This Time, Alemany Finds Finishing Kick

No second-half snoozing this time.

Instead of standing around and stagnating after halftime, as it did in a playoff victory last week, Alemany High was a hungrier boys’ basketball team Tuesday night in a 72-59 victory over Anaheim Servite in a Southern Section Division III-AA playoff quarterfinal at Loara High.

Sporting a vastly different attitude than they displayed in their first-round game, the Indians put away pesky but overmatched Servite.

In another reversal of fortune, the foul calls even went Alemany’s way.

Alemany was the benefactor of 10 foul calls against Servite in the third quarter, setting up the Indians for 20 second-half free-throw attempts.

“For once,” Alemany Coach Darryl McDonald said.

Third-seeded Alemany (19-6), which will play second-seeded San Dimas in a semifinal Friday at a site to be determined, was hurting before the game.

Three of its players--Reggie Kinlaw (ankle injury), Bryson Atkins (thigh) and Richard Nelson (flu)--were less than 100%, though they all played.

Then there was the sting of a poor second-half showing in a 62-49 victory over Santa Paula last Friday, when Alemany relaxed with a 26-point lead and was outplayed down the stretch.

Amazing how a convincing victory can cure any ailment.

“Tonight, we just went out and did it,” said guard Devin Montgomery, who scored 22 points. “We just want to win this thing.”

Servite (15-13) has a Valley connection in Coach Scott Hamilton, who graduated from Cal State Northridge and was an assistant at Notre Dame High until leaving for Servite seven years ago.

Hamilton’s reunion with a Mission League team was a rough one, especially in the third quarter when Servite committed 11 turnovers and was short-circuited by the loss of leading scorer Evan Friedl, who had to sit out most of the quarter after picking up his fourth foul.

“I think that really hurt us,” Hamilton said. “But what are you going to do?”

Montgomery was unstoppable in the second quarter, beating Servite with cross-overs, three-pointers and short jumpers.

Montgomery scored 13 points of his team’s 31 points in the quarter.

“I think we can do that all the time,” Montgomery said. “We just have to apply ourselves.”

Friedl finished with 14 points for Servite.