Oilers Advance to Final : Playoffs: Huntington Beach beats Thousand Oaks, 58-50, to get another chance at top-seeded Mater Dei.

A chance for redemption was the motivating force in Huntington Beach’s 58-50 victory over Thousand Oaks Wednesday night in the Southern Section Division I-A semifinals at Edison High.

A chance to prove themselves against top-seeded Mater Dei in the championship game at 8 p.m. Saturday in the Sports Arena is all the Oilers wanted. They advanced to the final for the first time in 25 years.

Huntington Beach (27-3) took on a tall order against second-seeded Thousand Oaks (26-2), but the play of guards Bryan Chang, Chris Jones and Tommy Walden more than offset the Lancers’ height advantage.

Chang created havoc for the Thousand Oaks ballhandlers. Thousand Oaks committed 18 turnovers against the Oilers’ pressure defense and had problems getting the ball inside to its identical twin towers, Nick and Paul Foster.

Jones and Walden took turns making three-point shots at the end of the second and third quarters that Huntington Beach Coach Roy Miller said, “Broke their (Thousand Oaks) backs.”

In the end, it was the steady play of center Tony Gonzalez that helped Huntington Beach end Thousand Oaks’ 23-game winning streak and advance into the championship game against the Monarchs (30-1).

“I’m thrilled to get another shot at Mater Dei,” Chang said. “We have a chance to redeem ourselves. There aren’t many teams that get a third shot at Mater Dei.”

Huntington Beach has met Mater Dei twice. The Oilers lost in the championship game of the Daily Pilot Tipoff Classic and in the finals of the Tournament of Champions. Neither game was close, something Miller hasn’t forgotten.

“We’re going to have to play a perfect game to beat them,” Miller said. “They have superior depth, athletes and basketball skills. They play great defense, and they get the ball off the boards and they’re gone.”

Huntington Beach will certainly have to play better than it did against Thousand Oaks. The Oilers didn’t shoot particularly well (25 of 54) and were out-rebounded, 32-27. They also got sloppy in the fourth quarter after building a 13-point lead.

But Huntington Beach hit the timely shot each time Thousand Oaks threatened. The biggest play came with two seconds remaining in the first half when Jones scrambled to get a loose ball and then swished a three-point shot that pushed the Oilers ahead, 26-19.

“It was disappointing for us because we had defended so well and then the ball popped into his (Jones’) hands and he hit the shot,” Thousand Oaks Coach Ed Chevalier said.

Still, Thousand Oaks made a run in the third quarter after Huntington Beach forward Matt Ambrose picked up his fourth foul. The Lancers managed to cut the gap to 34-32 when Denny LeVine made a three-point shot. But Walden and Gonzalez answered with more big plays.

Gonzalez stole a pass near the key and drove the length of the court for a layup that gave Huntington Beach a 41-33 lead with 1:39 remaining in the third quarter. Then, Walden hit the second back-breaking shot, a three-pointer with six seconds remaining, to move Huntington Beach comfortably ahead, 44-35.