SOUTHERN SECTION BOYS’ BASKETBALL PLAYOFFS : DIVISION III-AA QUARTERFINALS : Sonora Upset in Overtime

For the second consecutive season, the Sonora Raiders had their Southern Section title hopes derailed in the quarterfinals by an opponent they believed they should have beaten.

Last season it was Servite, who defeated the Raiders on a pair of free throws with no time left. On Friday it was Compton Centennial--which lost last season by two points to Sonora in the playoffs--pulling off a 62-58 upset in overtime at Compton Dominguez High.

Forward Kenzie Weir, who scored eight of his 23 points in the fourth quarter when Centennial (17-11) overcame a 44-38 deficit to force the overtime, sealed the victory over the top-seeded team in Division III-AA with a pair of free throws with 7.9 seconds to play. Centennial faces Moreno Valley Rancho Verde on Tuesday.

Sonora ends the season 24-4.

“Easily the biggest win of our careers,” said Ron Austin, co-coach with Austin Taylor. “They beat us last year by two, so we’ve played them tight both years. But we’ve also been in close games all season, and have learned how to play in tight games and how to finish them.”

Centennial never panicked when Sonora, which led 23-19 at the half, ran off an 11-2 to open the third quarter. The Apaches were confident their defensive pressure and superior quickness would overcome the Raiders’ height advantage. Centennial outrebounded Sonora, 36-32, with 14 on the offensive end.

“When we got up by nine I kept thinking, ‘We can pull away, we can get control,’ ” Sonora Coach Mike Murphy said. “But they score so quickly. Then we took a couple of quick shots and missed them, and they got us in their transition game.

“This is probably more devastating than Servite last year, because there will be a real feeling of underachieving. Still I’m very proud of these guys.”

Taking the loss as hard as anyone was 7-foot center Craig Clark. He led all scorers with 24 points, but his injured knee kept him from jumping. He had only eight rebounds and, despite blocking a couple of shots, was not able to intimidate Centennial inside.

“I knew this would be a tough game all the way,” Clark said. “Even when we had the lead I knew it would be tough. then we had a couple of mental lapses.”

Sonora’s shooting was respectable in the first half (seven of 18) but off target in the second (11 of 28). The Raiders went nearly 6 1/2 minutes in the fourth quarter with only one field goal.

But Sonora had a chance to win in regulation. Josh Lien, who put Sonora ahead, 41-48, with 40 seconds by rebounding a missed free throw and scoring, had his 10-footer bounce out of the basket as time expired.

Weir made a pair a free throws with 13.5 seconds to tie the score, 52-52, and force the overtime.

“We knew Sonora was really good,” Weir said. “But we’ve been wanting another shot at them since last year. And we’re gonna enjoy this.”

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In another Division III-AA game:

Moreno Valley Rancho Verde 58, Servite 51--Mark Seaton had 15 points and David Downs added 10 for fourth-seeded Servite (18-9). Rancho Verde (22-6) advanced to Tuesday’s semifinals.