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Los Alamitos High’s boys basketball team is set to play for a CIF-SS Division 1 championship on Saturday, when they take on Mira Costa High of Manhattan Beach. The Griffins advanced to the finals with a runaway 82-57 win over Crean Lutheran on Saturday at Los Alamitos High.
After two close wins in the second round and quarterfinals, the Griffins put together their best game of the playoffs and rolled past the Saints, who were the first place team out of the Crestview League. Crean brought a lot of speed and shooters, similar to Los Al, but the Griffins were able to lock them down.
“We forced a lot of turnovers with our style and our crowd environment and were able to make it difficult for Crean Lutheran to really get it going,” Los Al Coach Nate Berger said.
Offensively, the Griffins had five guys reach double digits. Samori Guyness led the way with 19 points and Wes Trevino had 18. Kedric Delaney had 14 points, while Trent Minter and Tyler Lopez chipped in 13 and 12, respectively. Trevino and Minter also pulled down a team-high nine rebounds each.
“It was great to see the culmination of who we are as a team come together in a big game in front of a big crowd,” Berger said.
The Griffins (24-8) will play Mira Costa (29-3) on Saturday at 4:30 p.m. at the Toyota Arena in Ontario. The Mustangs were the first place team out of the Bay League (tied with Redondo Union) and are coming off a big win of their own, a 61-40 win over Santa Barbara in their semifinal.
Berger noted the fact that the Griffins have had different players step up with big offensive games on different nights throughout the playoffs. The big semifinal win might have the Griffins clicking at just the right time.
“With our frenetic pace, and now seven different players who have scored in double figures in the playoffs, we can be hard to guard and hopefully that momentum continues forward,” Berger said.
