Division III-A boys bracket

The finals are now set in Division III-A: Harvard Westlake will meet Compton Centennial at the Pond next Saturday, and both teams are guaranteed a trip to the State Tournament. For both of these teams, it seems like they are there just about every year, and in Division III, at least for the State Tournament, at least for the last four years, it has always seemed to be a battle between Centennial and Bishop Montgomery....but not this year, and we'll finally get to see if Centennial has what it takes to knock off a challenger for the title. For the past three years in a row, Centennial has been a bridesmaid, but never a bride, finishing as the runner-up each year to the Knights. Harvard-Westlake is once again back in Division III after a short stint in Division IV-AA last year, where they knocked off El Segundo to take a CIF-SS title....and this is a better Wolverine team than last year in our humble opinion, one which could go farther than last year's version. See you next Saturday in Anaheim....

First round games Wednesday February 19			Second Round Friday February 21	Quarterfinals Tuesday Feb 25	Semifinals Friday Feb 28	Finals March 8 @ Pond
Upper half of Bracket
BYE	@	No. 1 Bishop Montgomery	Estancia 37 @ Bishop Montgomery 73	Bishop Montgomery @ Banning	Banning 57 @ Lynwood HS (alternate site) Centennial 67 (Host Team)	Centennial vs Harvard-Westlake
Estancia 62	@	Gabrielino 36	Estancia 37 @ Bishop Montgomery 73
Corona del Mar 57	@	Ganesha 60	Banning 72 @ Ganesha 68
Gladstone 34	@	Banning 76	Banning 72 @ Ganesha 68
BYE	@	Centennial Compton	Chaminade 44 @ Centennial Compton 46	Centennial Compton 74 @ La Canada 71 (OT)
Chaminade 78	@	Bolsa Grande 47	Chaminade 44 @ Centennial Compton 46
Morro Bay 63	@	Cathedral 71	Cathedral 57 @ La Canada 74
BYE	@	No. 4 La Canada	Cathedral 57 @ La Canada 74
Lower half of Bracket
Duarte 46	@	No. 3 Harvard Westlake 81	Cabrillo 42 @ Harvard-Westlake 84	Harvard-Westlake 92 @ Northwood 52	Harvard-Westlake @ Marina HS (alternate site) Ocean View (Host Team)
Muir 56	@	Cabrillo/Lompoc 58	Cabrillo 42 @ Harvard-Westlake 84
Northview 48	@	Oak Park 65	Oak Park48 @ Northwood 51
BYE	@	Northwood	Oak Park48 @ Northwood 51
Marshall 60	@	Bishop Amat 62 (OT)	San Dimas 56 @ Bishop Amat 70	Bishop Amat 44 @ Ocean View 68
Notre Dame/SO 53	@	San Dimas 64	San Dimas 56 @ Bishop Amat 70
South Pasadena 56	@	Workman 70	Workman 31 @ Ocean View 59
BYE	@	No. 2 Ocean View	Workman 31 @ Ocean View 59

Semifinal Results--Games Played Friday, February 28 (Listed in Bracket Order):

Compton Centennial 67, Banning 57
Arron Afflalo scored 22 points and Chris Barry scored 20 points to lead Centennial (18-9), which also received seven points and 14 rebounds from freshman Jervaughn Johnson. Banning is 28-3. Afflalo is the only starter from a team that was depleted by graduations and the transfer of junior guard Gabriel Pruitt to Westchester, and the team has two freshmen starters in forward Jervaughn Johnson and guard Tyre Thompson. Against Banning, Johnson, a 6-foot-6 forward, had seven points and 13 rebounds, and Thompson scored 10. With a Banning zone defense concentrating on Afflalo on the perimeter, Barry dominated inside with 17 first-half points to help Centennial to a 35-28 halftime lead. Centennial led by 13 points in the third quarter but Banning, which defeated top seed and defending champion Bishop Montgomery in the quarterfi nals, climbed to within 49-44 with 6:30 to play. Centennial scored 10 of the next 12 points during a spurt that included three 3-point baskets, including consecutive 3-pointers by Afflalo within a 36-second span that gave the Apaches a 59-46 lead with 2:11 left. All of Afflalo's points from the field came on six 3-point baskets before making four free throws in the final minute.

No. 3 Harvard-Westlake 73, No. 2 Ocean View 51-- Bryce Taylor scored a game-high 30 points on 7-15 shooting in Harvard-Westlake's (25-6) win over No. 2 seed Ocean View (27-4) . Taylor, a junior forward, scored 11 points the third quarter, when the Wolverines outscored Ocean View 22-16 to open a 55-42 lead. Harvard-Westlake plays Centennial of Compton in the championship game March 8 at the Pond. As section finalists, the Wolverines automatically qualify for the state tournament. Harvard-Westlake trailed 20-12 late in the first quarter before Jim Shook (11 points) hit 3-pointers on consecutive possessions to start a 14-0 run. The Wolverines held Ocean View without a field goal for more than seven minutes starting at the end of the first quarter. Ocean View was not at full strength and with its top two offensive players struggling with injuries, Ocean View struggled. Matt Sargeant, Ocean View's leading scorer at 20 points a game, collapsed early in the fourth quarter because of a strained calf, a recurring injury for the junior guard all season. Casey Ortiz, a senior guard who averaged 14 points this season, had a thumb twisted when it caught in an opponent's jersey in the first quarter. He scored five points on 2-for-7 shooting. Bear Wurts, a 6-foot-6 power forward/post, was assessed his fourth foul midway through the third quarter, and had to sit for several minutes. Sargeant managed to finish with 22 points, including 13 in the first half, and six in the third quarter. Early in the fourth quarter, he suffered the calf injury while following through on a successful three-pointer and was basically done for the game even though he continued to play. Taylor scored 11 of the Wolverines' 20 third-quarter points, and the Wolverines took a 55-42 lead into the fourth quarter. Ocean View scored only nine points in the final period, making only 4 of 16 shots.