Long Beach Wilson wins and a word sums it up

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Michael Wilder gave me one word: ‘Pandemonium.’

And that’s all he needed to say -- I understood.

In the Southern Section Division I-AA boys’ basketball playoffs, Wilder and his fellow Long Beach Wilson Bruins cranked out a colossal upset in stunning the sizzling Simi Valley Pioneers.

Yes, those Pioneers who entered the evening with one loss in 27 games. Yes, those Pioneers who laid the smackdown on Compton earlier this season with a 24-point win. And, yes, those Pioneers who finished the regular season as the No. 8-ranked squad in the Southland by The Times.

With a 78-76 score and five seconds remaining, the Pioneers failed to sink a shot, then the Bruins’ faithful did its thing. ‘People stormed the court,’ he said. ‘It was crazy.’

In other words ... it was pandemonium.

Wilson will now play Mayfair in the quarterfinals on Friday.

-- Anthony Stitt