SOUTHERN SECTION BASKETBALL PLAYOFFS : Boys : Katella Comeback Comes Up Short This Time, 52-50 : Knights Can’t Rally Enough Times to Win After Scoring Only Six in First Period

In the end, all that stood between Katella High School and a trip to the Sports Arena for the Southern Section 3-A championship game was two points. But even the score was deceiving in what was a very strange season for the Knights.

All season, Tom Danley, Katella’s 20-year veteran coach, has been telling everyone that his team hasn’t played well. Oh sure, the Knights had 24 victories and were looking at their fourth trip to a title game if they could get past Hacienda Heights Wilson.

But it was almost asking too much of a team that never did play four good quarters in any playoff game. Ultimately, the Knights themselves were their toughest opponent although the record book will show they lost to Wilson, 52-50, on Tuesday night in front of 3,000 fans at Cypress College.

Katella (24-4) scored just six points in the first quarter. The Knights made only 3 of 13 shots in the quarter and appeared to be intimidated, falling behind, 11-6.

But before any of the capacity crowd could write off the Knights, they came charging back behind the play of guard Wayne Petrakis to take a 25-24 halftime lead.

Petrakis made four straight shots in the second quarter as Katella was 9 for 14 from the field. His fourth straight shot with 25 seconds remaining in the half gave the Knights their biggest lead, 25-22.

But the roller coaster ride continued in the third quarter and this time Katella paid the price. Wilson opened the third quarter with eight unanswered points, and the Knights could never catch up, scoring only five points in the period.

Guard Paul Barriga’s second long jump shot with 4:23 left in the third quarter moved the Spartans ahead, 32-25, and the momentum was clearly in Wilson’s favor. Or was it?

Keeping in form, the Knights rallied behind junior center Richard Lucas to cut an eight-point deficit to two points on two different occasions, but they couldn’t regain the lead.

Katella certainly had its chances. But an attempt to get a final shot that could have tied the game in the final seconds disappeared when Barriga stole the ball from Katella guard Steve Stierstofer, dribbled the length of the court, and then tossed the ball into the air as the buzzer sounded.

“I expected to win, and we played lethargic with no knockout punch,” Danley said. “I thought we were a little intimidated and our bread-and-butter people didn’t produce.”

The Knights’ best player, Bob Erbst, finished with 15 points and 9 rebounds before fouling out with 1:38 left to play. But he made only 5 of 20 field goals. Lucas managed only nine points and had four shots blocked by Wilson center Scott Williams.

Williams finished with 16 points, 14 rebounds and 5 blocked shots, but it was the play of Barriga and forward Neil Weingarten that ultimately was the difference. Barriga led all scorers with 16 points and Weingarten had 9 of his team’s 14 points in the crucial fourth quarter.

Wilson (26-3) will meet the winner of tonight’s game between Brea-Olinda and Ganesha for the 3-A title at the Sports Arena on Saturday. Katella had a 17-game winning streak ended.