HIGH SCHOOL BOYS’ BASKETBALL PLAYOFFS : Wounded Reseda Thwarted : City 3-A Division: Regents rally without star guards, fall short to Roosevelt, 52-49.

With its two Division I recruits nursing injuries on the bench, Reseda High suffered from poor ball maintenance and three key mistakes in the game’s final six seconds and lost to Roosevelt, 52-49, Friday night in a City Section 3-A Division quarterfinal playoff game at Birmingham High.

The top-seeded Regents (18-2), playing without guards Trenton Cross and Archie Williams, were forced to play catch-up throughout most of the game.

Cross, who has committed to Cal State Northridge, suffered a season-ending foot injury a couple of weeks ago and watched helplessly from the bench in street clothes. At the other end sat Texas El Paso-bound Williams, who was dressed to play, but unable to bend his right knee, which he reinjured Wednesday in the Regents’ first-round victory over San Pedro.

The Regents, who committed 21 turnovers, were clearly not the same team without their backcourt stars.

Nonetheless, Reseda made a run at Roosevelt (13-11) late in the fourth quarter and finally tied it, 49-49, on a three-point basket by reserve Marc Harrel with 53 seconds left.

Harrel picked off a pass on the ensuing inbounds play, giving the Regents an opportunity for the winning basket.

But, all went wrong for Reseda thereafter. Damon Bailey drove to the basket and was whistled for charging with six seconds remaining. To make matters worse, it was Bailey’s fifth foul.

With the game still tied, 49-49, Roosevelt inbounded the ball and started up the court when Harrel fouled Mario Hernandez with two seconds remaining before Hernandez had even crossed midcourt.

Hernandez, who scored a team-high 20 points, buried two free throws for a two-point lead. But, as soon as Hernandez’s second free throw fell through, the Regents called a timeout--which they did not have. Hernandez went back to the line to shoot the two technical free throws and converted the second.

Roderick Jones’ play was perhaps the force that kept the injury-riddled Regents in the game at all. Jones, who finished with a game-high 23 points and 13 rebounds, scored 19 of Reseda’s 26 first-half points.