SOUTHERN SECTION BASKETBALL

By BEN BOLCH

March 4, 2001 12 AM PT

Santa Ana Mater Dei 73, Corona Centennial 62--Guard Ricky Porter’s three-pointer with 1:30 remaining put Mater Dei ahead, 67-59, and Centennial could pull no closer than within five points in the I-A final.

Mater Dei won its third consecutive I-A title and its ninth section championship in 10 years.

Cedric Bozeman scored 21 points and had 10 rebounds, and Jamal Sampson scored 20 points and had 11 rebounds for Mater Dei (29-2).

Jamaal Williams 23 points for Centennial (28-3).

High School Sports

Ben Bolch

Ben Bolch has been a Los Angeles Times staff writer since 1999. He is serving his second stint as the UCLA beat writer, which seems fitting since he has covered almost every sports beat except hockey and horse racing. Bolch is also the author of the recently released book “100 Things UCLA Fans Should Know & Do Before They Die.” He previously covered UCLA basketball from 2010-11 before going on to cover the NBA and the Clippers for five years. He happily traded in gobs of hotel points and airline miles to return to cover UCLA basketball and football in the summer of 2016. Bolch was once selected by NBA TV’s “The Starters” as the “Worst of the Week” after questioning their celebrity journalism-style questions at an NBA All-Star game and considers it one of his finer moments.

SOUTHERN SECTION BASKETBALL

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