DIVISION II-A : Tustin Switches Its Strategy to Defense to Overcome Katella

A sagging zone defense and some late free throws allowed Tustin to defeat Katella, 56-44, in the second round of the Division II-A boys’ basketball playoffs Tuesday night.

The victory, Tustin’s 10th in a row, puts the Tillers in Friday’s quarterfinals against Pasadena Muir.

Tustin’s offense dominated in a 97-56 victory over Los Amigos in the first round last Friday, but its defense helped conquer Katella. The Knights led, 10-9, after one period but struggled on offense the rest of the way as the Tillers (21-7) built a 31-17 halftime lead.

Though Tustin managed just 11 of 27 (41%) in the first half, it limited Katella to 7 of 24 (29%) shooting. Katella, which managed just three of eight free throws in the half, also committed 10 turnovers to only four for Tustin.

The absence of point guard Tommy Burfeind, who missed the game after dislocating his knee in the Knights’ opening-round victory over Valencia, didn’t help.

Katella (16-9) made a run in the fourth quarter. After Tustin’s Rafi Lalazarian hit two free throws to give the Tillers a 46-31 cushion, Tustin went more than five minutes without a field goal. Katella cut the lead to 46-39 on LaByron Clayton’s three-point play with 3:50 remaining, but got no closer as Tustin used free throws by center David Lalazarian and guards Doug Gottlieb and Greg Logan to clinch the victory.

Gottlieb finished with a game-high 18 points. David Lalazarian, who converted 11 of his 13 free throws, had 17 points and eight rebounds.