SOUTHERN SECTION BASKETBALL PLAYOFFS : 3-A Division : Ganesha Runs Past Troy, 90-77

Ganesha showed why it deserves the No. 1 ranking in the CIF Southern Section 3-A, using a run-and-gun offense to beat Troy, 90-77, in a second-round game at Chino High.

The Giants (26-1) were led by senior center Kevin Cutler, who will be playing at Cal State Fullerton next season. Cutler scored a game-high 26 points, grabbed 11 rebounds and blocked four shots.

The win for the Giants was their 17th straight and snapped a 12-game Troy winning streak. The Warriors, Freeway League champs, finished the season at 17-8. Senior Mark Rudometkin had 18 points for Troy and senior Rob Burrer had 17 points and 8 rebounds.

The game was played at a furious pace. Much of the credit for the Giants’ run-and-gun offense should go to twin brothers Donald and Ronald English, who had 22 and 19 points, respectively.

“We played super tonight and we were able to get the ball to Cutler to establish our inside game. That made a difference,” said Ganesha Coach Larry Armstrong.

Mike Williams, Warriors’ coach, was pleased even in defeat. “Tonight they were the better team. They were quicker and bigger than us. Ganesha will go far in the playoffs,” he said.

The Giants put the game away with 3:20 left when Ronald English drove the lane to give Ganesha a 80-63 lead.