LOS ANGELES – Three of Bishop Montgomery High’s key players were sitting on the bench but not in uniform.
But the Knights of Coach Doug Mitchell kept on trucking on Wednesday night at Westchester, using a 22-1 run over the second and third quarters to hold off a game and gritty Leuzinger squad, 77-68, in a championship quarterfinal of the Trevor Ariza Tip-Off Classic.
In the other winners’ bracket quarter played Wednesday night, Notre Dame of Riverside (No. 15 in the BurlisonOnBasketball SoCal Top 25) rallied from 11 points down in the third quarterfinal and edged No. 19 Long Beach Poly in overtime, 51-49.
The Knights and No. 8 Bishop Montgomery played their way into a Friday night (6:30) semifinal while Leuzinger and the Jackrabbits will play in a fifth-place semifinal at 3:50.
In the other championship quarterfinals on Thursday evening, the No. 6 and host Westchester Comets take on Saugus at 6 o’clock while No. 11 Washington Prep faces Santa Monica at 7:30.
Bishop Montgomery currently has seniors Gianni Hunt and Nick Schrader, as well as junior transfer (from Crean Lutheran) Isaiah Johnson on the “unable to play” list.
Hunt, a four-year varsity performer and left-hand guard who signed with Oregon State earlier this month, suffered an ankle injury two weeks ago in the Ryse Williams/Pac Shores – the same event in which the 6-foot-6 Schrader suffered a hyper-extended knee.
And Johnson – a key performer during his previous school’s run to a Southern Section title last spring – isn’t eligible to play (via the 30-day “sit-out period” for transfers who don’t make verified changes of residence) until Dec. 26.
Mitchell said he is hopeful that Hunt and Schrader will be able to return to action in time for the team’s trip to San Luis Obispo for the Dec. 19-22 Mission Prep Christmas Classic.
The Knights don’t play next week.
Leading 26-25 midway through the second quarter Wednesday night, the Knights (whose only loss was to No. 4 Fairfax in the Ryse Williams/Pac Shores Tournament final) scored 22 of the next 23 points to go up by 22 points.
But Leuzinger (which had won its first three games) hung tough behind junior Amound Anderson (27 points) and senior John Clausell (16) and cut its deficit to below double figures with about four minutes to go but never got any closer than within the final margin.
The Knights overpowering in the post as senior Will Crawford and junior Bradley Ezewiro, 6-6 and 6-8, respectively, combined for 33 points with Crawford snatching 11 rebounds.
Mitchell’s son, Drew, a sophomore guard, sank three 3s in a row during that 22-1 run.
University of Montana-bound point guard Josh Vazquez (PICTURED) scored only six points but had nine assists.
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