Johnson’s Three-Pointers Pace El Dorado

Mike Johnson scored 20 points, hitting six three-pointers, to pace El Dorado to a 76-64 victory over Magnolia in the first round of the CIF Division III-AA playoffs Friday night.

Tuesday in the second round, El Dorado will play second-seeded Estancia, which had a first-round bye.

Johnson hit half of his three-pointers in the first quarter to help keep the Golden Hawks close in the early going and his final three-pointer with 1 minute 20 seconds left in the game helped seal the victory.

“He (Johnson) set a school record in three-point shots this year, so he has a lot of confidence in his shot,” El Dorado Coach Wayne Carlson said. “He was able to answer every time Magnolia got close.”

Andy Walin had five three-pointers for Magnolia and led all scorers with 21 points. He had 18 by halftime, but foul trouble, combined with a tightened Hawk defense, effectively shut him down in the final half.

El Dorado led, 40-38, after two quarters, but then outscored the Sentinels, 36-26, the rest of the way.