Cougars Are Second Best in Rematch : Playoffs: Long Beach Jordan, which had been eliminated by Capistrano Valley in last year’s semifinals, delivers its payback, 69-57.

There was justice on the mind of Long Beach Jordan’s Ken Johnson Tuesday night. An eye for an eye.

“We were wired for this one,” Johnson said. “We had been here before. But this time it was our turn.”

Johnson and the Panthers got their pound of flesh, all right. They dispatched Capistrano Valley, 69-57, at Long Beach College, a victory that they found oh-so-sweet for many reasons.

It pushed the Cougars out of the Division I-AA playoffs, eliminating the defending champions. It propelled Jordan into Saturday’s championship game. Most importantly, it was a payback to Capistrano Valley, which had eliminated the Panthers in the exact same situation a year ago.

This time, though, the sneaker was on the other foot.

“We have four guys on this team that remember that,” Panther Coach Ron Massey said. “They got the other kids fired up.”

One was Johnson, who put in 16 points before fouling out. It was his back-to-back three-pointers that gave the Panthers a 39-38 lead midway through the third quarter. They would never trail again.

That lead would swell, thanks mainly to three-year starter Everett Ratleff, who scored eight of his game-high 20 points early in the fourth quarter. His 15-footer gave the Panthers a 55-44 lead with 5 minutes 30 seconds left.

It was then left to Jerome Dunn, another player who walked away from a loss last season. He scored 15 points and made five of six free throws down the stretch to help hold off the Cougars’ last gasp.

Then it was time to talk.

“We were on a mission,” Johnson said. “Everyone said this division was weak and that Capistrano Valley was going to roll through it. No way.”

Even Massey basked in the moment.

“Let’s bring on the world now,” he said.

The Panthers have been up to all comers of late. They have won 17 consecutive games, blowing through the Moore League in the process. They entered the playoffs as the No. 1-seeded team.

Always there, though, was the thought of Capistrano Valley.

“We wanted them all along,” Johnson said.

When they got the Cougars, they took the battle to them. Jordan created a helter-skelter pace, which was purely to its advantage.

“They were just too quick for us,” Capistrano Valley Coach Mark Thornton said.

It showed, especially at key moments. The Cougars led, 32-31, at halftime, but had the game taken away in the second half.

Capistrano Valley (20-10) committed 16 turnovers, eight in the fourth quarter. Corey Kost had four in a one-minute span.

“We kept giving the ball back to them,” Thornton said. “We lost control.”

The Cougars made one last run. Kost and Todd Thornton (15 points) made back-to-back three-pointers to get the Cougars to within four. Keith Carson’s layup and free throw pulled them to within three, 60-57.

Capistrano Valley had a chance to get closer, but David Sedgwick missed a 15-foot jumper. The Cougars went scoreless the final 2:27.

“We couldn’t get one guy hot to go to the whole game,” Thornton said.

That was due in part to Jordan’s defense, which took away the Cougars’ inside game. The Panthers, who have no player taller then 6 feet 3, stayed with mostly in a 2-3 zone, which nullified the 6-6 Eric Seiffert and 6-5 Ted Blinn.

“We were ready,” Johnson said. “This time it was our turn.”