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BUENA PARK – The calendar says it’s December, which is early in the boys basketball season, but the intensity of the Coyote Classic semifinal between Los Alamitos and Bellflower had February written all over it.

The Griffins’ 12-point halftime advantage was erased by the Buccaneers, but Los Al held on to win, 68-63, on Friday night at Buena Park High.

Joseph Riley led the Griffins with 22 points, including four three-pointers. He scored 14  of his points in the first half. Spencer Frank contributed 14 points.

Los Alamitos (3-0), ranked No. 6 in the county, will face Buena Park in the tournament final Saturday at 7:30 p.m. at Buena Park High.

Both teams struggled from the field early on, as there were many jumpers off the mark. Once the shots began to fall, Riley was the catalyst. He he hit three shots from beyond the arc in the opening frame to pace the Griffins to a 19-14 lead.

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FRIDAY’S BASKETBALL STORIES

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The Buccaneers (2-1) were led by Jaren Johnson who scored 26 points including six 3-point baskets. Back-to-back threes in the second by Johnson and Jordan Brown forced the Griffins to call a timeout as their lead dwindled to 27-25.

Jacob Eyman (15 points, nine rebounds) showed his inside presence on the low block on the next two possessions, and he threw down a thunderous dunk for a 31-25 lead.

The second quarter featured the kind of intense play seen in the playoffs. Both teams tallied technical fouls which left the officials scrambling to maintain order.

Bellflower, which faced a 12-point deficit at halftime, tried to use its full-court press to close the gap in the third quarter.

The defensive pressure, coupled with the hot shooting of Johnson, propelled the Buccaneers to a 14-2 run and a 48-45 lead with 2:29 left in the third quarter.

The Griffins regained the lead as Spencer Frank was able to break free of the press and get a three-point play that tied the score at 48.

Frank’s layup began a 6-0 run for Los Al as they ended the third with a 52-48 lead.

The Griffins trailed early in the fourth as Johnson and Damian Townes made key buckets to give Bellflower a 55-54 lead, but the clutch play of Riley and Eyman down the stretch was too much for the Bucs to overcome.