Boys’ basketball: Top-seeded Gardena Serra rallies for win
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Top-seeded Gardena Serra, trailing by six points at halftime, came out with a 10-0 spurt to start the third quarter and never stopped turning up the speed behind senior guard Kajon Mack en route to a 62-50 road victory over Harvard-Westlake in a Southern Section Division 4AA quarterfinal game.
Mack finished with 21 points, including 13 in the third quarter. Daddy Ugbede added 19 points for Serra (27-2), which will face Price in the semifinals. Price defeated Windward, 76-62.
No. 2-seeded La Verne Lutheran advanced with a 50-48 victory over Oaks Christian. The Lions’ Chass Bryan had a three-point attempt at the buzzer but missed. Grant Jerrett had 21 points. La Verne Lutheran will face Crespi in the semifinals. Crespi defeated Bishop Montgomery, 73-67. London Perrantes scored 24 points. Crespi made 25 of 30 shots from the free-throw line.
One big upset of the night came in Division 3AAA, with Arroyo Grande knocking off top-seeded La Verne Damien, 50-43. Arroyo Grande has several players who were also part of its championship football team, including Oregon State-bound quarterback Brent VanderVeen, who had 16 points and 17 rebounds. Yes, the multi-sport athlete is alive and well at Arroyo Grande. Also on the team is kicker Garrett Owens.
-- Eric Sondheimer