Griffin’s 39 Help Biola Oust CLU

Cal Lutheran, which made a habit of overcoming obstacles this season, finally ran into one that was too formidable to conquer--Johnny Griffin.

Griffin, a 6-5 senior forward, scored a game-high 39 points, including 30 in the second half, to lead Biola to an 84-63 victory over CLU in the NAIA District III semifinals at Whittier College on Saturday night.

Biola plays Westmont for the district title Tuesday at Whittier College. The Warriors defeated Southern Cal College, 100-86, Saturday to advance.

Shaking off a sluggish first half in which he scored nine points, Griffin ran off eight consecutive points to start the second half. The three-time All-District III performer scored at will to turn a close game into a rout.

After trailing, 32-30, at halftime, Biola outscored CLU, 54-31, in the second half. Steve deLaveaga, the district player of the year, led the Kingsmen with 22 points.

But the difference was Griffin, who made 14 of 21 field goals and 11 of 15 free throws.

“He’s a great player, real tough to stop,” CLU Coach Larry Lopez said. “They played great, but if some of those shots would have dropped we would have been right there.”

Griffin led Biola in scoring this season with a 20.9 average. He helped the Eagles, winners of four consecutive games, earn their No. 8 ranking in the NAIA.

The loss was a major disappointment for the Kingsmen, who overcame numerous hurdles to make it to the semifinals. CLU rebounded from the loss of James Faulk and Loren Rodrick last month to finish second in the Golden State Athletic Conference.

And for the first 20 minutes of Saturday’s game, CLU looked like it was going to overcome Biola. The Kingsmen contained the high-scoring Eagles with strong defense throughout the first half, effectively double-teaming Griffin.

While the NAIA All-American was held to nine points in the first half, Paul Horn, a 6-7 center and Biola’s second-leading scorer, was held to just six.

Cal Lutheran pulled ahead, 7-5, on Darren Ranck’s two free throws with 17:46 remaining in the first half. The Kingsmen held a six-point lead with less than four minutes remaining in the half but only took a 32-30 lead into the final 20 minutes.

CLU converted just 10 of 32 field goals (31%) in the first half and Biola shot 34.5%. Both teams converted 9 of 11 free throws.

CLU (16-4) advanced to the semifinals with a dramatic 86-79 victory over Cal Baptist on Tuesday. The Kingsmen rallied from a 21-point deficit in the first half to advance. Biola defeated Fresno Pacific, 78-57, in its first-round game.

The Eagles (28-3) defeated Cal Lutheran, 87-71, on Dec. 19. Biola, which won its first 17 games and had the best start of any lower-division team in Southern California, did not lose until Jan. 13.

Biola might face its first true test of the district playoffs when the Eagles play Westmont for the title. The Warriors (22-8), winners of their past 11 games, dealt Biola one of its three defeats, 58-56, on Feb. 13.

The winner of Tuesday’s game advances to the NAIA national championship tournament in Kansas City, Mo., beginning March 16.