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    Los Alamitos boys basketball shows its strength in victory over Crean Lutheran in Division 1 semifinals
    • February 22, 2025

    LOS ALAMITOS – It was very much a typical game for the Los Alamitos boys basketball team.

    The Griffins, as they have done so often this season, got significant and timely contributions from multiple players Friday with five Griffins scoring in double figures in their 82-57 win over Crean Lutheran in a CIF Southern Section Division 1 semifinal playoff game at Los Alamitos High.

    Los Alamitos (24-8) plays in the championship game against the winner of the other Division 1 semifinal, Santa Barbara vs. Mira Costa, that will be played Saturday at Mira Costa High. CIF-SS finals are next week — Friday, Feb. 28 and Saturday, March 1.

    The season is not over for Crean Lutheran (18-12). Both teams qualified for the CIF Southern California Regional playoffs when they advanced to the CIF-SS semifinals. The regional playoffs follow the CIF-SS championship games.

    It will be Los Alamitos’ first CIF-SS boys basketball championship game since it won a CIF-SS title in 2007. The Griffins also won a CIF-SS championship in their only other Southern Section final, in ‘06.

    Samori Guyness, a senior guard, scored a game-high 19 points for Los Alamitos, which will take a 10-game winning streak into the finals.

    Griffins senior guard Wes Trevino scored 18 points with eight rebounds, and senior forward Trent Minter scored 13 points with 10 rebounds.

    Senior guard Kendric Delaney scored 14 points. Junior forward Tyler Lopez came off of the bench to score 12 points with nine rebounds.

    Los Alamitos coach Nathan Berger said Friday’s game was illustrative of the team’s balance.

    “Everyone has their superstars,” Berger said, “and we don’t have the same level that everyone else does. What makes us special is those fifth, sixth, seventh guys that can come in and make plays. So those guys need to be as battle-tested as possible.”

    Berger set up a challenging schedule for the Griffins, including putting them in the top division, Platinum Division, of the prestigious The Classic at Damien tournament, plus nonleague games against Notre Dame of Sherman Oaks, a CIF-SS Open Division playoff team.

    “Playing the schedule wasn’t necessarily to win,” Berger said. “You want to win, obviously, I’m not saying that. But we went through that gauntlet so now those guys aren’t afraid of anything at this point.”

    Freshman guard Jordan Ceballos led the Saints with 14 points and sophomore guard Caden Jones scored 10 points,

    Crean Lutheran had a significant size advantage, with 6-9 junior Will Malual and 6-7 junior Jacob Majok around the basket. The Griffins had 6-6 senior Trent Minter in their starting five, and a couple of 6-3 and 6-4 players.

    “We had to rebound,” Minter said. “That was the No. 1 key. We struggled in the past against big teams. We stepped up today … That says a lot about our guys, with guards coming back to help us.”

    The Griffins held Majok to four points. Majok was Crean Lutheran’s top scorer, frequently surpassing 20 points this season.

    Friday’s game was by far Los Alamitos’ most one-sided win of its playoff run. The Griffins opened with an 83-74 win over Vista Murrieta, beat Riverside Poly 58-56 in the second round and Rolling Hills Prep 56-54 in the quarterfinals Tuesday.

    Los Alamitos took off on an 11-0 run in the first quarter for a 23-15 lead at the end of the quarter. Guyness and Trevino scored eight points each in the quarter.

    Trevino scored six more points in the second quarter to lead the Griffins to a 40-28 halftime lead.

    They did not let up. Los Alamitos outscored Crean Lutheran 25-14 in the third quarter in which Guyness and Lopez scored six points each. Guyness was on his way to a layup on a breakaway but collapsed and could not get the shot off. He was helped off of the court, walked around without any limp after the game and said he suffered no injury.

    Los Alamitos took a 65-42 lead into the fourth quarter and grew the lead to 28 points as the Griffins continued to play crisp, efficient basketball. One one fourth-quarter possession they made six passes before Minter took, and made, a wide-open 3-point basket.

    By then, and well before then, actually, Los Alamitos had secured its berth in its first CIF boys basketball championship game in 18 years.

    Guyness said, “That’s what we’ve been working for and practicing for, is this moment.”

    Los Alamitos was No. 4 and Crean Lutheran was No. 5 in latest Orange County rankings.

    The CIF-SS finals will be eld at Edison High, Azusa Pacific University and Toyota Arena in Ontario. Specific information on the CIF-SS finals will be announced Monday morning.

     Orange County Register 

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