Thompkins Clinches Win, 53-51 : Prep basketball: Campbell Hall guard scores in final seconds.

Their best player had just fouled out and there was a tick less than 10 seconds to play. As the Campbell Hall High team huddled on the sideline, sophomore guard C. J. Thompkins had no particular direction in mind.

Yet a few seconds later, Thompkins’ internal compass read due north, and things worked out just fine.

Thompkins took an inbounds pass and raced the length of the floor and scored on a knifing layup with three seconds left to give Campbell Hall a 53-51 win over top-seeded Bishop Diego in a Southern Section V-AA Division semifinal at a packed Valley College on Tuesday night.

Campbell Hall (24-4) will face Delphic League foe Brentwood in the final Saturday night at a site to be determined. Brentwood defeated Brethren Christian, 65-40, on Tuesday but lost to Campbell Hall twice in regular-season play.

Thompkins had just inherited the point-guard position when Austin McKellar (10 points) fouled out with nine seconds left.

“I told him, ‘You’re the guy, you’re the No. 1 guard,’ ” Campbell Hall Coach Joe Jackson said.

With the score tied, 51-51, Thompkins took a baseline inbounds pass from Scott Glass and headed down the floor. The first option was to get the ball inside to freshman center Alex Lopez, who had struggled all game and finished with 10 points. Thompkins, who scored a team-high 18 points on eight-of-11 shooting, changed the plan.

Bishop Diego (23-5) called time out as soon as Thompkins’ shot hit the net, and after huddling, advanced the ball to midcourt with a quick inbounds pass and another timeout. With three seconds still on the clock, John McCoy (16 points) bobbled the inbounds pass. Teammate Dan Wolf picked up the loose ball and his 30-foot shot bounced off the left side of the rim at the buzzer.