PREPS / ROB FERNAS : El Segundo Boys’ Basketball, Girls’ Soccer Teams Lose

It was the end of the road Friday for El Segundo High’s playoff teams.

Forced to give up the home-site advantage by the school district, the boys’ basketball and girls’ soccer teams lost their quarterfinal-round games in the CIF-Southern Section playoffs.

The basketball team, instead of playing at Redondo or Mira Costa High, made a 2 1/2-hour drive to Palm Desert High, where it lost to Palo Verde of Blythe, 81-69. The girls’ soccer team, instead of playing at El Segundo, traveled to Brentwood, where it lost in overtime, 6-3.

The changes in sites were made because of a threat of gang retaliation after a shooting last weekend involving El Segundo students. A 17-year-old El Segundo boy was arrested on suspicion of murdering a 17-year-old Burbank boy who had reported ties to a San Fernando Valley-based gang.

There were no reported incidents at either game.

“We had between 15 and 18 fans there,” El Segundo basketball Coach Rick Sabosky said. “No students, no cheerleaders. After having won the coin flip (to gain the home court), it was a very frustrating way to end the season.”

The game was a sharp contrast to the Eagles’ Division IV-AA playoff opener at El Segundo, where an enthusiastic, capacity crowd helped cheer the team to a 68-59 victory over St. Anthony on Feb. 15.

Sabosky said Palo Verde brought a similar crowd and a phenomenal player to Friday’s game. Palo Verde guard Darian Broom scored a game-high 41 points to help put his team in Tuesday’s semifinals against top-seeded Santa Clara of Oxnard.

Would the result have been different if El Segundo had played at a nearby gym?

“I think we would have had a shot,” Sabosky said. “It just wasn’t what we had in the first (playoff) game, with no crowd being there.”

Guard Chris Hansen scored 27 points, including seven three-point baskets, and forward Travis Showalter added 22 for El Segundo, which finished 18-9.

No one can blame El Segundo Supt. William Manahan for being concerned about the safety of El Segundo High students. The threat of gang retaliation is a serious one.

But Manahan’s decision to move the playoff games to out-of-town sites was misguided at best. By taking the home-site advantage away from El Segundo, he forced the school’s athletes--namely the basketball team--to make a long trip.

Did it occur to Manahan that more people are killed and injured in car accidents each year in Los Angeles County than as a result of gang violence?

The boys’ basketball and girls’ soccer teams couldn’t play CIF playoff games at home for fear of gang retaliation, but the baseball team played a doubleheader Saturday at Recreation Park in El Segundo.

It was unrealistic for Manahan to think that he could keep the location of the basketball game secret. This information was available to the public.

The CIF-Southern Section released the site to anyone who called its office, meaning the information was readily available to every newspaper and media outlet in Southern California.

A more reasonable precautionary measure would have been to increase security for the playoff games and allow El Segundo’s teams to play at their originally scheduled home sites.

After all, wouldn’t you rather play close to home, surrounded by friends and family, than on the road if you were in potential danger?

I know I would.

How is it that this season’s Westchester basketball team, which starts two sophomores and two juniors, has done better than the Comet teams a few years ago that featured the dynamic duo of Zan Mason and Sam Crawford?

Coach Ed Azzam says it has a lot to do with chemistry.

“There’s not a kid on this team who has to have his 20 points a game,” Azzam said. “There’s not an ego on this team. They’ve really blended well together. Sometimes that’s all it takes.”

Westchester qualified for the L.A. City 4-A Division final for the first time since 1984 with a 71-65 victory Friday night over Crenshaw at Loyola Marymount. The unseeded Comets (21-7) will play second-seeded Manual Arts (22-3) at 8:30 p.m. Friday at the Sports Arena. The Toilers advanced to the title game with a 100-90 victory over Washington.

Azzam has fond memories of the Westchester teams led by the 6-foot-7 Mason, who now plays for UCLA, and flashy point guard Crawford, who leads the state in assists for Moorpark College. But the farthest Mason and Crawford ever got with the Comets was the semifinals.

This season’s team, led by 6-8 Pepperdine-bound center LeRoi O’Brien and a cast of underclassmen, has taken everyone by surprise.

“There have been no expectations for this team at all,” Azzam said. “I don’t think anyone expected us to get past the first or second round.”

Two of the reasons Westchester has made it so far is the improved play of O’Brien and a stifling defense that limited Crenshaw to 16-of-63 shooting and sparked a 20-1 third-quarter run against Carson in a 78-65 victory Wednesday.

O’Brien had 20 points, 12 rebounds and four blocked shots Friday.

“In the last four games, LeRoi has just dominated,” Azzam said.

The Carson girls’ basketball team squandered halftime and third-quarter leads Friday night and lost to Crenshaw, 68-67, in the City 4-A semifinals at Loyola Marymount. Crenshaw, which trailed most of the game, passed the Colts in the final 2 1/2 minutes of play.

“Tonight wasn’t our night,” said Carson Coach Jay Park, whose team finished 23-5. “We didn’t take care of the ball. We made too many bad passes. It’s a very disappointing way to end the season. To lose on a three-point shot at the buzzer is one thing, but not like this.”

Guard Cathleen Grice sparked Crenshaw with a game-high 25 points, including two baskets in the final 42 seconds.

The top-seeded Torrance girls’ soccer team and fourth-seeded Palos Verdes will meet for the third time this season at 3 p.m. Tuesday in the semifinals of the CIF 3-A Division playoffs at Torrance.

Palos Verdes (23-3-2) dealt Torrance (24-1-1) one of only two blemishes on its record when it tied the Tartars, 1-1, on Jan. 23. Prior to that meeting, Torrance defeated the Sea Kings, 4-2, on Jan. 2.

Jessica Reifer scored two goals Friday to lead visiting Torrance past Sunny Hills of Fullerton, 4-1, in a quarterfinal-round game. The Tartars, who have 22 shutouts, have outscored three playoff opponents, 12-1.

Palos Verdes, meanwhile, needed the 37th goal of the season by freshman forward Traci Arkenberg to get past visiting Temple City, 1-0. The goal came with four minutes remaining.

In Tuesday’s other 3-A semifinal, South Torrance (14-8-2) will play host to second-seeded Arcadia (21-3-1). An unassisted goal by Gillian Boxx in the second half lifted South, which has yet to give up a goal in the playoffs.

Thanks to another clutch performance by sensational sophomore Stais Boseman, top-seeded Morningside will meet Notre Dame of Sherman Oaks in the semifinals of the CIF Division III-A basketball playoffs at 7:30 Tuesday night at Inglewood High.

The Monarchs won a coin flip Saturday to gain the home alternate site.

Boseman scored a game-high 29 points, including a 17-foot jump shot at the buzzer, to lift visiting Morningside past San Dimas, 71-70, Friday night. The Ocean League champions improved to 26-3.

Notre Dame (22-4), the Mission League champion, advanced with a 62-47 victory over Corona del Mar.