BOYS’ BASKETBALL / STATE REGIONAL ROUNDUP : Crenshaw Rolls Past Simi Valley

Crenshaw High broke open a close game against Simi Valley in the third quarter and went on to a 70-49 victory in a first-round Southern Regional State Tournament game at Cal State Dominguez Hills on Tuesday night.

Leading by 46-38 late in the third quarter, Crenshaw pulled away with a 14-4 run. It outscored the Pioneers, 22-9, during the fourth quarter.

Junior forward Tremaine Fowlkes led the Cougars with 19 points, eight rebounds and five blocked shots. Junior center Kristaan Johnson added 14 points and six rebounds.

Simi Valley, which finished 25-6, was led by Craig Griffin, who had 21 points.

Crenshaw (25-2) will play host to Huntington Beach in a regional semifinal Thursday night.

Hanford 70, Long Beach Jordan 66--Mario Aguirre scored on a layup with one second remaining in overtime, drew an intentional foul and sank both free throws to lead Hanford to a Division I victory at Hanford.

Jordan guard Jerome Dunn made a basket with 16 seconds remaining in regulation to tie the score, 61-61, and send the game into overtime. Senior Everett Ratleff led the Panthers (21-7) with 38 points, four rebounds and seven steals.

Hanford (26-1), Central Section champion, was led by Tad Hoffman’s 24 points and nine rebounds.

Santa Ana Mater Dei 88, Poway 65--The Titans took a surprising 6-2 lead, then watched as the Monarchs (32-1) surged to victory in a Division I game at the UC Irvine Bren Center.

Mater Dei forced 25 turnovers. Senior forward Marmet Williams led the team with 18 points.

Poway finished 24-7.

South Torrance 72, San Diego University 56--The Spartans (27-3) led by as many as 32 points early in the fourth quarter in a Division III game at South Torrance High.

Senior center Kyle McIntosh led South Torrance with 19 points, and senior guard Jimmy Williamson added 15.

University finished 16-9.

Sherman Oaks Notre Dame 70, San Diego St. Augustine 59--Senior Monte Marcaccini scored 25 points at Mesa College in San Diego to lead the Southern Section III-A champions against the San Diego Section Division III winners.

Notre Dame (25-6) also got 15 points on five-of-eight shooting from three-point range by Glen Carson. Sophomore Jelani McCoy scored 20 for the Saints (20-8).

The Knights led by as many as 15 during the first half, then their lead shrank to three late in the fourth quarter.

Corcoran 60, Newport Beach Corona del Mar 55--Corcoran (22-6) sank three three-pointers and made 10 of 13 free throws during the fourth quarter to beat the Sea Kings (17-13) in a Division III game at Corona del Mar High.

Corcoran’s 22 victories is a school record.

Gardena Serra 112, San Diego Clairemont 45--The Cavaliers (23-7) took a 62-21 halftime lead on their way to a Division IV victory at Serra High.

Senior forward Mike Boyd and senior center Akeli Jackson led Serra with 21 points each. Senior guard Alex Davis added 19 points and 10 assists as the Cavaliers shot 62%.

Clairemont finished 10-18.

Palos Verdes Chadwick 64, Santa Fe Christian 50--Senior forward Joe Giaconi scored a game-high 25 points to lead the Dolphins (23-9) to a Division V victory at Chadwick High.

Junior guard Neil Thakue added 19 points for Chadwick, the Southern Section V-AA runner-up. Christian finished 20-10.