Boys Hoops: Glendora on a playoff run again, advances to quarterfinals while Damien and La Verne Lutheran punch semifinal tickets

By Steve Ramirez, SGVN
twitter.com/SteveRRamirez

GLENDORA — There are two things you can usually count on from the Glendora High School boys basketball team — defense and the ability to shoot.
Glendora used both Tuesday night.
A.J. Bigornia scored 30 points on six 3-pointers and host Glendora made some key stops down the stretch to advance to the CIF-Southern Section quarterfinals with a 55-49 victory over Dominguez in a Division 2A second-round game.
Glendora, also getting eight points and seven rebounds from Thomas Rico, improved to 19-10 and will host Redondo on Friday.
EJ Johnson scored 17 points and Erik Garcia had 11 for the Dons, who finished 11-17. Dominguez trailed by just six with less than 30 seconds left but could only trim it to 53-49 before Sean Williams made two free throws with 14.9 seconds left to clinch it for Glendora.
Glendora coach Mike LeDuc: “I thought we came out a little tentative, but when we loosed up, we relaxed and started making a lot of shots. For us to be successful, we have to make a lot of shots. That’s the style we play.”
Glendora’s A.J. Bigornia: “I just felt confident. I made my first three shots, and my confidence level just went up.”
Dominguez coach Grady Johnson: “They hit some very big threes. We knew who their shooters were, we identified them. We just didn’t defend them well, and they made shots. It’s really what it came down to. They hit some shots when they really needed to.”
CIF-Southern Section Boys Basketball Playoffs
Tuesday’s Second Round Results
Division 1AA
Rancho Verde 61, Chino Hills 59, 2OT
Division 1A
El Toro 64, Diamond Bar 50
Division 2A
Glendora 55, Dominguez 49
Quarterfinal Results
Division 3AAA
Tustin 52, Bonita 48
Division 3AA
Santa Margarita 63, Diamond Ranch 45
Damien 62, Temescal Canyon 32
Division 4AA
La Verne Lutheran 73, Windward 68

Friday’s games
Division 2A Quarterfinals
No. 2 Redondo Union at No. 10 Glendora, 7 p.m.
Division 3AA Semifinals
No. 2 Damien at No. 3 Corona del Mar, 7 p.m.
Division 4AA Semifinals
No. 5 La Verne Lutheran at No. 1 Bishop Montgomery, 7 p.m.

Inland Insider with interviews following Rancho Verde’s last-second double-overtime victory over Chino Hills