3-A Division : Blossey Scores 3 in OT as Los Alamitos Wins

As Steve Brooks, Los Alamitos High School coach, stood in the middle of Locke Gymnasium at La Serna Friday night, he hardly looked like a coach whose team had just defeated the Lancers, 60-57, in overtime in the first round of the Southern Section 3-A playoffs.

Brooks was still a little stunned about what had happened. Even after Griffins guard Ryan Blossey scored three of his 22 points in overtime to lead Los Alamitos to the win.

The Griffins (18-6) will play Brea-Olinda in the second round. La Serna is 14-8.

Blossey’s three points were the only scored in overtime, and gave Brooks his first playoff win in five seasons at Los Alamitos.

“It’s still doesn’t seem like we won it,” Brooks said. “With all the turnovers and missed free throws I wondered if we wanted it bad enough to win the game. But we did.”

The game was close the entire second half. As Whitmont League Most Valuable Player Robert Stone rallied La Serna from a 13-point deficit. Stone scored 25 of his game-high 38 points in the second half. Stone, a 6-foot 4-inch senior guard, averaged 26 points a game.

“He’s really a fine ball player,” Brooks said. “He shoots well, and wants the ball in clutch situations. You’d love to have a kid like that playing on your club, he’s a winner.”

Stone tied the game, 57-57, by making two free throws with 16 seconds left. He was fouled on the drive by Los Alamitos center Moe Warner.

The Lancers had a chance to win the game in regulation when Matt Treece missed a free throw with 11 seconds left and La Serna got the ball.

But Stone’s hurried off-balance jump shot bounced off the backboard and the game went into overtime.

In overtime, Blossey scored on Los Alamitos’ first possession. It turned out to be the winning basket as each team repeatedly turned the ball over.

La Serna’s last chance to tie the game failed when Lancers’ guard Bill Bergerson’s pass to Jim Garvey went off his hands and out of bounds with 19 seconds left.

Blossey made one of two free throws with six seconds left to ensure the win for the Griffins.

“Ryan has played outstanding the last five to six games,” Brooks said. “He’s done it all by scoring points, grabbing key rebounds and hitting his free throws.”

Also helping Los Alamitos was guard J.T. Snow who scored 16 points. Garvey scored 10 for La Serna.