It’s all over. The winter season came to an end at Los Alamitos High without a CIF champ – at least in regards to team sports – this year.
The Los Alamitos High boys’ basketball squad advanced to the second round of the CIF Division-IAA playoffs, where they fell to Inglewood in a 46-44 heartbreaker on Feb. 25. They previously defeated Jordan (Long Beach) in the first round.
Top scorer Khalid Washington did most of the offensive damage against Inglewood. He tallied 17 points. He did the deed with five field goals and went 7-for-10 from the free-throw line.
Additionally, senior Chris Powelson shot 67 percent from behind the arc, draining a pair of 3-pointers to end with 8 points. Junior Jack Kaub notched 9 points, Bryan Igboke earned 5 points and Ryan Kusch contributed 3 points.
Inglewood essentially took sophomore EyassuWorku, who has averaged 13.7 points per game, out of the game. It held him to just 2 points.
The Griffins ended with a 24-5 overall record and their ninth Sunset League title in 10 years.
Inglewood qualified for the semifinals. It will battle Long Beach Poly in that round.
The Los Alamitos High girls’ basketball team fell to Vista Murrieta, and in the second round of the CIF Division-IAA as well. The final score of this contest didn’t accurately convey the closeness of this battle, which unfolded on Feb. 26 at Los Al High’s gymnasium.
The Griffins ended the first quarter locked in a 4-4 tie and kept the deficit to one possession at the end of the first half, which ended with them behind 19-16. However, Vista Murrieta took control of the game in the third quarter, outscoring Los Al by the score of 18-10.
They topped Crescenta Valley in a road matchup in the first round with a 45-41 victory and finished the season with a 17-12 overall record.
In boys’ soccer action, Los Alamitos lost to Aliso Niguel, which posted a 2-1 victory in the first round on Feb. 20. The opposition’s Charlie Wehan notched two goals. He put the Griffins in a 1-1 hole at the end of the half and pushed them ahead with his second score in the second.
John Herron notched the only goal for the Griffins.
The Los Alamitos High girls’ soccer team fell to San Clemente by the score of 2-0 in the second round of the playoffs. It had previously knocked off Brea Olinda by being on the opposite end of the same score.
Los Alamitos, which trailed 1-0 at the halftime break, ended with a 9-7-6 overall record.
The Los Alamitos High girls’ water polo team did the best. It went all the way to the semifinal round, eliminating some big schools before Laguna Beach ended the team’s season with a 12-5 win on Feb. 26.
The Griffins trailed 2-0 after the first quarter and 7-2 at the half. They then refused to go quietly in the third, matching the opposition’s two goals, but got outscored 3-1 in the fourth.
BeccaCorb led the Griffins with a pair of scores. Also, Karley Kraft, Sarah Siepker and Ella Weber all ended with one goal each.
The Griffins year concluded with a 22-9 overall record.