Edison back in the finals
Rich Boyce walked through the madness that had engulfed the court at Dave Mohs Gymnasium Friday night, bent downward and put his hands to his knees.
“I can’t take this,” he said jokingly, from his crouched position. “This is too much. I’m drained.”
Yet, at the same time, Boyce couldn’t hide his smile as well-wishers came up to congratulate him on a job well done by his Edison boys’ basketball team.
Moments earlier, the Chargers had just secured a return trip to a CIF Southern Section championship final.
In a frantic finish to a game that had several ebbs and flows, No. 2-seeded Edison held off fast-charging and No. 3-seeded Fontana Kaiser to claim a 56-53 playoff semifinal victory and one spot in Saturday’s Division 2AA title game.
The Chargers, who improved to 24-7, will face top-seeded Chino Hills Ayala (28-3) — which won 71-65 at Los Angeles Loyola in Friday’s other semifinal game, in the 8:30 p.m. division final at The Honda Center in Anaheim.
Edison, which tied for second place in the Sunset League, reached the Division 1A final last year at The Honda Center, and finished runner-up to Foothill.
“What a game, what a game,” was all Boyce could say as he straightened himself up after his team’s win over Kaiser. “It’s so great to get this victory and be back in the final. We hustled and fought but, I don’t think we played particularly well. We did, however, make plays when we absolutely needed to.”
Edison turned on the defensive pressure in both the second and third quarters to take control of a game that Kaiser nearly came back to pull out.
With Cats senior center Armani Dodson on the bench at the outset of the second quarter due to foul trouble, the Chargers made their move. Dodson had scored 11 of his team-high 17 points in the opening quarter where the Cats twice opened up a seven-point lead, The Chargers, however, rallied to take their first lead at 18-17 — their first since leading 2-0 lead on short bank shot by senior center Tommy Barlow in the game’s opening seconds — on a steal and ensuing free throw by junior guard Nate Matthews with 4:26 remaining in the first half.
Edison would never lose the lead after that. The Chargers twice built their advantage to 17 points in the third quarter that turned suddenly and ended with a 17-2 Kaiser scoring blitz that trimmed the Chargers’ lead to 48-46 heading into the fourth quarter. The Cats pulled into a tie score at 48-48, but Edison scored the next six points to stay in front.
Kaiser got to within a point (54-53) with 12.4 seconds left, but the Chargers forced a jump ball to maintain possession after a missed free throw and with 5.4 seconds left, junior guard Randall Walker calmly swished in two free throws for a 56-53 lead.
Kaiser junior guard Dylan Harris launched a lone-range three-point shot that went off the backboard just before time expired.
Then, a mad rush by the Edison student body took over the court.
“We played defense in the second quarter and second half, and that’s what got us going especially with our transition game,” Boyce said. “Kaiser’s a good team and they came right back at us. Our guys did a great job down the stretch though.”
Walker scored a game-high 20 points. Matthews had 13 points and Barlow, who Boyce said was “huge,” scored 12 points. Sophomore guard David Atencio scored five points before fouling out with 1:52 to play.
Edison will play in a section championship game for the third time in program history.
“We know that getting to the finals is very special and does not happen very often,” Boyce said. “We are blessed to be back.
Edison, which ended Kaiser’s seven-game winning streak, faces another big challenge in Ayala. The Bulldogs have won five in a row to reach Saturday’s final.
“Ayala is very guard-oriented, and very good,” Boyce said. “They are well-coached and very determined. They could have been an Open division team.”
The Bulldogs start an all-senior lineup which includes Cal State Fullerton signee Austen Awosika. They feature a balanced attack and Coach John Mounce said it’s his team’s style of play that has led them to Saturday.
Mounce prepped at Mater Dei and previously served as an assistant coach under former Newport Harbor High boys’ basketball coach Larry Hirst.
“This is a big deal for our school,” he said of playing for the title. “I’ve been here six years and we’ve been trying to build the program back up. There was potential and expectations for our team this year, and our guys have really played well to reach the championship game.
“I think the biggest thing about our success, is that our kids have been in the program for four years. The kids believe in how we play, the system we run, and they like it. It’s also a really great bunch of kids and a fun group to coach.”
Ayala, co-champion of the Palomares League, is 29-3 overall. Two of its three losses have come in overtime, one a 72-68 nonleague tournament loss in December to Mater Dei, the other, an 81-80 league loss last month to La Verne Bonita which shared the league title with the Bulldogs. Bonita is playing in the Division 3AA title game Saturday at The Honda Center.
In the postseason, the Bulldogs boast wins over Redlands (92-62), Canyon/Canyon Country (64-53), Perris (89-60) and Loyola.
Mounce knows his team will face a tough Edison team.
“They, obviously, are a well-coached team,” he said. “I’ve known Coach Boyce for a long time, dating to when I was at Newport Harbor and he was at Estancia. He’s done a great job at Edison and it’s pretty impressive to be in a title game two years in a row. They play hard and are a very good team.”
So, here are the Chargers, heading into the final weekend of the season with an opportunity to win a title. They’ve regrouped for the playoffs since dropping three of their final five Sunset contests to end the regular season. Since then, they ripped off playoff wins over Segerstrom (72-49), Arroyo Grande (55-43), Claremont (78-71), and Kaiser.
Edison is the lone Orange County team playing in a boys’ division final.
“It’s indescribable,” Boyce said of his team’s return to a section title game. “What’s amazing is that we did it with a new group. We only had one returner back [senior forward Garrett White] and he’s playing in a new spot this year. But the kids worked their butts off, never gave up and now, they get to play for a championship. I’m so happy for them.”
The Edison-Ayala 2AA final is the last of six division championships at The Honda Center Saturday. The schedule: 10 a.m., Division 1A: Santa Monica vs. Temecula Valley; Noon, Division 2A: Santa Barbara vs. Lynwood; 2 p.m., Division 1AA: Long Beach Poly vs. Riverside North; 4 p.m., Division 3AA, Bonita vs. Oak Park; 6 p.m., Open Division: Chino Hills vs. Sierra Canyon; 8:30 p.m.: Edison vs. Ayala.
In addition to taking on Edison in the final, Saturday will be a doubly-special night for the Ayala boys’ basketball program. Former Bulldogs head coach Tom Gregory will be inducted into the CIF Hall of Fame during halftime of the Chino Hills-Sierra Canyon Open Division final that precedes the 2AA final. Gregory guided the program to a runner-up finish in its first and only prior title game appearance in 2000.
