Southern Section Basketball Roundup : Santa Monica Upsets Top-Seeded Simi Valley

Santa Monica High School upset top-seeded Simi Valley, 55-54, in overtime of a Southern Section 4-A Division quarterfinal game Friday night at Santa Monica College.

With just one second remaining in overtime and the score tied, 54-54, Santa Monica junior guard Keith Neal was fouled while shooting. He missed the first of his two free throws but made the second to give the Vikings the win. It was the only point scored in overtime.

Guard Danny Price led Santa Monica with 22 points. Simi Valley finished the season 26-2. Santa Monica (17-9) will meet Diamond Bar, a 65-56 winner over Ventura, in the semifinals Tuesday.

Lakewood 73, Marina 68--Senior forward Milt Robinson made a 10-foot jump shot with 1:31 remaining in overtime to propel Lakewood (19-7), third-place team in the Moore League, to a win over third-seeded Huntington Beach Marina in a 5-A Division quarterfinal game at Millikan High. Robinson scored 22 points and Duane Cooper added 20 points for Lakewood, which plays Moore League champion Millikan in the semifinals Wednesday at the Sports Arena. Millikan beat Servite, 49-45, Friday night. In their last encounter, Lakewood defeated Millikan, 53-52.

Mater Dei 68--St. Anthony 57--After shooting just 33% from the floor in the first half, Mater Dei hit 9 of 10 shots in the third quarter to break a 24-24 tie at halftime and open up a nine-point lead after three quarters. Mater Dei will play St. Monica, a 63-61 winner over Ocean View, in the 5-A semifinals at the Sports Arena.

Westlake 71, Fontana 63--Forward Paul Keegan had 15 points, 13 rebounds and 8 assists to lead Westlake to its second straight upset. Last Tuesday, Keegan had 38 points as the Warriors defeated Muir, the second-seeded team in the 4-A Division. Fontana was led by 6-foot 10-inch senior center Sean Rooks, who had 33 points. Westlake (20-7) will play Lynwood Tuesday night in the semifinals. Fontana finishes 24-4.

Lynwood 39, Santa Barbara 38--With 45 seconds remaining, senior forward Mark Hill drilled a 20-foot jump shot to give Lynwood its final margin of victory in the 4-A game at Santa Barbara College. Santa Barbara called time out and ran a play but missed the shot. Jon Knapp of Santa Barbara got the rebound, threw the ball off a Lynwood player’s foot and out of bounds. Santa Barbara again inbounded the ball, and Mweiu Banks took a last-second shot that missed. Lynwood, which has won 17 straight, will play Westlake in the semifinals. Santa Barbara, the third-seeded team, ends the season at 22-3.

Diamond Bar 65, Ventura 56--Junior center Brian Hendrick, the son of the Angels’ George Hendrick, led the Brahmas to victory with 18 points, 11 rebounds and 3 blocked shots in the 4-A Division game at Rowland High. Forward Bill Miller added 14 points, 7 rebounds and 4 steals to the Diamond Bar cause. Diamond Bar (26-2) will play Santa Monica Tuesday night in the semifinals. Ventura finishes its season at 21-6.

Saugus 59, Tustin 56--Saugus, which finished third in the Golden League, won its third straight playoff game. Greg Weber scored a game-high 18 points as the Centurions moved into the the 2-A Division semifinals Tuesday night against Palos Verdes, a 48-46 overtime winner over Magnolia.

Santa Clara 64, Duarte 48--Senior guard Fred Santana had a game-high 22 points as the top-seeded Saints took a 17-4 first-quarter lead and coasted to victory. Dan Jones added 14 points and Phil Fanchere had 11 points for Santa Clara in the 2-A Division game at Ventura College. The Saints (21-4) will play Banning, which upset second-seeded San Bernardino, 70-53, Tuesday in the semifinals. Duarte finishes 16-10.

Oakwood 65, Big Pine 56--Sophomore Mitchell Butler, a 6-4 1/2 center, scored 29 points, many of them on slam dunks, to lead Oakwood (19-5) over Big Pine (17-1) in a Small School Division quarterfinal game at Big Pine. Lloyd Levine led Big Pine with 19 points. Oakwood will meet unseeded Whitney in the semifinals Tuesday.

Whitney 69, Silver Valley 57--Senior forward Matt Bowley scored 27 points and grabbed 14 rebounds as Whitney (22-2) upset third-seeded Silver Valley (19-5) in a Small School Division quarterfinal game at Cerritos High. Whitney guard Clay Haynes had 14 assists and 4 steals.