Mira Costa’s strategy of playing a physical game against Lawndale’s two towering forwards worked, but it was guard D’lano Beckles that put the dagger in the Mustangs CIF Southern Section Division 2AA playoff run Friday night.
Mira Costa showed its resiliency after falling behind 19-2 in the first quarter, but it wasn’t enough as host Lawndale held off Mustang rallies in the second half for a 67-59 win in front of an overflow crowd.
“I wasn’t a great start. Everyone in the gym knows that, but everyone in the gym also know that Mira Costa’s basketball team left everything hey had on the court tonight,” Mira Costa head coach Jeff Amaral said. “We had a good run in the second quarter that gave us some hope. My basketball team thrives off of hope. It doesn’t need to be much. Give ‘em an inch and they’ll take it. Lawndale just had a little too much.”
Lawndale (19-10) dominated the first quarter with USC-bound 6-foot-10 Chimezie Metu scoring four points – including the first of his three dunks on the night that electrified the home fans – and blocked three shots on the other end of the court. The senior finished with 16 points, four blocks and seven rebounds.
Lawndale’s other big man, Brodricks Jones was held to five points.
Mira Costa (18-11) pulled to within five points in the second quarter and cut the deficit to three in the fourth quarter but 6-foot-2 guard D’lano Beckles scored 13 of his game-high 24 points in the final frame. His five free throws down the stretch sealed the victory for Lawndale.
Mira Costa outscored Lawndale 18-10 in the second quarter and Johnny Mims’ 3-pointer began an 11-0 run for the Mustangs that closed the gap to 29-20 at halftime.
Mira Costa’s Chris Lebbin hit two 3-point shots and Michael Holliday scored six points in the paint but Lawndale still managed to increase its lead by one point holding a 42-32 edge entering the fourth quarter.
The final period opened with Metu drawing a foul from 6-foot-3 Adam Griese who had been covering Metu like a blanket much of the game. Metu was called for a technical foul after displaying his aggravation and missed both free throws and when Dylan Kim made both free throws from the technical the Mustangs had a single-digit deficit.
“They did make some shots – that’s going to happen – but I did the best I could and that’s all that matters,” Griese said. “My strategy was to play him (Metu) as hard as I could and keep him away from the basket. He got frustrated by that which took him out of his rhythm a little bit.”
The game was the second of the week that Griese was pitted against a much taller opponent but held his own.
“Nobody’s gonna forget Adam Griese around Mira Costa any time soon,” Amaral said. “He had a great playoff season.”
Kim gave Mira Costa hope, getting hot from beyond the arc, scoring 18 of his team-high 22 points in the fourth quarter. He nailed three 3-pointers, two of which ended as four-point plays after the point guard was fouled. His final trifecta narrowed Mira Costa’s deficit to 62-59 with 38.7 seconds remaining but Lawndale’s success at the charity stripe put the game away. The Cardinals converted 11 of their last 12 free throws.
Fourth-seeded Lawndale will play at No. 7 Elsinore (23-5) in the semifinals on Tuesday. Elsinore eliminated second-seeded Glendora 53-30 on Friday.
“Lawndale is the biggest team we faced this season and made some clutch plays,” Amaral said. “They’re right there with Redondo and Inglewood in terms of difficulty of finishing against them. But I’m proud of our team. This team will be remembered at Mira Costa and the community for quite awhile.”
