HIGH SCHOOL BASKETBALL / SOUTHERN SECTION PLAYOFFS : Simi Valley Advances to Final

With 8 1/2 seconds to play in Simi Valley High’s 63-51 victory over Lynwood on Tuesday night, Simi Valley Coach Dean Bradshaw turned to the crowd and let out a big “yeah,” signifying that his Pioneers were on their way to the Southern Section I-AA championship game.

Simi Valley will play Long Beach Jordan, a 69-57 winner over Capistrano Valley, in the final at 6 p.m. Saturday at the Sports Arena.

Paced by Craig Griffin’s 16 points in the semifinal at Dominguez High, Simi Valley shot 62.2% from the field despite being outshot nearly two-to-one. Lynwood shot only 35%.

The Pioneers, who normally live and die by the three-point shot, changed strategy.

“Coach told us they like to press and disrupt the passing lane, but that they were vulnerable to the backdoor cut and it worked like a charm,” Griffin said. “We knew coming in they were big and we would have to screen out, but when we entered the gym it was frightening. They were just monstrous.”

After tying the score with a buzzer-beater at the end of the first half, 25-25, Lynwood came out and scored the first three points of the second half. The Pioneers, who had led throughout, fought back to take a 41-36 advantage into the fourth quarter.

In the fourth quarter, the Pioneers continued to play solid defense and made the most of their free-throw chances. Ryan Briggs (10 points), Vernon Simmons (11) and Jason Conmay (13) made nearly all of their free throws.