SoCalHoops State Tournament News

Boys CIF-State SoCal Regional Final Results:
Divisions I, II, III, IV & V --(Mar. 17, 2002)

It was all we could do this weekend while still suffering with some minor cold and flu symptoms to drag ourselves out of the house on Saturday to Rockfish and to the Pump's events, and when late Saturday afternoon came, we collapsed (which is what a full does of antibiotics will do when you get to be our age....youth, after all truly is wasted on the young....), so once again, we're going to simply pass along what happend within the State Tournament, specifically the State Regional Finals here in SoCal, all of which were played down in Long Beach yesterday.   Most of this is really old news by now, and certainly everyone has read the morning papers, but for those who haven't, or who haven't figured out that all of these game scores were available yesterday at various newspaper websites, we're going to pass along what the professional sportswriters had to say about these games.  We've collected the best from the local media, from the guys who get paid to watch these games.   We've linked back to each of the original stories, and there's more in the way of background data on each of the local teams participating in the local papers.  We would also recommend a look at CaliforniaPreps.com for the insightful takes by Dave Keefer and Jack Nelson, who religiously followed the local regional playoffs.  Another site with some info on these games is StudentSports.com where you'll find stories by John Tawa, which are always entertaining.    Hey, we're sorry we couldn't have seen all these games yesterday, but here's the next best thing.....

Westchester is still flying high
By Bob Holtzman
DAILY BREEZE

The Westchester High boys basketball team traveled far and wide this season.  With stops in New Jersey, Houston, Pennsylvania and Florida, Westchester picked up plenty of frequent flier's miles over the course of its season.   Perhaps enough for a free flight to Sacramento. The L.A. City Section champions added a CIF Division I Southern California Regional title to its trophy case Saturday night with a 66-60 victory over Long Beach Poly at Long Beach Arena.  The Comets (31-2) will face Oakland Tech, a 65-61 overtime winner over De La Salle, at Sacramento's Arco Arena for the CIF State Division I title on Saturday at 8 p.m.  Westchester improved to 2-0 in the Regional title games. The Comets won the 1998 state championship. But winning Saturday's night championship game wasn't an easy task, especially after Poly stormed back to take the lead in the fourth quarter.  Senior guard Brandon Heath's long 3-pointer with 2:41 left helped Westchester reclaim the lead, 59-57, and the Comets never trailed again. The basket ended a 5:26 drought for the Comets and Poly's 14-0 run. “That was a real big shot,” Heath said. “I had to hit that. I had just turned the ball over twice.” Westchester's five seniors each played crucial roles in the victory.  Heath had 17 points, connecting on three 3-pointers. Brandon Bowman enjoyed one of his best offensive performances of the season. The 6-foot-8 senior had 17 points, 10 in the third quarter. “The (coaches) always tell me to go to the hole more,” Bowman said. “I just finally did what they said. Everyone thinks I'm a shooter, but I'm quick enough to get to the hole.”  Hassan Adams added 13 points, seven rebounds and three steals. Forward Keith Everage had eight points and four rebounds. Point guard Ashanti Cook scored a crucial basket when his floater gave Westchester a 62-57 lead. “Our seniors came up very big tonight,” Westchester coach Ed Azzam said. “I have the utmost confidence in Brandon, Ashanti, Hassan — all of the guys.  “The difference between now and the past few years is I have confidence that this team can finish a game smart.” It looked like Westchester would finish the game asleep. After methodically building a 56-43 lead on a layup by Keith Everage, Poly rallied behind the play of senior guard Carlos Rivers. Rivers scored nine of Poly's 14 points during its critical run and the 6-foot senior finished with a game-high 25 points. The five-plus minute stretch culminated when Mike Roche hit a basket and a free throw for the Jackrabbits.  “I don't think we packed it in early, but we took them lightly late in the game,” Heath said. “We need to stay focused.”   Westchester's final challenge to reach the state final might have been its toughest. Poly won the Southern Section Division I-AA crown and beat Fairfax in a regional semifinal. Bobby Jones finished with 12 points and six rebounds for Poly and Roche had 10.   Westchester junior forward Trevor Ariza added five points, eight rebounds and two blocks. “We still need to win state,” Bowman said. “We've been living up to our expectations and it feels great right now. “Now, I just have to go home, sleep and rest.”  Well, the Westchester team needs to do one more thing. Determine if the flight to Sacramento is free.

Jackrabbits' late run falls short in end
Long Beach Press Telegram
By Ted Kian Staff writer

The Westchester High boys basketball began this season ranked No.‚1 nationally by USA Today, in large part because the Comets may have as many as 10 legitimate NCAA Division I prospects on their roster.  Despite a loss to perennial national power Mouth of Wilson (Va.) Oak Hill Academy and one defeat in four games against Western League rival Fairfax, the Comets are currently ranked No. 5 nationally by USA Today and have been tabbed as the state's top team all season by CalHiSports.com. But Poly High coach Ron Palmer contends that rankings aren't important. His squad made its season debut in the USA Today national top 25 this week at No.‚19 and none of the Jackrabbits have signed college scholarships. But Palmer believed they had the size, experience and athleticism to beat Westchester in Saturday night's CIF Southern California Regional Division I final.   And the Jackrabbits nearly made their coach look like a prophet. Senior point guard Carlos Rivers scored a career high 26 points and led a furious fourth-quarter Poly rally that fell just short in the Comets' 66-60 win at the Long Beach Arena.  "I'm proud of our kids and the effort they gave," Palmer said. "Just because we lost this game doesn't mean we didn't have a great season. But if we execute some of the fundamentals, like make free throws and convert on some easy layups, we could have won this game."  Westchester seemingly had the game in hand, leading 56-43 with 6 minutes, 52 seconds left in the fourth quarter when Rivers exploded, scoring the game's next nine points on a variety of moves and then connecting with Reggie Butler for a layup that cut Westchester's lead to 56-54 with 4:40 remaining. Poly standout Marcedes Lewis fouled out on the ensuing possession, but Mike Roche scored off an assist from Richard Han and was fouled in the process. Roche converted the 3-point play, putting Poly ahead, 57-56, and giving the Jackrabbits their first lead since midway through the first quarter with 2:40 left in the game.  But San Diego State signee Brandon Heath answered with 3-pointer that sparked a 6-0 Comets run. Bobby Jones' 3-pointer cut Westchester's lead to 62-60 with 22.6 seconds remaining. Poly fouled Hassan Adams immediately, but the McDonald's All-American selection and Arizona signee calmly made both free throws.   Rivers missed a 17-foot jump shot on the ensuing possession and Heath sealed the win for the Comets with a breakaway dunk. Heath finished with 17 points, while Georgetown signee Brandon Bowman also had 17.  "Westchester has a great team and a lot of great players, but I think we proved tonight that we could play with anybody," Rivers said. "We could have beat them if we had just made a few more plays."  It was either feast or famine for Poly in the first quarter against the Comets' vaunted full-court defensive pressure. The Jackrabbits handled Westchester's pressure at the beginning, taking a 7-2 lead on Jones' dunk off an assist from Rivers and a 9-4 advantage on Butler's thunderous slam off another Rivers assist.  The first quarter ended with Westchester ahead, 17-15. But the Comets began the second quarter on a 9-0 run, as Poly didn't score until Rivers made two free throws with 2 minutes, 46 seconds remaining in the first half.  Rivers followed his free throws up with a 3-pointer and Butler's 3-pointer from 24 feet reduced the Comets' lead to 28-24 with 1:11 remaining. But Westchester finished the half on a 5-2 run to claim a 33-26 advantage at intermission.

Westchester Is Stating Its Case
Boys' basketball: Comets survive near-disastrous fourth quarter to defeat Long Beach
Poly, 66-60, and advance to state Division I championship game.
By BEN BOLCH, TIMES STAFF WRITER
The Comets are still streaking toward Sacramento--barely.

After nearly dissipating during a near-disastrous fourth-quarter stretch in which it lost a 13-point lead, Westchester High pulled itself together over the last three minutes for a 66-60 victory over Long Beach Poly in the Southern California Regional Division I boys' basketball championship game Saturday night at Long Beach Arena. Brandon Heath's three-point basket from the corner with 1:40 to play put the top-seeded Comets (31-2) back ahead for good after the second-seeded Jackrabbits (30-4) used a 14-0 run to take a 57-56 lead. "I felt I had to hit that shot because I had just turned the ball over twice," said Heath, who capped the victory with a breakaway dunk. "I needed to make up for it." Westchester will play Oakland Tech, a 65-61 overtime winner over Concord De La Salle in the Northern California Regional final, for the state title at 8 p.m. Saturday at Arco Arena in Sacramento. Carlos Rivers, who finished with a career-best 25 points, scored nine consecutive points to open Poly's late push after the Comets had taken a seemingly insurmountable 56-43 lead early in the fourth quarter. After Rivers made a three-pointer to cut Westchester's lead to 56-52, Reggie Butler scored on a layup and Mike Roche completed a three-point play to put the Jackrabbits ahead for the first time since they led, 11-10, in the first quarter. But after Heath's three-pointer, Trevor Ariza made a free throw and Ashanti Cook scored on a memorable shake-and-bake drive to the basket to give Westchester a 62-57 lead. Poly's Bobby Jones sank a three-pointer from the wing to make it 62-60, but Hassan Adams hit two free throws and Ariza swatted away a shot by Rivers to put the game away. "This team hasn't had a lot of close games," Westchester Coach Ed Azzam said, "but in the close games we have shown a lot of character." Brandon Bowman and Heath each had 17 points and Adams scored 13 for the Comets, who are seeking their second state title after winning in 1998. Jones scored 12 points and Butler had 10 for Poly, which could not establish superiority inside with its three 6-foot-7 players. Marcedes Lewis, a UCLA-bound tight end who had been a key component of the Jackrabbits' march to the final, scored only two points. Lewis fouled out with more than four minutes remaining in the game.

Division II Boys

Fledgling King Upsets Mater Dei
By MIKE BRESNAHAN, TIMES STAFF WRITER

Riverside King, a school that opened its doors three years ago, had a vision of greatness when its boys' basketball team played its first varsity game two seasons ago, a dream that became startling reality with a 70-65 upset Saturday over Santa Ana Mater Dei in the Southern California Regional Division II final at Long Beach Arena. With the victory, King (30-4) became firmly steeped in state playoff lore, its fledgling program upending the school that has won four state titles and was making a record 13th regional championship appearance. Marvin Lea scored 28 points, Leon Rosborough added 13 and King laid claim to a new reign against the Monarchs (29-5). The victory, however unexpected it might have been, was explained with cool confidence by King's players. "We didn't come here thinking they had won all these state titles," Rosborough said. "We looked at them as another team in our way of winning a championship ring." A 16-3 run in the last four minutes of the third quarter sent King on its way to Sacramento for the state Division II championship game against Mountain View St. Francis (25-8) on Saturday at Arco Arena. Lea missed four layups in the first few minutes of the third quarter, but recovered to score eight points during the decisive spurt, which gave King a 44-40 lead. Lea scored 13 points in the fourth quarter, making nine of 10 free throws to prevent Mater Dei from mounting a comeback. "I knew my game was good enough that I'd be able to step up later in the third and fourth quarter," said Lea, who set a Division II regional final record by making 14 free throws. He had 19 attempts. Mater Dei had won 22 consecutive games and was looking for a second consecutive state title after winning the Division I championship last season. But the Monarchs were undone by 21 turnovers. "For us to lose this game, we'd have to have several things go wrong," said Mater Dei Coach Gary McKnight. "We had quite a few things go wrong tonight." Mike Strawberry had 18 points and Wesley Washington scored 13 for Mater Dei.

King-sized triumph
A victory in the regional final sends the Riverside high school team to the state championship.
03/17/2002
BY RICHARD CHAPLIN
THE PRESS-ENTERPRISE

LONG BEACH - It wasn't supposed to happen this way. Boys' basketball programs in their second varsity season just don't win 30 games. They just don't go to the CIF Southern Section title game. They just don't advance to the Southern California Regional title. And most assuredly, they don't advance to the state title game by knocking off the No. 9 team in the nation. Riverside King's players apparently don't understand that they can't do what they did Saturday. King used speed, grit and confidence to do the improbable at Long Beach Arena, defeating Santa Ana Mater Dei, 70-65, to win the California Interscholastic Federation Southern California Regional Division 2 title and advance to the state title game. Marvin Lea had a game-high 28 points and six steals, along with eight rebounds, while teammate Leon Rosborough added 13 points and 10 rebounds for King.  The victory makes King the first Riverside County boys' basketball team since Banning in 1982 to play for a state title (Banning lost, 87-85). The Wolves (30-4) will face back-to-back Northern California Regional champion Mountain View St. Francis for the Division 2 state title at 8 p.m. Friday at Arco Arena in Sacramento. "The high expectations, I brought those here from the beginning," King coach Tim Sweeney Jr. said, recalling that his father, long-time Lakewood coach Tim Sweeney Sr., had been to the state finals several times, with Sweeney Jr. as an assistant.  That experience and confidence have rubbed off on King's players, who apparently were unaware that they should be scared of big, bad Mater Dei and its four consecutive Southern Section titles.  Mater Dei (29-5), with 6-foot-9 center Harrison Schaen and 6-4 forward Mike Washington, didn't have its best game, turning the ball over 21 times.  "I think they (the Wolves) exposed a lot of our weaknesses," said Monarchs coach Gary McKnight.  Said Sweeney of his players: "The kids really figured out how to pack it in the middle." A crowded key led to foul trouble that limited Schaen to 14 minutes of playing time and restricted Mater Dei's ability to work its inside-outside game.  But with McKnight's plan to force the left-handed Lea to go to his right apparently working, Mater Dei managed to take a 27-22 halftime lead even without Schaen's full-time output. Lea was held to five points on 1-for-4 shooting in the first half.  Sweeney said that at halftime he advised Lea to take one more step to the basket before he shot. That advice improved Lea's accuracy (6 of 14 in the second half) and allowed him more trips to the free-throw line. Lea hit 14 of 19 free throws for the game, including six in a row in the final minutes. Trailing 37-28 halfway into the third quarter, King went on a 12-0 run (six of points by Lea) to take a 40-37 lead and all the momentum.  In the final seconds of the third, Lea stole the ball, went the distance and jammed a two-handed exclamation point on the run. "I feel it was big confidence booster," Lea said of crowd-pleasing dunk. "It got the bench up."  Mater Dei never got closer than three points in the final four minutes.

A new king in boys basketball
Defending state champion Mater Dei loses in the Regionals title game.
March 17, 2002
By STEVE FRYER
The Orange County Register

LONG BEACH -- Martin Luther King of Riverside accomplished two goals that few high school basketball teams have in the past 20 years. King outplayed Mater Dei, and King defeated Mater Dei.  Mater Dei's quest for a second consecutive state championship ended Saturday at Long Beach Arena, where the Monarchs were beaten by King, 70-65, in the CIF Southern California Regionals Division II championship game. The Monarchs won the CIF State Division I championship last season. Saturday's game was their fourth consecutive appearance in a CIF Southern California Regionals final. They won two of those games. Mater Dei finished 29-5. The Monarchs won the CIF-Southern Section Division II-AA championship two weeks ago, the school's 16th section boys basketball title and 10th in the past 12 seasons. King, in its second year of varsity basketball, plays in the CIF State Division II championship game Friday in Sacramento. The Wolves (30-4) play St. Francis of Mountain View, winner of the CIF Northern California Division II championship. The Monarchs had won 22 in a row going into Saturday's game. During that streak, even when they were trailing, they would put together a run that would carry them to victory. One or two Monarchs would take over and pull momentum to Mater Dei's side.   That did not happen against King.  "We didn't have a go-to guy today," Coach Gary McKnight said. "We didn't have a guy who was red-hot, someone we could rally around."  King did. Marvin Lea, a 6-foot-3 senior guard, scored 28 points, 23 in the second half and 15 in the fourth quarter. His steal and fast-break dunk at the end of the third quarter was King's exclamation point of the second half. Early in the fourth quarter, when Mater Dei had cut King's lead to two, he rebounded a Mater Dei miss, dribbled the length of the floor and, after two sizzling fakes, swished a 12-foot fallaway from the baseline. Mater Dei trailed by at least four points the rest of the game.  Turnovers also were a factor. Mater Dei made 21, 12 in the first half. Many were poor passes. "We had too many unforced turnovers," McKnight said. "Turnovers killed us." Mater Dei 6-foot-9 junior center Harrison Schaen, one of the Monarchs' best players in the postseason, did not score. He was in foul trouble from almost the beginning of the game and played only 14 minutes. "Harrison really didn't get an opportunity to play this game," McKnight said. Mater Dei still managed to produce a 27-22 lead at halftime, partially because of King's shooting difficulties. The Wolves made only 7 of 30 first-half attempts.  "In the first half," King coach Tim Sweeney said, "our shots just weren't dropping, although they were good shots. But we were getting (Mater Dei) into foul trouble."  The Wolves made 12 of their 32 shots in the second half, were 22 for 28 at the free-throw line in that half, and Mater Dei was losing players. In quick succession in the fourth quarter, Schaen, D.J. Strawberry and Wesley Washington fouled out.  The Monarchs' depth, a strong suit all season, was not enough. King's defense kept denying Mater Dei good shots, the Monarchs' turnovers continued, and Lea made all nine of his fourth-quarter free throws. Mike Strawberry led Mater Dei with 18 points and had seven rebounds. Washington scored 13 and was 9 for 10 at the free-throw line. Schaen collected 11 rebounds. It did not add up to a victory and a trip to Sacramento, but D.J. Strawberry resolved to give next season a different ending. "We expect to be in this game again next year," Strawberry said. "We expect to win this game next year."

Box Score:

King 70, Mater Dei 65--King:  Ellis 4, Lea 28 (14 of 19 free throws, 8 rebounds, 6 steals), Garrett Hilt 11, Thmas 9, Leon Rosborough 13 and 10 rebounds,  Harris 2, Brett Goodman 3.  Mater Dei:  Gerrity 6, Mike Strawberry 18, Nelson 4, Washington 13, Schaen 0 and 11 rebounds, Chicoine 1, Markus 3, Marcel Jones 7, DJ Strawberry 9, Henry 4.  King--11  11  22  26--70;   Mater Dei 15  12  13  25--65

Division III Boys

Centennial finally gets over the hump
Boys Div. III: Bishop Montgomery handed a rare loss by Apaches.
Long Beach Press Telegram
By Ted Kian,  Staff writer

Entering Saturday's CIF Southern California Regional Division III final, the Bishop Montgomery High boys basketball team seemed to have the number of its counterpart at Centennial.  After all, the Knights handed Centennial its lone loss of the season two weeks ago by beating the Apaches in a CIF-Southern Section final for the third consecutive year. Bishop Montgomery also ended Centennial's season in the Southern California Regionals each of the previous two years.  Therefore, some even used the word "jinx" to describe the Knights' domination of this rivalry prior to Saturday's rematch. But Centennial coach Rod Palmer doesn't believe in bad karma. Instead, he preached to his players that hard work, fundamentals and teamwork will always overcome another team's perceived mental advantage.  And the Apaches must have listened intently, because they executed Palmer's gameplan to near perfection while also exorcising their Bishop Montgomery demons in a 56-47 win over Bishop Montgomery at the Long Beach Arena.  Palmer was particularly upset that the smaller Knights out-rebounded his squad, 38-24, in Bishop Montgomery's 57-55 win on March 2nd, and that Centennial made just 6 of 13 free throws in that loss.  But the Apaches reversed those trends on Saturday, winning the battle of the boards, 32-18, and converting on 15 of 20 free throws.   "I felt that we were out-scrapped, out-rebounded and out-coached... I knew I was not going to let that happen again," Palmer said of his team's first loss to Bishop Montgomery.  "I felt that we had to get loose balls and do all of the little things that we talked about in practice this week, and our kids came out and did it. Defensively, this was one of our best performances of the season."   Centennial (31-1) will vie for the first boys basketball state title in school history this Saturday at Arco Arena in Sacramento.  Sophomore point guard Arron Afflalo, who missed two key shots in the waning moments of the Apaches' loss two weeks ago, redeemed himself on Saturday, tallying a game-high 18 points, 6 rebounds, 3 assists and making 7 of 8 free throws.  Centennial senior power forward Darius Sanders, who won CIF-SS and state championships at Dominguez each of the past three seasons, was dominant in the paint, finishing with 15 points and 8 rebounds, despite battling flu-like symptoms all week. Fellow Dominguez transfer Saul Lankster added energy off the Apaches' bench with 9 points and 4 rebounds.  "All the championships are equal, but this one is a little more special, because it's my senior year," Sanders said. "I don't like to lose, period. I thought we should have won the first game, but we made a lot of mistakes. I guess this is a little redemption, but that first game still hurts, because we shouldn't have lost any games this year."  Bishop Montgomery (26-7) ended the first quarter on an 11-2 run to take an 18-9 lead. But Centennial utilized a 10-3 rebounding advantage to outscore the Knights, 14-5, in the second quarter. Bishop Montgomery, though, held a 23-22 halftime advantage, primarily due to nine turnovers committed by Centennial, compared to just two from the Knights.  But Centennial took its first lead since the game's opening moments when Sanders led off the second-half scoring with a layup. The Apaches increased their lead to 35-30 on a 3-pointer from Afflalo and led 37-34 after a third quarter that featured seven lead changes.  The Knights, though, tied the score at 37-37 early in the fourth quarter after a 3-pointer from Brandon Peace. Centennial held a two-point lead when Jonathan Smith corralled an offensive rebound and fired one of his game-high six assists to Sterling Byrd, who scored a layup and was fouled in the process. Byrd converted the 3-point play, increasing Centennial's lead to 48-43 with 1 minute, 44 seconds remaining.  The Apaches then tightened their perimeter defense and made eight free throws in the final minute to seal their first regional title in school history, as Bishop Montgomery would get no closer than five points again.  "We just focused on working harder than they did," Lankster said. "In the first game, they had our number and they just out-played us all around. I took it upon myself to get my teammates ready and have them step it up, and I think they answered the challenge."  In addition to losing to Centennial for the first time in the three years Palmer has been at the school, Bishop Montgomery saw its quest for a third consecutive state title come to an end.  "The big difference in game one and game two was that they out-rebounded us," Knights coach Doug Mitchell said. "In the big games, it's amazing how much difference that makes. The team that makes big shots and key plays is going to come out ahead and that's what happened. I thought both teams really got after it and that resulted in a physical game." 

No-look, no problem
Boys basketball: Smith's fancy passing helps Apaches prevail.
Long Beach Press Telegram
By Louis Johnson, Staff writer

Jonathan Smith didn't think it was a big risk. As a matter of fact, Smith, a 5-foot-10 senior guard on the Centennial High boys basketball team, said he knew what he was doing the entire time.  But with the Apaches clinging to a two-point lead with less than two minutes to play against postseason nemesis Bishop Montgomery in the CIF Southern California Regional Division II final, Smith took what might have been the biggest gamble of the season for his team. Fortunately for Centennial, it worked out just fine and helped propel the Apaches to a 56-47 victory. After outjumping a pair of defenders for a huge offensive rebound, Smith whipped a no-look pass to teammate Sterling Byrd, whose subsequent three-point play with 1 minute, 44 seconds remaining proved to be the most important basket of the game at the Long Beach Arena.  "That wasn't luck, I saw Sterling out of the corner of my eye the whole time," said a laughing Smith, who scored just 2 points but contributed a game-high 6 assists. "Coach (Rod) Palmer doesn't like plays like that, but I think he'll take it this time."  Smith's rebound and "calculated" feed to Byrd came on the heels of a three-point play by Bishop Montgomery senior forward Gavin Lee that drew his team within 45-43 with 2:11 to play.  A turnover at that juncture of the game might have been devastating for the Apaches (31-1), who had lost five consecutive postseason games to the Knights (26-7) in the last three years, including a heartbreaking 57-55 setback in the CIF Southern Section Division II-A title game two weeks ago.  But Byrd (7 points, 5 rebounds, 2 blocks) was able to corral Smith's fancy dish and lay it in despite being fouled by Bishop Montgomery guard Brandon Peace.  Byrd's play pushed Centennial's advantage to 48-43 and, more important, delivered a psychological blow to the Knights, who didn't score for the next minute while sophomore guard Arron Afflalo and Smith both sank a pair of foul shots to give the Apaches a commanding 51-43 lead with 35.8 seconds left. Most observers thought Smith's play was nothing more than a lucky break for Centennial. But Palmer, just like his senior guard, didn't necessarily see things that way.  "In big games, (Smith) steps up and finds something to do to help our team," said Palmer, whose team can claim the school's first state championship in the sport by beating San Francisco Riordan (30-4) in next Saturday's Division II title game at Sacramento's Arco Arena.  "When you go out and play hard and stay aggressive, you can make those kinds of things happen. But this is a great win for us, and I'm more happy for the kids than I am for myself. They worked so hard for me all season, and this (state-championship berth) is well-deserved." 

Sanders Seeking Four on the Floor
By Ben Bolch, Los Angeles Times

Darius Sanders had already been a part of three Southern California Regional champion teams, so the prospect of a fourth trip to Sacramento wasn't what was pushing the Compton Centennial High forward Saturday at Long Beach Arena. The Compton Dominguez transfer was driven by the fact that it was his senior year and he had finally become the go-to guy instead of just another complementary player alongside Tyson Chandler. Centennial was Sanders' team, and he made sure everybody knew it down the stretch of the second-seeded Apaches' 56-47 victory over top-seeded Torrance Bishop Montgomery in the Division III final. Sanders scored eight of his 15 points in the third quarter and put Centennial ahead to stay with a dunk midway through the fourth as the Apaches advanced to the state title game for the first time. Centennial (31-1) will play San Francisco Riordan (30-4), a 67-61 winner over San Francisco Sacred Heart Cathedral in the Northern California Regional final, at 2:45 p.m. Saturday at Arco Arena in Sacramento. The Apaches snapped a five-game losing streak against Bishop Montgomery (26-7) in the playoffs over the last three years and ended the Knights' bid for a third consecutive state title. Bishop Montgomery defeated Centennial, 57-55, in the Southern Section championship game two weeks ago. Sanders, the Oregon-bound player who could be part of a record fourth state champion if Centennial wins next week, called Saturday's regional title the most important of his career. "I'm the focal point of this team," he said. "It's my responsibility to lead." Sanders' dunk with 4:30 left gave Centennial, which had trailed by as many as 10 points in the second quarter, a 41-40 edge. A Saul Lankster dunk on a fast break and two Arron Afflalo free throws expanded the advantage to 45-40 before Bishop Montgomery's Gavin Lee converted a three-point play to make it a two-point game. Centennial's Sterling Byrd responded with a three-point play after catching an entry pass under the basket to give the Apaches a 48-43 lead. The Knights never threatened again as the Apaches converted eight of 11 free throws in the last 58 seconds. Afflalo, a sophomore guard who watched his potentially game-tying layup roll out of the rim late
in Centennial's loss to Bishop Montgomery in the Division III-A section final, scored a game-high 18. Brandon Peace scored 14 points and Fred Washington had 12 for the Knights, who made 35.4% of their shots from the field and were
outrebounded, 32-18. Ben Bolch

Third time is not a charm for the Knights
By Bob Holtzman
DAILY BREEZE

Winning championships requires talent, good coaching and a few breaks along the way.  For the last two-and-a-half years, the Bishop Montgomery High boys basketball program has enjoyed all three. Just not on Saturday.  Bishop Montgomery still had the talent and coaching, but it was Centennial of Compton that caught the breaks that turned the CIF Division III Southern California Regional final at Long Beach Arena in its favor. Centennial made all the little plays to win the evenly matched contest, 56-47. Centennial advanced to its first CIF State final and snapped a five-game losing streak to Bishop Montgomery.  Centennial plays Riordan Saturday at Sacramento's Arco Arena. The result reversed Bishop Montgomery's 57-55 victory in the Southern Section Division III-A final and prevented the Knights from reaching their third consecutive state final.  “In the last game, they out-scrapped us, out-rebounded us and out-coached us,” Centennial coach Rod Palmer said. “(We were) not going to let that happen this time.” Centennial (31-1) responded to its only loss with a spirited rebounding effort.  Bishop Montgomery (26-7) outrebounded the Apaches in the Southern Section final, but Centennial dominated the glass this time, 32-18. Bishop Montgomery had just four offensive rebounds. The lack of second chances coupled with dismal 35-percent shooting crippled Bishop Montgomery's offense. “We missed some opportunities (we usually make),” Bishop Montgomery coach Doug Mitchell said. “We took pretty good shots, but we didn't finalize them.”  Centennial's defense picked up after Bishop Montgomery took an early 21-11 lead. Nate Clark made a 3-pointer from the wing with 4:20 remaining in the first half, but the Knights scored just one other time in the second quarter. “The second quarter hurt us a little bit,” said Mitchell, whose team had an 18-9 lead after the first quarter. “We didn't finalize on some plays and even though we had the lead at halftime, it gave them momentum.”   Neither team shot well from the perimeter, but Centennial finished 50 percent from the field. Arron Affalo led Centennial with a game-high 18 points. The 6-foot-3 sophomore made all three Centennial 3-pointers. Power forward Darius Sanders added 15 points and a game-high eight rebounds.  Bishop Montgomery junior Fred Washington struggled offensively. The 6-5 forward scored 12 points with four rebounds, four assists and three blocks. Washington, however, shot 4-for-14 from the field and missed all four of his 3-point attempts. “They were triple-teaming me,” Washington said. “I just picked a bad day not to show up. My shots weren't falling. Hey, we lost. We're not going to cry about it. We'll get them next year.”  Brandon Peace led Bishop Montgomery with 14 points and three assists. Senior Gavin Lee concluded his career with 11 points and five rebounds. “I would have liked to coach another week,” Mitchell said. “That's why I'm discouraged. I wanted to coach these guys for another week.”

Box Score:
Centennial 56, Bishop Montgomery 47-- Compton Centennial:  Smith 2 and 6 assists, Aaron Afflalo 18, Sterling Byrd 7, Gabriel Pruitt 5, Darisu Sanders 15 and 8 rebounds, Saul Lankster 9.  Bishop Montgomery--Howard 0, Peace 14 and 5 rebounds, Estrada 2, Washington 13 and 4 assists, Gavin Lee 11 Willimas 2, Clark 6.  Compton Centennial--9   13  15  19-- 56;  Bishop Montgomery--18  5  11   13--47

Division IV Boys

Horizon wins a thriller on huge plays by Read
Panthers solid at line in win over Bakersfield team
By Steve Brand
UNION-TRIBUNE STAFF WRITER
March 17, 2002

LONG BEACH – Slam dunks send the crowd into a frenzy. Three-pointers even get the officials to raise their hands. But free throws – ho-hum, most of the time.  If not for Horizon High's deadly accurate shooting from the line in the fourth quarter, Ryan Read's driving layup and subsequent free throw with 6.6 seconds remaining wouldn't have meant a thing.  Instead, they lifted Horizon to a 68-65 victory over Bakersfield Garces before 4,550 last night in the CIF-Southern California Regional Division IV boys basketball championships at Long Beach City College.  The Panthers (28-4) meet Northern California champion San Jose Valley Christian, 56-45 winner over Wheatland, Friday at 4 p.m. in Sacramento's Arco Arena.  By burying 10 straight free throws in the fourth quarter en route to converting 20-of-26 for the game, the Panthers set up the dramatic finish.  Horizon went for the final shot after Joktan Roberts came down with a key offensive rebound with 31.5 seconds remaining and the game tied 65-65. The Panthers worked the clock down to eight seconds.  Heavily guarded Chris Dudley rifled a pass to Read in the corner, and although he had an open three-point shot, he also had time to drive, which he did without hesitation.  Read's short jumper was dead on and when he was fouled, he drained that attempt with 6.6 seconds to go.  "I knew it was in the basket when it left my hand," said Read, a 6-foot-2 junior who finished with 13 points. "Even when we were down, I never lost faith, not with this team.   "All I could think about was scoring. I've never had a more exciting win; I never will."  And it still wasn't over.  Plenty of time remained for a Garces team (30-5) that had seven three-pointers in this game and a huge presence in the middle in 7-foot sophomore Robert Swift.  After a timeout, the Rams were pressured all the way up the court but the ball still got to Kyle Shiloh with time remaining. His shot was a foot off his hand as the buzzer sounded, but there was Read to swat it away.   "We knew if you let Shiloh shoot, he could have tied the game," said Read. "I was only going for the block with the ball in front of me."  As the ball fell to the floor, the large Horizon contingent could finally exhale.  This was a team effort as four Panthers players scored in double figures. Dudley led the way with 17 points, but Nate Carter was right behind with 16. Benas Veikalas collected both of Horizon' three-pointers as part of his 14 points.  But it almost wasn't enough as Swift scored 22 points and yanked down 13 rebounds to torment the Panthers all night.   "(Swift) did a lot of things I didn't think he could do," said Horizon coach Zack Jones. "He really hurt us down the stretch. We hadn't played anyone with size like that.  "But as you've seen in the NCAA games this weekend, making your free throws are the only way you'll win."  Indeed. 

 

BOYS STATE BASKETBALL TOURNAMENT
End of the road for Garces
By KEVIN EUBANKS, Californian staff writer
e-mail: keubanks@bakersfield.com
Sunday March 17, 2002, 01:00:09 AM

LONG BEACH -- It was emotion, charisma, and quality pressure performances. It was a deafening crowd crammed into a tiny Long Beach City College gym. It was end-to-end basketball, complete with three ties and 10 lead changes in the second half alone. Yes, Saturday night's CIF Division IV Southern California regional championship game was simply high school basketball at its finest. And the cliche is always true in situations like this -- it's a shame that either team had to lose.  San Diego-Horizon defeated Garces, 68-65, and will represent Southern California in the Division IV state championships Friday in Sacramento. But the Rams (29-5) shouldn't hang their heads after what many are already considering a classic in CIF state playoff history. "This was one of the greatest games I've ever been involved with," Garces coach Gino Lacava said. "Both teams just came out with weapon after weapon. It was just a great game. There were great shots, great defending, everything. You couldn't ask for anything better as a spectator than what we saw (Saturday night)." Even though Garces' Kyle Shiloh and Robert Swift were visibly disappointed after the loss, both agreed that it couldn't have been a more wild and crazy game. "They went on runs, we went on runs, the crowd was into it," said Shiloh, who finished with 13 points and 10 rebounds. "I couldn't hear what coach said -- I couldn't say anything to anyone else because they couldn't hear me. We lost our composure a little at the end, and if we would have kept it, we would have won the game." The Rams' 7-foot sophomore center Swift, who had game highs in points (22) and rebounds (13), agreed. "It was all over the place," Swift said. "One second we'd have the lead, the next we were trying to get it back. Even though we didn't win, it was fun playing in a game like that." After more than 31 minutes of basketball, the two teams had played to a 65-65 tie, and the final 37 seconds typified what seemed to happen the entire game -- a constantly changing roller coaster of momentum and emotions. With 37 seconds remaining in the game, it looked like Horizon would take the lead when Shiloh was called for a foul underneath the basket against Horizon's Joktan Roberts. Then, for just a split second, it appeared that Garces would be able to control its own destiny when Roberts missed both free throws.  But in a game like this, one unlucky bounce of the ball can make all the difference in the world. The second of Roberts' missed free throws took an unusually long bounce off the back of the rim and came over the four Rams preparing for the rebound and back to Roberts. Yes, the constantly shifting momentum was back on Horizon's side, but the excitement was only beginning. After a time out, Horizon (27-4) held the ball for the final shot. With less than 10 seconds remaining, Panthers point guard Ryan Read was found all alone in the corner. He drove to the basket to not only score what turned out to be the game-winning lay-up, he was also fouled and made the free throw for the 68-65 lead with 6.6 seconds to go. Garces drove down the court and found Shiloh who attempted a 3-pointer, but it was blocked from behind by Read to end the game. "These were just two wonderful teams that went head-to-head all night long," Lacava said. "They were just three points better than us tonight." Despite the excitement and drama of Saturday night's game, Garces has now been denied an opportunity to play for a Division IV state championship after reaching the Southern California regional finals for the second season in a row. Last year, it was the one-man demolition crew of Isaiah Fox who led Santa Monica-Crossroads to the 66-52 win over Garces. This year, it was a completely different game, and a completely different team. Horizon played as a team, competed as a team, and won as a team. The Panthers used balanced scoring from its four leading scorers who had apparently found the lone slight advantage that either team had on the other -- team quickness. It was penetration to the basket by all four of those Horizon players that created baskets from short range, many of which were lay-ups. But that wasn't the only way Horizon was able to score. Jared Dudley's penetration got him sent to the free-throw line all night where he made 11-of-12 shots to end with a team-high 17 points. Nate Carter was nearly unstoppable one-on-one and finished with 16 points. The threat of the outside shot allowed Benas Veikalas to penetrate when the defense was tight and knock down jumpers when it wasn't to finish with 14 points, and Read was a perfect 5-for-5 from the free-throw line and ended up with 13 points. But there were many factors that made a difference in this game. Horizon made 20-of-26 free throws -- including 11-of-13 in the fourth quarter -- while Garces, which is usually a great free-throw shooting team, was 6-of-13. Rams' 6-foot-7 forward Zach Ryan, who created serious matchup problems during the 17 minutes he played, found himself in early foul trouble and only finished with nine points. "Normally Zach's the guy who's never in foul trouble," Lacava said. "Who knows? If he played 28 minutes, maybe we would have won the game." The first half was a half of runs for both teams. Horizon jumped out to leads of 10-3 and 15-8 before Garces went on a 14-2 run at the end of the first quarter and the beginning of the second, which was punctuated by a baseline drive and dunk from Ryan to give Garces a 24-19 lead. After maintaining the lead for the next three minutes, the Panthers came back with an 8-3 run of their own to end the first half in a 34-34 tie. The second half was back and forth, and neither team led by more than six in the third quarter and three in the fourth period. Just when Horizon threatened to pull away midway through the third quarter with a 46-40 lead, Swift's offensive board and putback followed by back-to-back 3-pointers from Moochie Carillo, gave Garces a one-point lead. In the fourth quarter, it was simply a matter of Horizon making its free throws. The Panthers made just three field goals in the quarter, but were 11-of-13 from the charity stripe to pull out the victory.

Box Score:

Horizon 68, Bakersfield Garces 65.  
GARCES (28-5)-- Ryan 3-6 2-2 9, Esparza 4-12 1-3 12, Swift 10-14 2-5 22, Shiloh 6-13 0-0 13, Martin 0-4 1-3 1, Hair 0-0 0-0 0, Norris 1-5 0-0 2, Carrillo 2-3 0-0 6, Walker 0-1 0-0 0. Totals 26-58 6-13 65.

HORIZON (27-4)  Dudley 3-10 11-12 17, Carter 7-17 2-3 16, Roberts 2-5 0-2 4, Read 4-8 5-5 13, Veikalas 5-10 2-4 14, Johnson 1-2 0-0 2, Williams 0-0 0-0 0, Murillo 0-0 0-0 0, Evans 1-2 0-0 2. Totals 23-54 20-26 68.   Garces 17 17 16 15 – 65 Horizon 19 15 17 17 – 68 

Halftime – Bakersfield Garces 34, Horizon 34;
Three-Point Goals – Garces 7-19 (Ryan 1-3, Esparza 3-8, Shiloh 1-5, Carrillo 2-3). Horizon 2-9 (Dudley 0-3, Carter 0-1, Read 0-1, Veikalas 2-4); Fouled out – Ryan;
Rebounds – Garces 37 (Swift 13), Horizon 30 (Dudley 7, Carter 7); Assists – Garces 13 (Swift 4), Horizon 6 (Dudley 3); Fouls – Garces 21, Horizon 16.

Division V Boys

Immanuel has bad dejá vu
The Eagles are more game than last year,
but they again fall to Price in Southern
Regional final.
By James Escarcega
Special To The Bee
(Published Sunday, March, 17, 2002 5:20AM)

LONG BEACH -- Same city, different venue and, unfortunately for the Immanuel High boys basketball team and its fans, same result.  Price of Los Angeles advanced to the State Finals by defeating Immanuel for the second year in a row, 73-61 Saturday in the Division 5 Southern Regional championship at Long Beach City College.  Unlike last year's game, in which the Knights (30-6) opened up a huge early lead and coasted to victory, the Eagles (28-5) took it to Price early. They led 16-13 at the end of the first quarter and played like a team that was intent on going to Sacramento. Until the second quarter. The Knights went on a 10-1 run to open the quarter and led by as many as five points. Immanuel had trouble converting points. Immanuel went scoreless the first four minutes of the quarter and didn't make a basket until senior Nic Heinrichs' dunk cut Price's lead to 22-20. "They changed their defense on us in the second quarter, and we didn't handle it very well," Immanuel coach John Thiesen said. "I must take a lot of the blame as well. I didn't do a good job of handling the situation."  In the third quarter, the Eagles seemed poised to take control. Heinrichs, who finished with 13 points, scored on a layup in the first 30 seconds of the quarter to tie the score 29-29. Guard Kyle Medeiros, who added 14 points, made a 3-pointer that gave the Eagles a 32-31 lead with 6 minutes left in the quarter. It was the last lead the Eagles enjoyed, as they were held scoreless the final three minutes of the quarter and fell behind 47-39 after three quarters. Jacob Wild, who scored a game-high 24 points and grabbed 13 rebounds, got the Eagles to 47-43 on a layup with 7:29 remaining in the game. Price, however, put it out of reach with a 9-2 run that gave the Knights a 58-47 lead with 3 minutes left. It was Immanuel's fourth appearance in a Southern Regional championship -- and the fourth time the Eagles have returned with the runners-up plaque. "This really hurts bad," Thiesen said. "I was totally convinced that we were going to win this year. It's devastating to the kids, and it's devastating to me. "But we'll be back here next year and give it another shot."

From the LA Times
By Dan Arritt, Sports Writer

Los Angeles Price 73, Reedley Immanuel 61--The top-seeded Knights, with four players averaging double figures in scoring this season, hit their mark in the Division V regional final at Long Beach City College. Frank Peace and Darren Morrison each scored 17 points and Derrick Williams and Kalief Washington had 10 apiece, each converting five of nine shots from the field. Price (30-6) can join Compton Dominguez as the only team to win three consecutive state titles with a victory Saturday against San Francisco University in Sacramento. Immanuel (28-5), the Central Section champion, stayed with Price until the third quarter, when the Knights took a 47-39 lead. Dan Arritt

Box Score:

Price 73, Reedley Immanuel 61
Reedly Immanuel--A. Warkentin 5, Jacob Wild 22 and 13 rebounds, J. Warkentin 3, Heinrichs 13, Medeiros 14, and 4 3-pointers, Raven 4
Price--Derrick Williams 10, Oscar Edwards 8, Kalief Washington 10 and 10 rebounds, Frank Peace 17, Paul Simon 9, Morrison 17, Schuyler McKay 2
Immanuel --16  11  12  22--61
Price--13  16  18  12--73

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