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Poly and Mater Dei advance to IAA final

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ANAHEIM, CA – Not quite a year ago, the Santa Ana Mater Dei Monarchs upset the CIF Southern Section I-AA champion in the quarterfinals of the State Southern Regional playoffs.

That 2011 IAA champion will try to avenge that loss Saturday night in the Anaheim Convention Center Arena in the 2012 I-AA title game.

The Long Beach Poly Jackrabbits – stunned by the Monarchs in that Division I quarterfinal – pulled away down the stretch to beat Etiwanda, 56-47, in one I-AA semifinal Tuesday night.

And the Monarchs – the top seed – overcame a 10-point deficit late in the third quarter to defeat L.A.

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Southern Section semifinal previews

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Here is a look at the CIF Southern Section boys’ semifinal action tonight (all games tip off at 7 unless noted):

IAA

At Anaheim Convention Center Arena

No. 2 seed L.B. Poly (26-1) vs. No. 3 Etiwanda (29-1), 6:30 p.m.

Comment: Each of these teams suffered their only losses on the same evening (Dec. 3/the Jackrabbits to Loyola in the Pacific Shores final at Redondo High, 70-65; the Eagles, to La Verne Lutheran, in the Rose City Classic final at Pasadena High, 72-61). Poly’s Roschon Prince (27.3 points/10.7 rebounds in the playoffs) and Jordan Bell (20 blocks in the playoffs) make up the best 1-2 junior combo in California.

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A look at Southland playoff scene

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LAGUNA NIGUEL, CA – The CIF’s Southern and L.A. City Sections’ hoops playoffs are into the quarterfinal- and semifinal-stages.

Here are my observations about how some (not all) of the divisions are playing out:

SOUTHERN SECTION

IAA

  Games tonight: No. 1 seed Mater Dei at Foothill; No. 4 Loyola at Upland; Santa Monica at No. 3 Etiwanda; Eisenhower at No. 2 L.B. Poly.

Comments: There were no significant surprises, obviously, in the first two rounds of play. Call this the “Can anyone beat Mater Dei?” division.

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