DIVISION V BOYS : Rio Hondo Prep’s Fourth-Quarter Run Tops Christian

EL CAJON — Ruining a terrific come-from-behind effort by the Christian High boys’ basketball team, Rio Hondo Prep of Arcadia made an equally remarkable run to finish off both a 61-51 victory and the Patriots in a Southern California Regional Division V first round playoff game Tuesday at Valhalla.

Trailing by 11 midway through the third quarter, Christian went on a 15-1 run to take a 45-42 lead one minute into the fourth.

Three minutes later, Christian led 49-47, but the Kares scored 14 of the final 16 points to advance to Thursday’s semifinals.

It was the first state playoff appearance for Rio Hondo (26-2). Christian, which lost in the state final last season and was ranked eighth in the state, finished 22-6.

Rio Hondo’s Rick Johnson scored a game-high 25 points. Teammate Mike Whiteside added 12 and Todd Carson 11.

David Piester had 12 of his team-high 16 points in the second half for Christian, the San Diego Section Division V champion.

The Patriots’ Chad DeGrenier scored nine points in the first 5:45, then had only one the remainder of the game. He remained a factor, however, getting 13 rebounds in the first three quarters and 15 overall. Teammate Titus Cites added 11 points.

Rio Hondo led by seven after the first and second quarters, and the Kares had upped that to 11, 41-30, with 3:45 left in the third. Piester, who had no points or rebounds in the first quarter, came to life with eight points during the Patriots’ 14-1 run.

“They kept getting it into that big guy (Piester), and we couldn’t stop him,” Rio Hondo Coach Ken Drain said. “We tried to put a little more pressure on them outside so they couldn’t get it into him.”

The strategy worked. Piester managed only one basket in the final 5:24, the only one for Christian.