Boys Basketball:
Damien’s highly successful 2023-24 season came to an end on Saturday night in Bellflower.
But the No. 12 seeded Spartans didn’t go down without a fight.
St. John Bosco, the No. 1 seed, however, would edge DHS, 63-59, in the CIF State Division 1 Southern California Regional semifinal.
The game was so close that the first, second and fourth quarters were determined by two points or less.
The second half began with the game tied at 31-31, and SJB would go on a 21-15 run in the third period to give themselves a tiny cushion.
St. John Bosco’s Brandon McCoy Jr. led all scorers with 25 points, including a pair of 3-pointers.
The Braves sophomore scored 10 of those 25 points during the crucial third-quarter run.
Dominic Perfetti hit a pair of 3’s and finished with 14 points.
Jack Turner had 10 for the Braves.
Nate Garcia led Damien with 19 points.
In the final game of his remarkable high school career, Xavier Clinton finished with 12 points, including two 3-pointers.
Eli Garner also had 12 points for the Spartans.
Damien won 28 games this year, and they secured their first outright league championship since the 2011-12 season.
Up next: The Braves will host Mater Dei on Tuesday at 7.
The Monarchs (29-5) defeated Notre Dame of Sherman Oaks, 79-71, in their semifinal round contest.
Bosco hopes the third time is the charm after dropping a pair of Trinity League games to Mater Dei.
Box Score:
DHS: 16-15-15-13-(59)
SJB: 15-16-21-11-(63)
Damien scoring: Nate Garcia 19, Eli Garner 12, Xavier Clinton 12, Jacob Allen 9, Elijah Smith 5, Zaire Rasshan 2
St. John Bosco scoring: Brandon McCoy Jr. 25, Dominic Perfetti 14, Jack Turner 10, Elzie Harrington 8, Chris Komin 6
Records: Damien (28-6); St. John Bosco (26-7)
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