Solomon, Fairfax Derail Etiwanda

The Los Angeles Fairfax boys’ basketball team had the edge in big-game experience when it traveled to Etiwanda on Thursday for a Southern California Regional Division I semifinal.

But it was Chris Solomon, a freshman guard who scored nine of his team-high 16 points in the last five minutes, including a three-point basket with 21 seconds left, that lifted the third-seeded Lions (26-5) to a 61-57 victory over second-seeded Etiwanda (31-2), setting up a rematch with top-seeded Westchester on Saturday at the Sports Arena.

“Ever since he came to Fairfax in the summer, there’s something special about him,” said Fairfax senior forward Jamal Boykin, who was held to 12 points on five-for-14 shooting. “He has that beginner’s luck. He doesn’t feel the pressure, he doesn’t know what pressure is.”

Darren Collison scored 16 points and Jeff Pendergraph had 11 for the Eagles.

Dan Arritt

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Freshman Jason Pruitt made a game-winning free throw with 0.4 of a second left to give fourth-seeded Lakewood Artesia (28-4) a 62-61 overtime victory over top-seeded North Hollywood Harvard-Westlake.

James Harden scored 17 points and Derek Glasser had 16 for Artesia. Alex Stepheson scored 16 points and had 13 rebounds for Harvard-Westlake (26-4).

Girls’ Basketball

Brandi Jones-Fitzgerald scored 29 points, including eight of her team’s last 12, and Moreno Valley Canyon Springs defeated Lynwood, 65-64, in a Southern California Regional Division I semifinal.

Canyon Springs (30-3), which had never advanced past the Southern Section semifinals, will meet Ventura on Saturday at 6 p.m. at the Sports Arena in the final. The Cougars beat Ventura, 48-44, for the Division I-A title last week.

Lynwood (27-6) built a nine-point lead, 60-51, on the strength of a 19-4 run in which Lenita Sanford scored nine of her 21 points. But Sanford, a 6-foot-3 sophomore who had 19 rebounds and six blocked shots, fouled out with 4:24 remaining.

Senior Sade Cunningham finished with 12 points, 14 assists and five steals for Lynwood. Vanderbilt-bound guard Jennifer Risper, who fouled out with two minutes to play, finished with 13 points for Canyon Springs, which made only 14 of 34 free throws. Lynwood made seven of 14 free throws.

Ariane Hendrix-Roach made a 35-footer at the buzzer to give Ventura a 56-55 victory at top-seeded Poly (28-4). Kali Bennett led Ventura with 19 points and 14 rebounds. Poly, which led, 43-25, early in the third quarter, was led by the 19 points of April Phillips.

-- Martin Henderson

After a start like no other in the postseason, Fullerton Troy went on to defeat Brea Olinda, 46-29, on the strength of a 26-5 advantage in the second quarter during a Division II semifinal at Hope International University in Fullerton.

Rheya Neabors scored 16 points for Troy (31-2), 14 in the first half, including 11 in the second quarter. Troy, which entered having won 20 consecutive games, including six in the postseason by an average margin of 41.6 points, trailed, 16-7, less than a minute into the second quarter before going on a 23-0 run to take a 30-16 lead.

Brea Olinda (25-8), led by Kimberly Goeggel’s 14 points, didn’t get closer than 12 points after the run.

-- Josh Gajewski