Balanced attack helps lift Los Alamitos basketball past Canyon in Division 1 playoffs
Los Alamitos has four players score in double figures while matching Canyon's frenetic pace in the second round of the CIF-SS playoffs
Los Alamitos’ Trent Minter (33) drives to the basket in front of Canyon’s Josh Goodall (13) during a boys basketball game between Canyon and Los Alamitos in the second round of the CIF-SS Division 1 playoffs at Los Alamitos High on February 9, 2024.
(Photo by Michael Goulding, Contributing Photographer)
Canyon’s Staf Yilmazturk (0) steals the ball away from Los Alamitos’ Kedric Delaney (30) during a boys basketball game between Canyon and Los Alamitos in the second round of the CIF-SS Division 1 playoffs at Los Alamitos High on Feb. 9, 2024…..(Photo by Michael Goulding, Contributing Photographer)
Los Alamitos’ Kedric Delaney (30) lays up a shot past Canyon’s Josh Goodall (13) during a boys basketball game between Canyon and Los Alamitos in the second round of the CIF-SS Division 1 playoffs at Los Alamitos High on Feb. 9, 2024…..(Photo by Michael Goulding, Contributing Photographer)
Los Alamitos’ head coach Nate Berge has a discussion with an official during a boys basketball game between Canyon and Los Alamitos in the second round of the CIF-SS Division 1 playoffs at Los Alamitos High on Feb. 9, 2024…..(Photo by Michael Goulding, Contributing Photographer)
Los Alamitos’ Wesley Trevino (4) scores over Canyon’s Staf Yilmazturk (0) and the rest of Canyon’s team during a boys basketball game between Canyon and Los Alamitos in the second round of the CIF-SS Division 1 playoffs at Los Alamitos High on Feb. 9, 2024…..(Photo by Michael Goulding, Contributing Photographer)
Los Alamitos’ Trent Minter (33) drives to the basket in front of Canyon’s Josh Goodall (13) during a boys basketball game between Canyon and Los Alamitos in the second round of the CIF-SS Division 1 playoffs at Los Alamitos High on Feb. 9, 2024…..(Photo by Michael Goulding, Contributing Photographer)
Canyon’s Jeremy Loreto (14) gets squeezed by Los Alamitos’ Wesley Trevino (4) and Trent Minter (33) and during a boys basketball game between Canyon and Los Alamitos in the second round of the CIF-SS Division 1 playoffs at Los Alamitos High on Feb. 9, 2024…..(Photo by Michael Goulding, Contributing Photographer)
Los Alamitos’ head coach Nate Berge talks to his players during a time out during a boys basketball game between Canyon and Los Alamitos in the second round of the CIF-SS Division 1 playoffs at Los Alamitos High on Feb. 9, 2024…..(Photo by Michael Goulding, Contributing Photographer)
Los Alamitos’ Samori Guyness (5) scores during a boys basketball game between Canyon and Los Alamitos in the second round of the CIF-SS Division 1 playoffs at Los Alamitos High on Feb. 9, 2024…..(Photo by Michael Goulding, Contributing Photographer)
Los Alamitos’ Trent Minter (33) shoots over Canyon’s Josh Goodall (13) during a boys basketball game between Canyon and Los Alamitos in the second round of the CIF-SS Division 1 playoffs at Los Alamitos High on Feb. 9, 2024…..(Photo by Michael Goulding, Contributing Photographer)
Los Alamitos’ Kedric Delaney (30) scores past Canyon’s Jordan Garcia (2) during a boys basketball game between Canyon and Los Alamitos in the second round of the CIF-SS Division 1 playoffs at Los Alamitos High on Feb. 9, 2024…..(Photo by Michael Goulding, Contributing Photographer)
Canyon’s Mo El baba (35) plays tight defense on Los Alamitos’ Kedric Delaney (30) during a boys basketball game between Canyon and Los Alamitos in the second round of the CIF-SS Division 1 playoffs at Los Alamitos High on Feb. 9, 2024…..(Photo by Michael Goulding, Contributing Photographer)
Los Alamitos’ Wesley Trevino (4) signals a three-point shot to the delight of the Los Alamitos fans during a boys basketball game between Canyon and Los Alamitos in the second round of the CIF-SS Division 1 playoffs at Los Alamitos High on Feb. 9, 2024…..(Photo by Michael Goulding, Contributing Photographer)
Los Alamitos’ Dilayehu Wempe (42) steals the ball from Canyon’s Jeremy Loreto (14) during a boys basketball game between Canyon and Los Alamitos in the second round of the CIF-SS Division 1 playoffs at Los Alamitos High on Feb. 9, 2024…..(Photo by Michael Goulding, Contributing Photographer)
LOS ALAMITOS — The balanced offensive attack of the Los Alamitos boys basketball team came through for the Griffins again.
They had four players score in double figures, two with 14 points and two with 12 points, in a 73-46 win over Canyon in a CIF Southern Section Division 1 second-round playoff game Friday at Los Alamitos High.
Los Alamitos (24-5) will play at Los Angeles Windward (26-3) in the quarterfinals Tuesday. Windward, the division’s No. 2 seed, beat St. Francis 73-66 in the second round Tuesday.
The Comanches played the final few weeks without senior forward Jaden Goodall, who was leading the team with 22 points a game before a knee injury shortened his season. Canyon, a Division 1 semifinalist last year, finished second to Foothill in the Crestview League.
Los Alamitos junior guards Samori Guyness and Wes Trevino scored 14 points each. Trent Minter, a 6-6 junior forward, scored 12 points with 15 rebounds and three blocked shots. Junior guard Liam Gray scored 12 points.
Depth has been an asset all season for the Griffins who went 6-0 in the Surf League, one of the better leagues in Orange County basketball this season. That depth came through again Friday. Senior guard Dilayehu Wempe scored six points with seven rebounds and junior guard Kedric Delaney scored 10 points.
“We can sub guys in and out so that our guys aren’t playing as many minutes as the other team has to,” said Los Alamitos coach Nathan Berger. “And our ability to rebound at both ends was very helpful.”
Canyon, led by junior guard Noah Kim’s 15 points Friday, has won many games over the year with their frenetic pace. Los Alamitos was able to match that Friday.
“Chaos on chaos,” was how Berger described it.
The Griffins bolted to a 12-0 lead and stretched that to 21-3. Canyon made a 9-0 run to reduce their deficit that was 22-12 going into the second quarter.
Delaney scored eight of the Griffins’ 20 second-quarter points and Los Alamitos had a 42-26 lead at halftime. Both teams made eight turnovers in the first half.
Los Alamitos’ quick-moving offense enabled six different Griffins to score in the third quarter. Canyon did not get many open shots, making only 4 of 16 attempts in the quarter, and Los Alamitos was in control with its 63-36 lead going into the fourth quarter.
“The keys to this game were keeping them off the 3-point line,” Minter said. “Really keying in on a few guys. Getting on the glass, which i think we did a really good job of. We shared the ball. We hit our shots when we needed to. It’s a great team win.”
The Griffins were 27 for 59 on all shots. They were made all six of their 3-point shots in the first half and finished 9 for 13 behind the arc. Canyon had a tough night, in large part because of the Los Alamitos defense, making 18 of its 71 shots and was 3 for 22 on 3-point tries.
