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SoCal High School & Prep Report

Southern Section: Wednesday's First Round
& Wild Card Games --(February 19, 1998)

Here are the wild-card and first round games from Southern Section playoff games played yesterday, Wednesday, February 18, 1998. We've managed to find most of the details and highlights for all but a handful of the games. For those we didn't have details, at least we've got the scores, which is better than nothing. These are all wild card games unless otherwise indicated.

Division I-AA

Fountain Valley 77, Crescenta Valley 65

Fountain Valley, thanks to a 77-65 wild-card victory against Crescenta Valley on Wednesday, now gets to play No. 1 overall seed Artesia. Meanwhile, Crescenta Valley's season ends at 16-11. The Barons (15-11) took advantage of their superior height, outrebounding Crescenta Valley, 31-21. Even though the full-court Falcon pressure caused 16 turnovers, the Barons still shot 55% from the field. The night began ominously for Crescenta Valley when their best player, Christ Shakhmalian, sprained his left ankle after making the game's first basket. He did not return. It got worse. After a relatively even first quarter--Fountain Valley led 17-16--Crescenta Valley was hurt with a four-minute span of turnovers and ill-advised shots. Fountain Valley erupted for a 19-5 run to lead, 36-22.

Division II-AA

Canyon 77, Los Amigos 44

Canyon (19-9), which will play top-seeded Compton (23-5) in the first round Friday, was a different team at the beginning of the season, or at least looked at differently. The Comanches were ranked ninth in the county in the preseason polls and were expected to stroll through the Century League. But their season started to fall apart about the time league play began. Canyon went 5-5 in league play and barely made the playoffs. Los Amigos Coach Don Grable also said his team looked at the Comanches differently this time around. "Last time we were intimidated the whole game," Grable said. "At least this time we were intimidated in the first quarter and then we started playing a little bit."

Canyon did start the game fast, scoring the first 13 points and led, 19-4, after the first quarter. Roger Hogan hit two of his five three-pointers in the first minute and Drew Gaulden had two two-handed dunks in the initial run. Gaulden, who has committed to New Mexico, sat out the first two minutes of the game because he missed practice over the weekend while attending the New Mexico-Nevada Las Vegas game Friday in Las Vegas. Alexander knew beforehand that Gaulden would miss practice, which would force the 6-9 center to miss starting Wednesday. "We knew ahead of time it was going to happen. He knew the consequences, everything was fine," Alexander said. "He's a great kid. He's a starter on anybody's team in Orange County, but you got to stick to the rules no matter who it is." The Lobos (12-17) had a decent second quarter, only getting outscored, 18-15. But Hogan hit his fourth three-pointer of the game and Gaulden made two in a row from beyond the arc to put the Comanches up by 25. Gaulden, who finished with 16 points and 14 rebounds, made a short jumper late in the third quarter to give Canyon a 52-26 lead, then he and the rest of the starters were done for the night. "I'm glad we're back to playing well," Gaulden said. "We played really well in the preseason and everyone was noticing us, but I think we were really underestimated in the playoff draw."

Hemet 59, Gahr 55

Gahr High's youthful boys basketball team learned a lesson in Wednesday's CIF Southern Section II-AA wild-card game against Hemet. The trouble is, though, the playoffs aren't a good time for lessons. The lesson, by the way, was "You cannot win (by) playing six minutes of inspired basketball," according to Gahr coach Bruce Erickson. The result was a 59-55 Hemet victory and the conclusion of the Gladiators' season. Gahr (16-11) turned the ball over 20 times and trailed most of the way. With 2:20 left in the game, the Gladiators were down, 53-40. "Then we came back and played the way we did most of the season," Erickson said. In less than a minute, Gahr had the deficit down to 53-48 on a free throw by Marques Jordan, a twisting layin by Jon Fenderson, a three-point play by Jordan and a bucket by Joe Bryant. After Hemet's Aaron Smith missed a free throw, Gahr's Michael Williams drained a 3-pointer to trim the deficit to two with 51 seconds left.

Hemet's Moises Alvarez then won the game at the free throw line and sent the Bulldogs into a first-round game at Brea Olinda. Alvarez, who scored 27 points, which was one under his average, went to the line three times in the final 42 seconds and each time he made both of his attempts. Gahr had baskets by Bryant and Fenderson during that time, but couldn't overcome Hemet (13-12). Gahr's leading scorer Ramaan Shotwell finished with 10 points, five under his average, but seven came from the free-throw line. His only bucket from the field, a 3-pointer from the right wing, came with 5:37 left in the game. Jordan, who had 12 points, was the only other double-figure scorer for the Gladiators. Gahr was also hurt when Fenderson missed most of the first half with three fouls. The 6-foot-4 senior finished with eight points and seven rebounds. Alvarez was 9 of 21 from the field, including 4 of 11 from 3-point range, and made all six of his free throw attempts.

Tustin 58, Loara 50

The Tillers struggled but regrouped long enough in the fourth quarter to pull out a 58-50 victory in a Southern Section Division II-AA wild-card game. Tustin (20-7) advances to play at third-seeded Inglewood (19-5) Friday night. Wednesday's game was sloppy. The teams combined for 45 turnovers and an assorted bag of air balls. Loara was 13 of 22 on free throws; Tustin made 14 of 25. The play was rugged too. Chris Chatman scored 12 points. Loara Coach Ed Prange said Tustin wore down the Saxons and in doing so denied Loara a school-record 21st victory. Crabb, thanks to four three-point baskets, led all scorers with 18 points. Forward Martin Banda led Loara with 13 points and had nine rebounds. Guards Brian Brennan and Mike Eshelman scored 12 and 11 points. The teams seemed to suffer from a power failure in the first half. First, a light show during player introductions knocked out power in the Loara gym and left the estimated crowd of 700 in the dark for several minutes. Then, the teams combined to scored just 13 points in the quarter. Loara held a five-point lead with 20 seconds left in the first half, but Crabb's third three-point basket brought Tustin to within 25-23. The Tillers scored the first five points of the third quarter, but Loara pulled within a point several times and regained the lead, 43-41, at the outset of the fourth quarter on a three-point basket by Brennan. Tustin took the lead back for good on a 12-foot jumper by Crabb.

Division III-AA

Brawley 91, Bloomington 87

Monrovia 57, Bosco Tech 54

Pioneer 80, Gabrielino 65

We were unable to get details on these games. Score, yes, details no.

Division IV-A

First Round

LA Baptist 40, Brentwood 37

For a basketball team that once had a 5-11 record and six-game losing streak, L.A. Baptist High has suddenly discovered the secret to success. "It's all about heart," said 6-foot-3 center Evan Regenstreif, who contributed 12 points and eight rebounds as the Knights upset Brentwood, 40-37, in a Southern Section Division IV-A first-round playoff game Wednesday night at Brentwood. It was L.A. Baptist's seventh victory in eight games and set up a Friday showdown with Bell-Jeff in the quarterfinals. The Knights (12-12) lost twice to Brentwood (18-8) this season, by six points and seven points. How they were able to win Wednesday despite high-scoring guard Frank Vasquez making just three of 15 shots and scoring seven points is even more startling. But Regenstreif, an offensive guard and defensive tackle for the football team, played a decisive role for the Knights. Regenstreif scored from underneath on a power move with 2:19 left to give L.A. Baptist a 38-33 lead. His two free throws with 49.7 seconds left made the lead 40-35. The Knights were able to play tough defense and spread the court to disrupt the Eagles' attack. Cameron Craig and Andrew Norris, who both had nine rebounds, made important contributions on the defensive boards. Brentwood had a chance to tie the game, but Shane Ingraham missed a three-point shot with two seconds left.

Bell-Jeff 74, Providence 46

Ruben Douglas scored 39 points and Mike West added 24 for Bell-Jeff High, which earned Burbank bragging rights with a 74-46 victory over Providence in a first-round Southern Section Division IV-A boys' basketball playoff game Wednesday night at Bell-Jeff. After Providence guard Apollo Kascinta tied the game, 22-22, with a layup midway through the second quarter, Douglas showed why he is the 10th highest scorer in state history. The 6'-5" Arizona-bound guard scored 10 consecutive points in a 2 1/2-minute span, including a pair of free throws, two dunks and two layups. Douglas scored 16 of the Guards' 19 points in the quarter to give them a 36-24 lead at halftime. Douglas, who averages 34.4 points a game, passed the 1,000-point mark for the season. West, who had nine rebounds, scored all but one of his baskets from the lane. "No one can compare to [West] so we try to get him the ball inside whenever possible," Douglas told the Times. "It's a big man's game." Providence assistant coaches Paolo Velasco, Robert Mena and Andrew Bencze were forced to take over for Athletic Director and Coach Paul Sutton, who was hospitalized Wednesday morning because of intestinal problems. Preliminary tests indicated Sutton has a blocked colon. "I'm sure doctors are having to hold him down right now," Bencze said of Sutton. "He hasn't missed a game in 13 years." Kascinta scored 14 points and Dickran Tashdjian added 12 for Providence (13-10). The third-seeded Guards (17-12) will play L.A. Baptist on Friday in the second round.

Orange Lutheran 83, Loma Linda Academy 57

Jason Whieldon led the host Lancers with 23 points, 12 assists and 10 rebounds. Matt Erickson added 16 points, Kip Fox scored 13 and Jeff Kerns made three three-pointers. Orange Lutheran is 13-11. Loma Linda Academy finishes at 17-6.

Serra 74, St. Bonaventure 39

Brandon Duplessie scored 17 points but the Seraphs (10-14) were outclassed in a Division IV-A game at Serra. Serra (20-8) jumped to a 18-3 lead after the first quarter and continued its domination en route to a 28-point halftime lead.

Verbum Dei 93, Valley Christian 40

Junior center Dalron Johnson and sophomore guard Robert Watkins each scored 23 points and Marlon Palmer tossed in 20 of his own as the host Eagles (16-5) crushed the Crusaders (12-13) in a first round contest. Erick Streelman led Valley Christian with 13 points.

Whittier Christian 80, Sun Valley Village Christian 66

Paul Tait had 22 points for the Crusaders, which stayed with second-seeded Whittier Christian for three quarters in a Division IV-A game at La Habra High. Whittier Christian shot twice as many free throws as Village Christian (10-15), sinking 25 of 34 to pull away from the Crusaders in the fourth quarter. Aaron Wall had 10 points and eight rebounds for Village Christian, which trailed, 37-33, at halftime, and, 58-50, after three quarters. John Stoa scored 30 points for Whittier Christian. Josh Streeter of the Heralds scored 14 points. Teammate Matt Martinez scored 13 points.

Division V-A

First Round

Baptist Christian Hemet 70, Redlands Calvary Christian 68

Desert Christian 69, Wilson Creek 50

Gateway Christian 59, Mesrobian 37

La Sierra 72, Colton 64

Scheduling change: St. Anthony (19-6) will host wild-card winner La Sierra Academy in a first-round game today at 7 p.m. La Sierra Knights (12-11) pulled away for a 72-64 wild-card victory over Christian Center Academy Wednesday night.

Santa Clarita Christian 69, Southwestern Academy 45

No details were available.

Division V-AA

Cate 62, Holy Martyrs 41

Ravi Mehta scored 19 points and Ogo Nwanyanwu added 17 as Cate School whipped Holy Martyrs 62-41 in a CIF Division V-AA wildcard boys basketball game Wednesday night at the Carpinteria High gym. The Rams, now 12-9, advance to play the top seed, Montclair Prep, on Friday night. The scoring for Holy Martyrs was Oughourlian 2, Zakarian 2, Barsamian 6, Tarpinian 3, Najarian 19, Choulakian 9. Scoring for Cate was Fudge 9, O. Nwanyanwu 17, Dvorak 4, Mehta 19, Perlmutter 4, Linsmayer 2, Nagano 2, K. Nwanyanwu 2, Barton 2. Holy Martyrs had 6 three point goals, t scored by Najarian, and one by Tarpinian. For Cate, Mehta had 4 threes, while O. Nwanyanwu had 3 threes, and Fudge had one.

Ribet Academy 62, Villanova Prep 47

No details were available.

St. Margaret's 78, Riverside Christian 49

Alex Huff scored 43 points, connecting on 13 of 18 shots from the field and making five of seven from the three-point range. Dylan Gilbert added 10 points and 13 rebounds for visiting St. Margaret's (10-12). Brian Sternberg scored eight points with nine rebounds and 12 assists. Tony Chavez led Riverside Christian (14-7) with 21 points, including a game-high six three-pointers. Nick Paige and Justin Hixon added 11 and 10 points.

Thacher 82, Armenian General (AGBU) 70

Senior guard Peter Holmes scored 14 of his 30 points in the second quarter for the Toads, who never trailed after the first quarter in a Division V-AA game against Armenian General (12-4) at Thacher. Bryson Brown added 15 points for Toads (9-10).