Sports
Crespi Reaches San Fernando Valley Invitational Hoops Final
The red-hot Celts defeat Sierra Canyon 71-41 in the tournament semifinals.
Hoping to reach the finals of the sixth annual San Fernando Valley Invitational for the first time since co-founding the tournament in 2005, Crespi High jumped all over Sierra Canyon of Chatsworth with a 71-41 win Tuesday in the tournament semifinals at Alemany High in Mission Hills.
Matt Mounier scored 22 points and made four 3-pointers to lead the Celts, who face host Alemany in the final tonight at 7 p.m. -- a rematch of Crespi's victory over the Warriors in last year's Southern Section Div. IV-A championship.
Crespi (6-3) jumped out to a 21-7 first quarter lead and held previously undefeated Sierra Canyon (7-1) scoreless for the first four minutes.
Find out what's happening in Encino-Tarzanawith free, real-time updates from Patch.
Crespi hit four 3-pointers in the opening quarter, as Mounier scored a quick seven points and London Perrantes chipped in with five. Crespi didn't let up in the second quarter, outscoring Sierra Canyon, 19-8, to take a 40-15 halftime lead.
In the first half, Crespi outrebounded Sierra Canyon, 25-10, and held Sierra Canyon to 6-of-17 shooting from the field.
Find out what's happening in Encino-Tarzanawith free, real-time updates from Patch.
"We were good defensively. There's no other way to put it," Crespi coach Russell White said. "Everything we do is predicated on defense. We wanted them to earn what they got."
Crespi extended the lead to 33 points in the third quarter, holding Sierra Canyon scoreless again for the first four minutes of the quarter. Justin Rubia scored seven points in the third quarter and had 11 points in the second half. He finished with 16 points on 6-of-9 shooting, including two 3-pointers.
Jahmel Taylor led Sierra Canyon with 13 points, shooting 4-for-11 from the field. Marsalis Johnson added 10.
Crespi and Alemany are Mission League rivals. This is the first time in the tournament final for both.
"It will be a little more heated, probably a few more people in the stands," White said. "For us, it's a chance to play for a championship."
Crespi is averaging 74 points per game in the tournament and giving up only 38.2. Yet White said his team is far from playing its best basketball yet.
"We're not even close to peaking," White said. "We're playing pretty well. We need to see how we do when we're tested."
Alemany beat Santiago Corona, 74-64, to reach the tournament final.
"We're expecting a big crowd to come out," said Alemany's Jordan Fuller. "We've got to be focused. We've got to come out and have a big game."
