SF Jason Johnson scored 17 pts and PG Da'Shawn Gomez had 15 pts, all in the second half, and 9 asts to lead #7 seed Antelope Valley to a 69-57 win over #10 seed Irvine Valley in a regional quarterfinal game Friday night in Lancaster.
Antelope Valley (22-7) led virtually the entire second half by double figures, opening a 17-point lead with 8:04 to play. Irvine Valley (22-7) got within ten points several times in the final 1:30 but never seriously threatened the Marauders late.
Irvine Valley led, 4-2 and 6-5 early on, but Antelope Valley took a 10-6 lead and pushed the lead to six at 14-8 after a basket by Johnson after a pass from Gomez. Irvine Valley rallied to tie the game at 16 on a pair of free throws by SG Ramon Mejia with 12:51 left in the first half.
At that point, Irvine Valley held a commanding 9-2 rebounding advantage, but then Ctr Dwan Caldwell scored on a putback for Antelope Valley, and the Marauders led the rest of the game. A Johnson 3-pointer made it a six-point game at 28-22. A basket by SF Terrance Berry made it 32-24, and then Johnson scored on another assist from Gomez to give AVC a 10-point lead at 34-24.
Antelope Valley led, 38-29, at the break, but turned the ball over three straight times to start the second half, and Irvine Valley pulled within six points when PG Kalob Hatcher sank a 3-pointer to make it 38-32.
But Gomez answered with a 3-pointer - his first points of the night to that point - moments later for AVC, and then SG Chris Bridges converted a 3-point play off a pass from PF Sean Boston with 16:50 left. That sent IVC Ctr Austin Loeb to the bench with his 3rd foul, and Antelope Valley led by double digits the rest of the way.
Gomez scored on a coast-to-coast lay-up to make it 46-34, and then Johnson scored on a steal & lay-up to make it 48-34 with 15:13 left. A short jumper by Caldwell made it 50-34. The Marauder lead reached 17 when Gomez split two free throws to make it 56-39 following a technical foul on Hatcher with 8:03 left.
Irvine Valley, without injured starting PF Zach Mills, who missed the game, and also SF Chris Taylor, who sat out virtually the entire second half after aggravating a shoulder injury, never really threatened to catch the Marauders. PG Jordan Hamamoto made two free throws to make it 65-55 with 1:30 left, but that would be as close as the Lasers would get.
For AVC, Johnson and Gomez were the only scorers to reach double figures, but each starter had at least 7 points and the bench came through for 14 more points. And the Marauder defense held IVC's starting backcourt to a combined 3-for-19 from the floor.
For Irvine Valley, SF Jose Vasquez came off the bench for a team-high 11 pts and also had 4 rebs before fouling out with 1:41 left. PF Christian Scott had 10 pts and a team-high 7 rebs. Mejia had 9 pts, 3 asts and 4 steals, and Hatcher had 7 pts, 4 asts and 2 steals.
Both teams are now 22-7, and Antelope Valley now awaits the outcome of tomorrow's game between #2 Mt. San Antonio and #15 El Camino. The Marauders will play the winner of that game on Wednesday, at Mt. SAC or hosting El Camino.
box score
Friday, February 24, 2012 - 7 pm
at Marauder Gym, Lancaster
Playoffs - Regional Quarterfinal
Irvine Valley Lasers 57:
3-Kalob Hatcher, PG - 1/9 fg, 4/4 ft, 5 reb, 4 ast, 2 stl, 4 pf, 7 pts
5-Ramon Mejia, SG - 2/10 fg, 4/4 ft, 3 ast, 4 stl, 9 pts
15-Chris Taylor, SF - 2/2 fg, 1/2 ft, 1 reb, 2 ast, 2 stl, 5 pts
21-Christian Scott, PF - 4/6 fg, 2/5 ft, 7 reb, 1 ast, 1 pf, 10 pts
33-Austin Loeb, C - 1/3 fg, 0/1 ft, 2 reb, 1 blk, 1 stl, 4 pf, 2 pts
30-Michael Bolden, F - 0/5 fg, 2 reb, 1 ast, 2 blk, 1 pf, 0 pts
32-Kirill Sergeyev, C - 2/4 fg, 5 reb, 1 stl, 1 pf, 4 pts
11-Jordan Hamamoto, G - 2/6 fg, 2/2 ft, 1 reb, 1 stl, 1 pf, 6 pts
22-Jose Vasquez, F - 4/5 fg, 3/6 ft, 4 reb, 5 pf, 11 pts
10-Julian Nichols, G - 1/2 fg, 1/1 ft, 3 reb, 2 pf, 3 pts
34-Jeff Given, C - 1 pf, 0 pts
team rebounds: 5
Totals: 19/52 fg (.365), 17/25 ft (.680), 35 reb, 11 ast, 3 blk, 11 stl, 20 pf, 57 pts
3-pt fg (2): Hatcher, Mejia
Technical Foul: Hatcher
Fouled Out: Vasquez 1:41 left
Turnovers (15): Taylor 3, Bolden 3, Vasquez 3, Hatcher 2, Scott, Loeb, Hamamoto, team
Antelope Valley Marauders 69:
10-Da'Shawn Gomez, PG - 3/8 fg, 8/10 ft, 6 reb, 9 ast, 2 pf, 15 pts
11-Jason Johnson, SF - 6/13 fg, 3/4 ft, 3 reb, 3 ast, 4 pf, 17 pts
20-Chris Bridges, SG - 2/3 fg, 3/3 ft, 5 reb, 4 pf, 8 pts
21-Sean Boston, PF - 2/4 fg, 3/4 ft, 7 reb, 2 ast, 1 blk, 1 stl, 8 pts
34-Reggie Murphy, C - 2/3 fg, 3/4 ft, 2 reb, 4 blk, 2 pf, 7 pts
42-Dwan Caldwell, C - 2/4 fg, 0/1 ft, 2 reb, 1 blk, 5 pf, 4 pts
12-Michaelyn Scott, G - 2/7 fg, 1 stl, 5 pts
22-Vadal Faniel, F - 0/1 fg, 1 reb, 1 pf, 0 pts
24-Larry Slaughter, F - 2 reb, 1 ast, 1 blk, 0 pts
3-Joshua Blaylock, G - 1/3 fg, 2 pf, 3 pts
2-Terrance Berry, F - 1/1 fg, 2 pts
team rebounds: 4
Totals: 21/47 fg (.447), 20/26 ft (.769), 32 reb, 15 ast, 7 blk, 4 stl, 20 pf, 69 pts
3-pt fg (7): Johnson 2, Gomez, Bridges, Boston, Scott, Blaylock
Fouled Out: Caldwell 6:50 left
Turnovers (19): Boston 5, Gomez 4, Bridges 3, Johnson, Murphy, Faniel, Slaughter, Berry, team 2
Halftime Score: Antelope Valley 38, Irvine Valley 29
Updated Records: Antelope Valley (#7-seed, #5-South, #10-Calif) 22-7, Irvine Valley (#10-seed, #20-Calif) 22-7
It was last tied at 16. AVC took a 10-pt lead with 16:50 left and led by double figures the rest of the way.
