FourrnCatholic high school basketball teams (three boys’ and one girls’) have reachedrnthe semifinals of the CIF Southern California Regional Basketball Tournament,rnafter victories March 9 and 10.
Threernof those four teams who will do battle March 13 will play teams they’ve facedrnearlier in the season:
Thernother March 13 matchup, in Boys’ Division III, finds tenth-seeded Bishop Amatrn(28-6) playing Murrieta Mesa (26-9) in La Puente.
Winnersrnof the March 13 semifinals in all divisions advance to the March 17 finals.rnThose victors will play for state championships March 23 or 24 in Sacramentornagainst winners of the Northern California Regionals.
Inrngirls’ basketball, Serra — led by Alexis Tucker’s 19 points — broke away in thernsecond half and beat tenth-seeded Alemany 64-54 in an all-Catholic Division Irnsecond-round contest, while eighth-seeded Granada Hills Charter upsetrntop-seeded Bishop Montgomery 50-41. In the girls’ Open Division, No. 2 ClovisrnWest beat No. 7 Mater Dei 62-54.
Inrnboys’ Open Division play, Bishop Montgomery easily handled No. 6 Mission Bayrn56-34, but No. 8 Fairfax surprised No. 1 Mater Dei, the CIF-SS Open Divisionrnchampion, 50-47.
In Division I, St. John Bosco, converting fourrnlate free throws, rallied to beat ninth-seeded Long Beach Poly 64-61, butrnsixth-seeded Chino Hills beat third-seeded Crespi plays 80-76, despite 43rnpoints by Crespi’s Brando Williams and 17 by Taj Regans. Rancho Verde beatrnSanta Margarita 57-54 in first-round play March 8.
InrnDivision III’s round 2 action, Bishop Amat pulled out to a 17-point halftimernlead and held on to upset second-seeded University 66-59. Fourth-seeded Knightrnbeat fifth-seeded St. Anthony 87-83.