SoCalHoops High School News

Boys Division IV-A Semifinal Details & 
Bracket Update--(Feb 27, 2000)

Two of the better games in all of the playoffs were played in this division and the final matchup is now set. Here's what happened Friday, and a look at the bracket.  Both teams now have the entire week off to rest up, study the films, and get ready for their Saturday morning contest, as well as making preparations for the State Regional Tournament which gets started a week from Tuesday.

Division IV-A
Semifinals

Orange Lutheran 70, St. Bonaventure 61--Chris Saunders had 15 points, 13 rebounds and four steals for St. Bonaventure in a semifinal game at Ventura High. The Seraphs led, 22-20, late in the second quarter, but top-seeded Orange Lutheran (24-4) rallied to take a 29-24 halftime lead and did not trail the rest of the game.  Jason Whieldon had 28 points, making four three-point baskets, after being held scoreless in the fourth quarter. He also had five steals.  Michael Perez scored 19 points and Michael Spargo had two three-point baskets for No. 4-seeded St. Bonaventure (21-5) and Patrick Salyer had 25
points and 17 rebounds for visiting Orange Lutheran (24-4).  Salyer had 12 points in the second quarter to help the Lancers take a five-point lead into halftime. Orange Lutheran will face the winner of the Crossroads- Milken game which will be played tonight. Whieldon scored 21 of his 27 points in the second half and repeatedly helped turn back St. Bonaventure comeback bids. Top-seeded Orange Lutheran (24-4) earns a spot in next week's CIF-Southern Section Division IV-A championship game. St. Bonaventure, the No. 4 seed, finishes 21-5.  Whieldon scored 12 points in the fourth quarter. Four times in the final minutes, he had scores that immediately answered St. Bonaventure baskets to cut into Lutheran's lead.   The 6-foot-1 senior,Orange County's scoring leader at 28 points per game, missed his first seven shots before hitting two at the end of the first half. But after that, he was 9 of 12.    And Whieldon started finding ways to produce, be they 3-pointers or drives to the basket. In the first half, though, it was center Patrick Salyer who led Orange Lutheran. He had 17 of his 25 points, and 14 of his 17 rebounds, at halftime.   Lutheran went up 53-41 early in the fourth quarter, and led 61-47 with 2:58 left, but St. Bonaventure wasn't done.  Michael Spargo and Michael Perez hit 3-pointers in a 24-second span, cutting the lead to 61-53, and by the time Perez drained another 3-pointer with 51 seconds left, the margin was just 64-59.  But Salyer converted on a three-point play, and after a David Berglund basket, Whieldon tacked on three points in the final 22 seconds to close things out.  Perez had 19 points, 17 in the second half, for St. Bonaventure. Chris Saunders had a spectacular all-around effort -- 15 points, nine rebounds, three assists and three steals -- before fouling out with 3:14 left.  David Berglund had 10 points, six rebounds and three assists. Spargo had nine points and eight rebounds.  It was the second straight year Orange Lutheran has ended the Seraphs' basketball season. Last year, the Lancers were 64-42 winners in the first round.  Whieldon had 10 of his 28 points in the third, and Miles Nault had two quick baskets to give the Lancers a jumpstart to open the second half.

Crossroads 63, Milken 62--We attended this game and it was one of the best we've seen all season, bar none.  Milken, the improbable underdog, managed to hang on until the very end, giving Crossroads the biggest scare of the season, and almost ending the playoff run of the Roadrunners.  Almost, but not quite.  Milken (19-4) managed to pull out to an 11 point halftime lead when point guard Anthony Locke got into deep foul trouble in the first quarter, picking up four fouls.  As a result, he didn't play until midway through the fourth quarter.   Crossroads was also hurt a bit when Isaiah Fox (6'-9" Sr. PF) fouled out with about 6:50 left to play in the fourth.  By that time, Crossroads had crept back into the game, but stlll never managed to take a lead until about 4 minutes left in the game, when Bobby Bassman (6'-7" Sr. PF) of Milken fouled out.  Joe Abrams (6'-2" So. SG) hit two consecutive perimeter shots from the left baseline, including a three pointer to give Crossroads it's first lead of the second half with about 3 minutes remaining.  Jordan Rush (6'-6" So. F) then hit  two free throws, followed by a length of the court drive by Alex Raminfar who scored through traffic to keep Milken close. But with 48 seconds remaining and Milken down by two, Daniel Greenberg missed two key free throws, and on the resulting possession, Felipe Williams was fouled and hit two free throws to put Crossroads up by four with just under 8 seconds remaining.    Daniel Greenberg came down the length of the floor, ducked under two Crossroads defenders and fired a three which went in, but with the clock continuing to run and Mileken out of time outs, the buzzer sounded and the game was over.  Crossroads now advances to the final on Friday night at LMU.  Scoring by quarters:  Milken 13  19  8  22--62;  Crossroads  16  5  22  20--63;   Crossroads (63)-- Felipe Williams 22, Isaiah Fox 10,  Jordan Rush 14,   Abrahams 7,  Nick Forman 4, Anthony Locke 4,  Richards 2.  Milken (62) -- Alex Raminfar 19,  Daniel Greenberg 17,  Adam Blitz 10,  Bobby Bassman 6,  Bobby Hendlish 5,  David Paletz 5.  Records:  Crossroads 21-9, Milken 19-4.

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