art304

SoCal High School & Prep Report

Southern Section Playoffs: Division I-AA
Artesia Defeats Simi Valley--(March 4, 1998)

There were two Division I-AA Semifinals last night. Besides the Artesia--Simi game, there was also the Long Beach Poly v. Etiwanda game in which Poly defeated Etiwanda 84-71. The details of that game can be found here. But for now, here are the details of the Artesia v. Simi game:

Artesia can now set its sights on a third meeting with Poly. The Pioneers won the first two meetings, but both games were close. It will also be a chance for redemption from last year's loss to Dominguez in the II-A title game. On Tuesday night, Lakewood Artesia just proved who was the bigger, better and faster team: Artesia beat Simi Valley, 70-45, and will advance to a title game for the third year in a row. Artesia improved to 29-1 on the season. Simi goes out with a 25-6 record.

Simi trailed, 34-25 at the half but the game got out of reach in the third quarter when Artesia made five of its first six shots to take a 46-26 lead with 4:58 left in the quarter. In contrast, Simi Valley turned the ball over on its first three possessions, missed both of its shots and was one of two from the foul line. Top-seeded Artesia used a 12-1 third-quarter run en route to the victory.

Although Artesia started a front line that went 6'-7", 6'-7" and 6'-6" and had subs that were 6'-9" and 6'-6", it was not the height advantage alone that won the game. And while height helped (Artesia outrebounded Simi 37-25) it wasn't the only reason they won. Artesia was just quicker and more dominating. That same quickness forced Simi to commit 19 turnovers, including six in the third quarter. And the three were basically, as stated above, outrebounded. Berumen had only six rebounds, as Artesia outrebounded Simi Valley, 37-25.

Artesia made only 14 of 42 shots in the first half, but held a 26-11 rebounding advantage.

Jason Kapono, Artesia's big star player, came out obviously suffering with the flu, and we learned that he also was complaining of having a migraine headache, a 101-degree fever, and was suffering from dehydration. Other than the fact that the kid wanted to win really badly, you have to wonder about the wisdom of letting a player play under these circumstances. We know it's not fashionable to say this, but the flu is, and can be a whole lot more dangerous for an athlete than, say a common cold; playing under these circumstances, with dehydration, or a fever, can be extremely dangerous, can lead to potentially serious health risks. We understand that even after the game was won, Merion kept Kapono in the game. That should not be allowed to happen, and the athlete's health should come first. He should not have been allowed to play unless cleared by a doctor; no if's and's or but's .

But with Kapono ailing, James Murdock also struggled from the field, missing his first seven shots and hitting only 3 of 14. Kapono, who was questionable up to the opening tip, managed to contribute 12 points, eight rebounds and a blocked shot in a courageous effort. And Murdock also ended up with 12 points. And senior Jamal O'Quinn had 16 points, including four 3-pointers, while senior guard Willie Alford had five points; freshmen Jack Martinez scored 14 points, pulled down 11 rebounds, and made three big blocks. Apolinar Fernandez finished with five points, and seven rebounds, and he was critical to the win, even though five points might not seem like a lot. A big part of the big win was Artesia's effort in defense: Artesia limited Simi Valley's best shooters (Rafael Berumen, Branduinn Fullove and Brett Michel) for most of the game. The Simi troika shot only 34 points on Tuesday. To gauge just how devasting that was to Simi's offense, consider that in the prior two playoff games, the same three had shot 125 total points, averaging 62.5 points per game, almost 40 points more than they scored on Tuesday.

At the end of the first quarer, the teams were tied at 13-13 after one period and the game remained close for most of the second period. But Artesia began to slowly pull away when it started to hit some outside shots.

In the second half, O'Quinn nailed a pair of 3-pointers, Murdock drained one, and even Alford, a defensive specialist, went outside the arc to make a basket. By the halftime, Artesia led, 34-25.

It only took Artesia about three minutes in the third quarter to gain solid control. Artesia began the half with a follow shot by Martinez, a layin from Kapono, a steal and layup by Murdock, an 8-foot banker by Martinez, one free throw each by Kapono and Murdock and a 3-pointer by O'Quinn to build a 47-25 lead. From there, the Pioneers coasted to the win.