SoCalHoops High School News

Southern Section Semifinals: Details &
Updated Brackets--(Mar. 1, 2000)

We're into the semifinals in all of the SoCal CIF sections, and that of course includes the San Diego section.  Here's what we know happened, with some of the details from the Union Tribune, the North County Times, and from other reports we've received from down in San Diego.   Not a lot of surprises, and most of the favorites continued to advance toward the finals which will all be played this Friday afternoon and evening.  Here's what we know: 

Division I-AA
Semifinals

LBPoly 67, Rialto 65--Long Beach Poly, 15-time CIF champion, was in trouble, but then came storming back just in time. The Rialto Knights went from uncontrolled exuberance to weeping as Poly rallied from a seven-point deficit with one-minute remaining to pull off a stunning 67-65 comeback victory and advance to Saturday night's Division I-AA championship game. It was the third straight round Poly was able to knock off an Inland Valley foe. The Jackrabbits will have a chance at a four-peat in the title game, playing the winner of Thursday's Ayala-Upland semifinal battle.  Using quickness and tenacious defense, Rialto (24-6) pounded the Jackrabbits (29-2) for 30 minutes. The Knights surrendered the lead twice with less than a minute in the first half and with less than a minute in the fourth quarter.  Poly appeared to be on the canvas for good at 1:16 when Missouri-bound guard Wesley Stokes was called for a foul on a reach after a turnover. Stokes laid on the court in disbelief for several seconds.   Rialto, led by David Joiner's 16 points and 10 rebounds, surged to a 52-41 lead early in the fourth quarter and they answered every run Poly made to cut it. At 2:42, Poly cut the lead to 57-55 but Jocquis Sconiers hit a three-pointer to put the Knights back up by five. Stokes, however, with the help of fellow guard A.J. Diggs, bounced back and in a stunning sequence of events sparked the Jackrabbits back to life.  Down 64-57 with 54 seconds remaining, Diggs dished to Markee White, who hit a three-pointer to cut the lead to four. Rialto's David Joiner hit a free throw to put the Knight's up 65-60 with 46 seconds left. Stokes penetrated and drew a foul on Marques Davis and hit two free throws to cut the lead to three (65-62). Rialto still had its chance to put the game out of reach but turned the ball over with 28 seconds left. Stokes took the inbounds pass and whipped a pass to a wide-open Diggs, who knocked down a three-pointer from the right corner to tie the game at 65-65 with 20 seconds left. Rialto pushed the ball back up the court and used some crisp passes to get the ball inside. Jocquis Sconiers took a pass from Marques Davis and attacked the basket but was rejected by Poly's 6-8 center Joe Travis. Stokes snatched up the loose ball and he made a outlet pass to a streaking Diggs, who scored and was fouled on a layup. 

Ayala v. Upland (Will be played tomorrow Thursday, Mar. 2 )

Division I-A
Semifinals

Mater Dei 72, Pacific 64--Mater Dei dvances to a CIF Southern Section championship game for the 15th time in 18 seasons when the Monarchs beat Pacific of San Bernardino, 72-64, Tuesday night in a Division I-A semifinal playoff game at Ocean View High. The Monarchs, 30-2 and rated 11th in USA Today's national rankings, will play Simi Valley in the I-A final at Arrowhead Pond of Anaheim on Saturday. The Southern Section orginally scheduled the I-A final for 6:30 p.m., but it is expected to announced today that the I-A game will start at 8:45 p.m. By winning Tuesday, Mater Dei guaranteed itself of at least two more games: the CIF Southern Section I-A final, and the first round of the CIF Southern Section Division I Regionals. All Southern Section teams that reach the finals qualify for the regionals, which is part of the CIF State tournament. The Monarchs got there partly because of Harrison Schaen. The 6-foot-7 freshman saw extensive playing time Tuesday because 6-11 Jamal Sampson spent much of the second and third quarters on the bench because of foul troubles, and fouled out just 33 seconds into the fourth quarter. Schaen had a game-high eight rebounds, scored six points and blocked two shots. The Monarchs' Steve Scoggin led all scorers with 21 points. Cedric Bozeman added 19 and Rickey Porter scored 11. Chris Smith led Pacific (27-3) with 19 points. Michael Hall led Pacific in scoring during its record-setting 27-3 season, and Will Kimble was the big presence inside, but it was Chris Smith who seemed most perplexing to opposing coaches.  Scott Smith the coach at San Bernardino is incredulous that Chris Smith has received scant attention from college basketball recruiters. Hall and Kimble, by comparison, are headed for Pepperdine.  Eastern Kentucky of the Ohio Valley Conference has made an inquiry, Scott Smith said but that's it. Smith had 11 of his 19 points Tuesday night in the fourth quarter. During one stretch, with the crowd roaring and Pacific trying desperately to catch up, Smith drove for an alley-oop bank, drained a three, fed Kimble for a layup and hit both ends of a 1-and-1 as Pacific outscored Mater Dei 14-9 to pull within seven with 2:46 to play. Smith's performance came in the teeth of a Mater Dei defense that often was a triangle-and-two configuration with the two trying to trap Smith away from the basket. Maybe more colleges should take a look.
Mater Dei--18  18  15  21--72;  Pacific --13  11  17   23--64.  Mater Dei scoring:  Strawberry 6, Scoggin 21,  Sampson 9,   Bozeman 19, Porter 11, Schaen 6.  Pacific scoring:  Jury 16,  Smith 18,  Kimble 9, Hall 12, Addams 7, Burrell 2.  Three point goals--Pacific 3 (Jury 2, Smith 1); Mater Dei 1 (Porter 1).  Fouled out:  Sampson, Schaen, Kimble, Jury.  Technicals:  Sampson, Kimble.  Records:  Mater Dei 30-2; Pacific 27-3.

Simi Valley 77, Rancho Verde 58--Simi Valley ignored whatever pressure Moreno Valley Rancho Verde created and produced the key run that sealed a 77-58 win in the semifinals of the Southern Section Division I-A playoffs Tuesday at Perris High. The Pioneers' lead was cut to 51-48 as they held the ball for the final shot of the third quarter. Point guard Anish Sharda broke down the Mustangs' triangle-and-two defense and fed Ryan Bradshaw for an easy layup to give Simi a five-point cushion entering the fourth. There was nothing fancy about a 9-0 run that was capped by Boon assisting on a Dustin Villepigue basket with just under six minutes left. In between that and Bradshaw's basket, Branduinn Fullove made a short jumper in the lane, was fouled and hit a free throw. Villepigue, who finished with 23 points and 12 rebounds, scored on a pick-and-roll pass from Fullove. The Pioneers led 60-48 and weren't seriously challenged again. The Pioneers won three previous postseason games at home (their quarterfinal victory over Villa Park was at nearby Royal High). But the opposing fans' euphoria generated by the streaking Mustangs at the end of the third quarter wasn't enough to rattle a Simi Valley team that started four seniors. Fullove and Brett Michel are four-year varsity regulars who had lost the past two years in the semifinals. The victory was the 17th in a row for Simi Valley (28-2) and sets up a showdown against defending champion Mater Dei in the championship game at The Pond in Anaheim on Saturday night.  Mater Dei, the No. 1-seeded team, defeated No. 3 Simi Valley in a I-A semifinal last year and in a first-round game of the Torrey Pines tournament in Encinitas in December, but the Pioneers have been hoping for a rematch since.  They got it Tuesday by weathering an 18-point third quarter by junior guard J.S. Nash of Rancho Verde and then shutting him out in the fourth quarter.   Simi Valley, which plays in its first section title game since 1993, suffered through a tumultuous regular season that ended with starting point guard Shaun Michel quitting the team before the last Marmonte League game after walking out at halftime of the previous game and being suspended for five other contests.  Rancho Verde (20-12) cut a 12-point deficit to 51-48 with 34 seconds left in the third quarter. But Simi Valley scored the next nine points and the Mustangs never got closer than nine points after that.   Ryan Bradshaw scored on a layup off an assist from Anish Sharda to give Simi Valley a 53-48 lead at the end of the third quarter.  Branduinn Fullove's three-point play gave the Pioneers a 56-48 lead with 7:19 left in the game and Dustin Villepigue followed with a couple of baskets inside to give Simi Valley a 60-48 advantage with 5:57 remaining.   Fullove, a four-year starter who has signed with UC Santa Barbara, had 21 points and 10 rebounds to help Simi Valley advance to the title game after being eliminated in the I-AA quarterfinals in 1997, the I-AA semifinals in 1998 and the I-A semifinals last year.  Villepigue, a 6-9 junior center, had 23 points and 12 rebounds after scoring 22 points and grabbing 11 rebounds in a quarterfinal victory last Friday.
Brett Michel, another four-year starter , struggled with his shooting, but had 11 points and a game-high 13 rebounds.  Sharda had 13 points and nine assists for Simi Valley, which held Nash to 27 points, 11 below his playoff average.

Division II-AA
Semifinals

Dominguez 79, Redondo Union 61  (Played tonight, Wednesday, March 1, details to follow tomorrow)

Brea Olinda 50, Inglewood 46--The Wildcats (24-6) survived despite making only one field goal in the final 10 minutes to advance to the final and meet the winner of tonight's semifinal between top-seeded Compton Dominguez and Redondo Beach Redondo Union.   Although Brea Olinda shot 33% from the field in the second half and committed five fourth-quarter turnovers, junior Landon Lewis had 12 points and seniors Chase Ulicny and Ryan Wilber each had 10. Inglewood (25-5) fired up plenty of shots Tuesday, but the Sentinels never found the range, shooting only 29% (17 of 58) from the field.   Inglewood's Anthony Davis, who had 16 points, and Terrell Stovall, who had 13 points, helped the Sentinels rally as their rebounding edge (42-27), pressure defense and hustle brought them back.  Inglewood cut into an 18-point Brea cushion by going on a 14-0 run in a five-minute span to pull within four, at 43-39, with six minutes 49 seconds remaining.  Brea Olinda jumped out to a 12-6 lead at the end of the first quarter thanks to a strong defensive effort. The Wildcats extended their lead to 31-21 at halftime as senior Chase Ulicny and junior Ryan Wilber combined for 12 points in the first half. In the third quarter, Brea Olinda (24-6) extended its lead to 16 at 43-27 with less than two minutes to play in the thrid quarter as junior Landon Lewis hit a three-point shot.   However, that's when Inglewood (25-5) started its charge with Sentinels junior guard Terrell Stovall scoring 10 of his team's next 12 points to bring the Sentinels with four at 43-39 with just under six minutes to play in the game.  Ryan Wilber's three-pointer with 4:31 stopped the bleeding for Brea Olinda, pushing the lead to 46-39. But it was the only fourth-quarter field goal for the Wildcats and they hung on with their free-throw shooting and defense.  Ulicny played a key-role defensively, holding Inglewood's leading scorer, junior point guard Brian Taylor, to six points. Taylor missed all nine of his field-goal attempts in the second half and made only three of 15 from the field in the game.  Brea Olinda--12  19  12  7--50;  Inglewood--6   15  14  12--47.  Brea Olinda scoring:  Ulciny 12,  Lewis 11, Moore 6, Wilber 9, Blattaberger 5, Reimer 5, Criner 2.  Inglewood scoring:   Fletcher 4, Taylor 6, Davis 16, Perry 6, Stovall 15.  Three point goals:   Inglewood 4 (Stovall 3, Davis 1); Brea 3 (Lewis 2, Wilber 1). Fouled out:   Stovall.  Technicals: Wilber. Records: Brea Olinda 24-6, Inglewood 25-5 (does not include 5 league forfeits for use of an ineligible player).

Division II-A
Semifinals

Artesia 70, Muir 36--For the first eight minutes of Tuesday night's CIF Southern Section Division II-A semifinal, the Muir High School boys basketball team appeared poised to do the improbable upset No. 1 seed Artesia.  The undersized Mustangs led by a point after one quarter, but Artesia's ferocious trapping zone defense took over the game and the Pioneers cruised to a 70-36 victory at Pasadena City College. Artesia, which was playing in its sixth consecutive CIF divisional semifinal, will play in its third final in as many years when it meets Ocean View Saturday at the Pond. The Pioneers have won CIF titles each of the last two seasons, beating Poly in the final each time. Despite a slow start there was little fear Tuesday night that they'd again be playing in a Saturday championship. Trailing, 11-10, after the first quarter, Artesia switched out man-to-man to a half-court trap and smothered the Mustangs attack. With standout forward Jack Martinez saddled with two early fouls, the Pioneers turned to point guard Andre Hazel and reserve guard Franklin Matos to turn up the pressure. Artesia forced several turnovers and scored 14 unanswered points early in the second quarter. Then, following a brief 5-2 Muir run, the Pioneers (29-2) went on a 20-0 run, highlighted by several dazzling assists by Hazel, to put the game out of reach with a 27-point third-quarter lead. Artesia outscored the undersized Mustangs, 27-5, in the second quarter. The Pioneers forced a total of 24 steals, including six each by Hazel and Matos. Junior forward Martinez led Artesia with a game-high 20 points. Matos scored 16 points. Joseph Frazier had a team-high 13 points and a game-high nine rebounds for No. 4 seed Muir (23-8).  Artesia scoring:  Amaury Fernandez 10, Andre Hazel 12, Jon Steffanson 6, Jack Martinez 20, Malcolm Herron 4, Franklin Matos 16, Ricky Thornton 2.  Muir scoring:  Jonathan Williams 3, Brandon Wills 4, Joseph Frazier 13, Jamal Hall 1, Malcolm Johnson 5, Darrelle Rowe 10.    Artesia--10  27  19  14--70;  Muir -- 11  5  13   7--36.  Three point goals:  Artesia 2 (Steffanson 2);  Muir 5 (Williams 1, Frazier 12, Johnson 1, Rowe 2.)  Records:  Artesia 28-2, Muir 23-8.

Ocean View 71, Mayfair 56--With the score tied at 44-44  Ocean View (29-2) proceeded to go on a 12-2 run to start the quarter and former Artesia guard Marques Crane scored 11 of his game-high 23 points in the period as the Seahawks went on to beat the Monsoons, 71-56, in a Division II-A CIF Southern Section semifinal game at Bellflower High. Crane, a junior who transferred from Artesia this summer, will now get the chance to play his former teammates in the finals on Saturday at the Pond, because Artesia beat Muir, 70-36, in the other Division II-A semifinal. Mayfair, the defending Division II-A Southern Section champions, struggled from the outset. The Monsoons (25-5) trailed 18-12 after one quarter but managed to regroup to take a 29-24 lead into halftime. But once the third quarter started, more problems started to plague them. Childress, who averages around 20 points a game, didn't play much of the second quarter or second half due to foul trouble. Childress sat most of the third quarter with three fouls and re-entered with a minute left. But with 1.5 seconds remaining in the quarter, he picked up No. 4. He had only six points at the time. By the time he returned to the game in the fourth quarter, with about 5 minutes left, Ocean View had already started to pull away. Childress wound up with just eight points and fouled out with two minutes left. Senior Jeff Bonds led Mayfair (25-5) with 17.  Ocean View--18  6  20  27--71;  Mayfair--12   17  15  12--56.  Ocean View scorintg:  Bell 12,  Beeler 19, Westbrook 14 , Crane 23,  Roth 2, Ortiz 1;  Mayfair scoring:  J. Childress 8, Draughan 10  Bonds 17,  Washington 5, Bragg 9, Helton 2, King 2, Garkovich 2.

Division V-AA
Semfinals

St. Anthony 65, Pacific Hills 64--Pearson Smith nearly single-handedly put St. Anthony High into its first CIF Southern Section boys basketball final Tuesday night.   The senior guard scored 21 of his career-high 38 points in the fourth quarter, including the winning basket with two seconds left, as the Saints defeated top-seeded Pacific Hills, 65-64, in a Division V-AA semifinal at Brentwood School. The victory advances St. Anthony into Friday's title game at Loyola Marymount University's Gersten Pavilion against Downey Calvary Chapel, a 46-43 winner over Campbell Hall in the other semifinal. St. Anthony (21-8) trailed, 64-60, with 17.7 seconds left when Pacific Hills forward Jimmy White made the first of two free throws. The Bruins got the rebound, but the Saints regained the ball with a steal and Smith sank a 25-foot 3-point basket with 6.1 seconds remaining. Following a timeout, Smith intercepted the inbounds pass and fed the ball Jay Arizabal who missed. But Smith got the rebound and made a six-foot fall-away shot. White missed a desperation 3-point shot and Anthony Kyles a 12-footer as time expired. The Saints trailed by 15 four times in the third quarter and entered the fourth down, 55-42. On a night when only four players scored for the Saints, Arizabal added 14 and Lloyd 11. Jonathan Wade topped Pacific Hills (26-5) with 18.  St. Anthony--14   12  16  23--65;  Pacific Hills 13  23  19  9--64.   St. Anthony scoring:  Lloyd 11, Smith 38,  Holder 2, Arizabal 14.   Pacific Hills scoring:  White 12, Joshua 13, Kyles 9, Wade 18, Daanish 8.

Calvary Chapel Downey 46, Campbell Hall 43--Jaime Banuelos grabbed an errant Campbell Hall pass and ran the length of the court, laid the ball in the basket as time expired and secured a three point win for Calvary Chapel Downey, which will play in it's first ever Southern Section Division V-AA final.  With the Grizzlies up by just one point, Banuelos had an opportunity to extend the lead when he went to the line shooting two free throws; but he missed them both, giving Campbell Hall a second chance to win the game  Banuelos, who scored all six of his points in the fourth quarter intercepted a pass from Hassan Bassiri to Jesse Foster.  Calvary Chapel played a slow down game and while it doesn't seem to suit their style of athletes, it was effective, forcing many turnovers and missed layups by Campbell Hall.  Tim Drisdom, hit a huge three pointer to give Calvary Chapel the lead with less than a minute to play, and he scored a team high 16 points.  Campbell Hall's final lead came with 2:10 to play when Bassiri made a 3 pointer from the left top of the key to ggive the Vikings a 40-39 lead.  But Tim Drisdom's steal and layup gave tghe Grizzlies a 41-40 lead with just 1:36 remaining.   The Vikings pulled even just 21 seconds later when Jesse Foster make the first of two free throws, and the Grizzlies then worked the clock patiently before Drisdom stepped back, gained spacing and buried a three pointer from near the top of the arc to give Calvary a 44-41 lead.   Foster then follwed a missed three point attempt with another basket to cut the lead to just one, 44-43, but with 28 seconds remaining, Banuelos was fouled on the inbounds and he went to the line, where he missed both free throws.   Still, Calvary Chapel led, but it was nervous time for both teams.  Campbell Hall called a timeout, and worked the clock themselves, getting it down to about 7 seconds when Banuelos stepped in front of the pass, drove the court and secured the win. Bassiri had 13 points for Campbell Hall. No other player scored more than three points for the Vikings, who trailed at halftime, 18-16.  Campbell Hall-- 7  9  12   15--43;  Calvary Chapel--12  6  12  16--46.  Calvary Chapel scoring.  Carrie Drisdom 3, Henderson 3, Tim Drisdom 16, James 8, Banuelos 6, Pilon 10;  Campbell Hall scoring:  Locke 3, Bassiri 13,  Foster 21, Womack 1, Drobnick 3, Klippsten 2.

©Copyright SoCalHoops 1999 All rights reserved
Questions? Comments? Need Information?
Contact: jegesq@SoCalHoops.com