Crean Lutheran Coach Nate Klitzing, shown giving instructions in a playoff game and No. 1 Aiden Gilbert lead the Saints into the state playoffs. (Photo courtesy Crean Lutheran High School)
Crean Lutheran’s boys basketball team, which hasn’t played in more than a week, is one of seven Orange County squads opening the Southern California Regional playoffs this week.
The Saints (18-14) will be home Tuesday at 7 p.m. against Eagle Rock (25-4) at 7 p.m. Crean Lutheran is No. 5 seeded and Eagle Rock No. 12 going into the game.
Crean Lutheran took a few days off last week before resuming practice on Thursday, according to Coach Nate Klitzing.
Crean Lutheran hasn’t played since losing to La Canada 77-74 in two overtimes in the CIF Division 2 semifinals on Feb. 16. Eagle Rock won the Los Angeles City Division 2 championship defeating Kennedy 56-52 Feb. 22.
Klitzing believes his team will be up to the challenge Tuesday.
“I think as a coach you’re always a little bit concerned when you have that kind of a layoff,” Klitzing said. “It’s been over a week and just refocusing and getting that gusto back to be able to compete for a state championship now. You worry about a little rust but we’ve kind of played loose all year and I don’t expect anything different.
“We’re very excited; it’s not often you get to make it to the state. I congratulated our guys on being one of the four best teams from our division and because of that we get rewarded to go and play in state. Everyone is zero-zero from here. We get to do it all over again and hopefully we can go another little run here like we did in the CIF Division 2.”
Klitzing said he and his players respect Eagle Rock.
“They won the Division 2 LA City section championship and they beat Kennedy from Granada Hills so they’re coming off a really great championship win,” he said. “They’re 25-4 and like on a 13 or 14 game win streak so they’re rolling in hot and confident.”
Crean Lutheran had to regroup after a tough overtime loss in the semifinals.
“I think I will probably think about it for a long time but I think my takeaways were the fact that we left everything on the floor and we did what we wanted to do game plan wise and I think we played the game as well as we could to win the game and our boys executed and well played on D and had energy and battled and made shots,” Klitzing said.
“In basketball and sports, sometimes it comes down to a play or two here or there but I’m still proud of the way we went about that whole game and the whole playoff run.”
The winner moves on to face the winner of the Fremont-Ontario Christian winner in the second round on Thursday.
In the other games involving OC teams Tuesday (most at 7 p.m.)
Division I: No. 13 Mission Bay at No. 4 Santa Margarita (6 p.m.)
Division III: No. 12 Bakersfield Christian at No. 5 Pacifica Christian; No. 13 Palm Springs at No. 4 Fairmont Prep and No. 10 Rancho Buena Vista at No. 7 Capistrano Valley Christian.
Division V: No. 12 Elkwood at No. 5 Sage Hill.
Open Division (Wednesday): No. 6 Mater Dei at No. 3 Bishop Montgomery.
-Tim Burt, OC Sports Zone; timburt@ocsportszone.com
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