Williamson Lifts South Past San Dimas : Division III: The point guard scores 13 of his game-high 25 points in the fourth quarter of a 54-47 win.

It was a game that often resembled a comedy of errors. The only thing is, nobody was laughing.

“That was the worst playoff game we’ve played,” South Torrance Coach LaMont Henry said.

But thanks to a big fourth quarter by point guard Jimmy Williamson, South was able to overcome its mistakes and pull away for a 54-47 victory over San Dimas in the semifinals of the Southern California Division III regionals Thursday night at South.

With its 16th victory in 17 games, the Spartans (28-3) set up a rematch against top-seeded Morningside (28-5) in the regional final at noon Saturday at the Sports Arena. Morningside defeated South, 65-62, Friday in the Southern Section III-AA Division championship game.

“We’ll have to play a lot better to beat Morningside,” Henry said.

Against San Dimas, South committed 24 turnovers and struggled offensively until the fourth quarter, when Williamson scored 13 of his game-high 25 points. The 5-foot-9 senior also had three assists in the quarter and made all six of his free throws in one-and-one situations in the last two minutes nine seconds.

“Williamson came through for us,” Henry said. “He had some drives that opened up shots.”

South’s 22-point fourth quarter came after the team scored only seven points and committed nine turnovers in the third quarter. Fortunately for the Spartans, San Dimas was even worse. The Saints (26-5) committed nine turnovers and scored six points in the quarter, which ended with South ahead, 32-28.

It didn’t look like things would get any better for South in the fourth quarter after it was assessed a technical foul for having six players on the court. Two free throws by guard Brad Alley pulled San Dimas to within 43-41 with 3:55 left.

South finally got some breathing room when Williamson made two free throws to increase the lead to 49-45 with 1:19 left. The Spartans extended their lead when center Kyle McIntosh rebounded a missed shot by San Dimas, was fouled and made a free throw.

A steal by South guard Chris Hammond led to two free throws by Williamson and a 52-45 lead with 31 seconds left.

McIntosh, the Spartans’ leading scorer with a 21-point average, was frustrated inside by San Dimas’ collapsing 2-3 zone defense and finished with a season-low 11 points.

Guard Jeremy Veal led San Dimas with 18 points, including nine in the fourth quarter, and Alley scored 17 before fouling out with 1:35 remaining.

“It was an ugly win.