9 Area Teams Advance to Basketball Semifinals

Nine Long Beach/Southeast area high school basketball teams advanced in the Southern Section playoffs Tuesday night and will play semifinal games Friday night.

It will be an all-Moore League 5-AA semifinal at Long Beach City College when Poly (24-2) plays Lakewood (18-10). Poly beat the Lancers twice, 69-67 and 65-55, during the regular season.

Poly, with Willie McGinest scoring 20 points and Melvin Jones scoring 19, defeated Simi Valley, 74-59. Lakewood defeated San Bernardino, 75-68, as guard Andre Miller scored 24 points.

Earnest Killum, the area’s leading scorer, scored 33 points to lead Lynwood to a 63-52 victory over Saddleback. Lynwood (29-1) will play St. Monica (23-5) in the other 5-AA semifinal at Gahr High School.

Dominguez and Compton are both in the 4-AA semifinals. The Dons (23-5) beat Bishop Amat, 60-40, behind guard Jeff Rogers’ 16 points, and will play Glendora (24-5) at a site to be determined.

Compton (21-6) advanced with a 71-66 overtime victory over Riverside Poly. The Tarbabes, who got 18 points from James Williams, will play Edison (20-8) at a site that had yet to be chosen Wednesday.

In 4-A, Ed O’Bannon scored 20 points and had 16 rebounds to lead Artesia (23-2) to an 80-51 victory over Fullerton. “I wasn’t happy with our defense,” Artesia Coach Wayne Merino said. “It stunk.”

The Pioneers will play Burroughs of Burbank (18-6) at Cerritos High.

In the other 4-A semifinal, La Mirada (19-8) will meet San Marcos (23-6) at Biola University. La Mirada edged Kennedy, 51-50. Brian Tiller had 17 points for the Matadores , whose victory was sealed by a basket by Charlie Cardon, his only two points of the game.

In 3-AA, Centennial’s season ended with a 41-39 loss to Servite. The Apaches finished 12-12.

In 2-AA, Whittier Christian lost to Tehachapi, 72-63.

In 2-A, Valley Christian defeated Notre Dame of Riverside, 62-57, as four players scored in double figures. The Crusaders (21-5) will play St. Joseph of Santa Maria (18-7) at Allan Hancock College in Santa Maria.

And in 1-A, Brethren (18-8) beat Mammoth, 55-39, as Chiron Hart scored 18 points. The Warriors will play Chadwick of Palos Verdes (19-8) at Rolling Hills High in Rolling Hills Estates.