Boys basketball semifinals: Pacifica Christian wins 2OT battle with Centennial; Irvine falls in OT

• February 22, 2025

EJ Spillman had a triple-double for Pacifica Christian in its double-overtime win over Centennial of Corona, 84-80, in the CIF-SS Division 2AA semifinals Friday at Centennial High.

Pacifica Christian (23-7) will play San Joaquin League rival Fairmont Prep in the championship game next week. The Tritons beat Fairmont Prep 67-55 on Jan. 28 but lost the first matchup on Jan. 18.

Spillman had 33 points, 11 rebounds and 10 assists in Friday’s win. The senior scored seven of the team’s nine points in the second overtime and made 5 of 6 free throws in the period.

Pacifica Christian had to overcome a slow start against Centennial (17-17). The Tritons trailed by 15 points early in the second quarter, but had pulled within 36-34 at halftime.

The Tritons trailed 61-58 with 1:10 remaining in regulation when Hudson Reynolds made a putback layup to cut the deficit to one.

Centennial answered with two free throws on the other end. Michael Noel made a game-tying 3-pointer with 8.3 seconds left, which ultimately sent the game to overtime.

Pacifica Christian led in the first overtime but missed four consecutive free throws that could have put the game out of reach for Centennial. CJ Richardson of Centennial made a game-tying 3-pointer with 2.4 seconds left in the first overtime.

Spillman scored seven consecutive points for Pacifica Christian in the second overtime and Joaquin Rigdon made two free throws at the end of the game.

Reynolds had a double-double with 19 points and 10 rebounds. Noel had 11 points and Logan Stewart added eight points with 10 rebounds.

In Division 2A

St. Bonaventure 66, Irvine 60, OT: Irvine’s historic 22-game winning streak came to an end Friday in an overtime loss to St. Bonaventure at Ventura High.

The Vaqueros had not lost since Dec. 6, when they fell to Corona del Mar by one point in the Diablo Inferno tournament.

Irvine (29-3) led 31-26 at halftime but trailed by two entering the fourth quarter. The Vaqueros trailed by six points midway through the fourth quarter but rallied back to tie the game with 1:20 remaining in regulation.

Ali Dal made two free throws to give Irvine a 58-56 lead with 26.2 seconds left in regulation. St. Bonaventure scored on the other end and Irvine turned the ball over with 4.6 seconds left to send the game into overtime tied at 58.

St. Bonaventure played tenacious defense in overtime to hold Irvine to just two points.

“Our team battled when we were down six in the fourth,” Irvine coach Harry Meussner said. “Credit to St. Bonaventure for making a few more plays than us. I’m proud of our team for a historic season and run.”

Dal led Irvine with 17 points. Cooper Stearns had 16 points and Holden Stearns added 15.

Irvine won the Pacific Coast League season which was the team’s first league championship since 1991. The Vaqueros qualified for the CIF State playoffs.

​ Orange County Register 

Saddleback boys basketball falls in 5A semifinals when Arroyo sinks shot at the buzzer

• February 22, 2025

SANTA ANA — The Saddleback boys basketball team was dealt a crushing loss Friday by Arroyo in the CIF-SS Division 5A semifinals at Saddleback High School.

Kamren Dorantes hit a jump shot from just inside the 3-point line with fractions of a second left in the contest to lift the Knights to a 60-58 victory.

Arroyo (16-11) will take on Rosemead in the championship game on Feb. 28 or March 1 at a site to be determined.

The Panthers defeated South El Monte, 44-33, in the other Division 5 semifinal Friday.

With the score tied, 58-58, Arroyo missed a chance to take the lead, giving the Roadrunners (14-14) possession with 17.5 seconds remaining.

The Roadrunners missed their first shot and missed a putback attempt, giving the ball back to the Knights with 2.2 seconds left.

Arroyo inbounded the ball and made a quick pass to Dorantes, who was well guarded by Chris Trotter when he put up the winning shot.

“We couldn’t knock down shots at the end,” said Trotter, who scored all 17 of the Roadrunners’ points in the fourth and finished with a game-high 28. “We couldn’t box out the whole game and that cost us at the end.”

Saddleback had a two-point lead going into the fourth and early in the period the Knights’ Johhny Vargas hit a 3-pointer to make the score 45-45.

Trotter answered with a 3-pointer to put the Roadrunners back up.

Dorantes scored to get the Knights to within a point, when Trotter answered again, this time hitting a pair of free throws at get Saddleback’s lead up to three with 3 minutes, 30 seconds remaining.

The teams traded baskets again when Vargas and Dorantes hit 3-pointers on consecutive possessions, with a miss in between by Saddleback, giving the Knights a three-point lead with 1:20 remaining.

Trotter tied the score with a pair of free throws, but the Roadrunners came up empty on their final possession, setting the stage for the game-winning shot.

“I think from our end, I think once we got it across, I would have liked to slow it up a little bit,” Saddleback coach Christopher Emaguna said of the Roadrunners’ final possession. “I tried to call a timeout, couldn’t get it. And our guys felt like they had an open shot and took it. Just wish we could have pulled it out and got it to our 3-point shooters.”

During a timeout prior to the game winning shot, Knights coach Oscar Lopez said the play was drawn up specifically for Dorantes.

“We took a timeout. We drew that play up for him,” Lopez said. “We wanted it to be a free throw, but you know, the defender did a good job of stretching him out a little bit. He took the three. He was anxious all game, but he settled down at the end and took the big shot.”

​ Orange County Register 

David Abisogun powers Fairmont Prep boys basketball past Riverside Poly in Division 2AA semifinals

• February 22, 2025

ANAHEIM — Fairmont Prep’s boys basketball team earned some redemption and its place in the CIF-SS Division 2A championship game by following “Baby Giannis” one more time Friday.

The Huskies united with forward David Abisogun to defeat Riverside Poly 53-45 in the Division 2AA semifinals at Fairmont Prep.

In advancing to the finals against San Joaquin League rival Pacifica Christian next week, Fairmont Prep (21-9) dispatched an opponent that beat the Huskies 61-47 in the first round of the Division 1 playoffs last season.

In that loss, the 6-foot-9 Abisogun — who is nicknamed “Baby Giannis” after NBA star Giannis Antetokounmpo — suffered a knee injury.

The junior responded this time with a game-high 16 points, six rebounds, three blocked shot and three assists despite missing time with foul trouble and a brief cramp. He had a rebound-dunk early in the second quarter.

“It’s a big thing that we’re in the finals,” said Abisogun, who helped Fairmont Prep reach the finals for the first time since it beat Pacifica Christian for the Division 4AA title in 2019.

“Losing to Riverside Poly last year, we weren’t fully healthy, so we lost to them by a couple of points. But we were up before I went down and got injured. If not, it would have been an easy game for us. But we got the win tonight.”

Abisogun scored nine points in the first quarter to spark a strong start for the Huskies. But as the game progressed and the score tightened, he contributed with his passing, defense and rebounding.

A prime example of Abisogun’s impact was his offensive board early in the fourth quarter. With Fairmont Prep leading 39-38, he soared for an offensive rebound and quickly fired the ball back out to the perimeter. Guard Oliver Jones caught the ball and passed across the court to guard Marcus Fernandez for  3-pointer.

“It’s a team game,” Abisogun said. “if you want to be a great player, you got to do everything. You got to play with your teammates. Share the ball.”

“He’s a great teammate,” Fairmont Prep coach Joedy Gardner said of Abisogun, who has offers from UC Santa Barbara and UC Irvine.

Riverside Poly (22-10) hung tough in the fourth period and trailed 44-40 when Fairmont Prep guard Leroy Davis sank a 3-pointer with 1:32 left.

After the Huskies’ lead grew to 49-40, the Bears answered with a 3-pointer by Chris Holland and an offensive putback by Carter Monks but were forced to foul to stop the clock down the stretch.

Fernandez and Davis finished with 13 and 11 points, respectively, and a combined five 3-pointers. Jones chipped in nine points, including five at the end of the half as the Huskies led 26-23. Center Bith Jack grabbed nine rebounds.

Holland, a senior, paced Riverside Poly with 15 points and a block against a breakaway layup in the third. Jrob Croy added 11 points.

“It was an extremely physical game,” said Riverside Poly coach Travis Showalter, whose team will compete in the SoCal regional. “I was proud of how our team competed.”

Pacifica Christian defeated Centennial 84-80 in double overtime.

Fairmont Prep and Pacifica Christian split two league games.

​ Orange County Register 

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 

Santa Margarita boys basketball earns needed victory over La Mirada in Open Division playoffs

• February 22, 2025

RANCHO SANTA MARGARITA – Everything was at stake. Two winless teams in the CIF-SS boys basketball playoff pool met Friday desperately needing to win a game. Didn’t matter how, just as long as it was a victory. And though baskets were difficult to come by for Santa Margarita in the high-intensity environment, they were even harder to come by for La Mirada.

Getting good defense and a balanced offense, fourth-seeded Santa Margarita took a step back toward normality with a 68-61 Open Division victory over ninth-seeded La Mirada in the third game of play in Pool A.

Santa Margarita improved to 23-7 overall and 1-2 in the pool, while the Matadores fell to 25-7 and 0-3.

Although winning a section title is not an option after fifth-seeded Sherman Oaks Notre Dame (4-0) beat top-seeded Harvard-Westlake (2-1) to guarantee a spot in the section final, the victory should go a long way toward guaranteeing Santa Margarita a berth in the state playoffs where everyone gets a reset.

The Eagles play at Harvard-Westlake on Tuesday. La Mirada will play at eighth-seeded JSerra (1-2).

Falling behind by 11 points in the first quarter and 12 in the second, La Mirada came out of halftime trailing 36-26 and needing a spark. They got it from Jarrett Cole, who made two 3-point baskets as part of a 12-5 run to get within three points, 41-38, with 3 minutes 51 seconds left in the third quarter.

But Rodney Westmoreland and Kaiden Bailey answered the Matadores. Bailey drove the lane for a 3-point play, and Westmoreland scored a couple of difficult layups in transition. Bailey drove again, and with 42 seconds left in the third, the Margarita lead was back to 12 points, 50-38.

“Compliments to them, they made good plays when they had to,” La Mirada coach Randy Oronoz said. “We cut the lead and got close, but we just didn’t make those couple of shots we needed to get over the hump.”

Westmoreland finished with only 7 points, but his timing couldn’t have been better.

“I thought when he got those points it was really, really big, a really crucial time for us,” Eagles coach Justin Bell said.

Bailey was the game’s leading scorer with 22 points. His five points in the third quarter came in a span of 2:09 sandwiched around Westmoreland’s heroics.

“It’s a game of runs,” Bailey said. “They were on a run and we gathered ourselves and said that’s what we’ve got to do. It starts with defense.”

The first of Westmoreland’s layups came after a blocked shot on the other end, and the next came 20 seconds later after a missed 3-pointer.

Trailing 50-40 going into the fourth quarter, La Mirada scored the first two baskets of the fourth to pull to withing 50-44. And though Cole had another 3-pointer in him at 5:01 to pull withing 54-49 with 5:01 to play, Bailey scored the next four points to push the lead back to nine, 58-49.

The closest La Mirada got after that was seven points on Gomez’s 3-pointer in the waning seconds.

“When the game gets tight at the end, that’s when I feel my best,” Bailey said. “How can I make plays? The guys on the team trust me, the coaches trust me to go score. That’s my role here.”

It’s a role he excels at. Complementing Bailey were Bryden Kyman with 15 points, Dallas Washington 14, and Drew Anderson with 10 to go with his 13 rebounds.

Gene Roebuck scored 17 for La Mirada before fouling out with 51 seconds remaining, and Julien Gomez scored 16, including 10 in the fourth quarter. Cole and M.J. Smith had 9 apiece.

Bailey said his team’s improved performance began at Wednesday morning’s practice following Tuesday night’s 67-59 loss to Notre Dame. The Eagles worked hard, and it finally paid off with a playoff victory.

“I think we play in the toughest league in the nation and this is the toughest tournament,” said Bell, whose team shared the Trinity League title with St. John Bosco. “The honest truth is that the Trinity League is very tough, there are no bye weeks. You play everyone two times. You’ve got to be locked in for five weeks straight. When it’s over, I think the natural tendency is to take a little breath. In the Open Division, you don’t get to take a breath. We’re now getting closer to our standards of what we want to do.”

And if the Eagles return to normal and get a berth in the state playoffs, they might have a chance to really spread their wings.

​ Orange County Register 

Santiago boys basketball defeats Pacifica in semifinals, advances to finals for first time

• February 22, 2025

GARDEN GROVE — The Santiago boys basketball team earned a monumental victory Friday night as it defeated crosstown rival Pacifica 50-43 in the CIF-SS Division 4AA semifinals.

By winning, the Cavaliers punched their ticket to the championship game, the first in program history.

Jorden De La Mora scored 13 of his game-high 25 points in the final quarter for Santiago (21-11), which will face Ramona in the final next week at a site to be determined.

Santiago coach Matt Moorhouse was overcome with emotion after the game, while he also relished the moment — earning a spot in the CIF championships on the team’s home court and surrounded by the team’s fans.

“That made it perfect,” he said. “I mean, that’s why I was so emotional, because I wanted to do something for this school ever since I got here eight years ago.”

The Mariners (21-11), who were led by Myles Salas’ team-high 13 points, trailed 33-29 as they entered the fourth quarter. They soon found themselves down by seven after a 3-pointer from De La Mora.

Pacifica, the No. 2 seed in the division, went on a 7-0 run tie the score. They got a basket from Luke Thompson, a 3-pointer from Mateo Angel and a shot from Anthony Smith.

De La Mora responded with back-to-back 3s, one from well beyond the arc and another from the corner as he got free thanks to a screen. He finished the game with five 3-pointers.

Pacifica coach David Friedman was proud of the heart and effort from his team and felt like they had their opportunity to win. He also tipped his cap to De La Mora.

“Turnovers and missed layups absolutely cost us tonight,” Friedman said, “but the other big thing was their kid, De La Mora, hit some big-time shots. “He had 13 points in the fourth quarter, and as they say, ‘players make plays’ and he took over. You gotta hand it to the kid.”

“That’s Jorden, it wasn’t unexpected or anything new,” Moorhouse said. “He’s been our most consistent player, but everybody helped in the game.”

Jayden Baude scored 10 points, Jerell Guidry added six points while Diego Bracamontes chipped in with five points in the second quarter. Anthony Bermudez provided great defense for the Cavaliers.

Tustin coach Ringo Bossenmeyer was in the crowd to lend support for Santiago. Moorhouse credits Bossenmeyer with teaching him how to run a program.

Moorhouse hinted at the possibility of this being his final season at Santiago, and he would like nothing more than to bring home the school’s first CIF championship before it’s all said and done.

“I don’t know what’s going to happen after this year, if I’m going to stay or go,” he said, “but this is my goal. This is a great way to cap it all off if this is it.”

As for Pacifica, it will have a 12-day layoff before the CIF SoCal Regional playoffs begin. Friedman is looking to continue the postseason with more memories.

Friedman earned his 400th career victory in the first round and witnessed Myles Salas hit a last-second, go-ahead shot over Tarbut V’Torah in the second round.

“I’ve enjoyed every moment of it and not taking it for granted, yet, not nervous, just really feeling like we belong here,” he said.

​ Orange County Register 

CIF-SS boys basketball playoffs: Orange County scores from Friday’s semifinals

• February 22, 2025

The scores for the Orange County teams in Friday’s CIF-SS boys basketball semifinals.

CIF-SS BOYS BASKETBALL PLAYOFFS

FRIDAY’S SCORES

Open Division 

Third round of pool play

Pool A: Santa Margarita 68, La Mirada 61

SEMIFINALS

Division 1

Los Alamitos 82, Crean Lutheran 57

Division 2AA

Pacifica Christian 84, Corona Centennial 80 (2OT)

Fairmont Prep 53, Riverside Poly 45

Division 2A

St. Bonaventure 66, Irvine 60 (OT)

Division 3AA

San Gabriel Academy at Sage Hill, Saturday, 7 p.m.

DIVISION 4AA

Santiago 50, Pacifica 43

DIVISION 5A

Arroyo 60, Saddleback 58

​ Orange County Register 

Gov. Gavin Newsom asks Congress for $40 billion in wildfire aid

• February 22, 2025

Gov. Gavin Newsom officially requested nearly $40 billion in disaster relief aid to help with recovery efforts after massive fires tore through the Los Angeles area earlier this year.

Newsom’s request, made Friday evening, comes as top officials in the Trump administration continue to say they want to attach some sort of conditions to any disaster aid package for California, an unprecedented move.

“It’s all-hands-on-deck to support our fellow Americans and get them back on their feet to begin rebuilding as soon as possible,” Newsom said in a social media post about his request.

In his letter, Newsom said more than 16,200 structures were destroyed in the catastrophic wildfires in early January and more than 16,000 personnel worked to extinguish the flames in a disaster made even worse by hurricane-force winds. At least 29 people died in the fires.

It will take years for the total impact on California’s economy to be fully realized, Newsom said, but the nearly $40 billion requested would support immediate and long-term recovery work.

The request includes about $16.8 billion in fire response costs, debris removal and infrastructure repair, including roads, public buildings and utilities, according to the Washington Post. Nearly $10 billion would be for housing costs and other infrastructure, $2 billion for low-income housing tax credits over the next 10 years and more than $4 billion for economic development grants to help businesses restart in fire-affected areas.

Newsom’s letter was addressed to House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-Louisiana; Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, D-New York; House Appropriations Committee Chair Rep. Tom Cole, R-Oklahoma; and House Appropriations Committee Ranking Member Rep. Rosa DeLauro, D-Connecticut.

Both of California’s U.S. senators, Alex Padilla and Adam Schiff, said Friday they fully support the governor’s request. The pair and Newsom are all Democrats.

And Rep. Brad Sherman, a Democrat whose district includes the Pacific Palisades, where one of the worst fires erupted on Jan. 7, applauded the funding ask, “which my constituents urgently need in order to rebuild their homes and their lives,” he said.

President Donald Trump, Johnson and other Republicans have suggested disaster relief for California should come with certain strings attached.

Trump previously said — just ahead of his visit to the fire-damaged Palisades area last month — that federal aid may only be given if California establishes a voter ID law and changes its water management strategies.

Earlier Friday, Ric Grenell, a top Trump administration aide with ties to Southern California, suggested cutting funding from the California Coastal Commission, a state agency that regulates land use and public access along the coast. Supporters consider the agency a key environmental watchdog, while critics say its strict rules block development.

Notably, not all Republicans are on board with attaching conditions to disaster aid, particularly those who represent districts in Southern California.

Rep. Young Kim’s district last year saw the Airport fire, which spread across more than 23,500 acres for 26 days in Orange and Riverside counties, destroying 160 structures and damaging another 34, according to Cal Fire’s estimate. She said setting conditions now would set a “bad precedent” for future disaster relief requests.

Rep. Ken Calvert, R-Corona, is also a no on conditions for aid, his spokesperson, Jason Gagnon, previously told the Southern California News Group.

​ Orange County Register