Fairfax Holds Line on Cleveland

It was a nail-biting, stomach-wrenching, breath-holding City Championship quarterfinal playoff game Wednesday night between top-seeded Fairfax and those supposedly outmanned Valley guys from Reseda Cleveland High.

“I didn’t expect them to be that good,” said Joseph Shipp, Fairfax’s standout guard.

It took six consecutive free throws in the final 25 seconds by Shipp and point guard Stan Thorne for the host Lions to hold off Cleveland, 66-61. Fairfax (23-5) will play Westchester, a 76-65 winner Wednesday over Franklin, in a semifinal game on Saturday.

Showing no fear and no hesitation, the Cavaliers (21-5) aggressively went after the Lions at both ends of the court. They fell behind, 31-19, early in the second quarter but repeatedly fought back.

An effective 2-3 zone defense in the second half caused Fairfax to miss a series of outside shots. The Cavaliers would grab the rebound, then convert.

When Cleveland’s Kent Dennis made an arching three-pointer with 6:55 left, the score was tied, 50-50, and the crowded gym suddenly got noisy. Twice Fairfax opened five-point leads, but each time the Cavaliers responded.

Grant Pledger made a three-point shot to cut the Lions’ lead to 57-55 with three minutes left. Kenny Mason made a three-point basket with 1:09 left, cutting the lead to 60-58.

Then came the Lions’ perfection at the free-throw line. Thorne made two free throws with 25 seconds left. Shipp made two free throws with 9.9 seconds remaining and Thorne added two free throws with one second left.

“We just couldn’t come through at the end,” said Dennis, who finished with 20 points and had tears in his eyes after turning in another All-City like performance in his final high school game. “The shots wouldn’t fall and they made theirs.”

Shipp, a 6-foot-5 senior who is considering USC, Clemson, Wake Forest and Oregon State as his college choices, scored 22 points and had 11 rebounds. Jason Morrissette added 16 points and Thorne 13.

Shipp and others offered renewed respect for the Cavaliers, the West Valley League champions who won 12 consecutive games but were seeded No. 8 in the tournament.

“They just played like they wanted to win,” Shipp said.

Said Fairfax Coach Harvey Kitani: “You know what kept them in the game--it was a mental toughness by a couple of their players.”

Eric Bush contributed three baskets in the third quarter for Cleveland, which also received strong performances from Larry Knox and Pledger.

“The guys played their hearts out,” Cleveland co-Coach James Morris said. “No regrets. They gave me everything they had.”

The City Championship bracket has played out almost to plan with Fairfax, second-seeded Manual Arts and third-seeded Crenshaw advancing to the semifinals along with fifth-seeded Westchester. Fourth-seeded Fremont lost in the first round to Franklin.

The boys and girls semifinals will be played at Loyola Marymount and Los Angeles Southwest College. The City Section will decide which games will be played at which site today.

The City Championship games are March 5 at Pauley Pavilion.

The Division championship gams will be played March 6 at Loyola Marymount.