Long Beach Poly Shows Ability to Finish Strong

Six times in the fourth quarter this season, the Long Beach Poly boys’ basketball team has lost close games, seemingly tightening up and not knowing what to do.

In their Southern Section Division I-AA second-round playoff game Tuesday, the host Jackrabbits finally made the plays and pulled out a 43-36 win over defending champion Etiwanda.

Chris Brown made a short baseline jumper with 1 minute 1 second left to give Poly a 37-34 lead. Then the Jackrabbits(18-10) made six of eight free throws in the last 37 seconds to advance to the quarterfinals on Friday, when they will play Santa Monica (19-9), a 68-49 winner over Corona Centennial.

“Something clicked in them,” Poly Coach Sharrief Metoyer said.

Etiwanda (20-9) lost all five starters from its 2005 title team to graduation but received strong play from its young players. Sophomore Marvin Jones stepped up Tuesday, connecting on two long outside jump shots in the fourth quarter to pull the Eagles to within 35-34 with 1:39 left. He finished with 11 points.

Brown and Kevin Buggs each finished with 11 points for Poly.

Eric Sondheimer

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Senior guard Kyle Jansen scored 17 of his career-high 29 points in the second quarter to lead host Irvine Woodbridge to an 87-74 victory over fourth-seeded Ramona in a Division II-A second-round game.

Austin Daye had 23 points, 14 rebounds and seven blocks, and Jason McMillin scored 18 points for the Warriors (19-9). Mark Keeten scored 23 points for Ramona (28-1).

Dan Arritt

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Girls’ Basketball

Lauren Sims, the second-leading scorer and leading perimeter shooter for Fullerton Troy, is out for the rest of the playoffs because of a torn anterior cruciate ligament.

Sims, a senior who sat out the season’s first three weeks because of a broken ankle, suffered the injury Saturday in top-ranked Troy’s 73-20 victory over La Palma Kennedy in the opening round of the Southern Section Division II-AA playoffs.

“She’s a big-game player, not afraid to shoot in front of a packed house with the game on the line,” Coach Kevin Kiernan said.

Troy (27-1) plays at Santa Ana Mater Dei tonight.

-- Martin Henderson