  The unheralded Vikings held a four-point lead with seven minutes left in the game. Then reality set in.  Campbell Hall did not score again until there was less than a minute remaining and the Panthers came back for a quarterfinal victory at Campbell Hall.  Viking Coach Brian Haloossim said his team simply made too many mistakes down the stretch. He found little consolation in the fact that his team held Pasadena Poly (26-0) to its lowest point total of the season.  Haloossim said the Vikings (20-10) did a good job defending Pasadena Poly's 6-foot-7 center, Koko Archibong, who finished with a game-high 12 points. The biggest basket of the game might have been a three-pointer by Matt Lawler that gave Pasadena Poly a 34-29 lead with 2:20 remaining. Lawler had three three-point baskets and 11 points. Guard Hassan Bassiri scored 11 points for Campbell Hall before fouling out in the waning seconds.

Desert 58, Calvary Chapel Downey 53--This one come's to us from the Long Beach Telegram's staff reports: "The Grizzlies, down by 15 points early in the third quarter, rallied but fell short at Edwards Air Force Base on Friday night in a CIF Southern Section Division V-AA quarterfinal.  Desert's Ian Silva made a 3-pointer with 55 seconds left to give it a 53-47 lead and seal the victory. Downey Calvary Chapel, which finishes the season with a 24-5 record, found itself trailing 38-23, but the Grizzlies went on a 12-0 run late in the third quarter to cut the lead to 38-35. Senior point guard Keegan McInnis and Davion Archie-Wade paced the comeback, combining for 36 points. McInnis led all scorers with 21 points.


Lower Bracket

Pacific Hills 56, St. Anthony's 55--We want to thank Anne Ibarra for this report, because evidently, the Times doesn't think too much of D-V basketball: "Pacific Hills senior center Rodney Harvey's four footer with two seconds remaining gave the Bruins a 56-55 victory over St. Anthony and their eighth consecutive final four appearance. St. Anthony (22-7) led by as many as 15 points in the second quarter. Pacific Hills (23-6) cut the lead to nine at intermission and to three by the fourth quarter. With 13 seconds left and the Saints ahead 55-54, Pacific Hills guard Jonathon Wade came up with a steal which set up the stage for the Harvey's final shot.   St. Anthony's A.J. Diggs led all scorers with 22 points as the Saints led vertually the entire game until Harvey's final shot."We were able to step our defensive intensity in the second half" said Pacific Hills coach John Bobich. "Our defense gave us the chance and were able to execute down the stretch," said Bobich.   Pacific Hills will travel to Oxnard to face Santa Clara in the semifinals. The two teams met in last year's section championship Pacific Hills defeated Santa Clara in overtime."  And here's what we found in the Long Beach Press-Telegram: " To say St. Anthony High threw away a victory Friday night against defending state champion Pacific Hills, a team it had lost to by 20 points earlier in the season, isn't just a metaphor. It's the truth. Pearson Smith's hesitant inbounds pass, with 15.9 seconds left and the Saints ahead by a point, was intercepted by Pacific Hills guard Jonathan
Wade. After immediately calling their final timeout, the Bruins put the ball in the hands of 6-foot-5, 280-pound Rodney Harvey down on the block, which, as it did all evening, spelled bad news for St. Anthony. Harvey bulled his way for a layin with 2.8 seconds left and after A.J. Diggs' 40-footer fell far short of its target, Pacific Hills players stormed the court to celebrate their 56-55 CIF Southern Section V-AA quarterfinal victory at St. Anthony. St. Anthony players, meanwhile, were splayed on the court, having a hard time believing this one got away. The Saints (22-7) held Ryan Abrahams - who'd scorched them for 27 points in an early-season loss - to 14, or 13 below his average. They led by as many as 16 points in the first half, and from midway through the first period until Harvey's layin, they never trailed. "We had it," said Jared Lloyd, who scored 10 points off the bench for the Saints. "It was mental mistakes by the whole team that didn't finish it off. We're better than that. They made plays at the end and that's why they're (state) champs." St. Anthony got 22 points from Diggs, its junior point guard. He was the Saints' lone reliable ballhandler and was a catalyst for their defense in the first half. Diggs, Smith and Steve Sakamoto successfully overplayed the perimeter passing lanes, which led to steals and easy baskets. But St. Anthony's shallower bench and the more physical Bruins (23-6) - like Harvey, who scored 15 points - seemed to wear down the Saints. They went scoreless for 5:05 in the third quarter and were finally caught midway through the fourth. "I told the kids not to put their heads down," said St. Anthony coach Joe Luyben. "They played a phenomenal game. We just made one mistake. We didn't execute at the end and it bit us right in the butt."

Santa Clara 81, Chadwick 60--Nick Jones scored 31 points and B.J. Ward had 21 points, seven assists and six steals to lead the Saints in a quarterfinal at Chadwick.   Second-seeded Santa Clara (24-3) beat Chadwick in the semifinals last season, but Jones said the Dolphins were better this year.  Jones scored 11 of the Saints' 21 second-quarter points. Santa Clara led from start to finish, using a 9-1 run in the second quarter to build a 38-26 halftime lead.  The Saints made 25 of 31 free throws, with Jones making all 10 of his attempts.  Chadwick (15-13) made 17 of 22 free throws. Michael Reich scored 19 points and Ryan Maier added 16 for the Dolphins.  Santa Clara will play third-seeded Pacific Hills, a 56-55 winner over St. Anthony, in a semifinal Tuesday at a site to be determined. Pacific Hills, the defending state champion, beat Santa Clara in the V-AA final last  season.

And we also have this report from the Ventura County Star: "Being on the inside pages of Sports Illustrated is no jinx.
Not to coaching legend Lou Cvijanovich or the Santa Clara boys' basketball team.    Cvijanovich was featured in the magazine's "Faces in the Crowd" in this week's issue.  SI cover boys are notoriously jinxed.  It had little effect on the Santa Clara basketball team (24-3), which defeated host Chadwick 81-60 in a Division V-AA quarterfinal game Friday night.   Chadwick fell to 15-13.   Nick Jones had 31 points, 10 rebounds and three assists for Santa Clara. Teammate B.J. Ward added 19 points, three assists and two steals.  For Santa Clara, it marks the 18th time in the last 20 years that Cvijanovich, the state's winningest boys' basketball coach with 822 victories, has taken his program to CIF-SS semifinal game.  
SI recognized Cvijanovich for his 803rd career win -- recorded in December.  In a rematch of last year's V-AA semifinal, Chadwick came out with an active 2-3 zone that denied Santa Clara entry to the lane.  Chadwick's Peter McCaslin, who broke an ankle in that 1998 game against Santa Clara, hit a couple of baskets and made some pinpoint passes that enabled the Dolphins to take a 12-9 lead with 2:01 left in the first quarter.   Santa Clara's answer to the Chadwick zone was to put the ball in Jones' hands. Jones pushed the tempo with a coast-to-coast drive that initiated an 11-4 run; Jones had nine points during that stretch.  "They kept us from running," said Jones. "We just kept patient.  "When we were able to start running, it got them on their heels.  "The important thing is that we picked up our defense. If we continue to play tough defense, it's going to be difficult to stop us."   Chadwick coach Andrew Furuto agreed.  "Because of their athleticism, they're a difficult team to defend," said Furuto.  "Santa Clara's defense made it difficult for us to get into our offense. We got some good looks, but we weren't hitting -- I credit that to good defense."   Chadwick refused to buckle in the first half, thanks to 14 of 16 free-throw attempts.  Foul troubles to Terance Dotsy and Mel Angell caused sense of urgency for Santa Clara, which next meets Pacific Hills.  Seven unanswered points, highlighted by a 3-point field goal by Anthony Camper, extended Santa Clara's lead to 35-24.  Ward took over the game in the third quarter, hitting five outside shots as Santa Clara maintained a 55-42 margin.  "They're a fine team," Cvijanovich said," but they just couldn't handle the pressure.  "They stayed with us for a while, but that's when conditioning took over."  Decisions on the future of the Chadwick program are expected to be made soon.  A bolt struck Chadwick last month with the in-season firing of 27-year basketball coach Tom Maier, who led the program to CIF titles in 1980 and 1985.  He was replaced, on an interim basis, by Furuto."  

Division V-A Semifinal Results

Upper Bracket

Price 69, West LA Baptist 42--We didn't get any details of this game. If anyone knows what happened, mail it in or post it on the message board.  Thanks.

Lower Bracket

Antelope Valley Christian 65, Rio Hondo Prep 55--Matthew Nurse scored 11 of his 16 points in the first quarter and finished with seven assists for Antelope Valley Christian (21-2) in a semifinal victory over host Rio Hondo Prep (13-9).   Nurse also had seven assistes as the No. 2 seeded Eagles knocked off the Kares (13-9) on Friday night.  With the win, AV Christian (21-2) advances to play top-seede Price on Friday at UC Irvine's Bren Center.   Peter Beaudin added 15 points, 14 rebounds and six blocked shots for the Eagles, who entered the playoffs on the heels of an Agape League Championship. Jamal Flanagan contributed 14 points, 12 rebounds, and six assists.  Rio Hondo Prep struggled getting the ball inside because of the Eagles' big man in the middle Peter Beaudin.  The Kares were forced to go to the perimeter, and wile they didn't hit many shots, they did get an impressive performance from Jacob Blake who had a team-high 16 points.  Steve Aman also had a strong game, finishing with 12 points and nine reboundes for Rio Hondo.

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