Serra Surprises Campbell Hall

The road through the playoffs was expected to be a little bumpier this season for the top-seeded North Hollywood Campbell Hall boys’ basketball team, which finished undefeated last season and won the Division IV state title. But few expected the Vikings to hit a pothole the size of Gardena Serra.

The third-seeded Cavaliers jumped to a double-digit lead early in the second quarter and held on for a 73-59 victory in the Southern Section Division IV-AA championship game Friday night at Loyola Marymount.

Serra (23-7), which last won a section title in 2000, took a 19-9 lead after a 12-0 run that was capped by Donavan Bragg’s three-point basket with 6 minutes 7 seconds remaining in the second quarter. Bragg, a 6-foot-4 junior guard, sank two additional three-point baskets in the quarter to help Serra maintain a 10-point lead at the half. He finished with 21 points.

Junior forward Justin Holiday, who averaged 20 points, missed nine of 10 shots in the first half and never got untracked for Campbell Hall (25-5). He finished with 11 points on four-of-17 shooting. His brother, Jrue, a sophomore and the team’s leading scorer, had 23 points on eight-of-22 shooting.

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Van Nuys Montclair Prep 59, Downey Calvary Chapel 48 -- The top-seeded Mounties took control in the third quarter of the Division IV-A championship game and defended their title at Loyola Marymount.

Trailing by three at the half, Montclair Prep (24-8) went to the full-court press and forced five turnovers while outscoring the seventh-seeded Grizzlies, 16-7.

Bobby Webb scored 20 points to lead the Mounties. Craig Partovich, the division’s player of the year last season, sat out part of the third quarter after picking up his second and third fouls and finished with 13 points.

Eric McNey had 15 points to lead Calvary Chapel (17-15) and Brett McMahon contributed 14 rebounds.

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L.A. Price 66, La Canada Renaissance Academy 25 -- The top-seeded Knights won a record eighth consecutive Southern Section title in the Division V-A championship game at Loyola Marymount, holding second-seeded Renaissance Academy to three field goals in the second half and limiting the Wildcats to the lowest point total in a section championship since 1961.

Isaac Gordon scored 18 points and Damon Perry had 11 to lead Price (24-7). Terron Sutton, a 6-10 center who signed with Loyola Marymount, contributed seven points and nine rebounds, helping the Knights to a 39-27 advantage on the boards.

Renaissance Academy (23-5) clung to a 6-4 lead midway through the first quarter before the Knights closed with a 12-0 run.

-- Dan Arritt

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Moreno Valley Calvary Chapel 64, L.A. Ribet Academy 63 -- Drew Smith hit two free throws with six-tenths of a second remaining to lift the fourth-seeded Lions to their first section championship in the Division V-AA title game at Loyola Marymount.

Smith, a 6-7 senior center who finished with 30 points, made nine of 20 shots from the field and 10 of 11 free throws. He also had eight rebounds.

With the score tied, 60-60, with 29 seconds left, Smith grabbed the rebound on a missed free throw, was fouled by Bernard Kamwa, and made two free throws to give the Lions (24-1) a 62-60 lead.

Bertrand Kamga, who led Ribet Academy with 29 points, made a three-point basket to put the sixth-seeded Fighting Frogs (16-14) ahead with 12.7 seconds left.

Smith rebounded his own miss in the final seconds and was fouled to set up the winning free throws.

-- Lauren Peterson