Eagles Get Another Shot at Inglewood

Santa Margarita could easily be thinking revenge heading into tonight’s Southern Section Division II-AA boys’ basketball semifinal against Inglewood.

The Sentinels ended Santa Margarita’s season last year with a 43-42 quarterfinal victory made possible by reserve guard Ed McKinney’s rainbow three-pointer with 10 seconds to play.

But Santa Margarita Coach Jerry DeBusk insists he is not seeking payback. Last year’s game is “old news” to him. Besides, he said, both teams’ rosters have undergone significant overhauls.

DeBusk said his focus is taking his team to the Arrowhead Pond for Saturday’s championship game. The Eagles haven’t played there since 1998, when they won their third section title of the 1990s with a victory over Compton. Santa Margarita also won a state title that year.

If seedings are to be believed, second-seeded Santa Margarita (26-4) will be a slight favorite tonight when it plays third-seeded Inglewood (24-5) at Loyola Marymount. (Southern Section officials moved the game Monday from Culver City High, where it was originally scheduled to be played.)

DeBusk said he sees his Eagles as underdogs.

While Santa Margarita will rely on a guard-oriented lineup led by R.J. Socci and Lenny Collins, Inglewood has a more well-rounded cast that includes former Tustin center DeAngelo Collins.

One player the Eagles don’t have to worry about is McKinney, who hasn’t played since Feb. 4 because of injury and is expected to miss tonight’s game.

OTHER MATCHUPS

Capistrano Valley (26-3), the biggest surprise of the playoffs among Orange County teams, looks to extend its season tonight against second-seeded Rialto Eisenhower (25-4) in a Division I-AAA semifinal at Rialto High.

The Cougars must contend with Eagle guard Alex Acker, who scored 35 points in Eisenhower’s 68-59 quarterfinal victory over Oxnard, and centers Johnny Dukes and Jameel James. . . .

Top-seeded El Toro (26-3) plays fourth-seeded Thousand Oaks (23-5) in a Division I-AA semifinal at Westlake Village Westlake High. Charger standouts Ashkan Nazeri and Matt Green have been at the top of their games lately. . . .

Villa Park Coach Kevin Reynolds has added incentive when his third-seeded Spartans (24-4) play second-seeded Corona Centennial (27-2) in a Division I-A semifinal at Corona Santiago High. Centennial assistant Rob Alexander is a former coach at Canyon, Villa Park’s Century League rival. Reynolds would love to chalk up another victory against an old nemesis. . . .

As usual, top-seeded Mater Dei appears to have an easy road to the championship game. The Monarchs (27-2), who have won their three playoff games by an average of 47 points, play Claremont (23-6) in a Division I-A semifinal at Ocean View High.

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