A Fairy-Tale Victory for Crescenta Valley : Boys’ basketball: At-large team comes up big, reaches section final by beating Santa Ana Valley.

It’s so cliche: An at-large team with no returning starters advances to the championship game of the Southern Section’s top division.

Please, no one say Cinderella.

Oh, what the heck. If the shoe fits . . .

Crescenta Valley High beat Santa Ana Valley, 69-67, in a Division I-AA semifinal game Saturday night before a raucous crowd of about 1,200 at Glendale High.

“We really wanted this one bad,” senior Richard O’Neill said. “We wanted it for ourselves we wanted it for Coach. This is the best feeling I’ve ever had.

“We played great. I love this team.”

Crescenta Valley (19-9) will face Long Beach Poly (24-6) next Saturday in the Anaheim Arena.

Crescenta Valley, which finished fourth in the Pacific League, got to the championship game with a nearly flawless game.

Crescenta Valley outrebounded Santa Ana Valley, 36-11. Six-foot-nine junior Blake Jacobson led the way with 13 rebounds despite being called for his third foul early in the second quarter.

Crescenta Valley scored almost at will. O’Neill scored 27 points, Brock Jacobsen had 20 and Jacobson added 18. Crescenta Valley made 15 of 17 free throws.

“Richard did what he has done all year,” said tearful Crescenta Valley Coach John Goffredo. “Brock, ever since his wrist has healed, has shot that way. And Blake was dominating inside.”

Crescenta Valley led by as many as 13 points in the first half.

Fourth-seeded Santa Ana Valley (26-4), co-champion of the Century League, hinged its comeback hopes on sophomore Olujimi Mann, one of the top point guards in Orange County.

Mann scored 27 points, making seven of 12 three-pointers, and helped his team pull to within 65-62 with 2 minutes 5 seconds to play.

But Crescenta Valley, which has not been to the final in Goffredo’s 16 seasons as coach, held on when O’Neill sank two free throws with 38 seconds to play and Jacobsen made a layup seconds later.

“Our whole team played great,” Jacobsen said. “Everyone just stepped up and we are going to the finals. It’s unbelievable. It’s a Cinderella story.”

Afraid he would say that.