Palos Verdes Takes It to Sunny Hills, Wins, 68-53 : Tough Matchup Defense Handcuffs McCloskey and Keeps the Lancers Out of Their Game

Immediately after his 68-53 quarterfinal loss to Palos Verdes High School Friday night, Sunny Hills Coach Steve Keith was asked whether the absence of Chris Drakos--a star Lancer forward who became academically ineligible two weeks ago--was the game’s deciding factor.

“ They (Palos Verdes) were the factor,” Keith said. “Drakos might’ve gotten his points tonight, but they just took us out of our game.”

By doing so, Palos Verdes (20-7) advances to the Southern Section 3-A boys’ basketball semifinals, where it will meet Tustin Tuesday at a site to be determined. The Sea Kings lost in the semifinals last year to eventual 3-A champion Saugus.

Sunny Hills, the second-seeded 3-A team, finished 22-4.

John Mika, a senior guard, led Palos Verdes in its tough zone defense. Mika, who is listed at 5-feet 9-inches but admitted to being 5-7, was assigned Sunny Hills’ Brian McCloskey, a 6-7 forward.

The match-up, though somewhat humorous at first sight, was effective for Palos Verdes. McCloskey was held to just five points. Mika, along with guard Matt Ralph, pressured McCloskey throughout the game, especially within the key.

“When (Palos Verdes Coach John Mihaljevich) first told me I’d be on McCloskey, I was a bit tentative,” Mika said. “I mean, he’s tall. But it was a challenge and that’s my favorite part of the game.”

Palos Verdes looked sharp from the game’s opening minutes. Mike Matteoni, who scored a game-high 18 points, drove through traffic for a layup to give Palos Verdes the lead it never relinquished. The Sea Kings--led by Matteoni’s eight points, two on three point shots--outscored Sunny Hills, 15-6, in the first quarter.

In the second quarter, Damir Hlebec scored six straight points and guard Jeff White added a three-pointer to bring Sunny Hills to within six (26-20). But the Lancers couldn’t stop Palos Verdes’ three consecutive three-pointers by Mika, Matteoni and Matt Ralph, and left the second quarter with an eight-point (28-20) deficit.

What did Keith tell his players at halftime?

“I told them to slow down; to stop trying to win the game all at once,” Keith said. “Then they went out and got all nervous again.”

Despite their nerves, the Lancers began to smooth their game and rallied to a three-point deficit--the closest since the first quarter--outscoring Palos Verdes, 17-12, for a 40-37 score going into the final quarter.

Palos Verdes broke it open in the fourth quarter with a seven-point run, and Sunny Hills began a full-court press. It only got the Lancers in trouble, though, as their fouls sent Palos Verdes to the line 14 times, 8 in the final two minutes.