March 5, 2015 Page 5 Lawndale Hangs on to Top Mira Costa; Advances to Semis By Joe Snyder Photos by Joe Snyder In several of Lawndale High’s boys’ basketball games, it appeared that the Cardinals were headed to wins then blow late leads. For instance, Lawndale had fourth quarter leads of nine and 11 points in Ocean League showdowns against champion Beverly Hills and was not able to hold on to them. In the CIF-Southern Section Division IIAA quarterfinals last Friday at Lawndale, the Cardinals jumped on Mira Costa for a 19-2 first quarter lead and still led by as many as 10 points in the final period. The Mustangs cut Lawndale’s lead to three points, behind senior guard Dylan Kim who scored 16 of his team high 22 points, got as close as three points (55-52) when he connected on one of his two four-point plays. This time, the Cardinals were able to wake up and top Mira Costa 67-59 to advance to the semifinals for the first time in the program’s history. Lawndale, which improved to 19-10, hopes to get its first-ever final appearance with a win at Elsinore in the semis last Tuesday. Elsinore knocked off second seed Glendora 53-30 in the quarterfinals on Friday. The championship is Friday or Saturday at either the Honda Center in Anaheim, Azusa-Pacific University or Godinez High in Santa Ana. The Cardinals got off the starting gate very well as they dominated the first period, behind 6-foot-10 University of Southern Californiabound Chimezie Metu and D’lano Beckles. In the second quarter, though, Mira Costa, which ended its season at 18-11, caught fire with a 16-4 run that cut Lawndale’s lead to five points (23-18). The first half finished with the Cardinals ahead 29-20. Lawndale led 42-32 after three quarters and continued to lead by as many as 10 points in the fourth but key turnovers and some missed free throws, that included one that was an air ball by Beckles, got the Mustangs back in the game. Beckles, though, was able to convert on his final five shots from the charity line and added a key basket that enabled the Cardinals to put the game away. “It was a physical game,” Lawndale head coach Christopher Brownlee said. “We didn’t trail. We are not yet an elite and that’s why we’re not in the Open Division (a division for the Southern Section’s top 16 teams overall). We haven’t matured enough. We are in the semis and we want to keep improving.” Beckles led the Cardinals, who entered the Division IIAA playoffs as the fourth seed, with a game-high 24 points. Metu added 14 points, six rebounds and four blocks, and Brandon Newman chipped in 12 points, including making his final four critical free throws. Brodrick Jones, Lawndale’s other six-foot-10 player, contributed seven points and seven rebounds. Adam Griese finished with 10 points for Mira Costa. In the second round at Kaiser in Fontana on February 24, the Cardinals eliminated Kaiser 68-54. Quincy Pinkard led Lawndale with 15 points. Metu had 14 points, eight rebounds and seven blocks. Tedric Johnson and Jones each put in 10 points. Cardinal Kickers Fall in Quarters Coming off a CIF-Southern Section Division IV upset win at second seed West Torrance on February 25, Lawndale High’s boys’ soccer team was ousted from the playoffs by host Bellflower 3-0 in the quarterfinals last Saturday. The Buccaneers, who finished third in the Suburban League, got things going fast with a pair of early goals from Alan Anguian and Miguel Garcia. Anguian scored, again, in the second half. The Cardinals, who tied El Segundo for the Ocean League title, mustered just three shots on goal against the stingy Bellflower defense. At West, Lawndale was in a dogfight with the Warriors, who won the Pioneer League with an unbeaten 10-0 record, before Irvin Miranda Rivas blasted the ball into the net from approximately 20 yards out to give the Cardinals a 1-0 lead in the 68th minute. Lawndale’s lead would last until the regulation extra time when Mason Shortland scored off a header from Zac McGraw to tie the game with about two minutes before the officials whistled the end of regulation. Each team went scoreless during the two 10-minute overtime periods forcing the penalty kicks. After seven rounds of penalty kicks, it was sophomore Osvaldo Garcia who kicked the ball through the lower middle right portion of the net to give Lawndale a 2-1 win after outkicking West 6-5. “I saw the West goalkeeper go to the left so I went to the right,” Garcia said. “This is the biggest win in my whole life,” Lawndale head coach Angel Mendez. “We came here to put up a fight and do the best we can. It was 0-0, then 1-0. It’s the playoffs. West is a good team and well coached. The game could have gone either way.” Leuzinger, Inglewood and Morningside Get Ousted: Leuzinger and Morningside High’s boys’ basketball teams were eliminated in the quarterfinals of their CIF-Southern Section divisions and Inglewood lost in the second round to host Roosevelt High 33-32 in the second round of the Division IAA playoffs on February 24. In the IIIA division at Leuzinger, the Pioneer League champion Olympians were ousted by third seed Tahquitz from Hemet 61-58. In the Division IVAA at Chaminade in West Hills, the Monarchs fell to the Eagles, last year’s California State Division III champion, 77-66. The Sentinels, who finished second behind champion Redondo in the Bay League, lost a tight defensive battle to Roosevelt, which was eliminated by top seed Temecula Great Oak 81-70 last Friday. Last year, Inglewood advanced to the IAA semifinals where it lost 48-47 to eventual champion Long Beach Poly. Cougars Win Opener Hawthorne High’s baseball team won its season opener at home against St. Monica 5-1 in the Southern California Invitational last Friday. Winning pitcher Charles Phelps went six innings allowing one earned run. He struck out seven batters. • Lawndale’s Jose Giron races against West Torrance’s Josh Williams for the ball in last week’s CIF-Southern Section Division IV boys’ soccer second round playoff game. Lawndale High’s Paulino Coutino heads ball during last week’s CIF-Southern Section Division IV boys’ soccer playoff action against West Torrance. The Cardinals stunned the second seed Warriors 2-1 (6-5 in penalty kicks) in the second round but lost in the quarterfinal at Bellflower 3-0 on Saturday. Lawndale’s Tedric Johnson attempts a three-point basket in last Friday’s CIF-Southern Section Division IIAA boys’ basketball quarterfinal against Mira Costa. The Cardinals topped the Mustangs 67-59 and played at Elsinore in the semifinals last Tuesday. Lawndale is seeking its first final appearance in the program’s history. Lawndale High’s Kevin Valencia takes control of the ball in last week’s CIF-Southern Section Division IV second round playoff win over West Torranc.e.. financing. Flash forward to that person wanting or needing to finance an unplanned item or event; they often find they have lost their credit score due to non-credit usage. So as you can see, credit invisibles can easily be your neighbor, a son or daughter, family member or a friend. Across the nation, there are an estimated 30- Finance How To Become Credit Visible (BPT) - Are you credit invisible? You may have never heard this term before, but if you are credit invisible, then you’ve certainly felt its affects. Those who are credit invisible lack a credit score due to non-existent, limited or dated credit histories. 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