Defending Champion Reseda Ousted by San Pedro, 76-73

Third-seeded San Pedro ended Reseda’s reign as City 3-A Division champion Wednesday night, beating the Regents, 76-73, in a quarterfinal game at the Sports Arena.

The Regents (16-6), who won the 3-A title two straight seasons, lost for the first time in 10 playoff games.

San Pedro forward Zlatko Josic had 24 points, 13 rebounds and 8 steals, while guard Otis Livingstone scored 12 of his 21 points in the second half to lead the Pirates.

San Pedro (15-4) will play Van Nuys, a 75-67 winner over Jefferson, Friday in the semifinals.

The game was evenly contested throughout most of the first half. Josic hit several jump shots to lead the Pirates, scoring 15 first-half points.

Regent forward Jeff Johnson and Pirate guard Otis Livingstone also played well in the first half.

Johnson completed a three-point play after being fouled with 3:01 left in the first quarter, only to see Livingstone speed down the lane and execute a beautiful reverse layup in heavy traffic. Johnson then quickly turned a fast break into a slam dunk to give the Regents a 15-13 lead.

The Pirates didn’t take the lead until late in the second quarter on a short jumper by the guard Ron Davis. The lead then switched hands on until the end of the half, when the Regents held a 39-37 lead.

The teams played evenly throughout the third period, and the Regents led, 57-55, going into the fourth quarter. The Pirates outscored the Regents, 14-4, in the first six minutes of the fourth quarter to take a 69-62 lead with two minutes remaining.

The Pirates’ victory was due in large part to their execution at the free-throw line, which was ironic according to Pirate Coach Jack Kordich. “Our worst two free-throw shooters (Josic and Curt Jones) turned out to play a large part in our victory with their performance at the line, “ Kordich said. Jones was 7 of 8 and Josic was 6 of 8 from the line.

The Regents made an aggressive attempt to catch up, but in doing so either turned the ball over or committed fouls as the game drew to a close.