Pacifica Christian boys' basketball beats King-Drew, marches into regional semifinals

Pacifica Christian's Parker Strauss goes up for a shot against King-Drew players during a CIF State game.

By Andrew TurnerStaff Writer

March 3, 2023 8:22 PM PT

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Pacifica Christian Orange County High boys’ basketball coach Jeff Berokoff made it clear upon the Tritons’ exit in the CIF Southern Section playoffs that his team greatly missed Parker Strauss.

The Northwestern-bound point guard was hurting to get back on the court, and he has been battling through the left calf strain that sidelined him in the section playoffs.

Two starts for Strauss, two victories for the Tritons in the CIF State Southern California Regional Division II playoffs.

Pacifica Christian's EJ Spillman drives against King-Drew's Sadiq Henry, left, Donald Thompson, center, and Josahn Webster.

A gritty defensive effort saw Pacifica Christian get past upset-minded Los Angeles King-Drew 48-38 on Thursday in the second round at home.

“It hurt,” Strauss said of missing time in the postseason. “It was tough to go and watch them. I always trust my guys because we’ve been working since last June. … I’m just glad to be back, man. It’s a great feeling, especially when you’ve been missing it.”

Strauss hasn’t been lighting up the scoreboard since he returned, but his ability to make plays and escape pressure helped the Tritons navigate a pressing defense against King-Drew (16-17), a No. 16 seed that overthrew top-seeded Canyon 73-65 in the first round.

Pacifica Christian's Logan Stewart dunks on a fastbreak against King-Drew on Thursday.

“Parker’s strength is his ability to pass guys open and to help alleviate pressure,” Berokoff said of Strauss, who had seven points and five assists. “He leads us in assists, so obviously not having him in that game hurt. You see how he just impacts winning. He doesn’t have to score to lead a team to victory.”

Sophomore forward Logan Stewart had a game-high 14 points and seven rebounds off the bench for Pacifica Christian (25-9), which advanced to a regional semifinal at Oxnard (31-3) on Saturday at 7 p.m.

The Tritons, eliminated by La Mirada by a score of 55-37 in the Division 2A semifinals, could have faced the Matadors again. Oxnard beat La Mirada 61-58 in its second-round game Thursday.

Pacifica Christian's Tanner Deal splits King-Drew defenders Josahn Webster, left, and Joshua Rivas on Thursday.

“We definitely felt that, but we know that what doesn’t kill you makes you stronger,” Stewart said of the Tritons moving on from their CIF semifinal defeat. “We’re excited. Our coach shared with us a quote the other day: ‘The man who is afraid to risk failure seldom has to face success.’ That’s what we’re taking into this playoff run.”

Stewart produced a block on the defensive end, then picked up the rebound and finished off a dunk at the other end. His brother, Alex, engaged the crowd with a “raise the roof” gesture, as the dunk gave the Tritons a 26-21 lead heading into halftime.

Pacifica Christian led 36-31 after three quarters, and the Tritons held King-Drew without a field goal in the final period until Jacob Lacount hit a three-pointer with 21 seconds left.

Pacifica Christian's Salim Semaan, left, battles with King-Drew's Chidubem Akametu on Thursday.

Alex Stewart had nine points and five rebounds for Pacifica Christian. Tanner Deal scored seven points, EJ Spillman had six points and Salim Semaan chipped in with five points.

Lacount finished with 13 points to pace King-Drew. Josahn Webster had 11 points, Jayshawn Kibble added seven points and Donald Thompson contributed five points and five steals.

“We’ve been working on man-to-man defense the whole year,” King-Drew coach Lloyd Webster said. “Guys bought into it, … played a lot of tough competition. … Proud of our guys. A lot of accountability, and it just made our guys way more sound defensively, which … helped us tonight, even though we came up short to a great Pacifica Christian team.”