Southern Section Tennis Playoffs : Los Alamitos Finally Reaches the Final

The Los Alamitos High School boys’ tennis team had been to the semifinal round of the Southern Section playoffs four consecutive times before this season.

And the Griffins had lost four times.

“The players thought there was a jinx,” Kevin McClintic, Los Alamitos’ first-year coach, said.

But with the help of some strong singles play, Los Alamitos defeated Woodbridge, 11-7, Thursday at the North Lake Tennis Club in Irvine and advanced to the 3-A championship match.

Los Alamitos (22-2) will play San Marino Wednesday at a site to be determined today.

Woodbridge, which was making only its second playoff appearance ever, ended its season 20-4.

Riva Da Silva, a senior exchange student from South Africa who is the Griffins’ No. 1 singles player, swept all three sets as Los Alamitos won 6 of 9 singles sets.

Da Silva, who is 15th-ranked in the Southern California Tennis Assn. among 18-year-olds, had little trouble defeating Chris Emery, Woodbridge’s No. 1 singles player, 6-0.

Nevertheless, Los Alamitos found itself tied, 3-3, at the end of the first round.

Woodbridge started the second round by getting a victory from its No. 2 doubles team of Brett Isaacman and Rajan Saggar, a pair of sophomores. Isaacman and Saggar beat the Griffins’ No. 1 doubles team of Wing Chen and Hahn Lin, 6-0.

But Da Silva and Shubert Koong, Los Alamitos’ No. 2 singles player, remained steady, winning their singles sets and keeping the Griffins in front.

Da Silva beat Randy Ivey, 6-2, in the second round and Gabe Pate, 6-2, in the third. Koong, after losing to Ivey in the first round, beat Pate, 6-3, and Emery, 6-0.

In the other 3-A semifinal match:

San Marino 10, Laguna Beach 8--Freshman Jon Leach swept his sets, 7-5, 6-0, 6-2, for Laguna Beach, which lost at San Marino. Leach finished the season 65-1.

In 4-A semifinal matches:

Westlake 10, Foothill 8--Jeff Giesea swept at No. 1 singles, 6-2, 6-2, 6-0, but Foothill was eliminated at home. Dana Eisanman and Jeff Gilstrap won 2 of 3 at No. 1 doubles, 3-6, 7-6, 6-2, and Grant Gourley and Tony Waterman won two of three at No. 2 doubles, 4-6, 7-5, 6-3, for Foothill.

Dana Hills 12, Canyon 6--The victory gives host Dana Hills a third consecutive berth in the title match. Dana Hills (20-3) is the defending 4-A champion. Jason DeFalco, Canyon’s No. 1 singles player, swept his sets, 6-3, 6-0, 6-2, for Canyon (23-1).

In the 5-A semifinal matches:

Santa Barbara 11, Newport Harbor 7--With the victory over the Sea View League’s No. 1 team, host Santa Barbara advances to the final for the second consecutive year. Last season, Santa Barbara lost to University, the Sea View League’s No. 1 team.

Beverly Hills 15, Corona del Mar 3--Host Beverly Hills, the No. 1 seeded team, rolled into the final with the victory at home. Corona del Mar, the Sea View League’s second-place team, ends the season 14-9.