La Serna’s Frankie Palmer scrambles for yardage during Friday’s CIF-SS playoff game against West Covina. La Serna won, 35-17. (Keith Birmingham / Staff Photographer)
La Serna is headed back to the CIF-SS Southeast Division Finals after defeating West Covina. The Lancers will face Downey, which beat Santa Fe in the Southeast’s other semifinal.
FRIDAY’S FINAL SCORES
La Serna 35, West Covina 17
Downey 35, Santa Fe 3
Santa Fe’s Daniel Alvarado (6) celebrates his touchdown with Charles Muhlenkamp (2) as they play La Mirada in their CIF-SS second-round football playoff game at Pioneer High School in Whittier on Friday, Nov. 16. (SGVN/Staff photo by Keith Durflinger)
It’s semifinal Friday and both La Serna and Santa Fe are looking to advance to next week’s championship game. La Serna faces West Covina at California High School while Santa Fe visits Downey. I will be at Santa Fe’s game at Downey. You can get quarter updates on our scoreboard page.
SGVN SCOREBOARD
SEMIFINALS PREVIEW
CIF-SS SOUTHEAST DIVISION
Tonight’s semifinal games
Santa Fe at Downey, 7 p.m.
West Covina vs. La Serna at California HS, 7:30 p.m.
I had a record of 3-1 during last week’s second round of the CIF-SS playoffs. My only miss was on La Mirada-Santa Fe. Here are my choices for tonight’s semifinal round:
LAST WEEK’S RECORD: 3-1
SEASON RECORD: 88-27
CIF-SS SOUTHEAST DIVISION
Tonight’s semifinal games
Santa Fe at Downey, 7 p.m. — Santa Fe
West Covina vs. La Serna at California HS, 7:30 p.m. — La Serna
By Eric Terrazas, SGVN
twitter.com/WhittierPreps
First-year Montebello head coach Jim Duddy believes the tournament can give the Oilers some good seasoning as they get ready for the Almont League season.
“It will be a good experience and we’ll get a couple of extra games in the tournament,” Duddy said.
The Oilers, who seek to rebound from last year’s 5-17 season, feature four key returnees in junior guard Tiffani Martinez, senior center Monique Mendibles, senior forward Adriana Gallardo and junior guard Bianca Ortiz.
“Mendibles is a four-year starter,” Duddy said. “Gallardo is a solid role player for us.”
The Oilers, who missed the postseason last year, are hoping to contend for a CIF-Southern Section Division 1A playoff berth.
“Our competition is going to be Schurr and Alhambra with (defending league champion) Keppel a step above,” Duddy said.
Read more: High School Basketball: Montebello girls set to get season going
By John Sherrard, Correspondent
RIVERSIDE – The winning streak and season came to an end for CIF-Southern Section Division 2A champion Whittier Christian High School Tuesday night in the first round of the CIF State Division II playoffs.
Whittier Christian lost for the first time in the last nine matches, dating back to the Ayala Tournament last month and finishes with a 35-5 record.
A bigger, quicker and stronger Martin Luther King High ended a dream season for the Heralds, 25-20, 25-19, 26-28, 25-21 to advance.
The Wolves (27-7) will play Canyon Crest Academy of San Diego on Saturday.
“This has been a great season, winning CIF and watching the team come together like they have,” Whittier Christian coach Shawn Hunter said. “We knew state teams would be big and strong and they (MLK) showed it (Tuesday). I’m real proud of my girls this season for their accomplishments.”
Leading the way for the Division 2AA champs was junior outside hitter, Kalei Greeley, who had a match-high 30 kills.
Pacing Whittier Christian, which has advanced to its second consecutive state playoffs, was junior outside hitter Kylee Wolfe with 20 kills.
Junior Deanna Blaine had 14 kills and junior middle blocker Stephanie Stevenson added 15 kills.
The first set was back and forth with each team taking no more than a two-point lead until MLK extended the score to four points, 23-19, on consecutive kills by Greeley and the Wolves took the opening set.
Read more: High School Volleyball: Whittier Christian ends its run in first round of State Division II playoffs