Home Cooking for Chaminade

Cayce Cook made two free throws with 1.9 seconds to play and Chaminade High, after squandering a 12-point halftime lead, beat Bellflower, 53-52, Tuesday night in a semifinal of the Chaminade tournament.

Chaminade (9-2), which plays San Francisco Riordan in the final tonight at 8:30, trailed, 52-51, with seven seconds to play after Eli Curtis of Bellflower made the second of two free throws.

Chaminade blew an earlier chance with the score tied but a bounce pass went between the legs of Ryan Arceo and out of bounds with 20 seconds left.

Cook, who scored 17 points for Chaminade, dribbled the length of the floor in the final seconds and was fouled on a layup.

Cook, who made nine of 10 free throws, made the first and, after a timeout, swished the second.

“I was a little nervous,” Cook said. “The crowd was into it. But I was feeling pretty confident because I had been making my free throws most of the game.”

Chaminade, which led most of the way, took an 11-10 lead in the first quarter and did not trail again until the final seconds.

In other Chaminade tournament games:

San Francisco Riordan 59, Grant 54--The Crusaders prevented Gilbert Arenas from piling up the points and from making a potential tying shot in the final seconds left to win the other semifinal.

Arenas, who was held to a season-low 28 points, was double-teamed near midcourt and forced to pass when the Lancers (9-3) trailed, 57-54.

The ball made its way to guard Sung Jeong in the corner with five seconds to play, but Jeong’s three-point shot failed to draw iron.

Ed Washington of Riordan (9-2), who scored 20 points, made two free throws with two seconds to play.

Arenas, bound for Arizona, was averaging better than 37 points, but he made only one of his first seven shots and had 10 points at halftime.

With Grant trailing, 20-9, in the second quarter, Arenas connected on the first of two 25-foot three-point baskets. Moments later, Jeong made a three-pointer to pull the Lancers to within 26-19.

Grant took its first lead, 43-42, on an alley-oop dunk by Arenas on a pass from Rashad Winston.

Krishna Evans had 11 points for Grant. Frank Black scored 19 for Riordan.