Gardner Leads St. John Bosco Past Dominguez for II-A Title

Jelani Gardner, a 6-foot-6 senior point guard, scored 12 of his 24 points in the fourth quarter to carry No. 6-ranked Bellflower St. John Bosco to a 55-54 victory over No. 3 Compton Dominguez High in the Southern Section Division II-A championship at Anaheim Arena on Saturday.

“We tried to throw everything at him we could and get the ball out of his hands,” said Dominguez Coach Russell Otis.

Leading 53-51, St. John Bosco (28-2) got possession after a steal by Gardner with 24 seconds left. Gardner was fouled with 10 seconds to play, and he hit two free throws to culminate a 7-0 run that made it 55-51. Jaimie Gillin of Dominguez hit a three-pointer at the buzzer.

Their 17th consecutive victory gave the Braves their first section title. The loss ended a 17-game winning streak by Dominguez (27-3), which has now lost two title games in a row.

The Dons hit two of six free throws; the Braves 11 of 15.