Grant Is Shaken at Crenshaw : Basketball: Jittery Lancers throw away chances with 18 turnovers in 75-61 defeat.

In its quest for a City Section 4-A championship, the Grant High boys’ basketball team entered the lions’ den Wednesday night--and there the quest ended.

Top-seeded Crenshaw routed the Lancers, 75-61, in a second-round playoff game.

Grant never led and never really threatened after a 14-14 tie in the first quarter.

The Lancers instead committed 18 turnovers and did not look comfortable trying to compete with the two-time defending City and State champions.

“We made little petty mistakes,” said Grant senior guard Ronald Patterson, who had 21 points. “We had good looks at (the basket). We knew there would be turnovers. But. . . . “

But several times Patterson had to go nose-to-nose with teammates, challenging their courage and telling them not to be intimidated.

“(Intimidation) could have been it,” Patterson said. “A lot of them were afraid. I tried to calm them down.”

Besides the winning tradition, Crenshaw (21-5) was bigger and stronger, and outrebounded Grant.

And if the Cougars were sloppy at times, as Coach Willie West said, the Lancers (17-8) didn’t take advantage.

“We’ve just been playing well enough to win,” West said. “We can shoot, but we don’t stay focused all the way through.

“But we keep forgetting the (Arkansas) Razorbacks (who were the NCAA champions last season). Everybody’s ready to play them. With Grant and everybody else, they want to prove they can play with the name--Crenshaw.”

The Lancers kept it interesting, making 10 of 17 shots in the first half.

But 17 shots were hardly enough, and Crenshaw was in control by halftime, 46-34.

Grant took 33 shots in the second half but missed 22 of them. Three were air balls.

Even Patterson cooled off down the stretch, though brother Donald Patterson picked up some of the slack with 19 points.

“None of us really gave up,” Ronald Patterson said. “It was frustrating that our shots went in and out.”

Raymond Palmer had 14 points for Crenshaw. Damian Willis added 11, and Robert Parker and Antonio Simpson each had 10 for the Cougars.

In the fourth quarter, Grant trailed by 18 points. That’s when the Lancers began to use a full-court press.

The press forced three Crenshaw turnovers and led to a 7-0 run by Grant, which cut the lead to 67-56. But it was too little, too late. Only 2 minutes 20 seconds remained. A three-point basket by Ronald Patterson cut the deficit to 70-61 with 40 seconds left. Grant couldn’t score again.