Crean Lutheran had not won a boys basketball playoff game until last week.
The Saints beat Rim of the World, of Lake Arrohead, 57-31, on Wednesday in a CIF-Southern Section Divission 4A first-round game. They did not stop there. Crean beat Don Bosco Tech of Rosemead, 57-53, in the second round Friday.
“At this point,” Crean coach Josh Beaty said, “anything we do from here is icing on the cake.”
Crean could have a sweet future. The Saints have no senior starters on a team that is 23-3 and tied St. Margaret’s for the championship of the Academy League.
Crean’s Michael Bagatourian, a 6-foot-4 sophomore guard, averages team-highs of 15 points and seven rebounds a game. Other top contributors are Even Kittlesen, a 6-4 junior forward averaging 12 ponts, and his twin, 6-3 forward Brett Kittlesen, who is scoring nine a game. Tim Ghita, a 6-5 sophomore guard, averages 10 points and six rebounds.
“Bagatourian’s our best player,” Beaty said. “It’s a tossup from there as to who’s second-best. Brett and Even are really good shooters and Brett’s probably our best defensive player.”
Crean plays an away game today in the quarterfinals against third-seeded Buckley of Los Angeles. A Saints win would be an upset.
Win or lose today, this season could be the start of something special at Crean Lutheran.
“The future is bright here,” Beaty said. “These aren’t just talented kids but they’re also outstanding kids, unselfish and very hard-working. It’s fun to coach them every day.”
Jump stops around Orange County basketball:
• Orange Lutheran’s Open Division second-round playoff home game Wednesday is at Hope University in Fullerton. It was feared that Lutheran’s on-campus gym would not be large enough to accommodate the crowd for the Lancers’ game against Centennial of Corona.
• Mater Dei outscored Price of Los Angeles, 17-9, in the fourth quarter of its 65-56 win last week in the Open Division first round. An important part of that fourth quarter was Mater Dei assistant coach Jason Quinn’s decision to use a box-and-one defense, with Bailey Stout on Price’s best player, James Washington. Washington finished with 16 points, but Stout kept Washington from going wild by challenging every shot.
• The Mater Dei takes on Chino Hills on Wednesday in the Open Division second round. Those two teams met last year in the Open Division championship won by Mater Dei, 48-44.
• JSerra went winless in the Trinity League and Villa Park did the same in the Crestview League. Both teams won playoff games.
• Tustin’s two losses this season were to Mater Dei and San Clemente. The Tillers are 25-2.
• Capistrano Valley Christian had five players in double-figure scoring in its 82-47 win over Tarbut V’Torah in the second round of the 5A playoffs. The Eagles play at Valley Torah of Valley Village in the quarterfinals today.
• Ocean View, which lost to Corona del Mar in the 3A second round, had only one senior in the starting lineup. Roger Holmes, who has been head coach at Santa Margarita, Marina and Fountain Valley, joined Ocean View as co-coach with Tim Walsh this season. Walsh said Holmes will continue as co-coach next season.
• Corona del Mar coach Ryan Schachter said his team has “a lot of good pieces,” with Kevin Fults at the post, guard Sam Korbrine and Matt Ctrvtlik coming off of the bench. The player who most makes the Sea Kings go is energetic senior Bo St. Geme, who also was one of the county’s top receivers in football this past fall. “We’ll go as far as Bo leads us,” Schachter said.
• Buena Park’s threesome of Deonte Beckham, Cedric Dashiell II and Rashsaan Watkins were outstanding last week as the Coyotes beat North Torrance and Yorba Linda in 3AA playoff games. Beckham had 15 points and 19 rebounds against Yorba Linda, and 23 points against North Torrance; Dashiell II scored 16 against Yorba Linda and 26 against North Torrance; and Watkins scored 13 agianst Yorba Linda and 26 against North Torrance.
• Buena Park has 21 wins. The last time they won more than 20 games was the 1958-59 season.
Contact the writer: sfryer@ocregister.com
