Edison boys’ basketball blitzed by La Mirada in CIF semifinals
For more than two months, the Edison High School boys’ basketball team was one of the hottest teams around, so the fall was unexpected, especially in the manner it took place.
The No. 2-seeded Chargers went down big — and early — in a 67-48 loss on Tuesday in the CIF Southern Section Division 2A semifinals at Edison High School.
Freshman guard Julien Gomez had 16 points, five rebounds and four steals to lead La Mirada (17-13), which has won 10 games in a row in a season-saving streak that saw the Matadores win the Suburban League title.
“When you go to the CIF championship, not a lot of kids do, so I’m living in the moment right now,” Gomez said, his voice largely gone after the game.
Junior point guard Sean Cervantes had seven points, six assists, four steals and three rebounds for La Mirada, now headed to the first CIF final in program history. Isiah Kalaj and Jarrett Cole each scored 10 points.
La Mirada will play host to top-seeded San Juan Hills (27-4), a 63-53 winner over Santa Fe Springs St. Paul, in the championship game on Friday at 7 p.m.
“The fans were great,” La Mirada coach Randy Oronoz said after his team pulled the upset with a well-traveled group of supporters on hand. “We haven’t been able to host a home game in three years, so we were afraid this season, having our new gym, that we wouldn’t get the momentum back — like La Mirada normally travels — but hey, winning brings people out, and that’s what we’ve been doing recently.”
The undefeated Surf League champion, Edison (26-5) owned a 17-game winning streak earlier this season, but the Chargers looked vulnerable in a 57-54 come-from-behind win at Pacifica Christian Orange County in the quarterfinals.
As shocking as its fourth-quarter comeback was in the previous round, it was equally stunning to see Edison outplayed and outworked on its home floor.
La Mirada sprinted out to a 16-2 lead four minutes into the game. Edison cut the deficit to nine points twice — on a basket by Quinn Delaney and then on a pair of free throws by Hampton — in the second quarter, but the Matadores went into the half with a 43-27 advantage and remained in control from there.
Edison coach Rich Boyce did not mince words following the loss, saying his team played as though it was “stuck in mud all night.”
“We didn’t play with much spark tonight,” Boyce said. “I don’t know if Friday took it out of us or whatever, but we just didn’t play very well. Obviously, credit to [La Mirada]. They played great. They executed well. They shot the ball lights out in the first half, and we didn’t meet that passion and energy.
“They beat us to every loose ball. It’s just like we weren’t ready to play, which is hard to believe because this is a CIF semifinal, but I’m going to tell them, ‘Hey, you learned your lesson, so hopefully when we start state next week, you’ll understand how you need to play.’”
Tyler Hampton had 22 points and five rebounds for Edison. Jake Hoffer and Dylan Hugues each had five points. Trey Wilborn, a top scoring option for the Chargers, was held to three points.
Delaney had three points, six rebounds and three assists, and Tucker Tripp added three points and pulled down six rebounds.
“We always keep that mindset that we can come back, but tonight, we just weren’t hitting our shots,” Hampton said. “Our defense could have been a lot better, but we get another shot in state, so we’ll have to show up there.”
Brackets for the CIF State Southern California Regional basketball playoffs will come out on Sunday evening.
CIF Southern Section Division 2A semifinals
La Mirada 67, Edison 48
SCORE BY QUARTERS
La Mirada 24 – 19 – 14 – 10 — 67
Edison 10 – 17 – 7 – 14 — 48
LM — Gomez 16, Kalaj 10, Cole 10, Hilliard 9, Cervantes 7, Reyes 6, Sierra 4, Perez 3, Martinez 2.
3-pt. goals — Gomez 3, Cervantes 1, Hilliard 1.
Fouled out — None.
Technicals — None.
E — Hampton 22, Hoffer 5, Hugues 5, Evans 4, Delaney 3, Wilborn 3, Tripp 3, Bassaline 3.
3-pt. goals — Hampton 3, Hoffer 1, Delaney 1.
Fouled out — Delaney.
Technicals — None.
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