PREP BASKETBALL PLAYOFFS : Cleveland Gets Basic and Beats Banning

Wilmington Banning High swingman Jabari Anderson faced many types of defenses this season, but he was up against the most basic of them all Friday night at Cleveland High in Reseda.

Cleveland’s simple man-to-man defense was more than Anderson could handle in a 79-73 loss to the Cavaliers in the opening round of the City Division 4-A playoffs.

Anderson still scored a game-high 32 points, but it wasn’t enough against third-seeded Cleveland.

Anderson, who averaged 35.1 points during the regular season, scored 15 points in the first quarter but struggled thereafter. If he has, at times, felt as though he carried the Pilots, the he must have felt really lonely down the stretch against the Cavaliers.

Anderson, a 6-foot-3 senior, made eight of his first 12 shots to help the Pilots (5-19) take a 21-17 lead after one quarter. He cooled off after that, though, making only four of his next 19 shots.

Despite 20 first-half points from point guard Kenny Collins--who finished with 25--Cleveland (19-6) trailed, 45-44, with 6:05 left in the third quarter.

With Collins closely guarded, forwards Brandon Martin (20 points) and Mike Scovell (13) combined for 15 points in the third quarter as Cleveland took a 61-53 lead entering the fourth quarter.

Martin scored six points in the first 2:33 of the fourth quarter to give Cleveland a 70-57 lead as Banning missed four of its first five shots.