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LOS ANGELES -- La Verne Lutheran coach Eric Cooper will be the first to tell you about his team's bumpy season. And, fortunately for him, it's not over.

The 11th-seeded Trojans used a strong second half to upset top-seeded La Cañada, 57-47, Saturday afternoon at Galen Center to advance to next week's CIF State Division III boys' basketball championship in Sacramento. Lutheran outscored La Cañada 35-22 in the second half behind 14 points from forward Grant Jerrett. He finished with 22.

"This was one of the three toughest teams we've faced this year," Cooper said. "You had to think or they could embarrass you."

Lutheran (25-5) turned the ball over leading by four with less than two minutes remaining. The Spartans (30-4) had a three-on-one the other way with a chance to cut the deficit, but C.J. Cooper anticipated a pass under the basket. The Trojans got an easy bucket at the other end.

"If we got that," La Cañada's Mason Holle said, "it could have been a different game."

The momentum had shifted long before that, when Lutheran broke out a box-and-1 zone defense to contain Michael McGlashan. McGlashan and Matt Faber combined for 22 points in the first half as the Spartans led 25-22 heading into the locker room. Together, they were 10-for-16 shooting. McGlashan had only seven points in the second half.

"When coach [Cooper] puts a challenge on my plate," Lutheran guard Bruce English said, "I tend to take it serious."

English was the "one" in box-and-one. He answered the call offensively, too, scoring 10 of his 13 points in the second half. Lutheran beat the third-seeded, second-seeded and top-seeded teams to advance out of the Southern California regional. The fact that La Cañada fans packed both sides of the court made it more daunting. It felt like a true road game for the Trojans -- even if their nickname was painted onto the floor at Galen Center.

"We brought a whole community to its feet," La Cañada coach Tom Hofman said. "For two weeks, that's all they were talking about -- La Cañada basketball."

And for good reason. The Spartans (30-4) had defeated Los Angeles Price for the CIF-Southern Section Division 3AA championship two weeks previous. But on Saturday, Lutheran looked like a team on a mission.

"I don't really believe in the seeding system," Cooper said. "All it did was make us prepare to be a road team. We had to win on the road against some very good, talented teams. All that does is helps us."

Blair Angulo covers preps and UCLA for ESPNLosAngeles.com. Follow him on Twitter.

Sometimes, losses have their benefits. The La Verne Lutheran boys' basketball team can attest to that.

The Trojans last lost on Feb. 25, against Los Angeles Price, in the CIF-Southern Section Division 3AA semifinals. Lutheran fell by five after trailing by as many as 21 midway through the third quarter. It may have been a blessing in disguise, particularly because the Trojans had to turn up their intensity to make a mind-numbing 23-4 run.

Junior forward Grant Jerrett was spectacular, pulling the Trojans to within two following left hooks galore. He posted a game-high 26 points against no slouch -- Price's Norvel Pelle, one of the nation's premier forwards who's headed to St. John's next season.

Fast forward three weeks and 11th-seeded Lutheran (24-5) is still alive and kicking. The Trojans don't head into Saturday's CIF State Division III Southern California regional final against top-seeded La Cañada (30-3) at Galen Center as heavy underdogs.

“They’re huge,” La Cañada coach Tom Hofman said. “They’re a good team. It should be a good game. It will be a tough one.”

Jerrett is listed at 6 feet 9 and has two teammates over 6-7. The tallest starter for La Cañada, forward Matt Faber, is 6-5. It's not difficult to guess what Lutheran coach Eric Cooper Sr. will be asking for from the bench.

Lutheran has been throwing the ball down low throughout regional play. The defending state champion Trojans beat San Diego University City, Orange Lutheran and Harvard-Westlake to get to the Galen Center. The last two wins -- against the third-seeded and second-seeded teams -- were by a combined 33 points.

La Cañada received a bye in the first round, then defeated Encino Crespi and Inglewood to get to the title game.

"You know, we're thrilled," La Cañada guard Michael McGlashan said. "Going into Galen Center, we've got nothing to lose. That's a great thing. We're just going to play our hearts out."

Information from ESPNLosAngeles.com Preps blogger Tim Haddock was used in this report.

LA CANADA FLINTRIDGE -- The La Canada boys; basketball team finally finished a game the way coach Tom Hofman likes to see.

Instead of hanging on for a whisker win, La Canada delivered a series of knockout blows against Inglewood in the semifinals of the CIF Division III Southern California Regional on Saturday night.

La Canada’s Mike McGlashan scored six points in the fourth quarter and led his team to a 60-50 win over Inglewood. Down two points, 42-40, after three quarters, La Canada outscored Inglewood 20-8 in the fourth quarter to turn a tight game into a blowout.

La Canada will play La Verne Lutheran, a 61-45 winner over Harvard-Westlake in the other semifinal, in next Saturday's regional final at USC's Galen Center. The winner will move on to the state title game in Sacramento the following weekend.

“The first half, we were impatient,” Hofman said. “That fourth quarter was the best we played all year. We’ve had a lot of great endings, but not great fourth quarters. Defense, rebounding, shot selection was excellent. We showed a lot of heart and a lot of drive.”

La Canada has played its share of close games in the playoffs. The Spartans won the CIF Southern Section Division 3AA championship by three points over Price. They won their second-round game in the Southern California Regional by one point over Crespi.

Riley Moore opened the fourth quarter with a 3-pointer to give La Canada the lead, 43-42. Joseff Singleton gave Inglewood the lead back when he put back a missed shot less than a minute later.

The teams swapped leads again before La Canada started pulling away with 4:30 to play in the game.

McGlashan drove the lane and scored his first two points of the fourth quarter to tie the score at 47-47. He broke the tie with another driving shot through the lane with two seconds left on the shot clock to give La Canada a 49-47 lead.

“He hit huge shots and he was patient with them,” Hofman said. “He had great balance in the paint. He did a great job.”

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CIF State Division III boys basketball playoffs

No. 1 La Canada (29-3) vs. Inglewood (26-7), Saturday, 7 p.m. at La Canada High School


The La Canada boys' basketball team has been making a habit of winning close games in the playoffs. The Spartans won the Southern Section Divison 3AA championship by three points over Price.

They won their second-round game in the CIF State Division III playoffs by one point over Crespi on Thursday night.

La Canada coach Tom Hofman said he’s finally finding a bit of a comfort zone with the way his kids have been playing.

“They looked real good in practice,” Hofman said. “We’ve had so many close games, I’m getting used to them. I have a lot of confidence in the kids.”

Inglewood is coming off a close second-round win of its own. The Sentinels beat fourth-seeded Price, 56-55, on Thursday night to advance to the semifinals of the Southern California Regional.

“I expect a good game,” Hofman said. “They’re a good shooting team. We’re going to have to work on contesting their shots.”

Here are the five keys to the game for La Canada:

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ANAHEIM -- The La Canada boys' basketball team has a way of adding more drama to games than coach Tom Hofman would like to see.

The CIF Southern Section Division 3AA championship game against Price at the Anaheim Convention Center on Thursday night was no different.

La Canada beat top-seeded Price, 50-47, to win its first CIF boys basketball championship since 1992. The Spartans built a 12-point lead in the first quarter and had a 14-point lead in the third quarter before Price tied the game with two minutes to play in the fourth.

“They seem to have that will to win in the last minute and a half of games,” Hofman said. “They stayed focused at the right time and didn’t get flustered, like I did.”

La Canada needed double-overtime to beat Bishop Montgomery in the quarterfinals of the playoffs. The Spartans beat Palm Springs, 61-60, in the semifinals.

La Canada came up with some key plays on defense and made some clutch free throws in the final two minutes of the game against Price to seal the victory.

Michael McGlashan and Matt Faber each scored 14 points to lead La Canada. The Spartans made five 3-pointers in the first quarter to build a 21-9 lead.

La Canada took its biggest lead in the game in the third quarter. Dario CiVon gave La Canada a 39-25 edge on layup with two minutes to play in the third.

But Price went on a 10-0 run to end the third quarter and trim the lead to four points.

Price tied the game, 46-46, on a layup by Askia Booker with 1:54 to play in the game.

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