Preps 5-A : Crespi Is Painted Out,57-56

After feasting on junk most of the night, Serra High finally got something it could sink its teeth into--a shot in the paint.

Mark Sutherlin put it in from the middle of the lane with eight seconds left at El Camino College to give the Cavaliers a come-from-behind 57-56 victory Friday over Crespi in the quarterfinals of the Southern Section 5-A basketball playoffs.

Crespi had used all of its timeouts, so all it got at the end was a driving, off-balance shot by point guard Alfie Basile that carommed off the front of the rim.

The Serra celebration that followed was dampened somewhat when the Cavaliers’ Darryl May and Crespi’s Jon Kirchner squared off as if ready to fight.

Order was quickly restored, however, and Serra’s celebration continued.

Serra Coach George McDaniel couldn’t believe his team’s good fortune at the end.

“That shot had been taken away from us the whole night,” he said of Sutherlin’s game-winner. “They had been packing down. But I guess they relaxed at the end. . . .

“I didn’t think they’d give me the shot in the middle. I thought they’d give me the outside, but they gave me the shot I wanted.”

Crespi (16-8) had been in control for much of the game after outscoring the Cavaliers, 13-0, at the end of the first quarter to open a 21-10 lead.

Serra, which will take a 21-5 record into the semifinals against No. 1-seeded Mater Dei (27-0) Wednesday or Thursday night at the Long Beach Arena, finally caught up when Sutherlin, who scored 20 points, made a short jumper to give the Cavaliers a 49-48 lead with 3:36 left.

After that, the teams traded baskets, with Basile making a 10-foot bank shot with 37 seconds left to give Crespi its last lead at 56-55.

Kirchner led Crespi with 17 points and nine rebounds. Brian Capp scored 16 for the Celts.