Vikings march to title game

Mike Sciacca

With the outcome of Tuesday’s CIF Southern Section Division I-A boys’

basketball semifinal showdown between Marina High and Simi Valley on

the line in the frantic final minute, the Vikings had Stephen Becker

just where they wanted him -- at the line.

Marina’s senior guard calmly sank four consecutive free throws

down the stretch, his final two with 14.8 ticks remaining, all but

sealing the Vikings’ 47-43 victory at Edison High.

The Vikings’ improbable playoff march continues to Saturday’s

final day of the tournament, when they play Mission Viejo in an

all-Orange County final at the Pond of Anaheim.

The teams have met once this season, with Mission Viejo claiming a

69-59 win on its home floor Jan. 2.

Marina, now 24-8, entered the playoffs as the Sunset League’s

third-place representative.

The Vikings have won 12 of their last 13 games.

Simi Valley, which finished third in the Marmonte League, defeated

three league champions in the postseason en route to the semifinals.

“I knew I had to make those final two free throws after letting my

guy hit a big three-point shot for them,” said an elated Becker, who

sank both ends of a one-and-one situation after Simi Valley had

called a timeout to ice him.

His two foul shots pushed Marina’s advantage to 47-43.

“I just tuned out everything once I was at the line,” Becker said.

“Both shots felt great after they left my hands.”

Becker scored six points overall, getting each on a six for six

performance from the charity stripe.

He went 11 for 11 at the line in last Friday’s 66-54 quarterfinal

win over Thousand Oaks.

A big key to Marina’s win Tuesday had to do with its defense.

James Lambert’s defensive effort limited Simi Valley standout Mark

Wells to six points -- 14 below his scoring average.

Lambert, meanwhile, led all scorers with 19 points.

“I thought James did an outstanding job defensively,” Holmes said.

“Our guys just played tough all-around. This is a great win for our

program. We’re excited to be going to the Pond.”

Saturday’s final will be Marina’s first trip to a championship

game since the Cherokee Parks-led Vikings finished second to San

Bernardino in 1991.

The school’s first and only other appearance in the semifinal

round came 30 years ago.

Marina had reached the Final Four by storming past a stunned

Thousand Oaks team, 66-54, in a quarterfinal game at Marina.

A second half blitz helped the Vikings wipe out a four-point

halftime deficit. Marina, which outscored the Lancers 21-7 in the

third quarter, led by as many as 18 points in the second half.

Matt Brennan, whose sensational third quarter play triggered the

Vikings’ comeback, finished with a game-high 27 points.

Becker added 17 points to the Marina cause.

Thousand Oaks, co-champion of the Marmonte League, had a 12-game

win streak snapped.

In girls’ basketball, Diamond Ranch staged a second half rally to

eliminate Ocean View from title contention in Division III-AA.

The host Panthers came back from a seven-point halftime deficit to

post a 52-47 quarterfinal victory in a battle between a pair of

league champions.

Diamond Ranch, the No. 3 seed, won the Mt. Baldy League title

while Ocean View claimed the Golden West League crown.

D.J. Butler and Erica Williams scored in double figures with 14

and 12 points, respectively, to lead Ocean View.

The Seahawks had an outstanding season and finished with a 23-3

record that included an unbeaten run in Golden West League play.

In a Division II-AA second-round game, Edison had its season ended

by visiting Perris, which scored a 48-37 victory.

Edison, which tied with Esperanza for the Sunset League

championship, finished with an 18-9 record.

Perris, the Sunbelt League champion, finished runner-up in the

division in 2003.

In girls’ soccer, Edison’s season came to an end in a double

overtime loss to visiting Santa Margarita, 1-0, in a Division I

quarterfinal match.

Previously, Edison downed host Los Osos in sudden-death, 2-1

victory. Amanda Draeger’s sudden-death goal was the game-winner. Erin

DuPont scored Edison’s first goal, and Kelsey Bowman finished with

six saves.