Vikings Squads Reach Regional Finals

Revenge can be a powerful source of motivation, particularly when a coveted trip to the Southern California Regional finals is at stake. Just ask any players on the boys and girls basketball teams at St. Bernard High.

The boys squad made the most of its second chance Saturday night in Van Nuys, upsetting host Montclair Prep, 64-53, in a Division V semifinal game  to avenge a 67-55 defeat to the Mounties in the Southern Section Division 5A semifinals two weeks before.

In the first game, Vikings star sophomore Brandon Randolph scored 16 points but had one rebound. This time around, he had 11 points and eight rebounds. Senior forward Thurman Thomas had 13 points in the first meeting and scored 27 more in the rematch Saturday, to go along with 12 rebounds and two blocks.

Unlike the sectional semifinal game when the Vikings got outscored 16-5 in the second quarter and trailed by eight points at intermission, this time they were down by only two points at halftime and stepped up theird efensive pressure late, allowing Montclair Prep only two baskets in the last five minutes of the game.

St. Bernard (25-8), which was unseeded going into the 16-team regional tournament, now advances to Saturday's championship game against top-seeded Chatsworth Sierra Canyon (25-5) at Colony High in Ontario. The winner moves on to the state final March 25 in Sacramento against the Northern California Regional champion.

The girls squad also reversed a loss earlier in the season, knocking off No. 1-seeded Los Angeles View Park, 66-55, at Robert F. Kennedy Learning Center.   

The victory is proof that the fourth-seeded Vikings (23-14) are playing at a higher level now than they were when they lost to the Knights 63-45 at the Inglewood City of Champions on Dec. 3.

Star forward Lajahna Drummer was held to nine points--well below her season average of 17.9--but freshman guard Chyanne Butler made up for it with a 35-point effort.

The resounding victory earned St. Bernard what it has sought ever since the state playoff brackets were released--a chance for redemption against Oxnard Santa Clara, which upset the Vikings 52-49 in the Southern Section Division 5AA final. The teams will meet Saturday at Colony High for a berth in the state final March 25 in Sacramento.