LONG BEACH – A Friday night “Poly vs. Poly clash” became reality because the “Long Beach” Poly was able to outlast Crossroads Wednesday night.
The host Jackrabbits trailed by five points in the fourth quarter but were able to pull away down the stretch and come away with a 66-60 victory over the Roadrunners in a CIF Southern Section Division 1 playoff opener.
Coach Shelton Diggs’ club (17-12) will have to make a Friday afternoon, east-bound trek on the 91 Freeway to take on the host Bears (23-5 and the No. 2 seed in the division) in a 7 p.m., round-of-16 game.
Six-foot-seven Peyton Watson – one of the best prospects in the Class of 2021 – was far from at the level of quality that he’s performed at most of this season Wednesday night, missing 12 of his 18 shots from the floor (including his first five) and committing six turnovers.
But he made more than enough plays at both ends of the floor in the fourth quarter to help his team bag the W, scoring eight of his game-high 22 points and grabbing three of his 13 rebounds.
Junior guard Anthony Robinson – who scored all of his 11 points after intermission – nailed a 3 from the left corner to put the Jackrabbits ahead to stay (61-59) with 1:04 remaining.
With his team up, 62-60, after two free throws by Dylan Stone with about 25 seconds to go, Watson beat Crossroads’ full-court pressure, was fouled and got his 21st and 22nd points at the free-throw line.
Robinson dropped in a couple of free throws with seven seconds to go for the final points.
Christian Watson – Peyton’s sophomore sibling – scored all 10 of his points over the second and third quarters to help keep the Jackrabbits close enough to utilize the fourth-quarter surge for their first playoff victory in two years.
Six-six junior Brendan Terry (13 of his 17 points after intermission) was the only Roadrunner to function mostly successfully against the zone Poly went to once Peyton Watson picked up his second foul late in the first quarter.
In other noteworthy Southern Section openers Wednesday night:
*Capistrano Valley Christian pulled off the biggest stunner of the night, with a 41-40 2-AA victory over Rolling Hills Prep (which took a 25-2 record and No. 4 seed into the game) at Harbor College.
*The Mission League (the deepest – quality-wise – in the Southern Section this season) won five of its six games Wednesday night, with four of those coming on the road.
*One of the best scorers anywhere on the high school level, University of Pennsylvania-bound guard Clark Slajchert, went for 57 points (yep – 57) in Oak Park’s 107-103 victory over visiting Warren in a double-overtime 2-AA affair.
Each team could hit the 90s when Oak Park visits Alemany (which dropped host Cathedral, 94-86, behind Montana-bound Brandon Whitney’s 32 points) Friday night.
*The D-1 field should be wary of Coach Doug Mitchell’s Bishop Montgomery team, which finished third in the Del Rey League (with two losses apiece to St. Anthony and St. Bernard).
Host Redondo found that out Wednesday night by way of its 73-49 loss to Mitchell’s crew. The Knights finally have a healthy Jalen Vazquez and of late he’s shown why he’s one of the best sophomore guards in the Southland.
*Beverly Hills toppled visiting Camarillo Wednesday night, earning the Normans’ the opportunity of trying to muffle the explosive scoring of McDonald’s All-American Josh Christopher and sophomore Dior Johnson Friday night at Mayfair. The Monsoons had a bye into the D-1 second round.
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