Prep Wrap-Up : With 1 More Victory, Rolling Hills, Palos Verdes Will Meet for Crown

One more win.

That’s all it will take for Peninsula rivals Rolling Hills and Palos Verdes to meet in the CIF 3-A basketball finals next Saturday at the Sports Arena.

“That would be great,” said Rolling Hills Coach Cliff Warren. “We almost did it last year. Maybe we can do it this year.”

Rolling Hills (21-6), last year’s 3-A runner-up, faces Kennedy of La Palma (20-7) in the semifinals at 7:30 p.m. Tuesday at West Torrance High.

Palos Verdes (19-8), a semifinalist last season, plays third-seeded Tustin (23-5) on Wednesday night in a game tentatively scheduled at Rolling Hills.

The Bay League’s top two teams are each 3-0 in the playoffs after Friday’s triumphs.

Rolling Hills reached the semifinals in typical fashion, going down to the wire for a 69-66 victory over Los Alamitos at Cypress College. Up the road in La Mirada, Palos Verdes had an easier time beating second-seeded Sunny Hills, 68-53, at Biola University.

The Rolling Hills-Los Alamitos game featured several interesting subplots. There was controversy concerning a missing score book, two dominating centers and one unlikely hero.

Rolling Hills guard Steve Clover was a hit with the Los Alamitos fans, who taunted him with chants of “air ball” after his first two shots of the game were woefully short.

From then on, the sophomore heard jeers when he touched the ball. He heard them during timeouts. And he heard them when he went to the foul line with eight seconds left after he had stolen the ball under the Los Alamitos basket to protect the Titans’ 67-66 lead.

Clover answered by sinking two free throws to earn a ride on the shoulders of the Rolling Hills faithful after the game. He played with his left ankle heavily taped, the result of a sprain suffered in Tuesday’s 60-59 win over Western.

“(The jeering) made me a little tentative at first,” he said. “You can’t let that stuff bother you, but it does. Coming back after shooting the two air balls was pretty tough.

“I was feeling great after the steal. I wanted to be at the line.”

Clover drew the foul after he stepped in front of a pass intended for Los Alamitos’ 6-9 center, Dre Lamoureux.

“I was sagging in the key and I saw the guy roll (to the basket) with no one on him,” he said. “I just went over there.”

Clover’s steal capped an impressive fourth quarter of defense by Rolling Hills. The Titans outscored Los Alamitos, 18-12, in the period and shut out Lamoureux, who led the Griffins with 24 points, 18 in the first half.

Forward Stu Talley (10 points) and 6-4 center John Hardy (32 points, 15 rebounds) double-teamed Lamoureux down the stretch.

“I really thought that Stu, at 6-1, and John did a great job on their big guy in the second half,” Warren said. “If (Lamoureux) continued to have his way, we were through.”

Instead, it was Hardy who took over. The junior hit three straight baskets on offensive rebounds midway through the third quarter to bring Rolling Hills back from a seven-point deficit to within one, 50-49.

Los Alamitos continued to lead, but Hardy kept it close by hitting a shot in the key with 2:20 left and then tied the game, 64-64, by making both ends of a one-and-one with 1:48 remaining.

After point guard Brett Pagett hit two free throws to put Los Alamitos back on top, Talley completed a three-point play to give the Titans their first lead of the second half, 67-66, with 1:04 left. Talley was fouled after he slipped inside for a layup.

“We gave up too many easy shots down the stretch,” said Los Alamitos Coach Steve Brooks, whose team finished with a 21-7 record. “I thought that we broke down defensively.”

Brooks was faced with another problem earlier in the game.

At half-time, his scorekeeper removed the official score book from the scorer’s table in violation of high school basketball rules. When Warren returned from the locker room, he noticed the score book was missing and brought it to the attention of the officials.

At first it appeared the officials were going to let the matter slide--the scorekeeper said she left the scorer’s table to go to the restroom--but Warren protested vehemently until a technical foul was called.

“It’s in the rule book,” Warren said. “I feel sorry for the girl. I feel sick about it. But I have a team to think about.”

Brooks refused to comment on the incident, other than to say that his scorekeeper had been informed of the rule. She said she was not aware of it.

Talley converted both foul shots on the technical to pull Rolling Hills within two points, 41-39, to open the second half.

It was announced at the time that Los Alamitos was playing the game under protest, but that proved erroneous. Protests in the playoffs must be resolved during the game.

The incident marred what was otherwise an intense and exciting game, the kind of playoff contest that Warren has grown accustomed to in his three years at Rolling Hills. The Titans are 9-2 in the playoffs under his tenure.

They escaped with a win on Tuesday night when Western forward John Armenta missed a layup at the final buzzer.

“We have nine CIF wins and seven have been decided in the last seconds,” Warren said. “It’s unbelieveable.”

Palos Verdes put together one of its most impressive efforts of the season to knock off Freeway League champion Sunny Hills.

Point guard John Mika continued to enjoy a fabulous playoffs by scoring 16 points and limiting Sunny Hills’ top player, forward Brian McCloskey, to five points in a box-and-one defense. The accomplishment is all the more impressive when you consider that Mika is 5-9 and McCloskey is 6-7.

Mika made all 13 of his fourth-quarter free throws to help the Sea Kings pull away for their eighth consecutive victory and second straight over a league champion. On Tuesday, the Bay League runners-up beat Orange League champion Savanna, 47-42.

Forward Mike Matteoni led Palos Verdes with 18 points.

St. Bernard, which has lost nine straight games to Mater Dei over the last five years, will try to snap the streak when it faces the Monarchs at 7:30 p.m. Wednesday in the CIF 5-A semifinals at Ocean View High in Huntington Beach.

The Vikings (20-7) reached the final four for the fourth time in six years with a 59-54 win over Millikan on Thursday night at Loyola Marymount.

After his team’s win, St. Bernard Coach Jim McClune said it “would be an honor” to play Mater Dei again. The Monarchs swept the Vikings in two Angelus League meetings this season, but both were close.

El Segundo and Palos Verdes will both play on the road Tuesday in the semifinals of the CIF boys soccer playoffs.

Palos Verdes (25-2-2) will travel to Simi Valley to face Marmonte League champion Royal in a 4-A Division match-up after posting its 19th consecutive victory on Friday with a 2-0 shutout over Marina.

Pete Malishka and Jeff Callahan scored second-half goals and goaltender Graham Harrison recorded the Sea Kings’ 13th shutout of the season.

El Segundo (18-2) will play at top-seeded Diamond Bar in a 3-A Division game. The Eagles advanced on penalty kicks Friday after playing Mission Viejo to a 1-1 tie.

In girls soccer, West Torrance will be at home against Capistrano Valley and Torrance will play host to Mission Viejo on Tuesday in the semifinals of the CIF 4-A playoffs.