Granada Hills Gets Flattened Early and Can’t Bounce Back

The welcome wagon that greeted the Granada Hills High basketball team upon its arrival at Fresno City College on Tuesday night came disguised as a steamroller as Fresno Edison, the Highlanders’ opponent, jumped out to a 20-7 lead 5 1/2 minutes into the game. By that time, the City 3-A champions had taken as many timeouts (two) as they had made field goals.

Then Granada Hills came back. The rally came in the last two minutes of the first quarter, early as far as dramatic comebacks go, but hardly too soon in this case. In what turned out to be a seesaw thriller, this was a game of seconds.

And when the clock showed :00--the time that matters most--Edison had hung on for an exciting 73-72 victory in the quarterfinals of the Division I Southern California Regionals, setting up a semifinal meeting between the Tigers and Mater Dei for the second straight year. That game will be played Thursday night at Cal State Fullerton.

Steve Smith’s free throw with six seconds remaining clinched the win and in the process gave Edison of the Central Section (25-2) a win in the state playoffs over the City 3-A winner for the third straight year. Marshall was the victim in ‘86, also at Fresno City College, and Fairfax went down the season before at McLane High.

But to ask Granada Hills, the Tigers’ streak should have been broken. Or at least stretched into overtime.

Smith’s free throw gave Edison the one-point lead, but he missed the second attempt and Sean Brown grabbed the rebound for Granada Hills and passed to Terrell Smith, who headed down court as the final seconds ticked away. Smith drew within 18 feet of the basket, but never got a shot off.

Highlander Coach Bob Johnson didn’t have to be asked twice for his view of Smith’s run, which ended a few feet in front of the Granada Hills bench.

“He got fouled,” Johnson said. “At least I thought he did. The officials sure left fast.”

Gary Gray scored a game-high 31 for Granada Hills (20-5), and Sam Puathasnanon added 16 and Smith 15. Charlie Ross scored 25 and Andre Sims 15 to lead the way for Edison.

That the game would end with emotions running high was only fitting. It had started that way, too.

The father of Edison reserve Bernard Ireland died of a heart attack Monday, and the Tigers dedicated the game to his memory. That made the win all the more special.

The tribute “made a whole lot of difference, especially at the end,” Sims said. “We really pulled together as a team to win this one.”

All in all, it proved to be a night neither team soon will forget, although some Granada Hills players will certainly try.

“I don’t want to say anything,” was as close as Gray, who fouled out with 16 seconds to play, would get to discussing the game.

But Sims, for one, had plenty to say on behalf of Edison.

“We wanted it more,” he said. “We had more heart than they did.”

The Tigers rewarded Coach Bill Engel with a Bill Parcells-like dousing. Close to it, at least, by dumping a water bottle on him and dousing his shirt.

“We don’t have any Gatorade,” he said.

But they do have at least one more game to play. That’s more than Granada Hills can say today.