PHOTOS: Crean Lutheran shows ‘resiliency’ with second round playoff win over La Costa Canyon

Darrell Morris of Crean Lutheran puts up a shot Thursday night. (Photos courtesy Crean Lutheran Shutterbugs, John Luciano and Howard Lyon).

After struggling in the tough CIF Open Division, Crean Lutheran High School’s boys basketball team is back on track.

The second-seeded Saints captured their second straight win in the CIF So Cal Regional Division 1 Tournament, defeating La Costa Canyon 68-50 in the second round Thursday night at Crean Lutheran.

Crean Lutheran jumped to a 12-2 lead in the opening three minutes and never looked back.

Crean Lutheran (24-6) moves on to the semifinals Saturday night at 6 to host third-seeded Notre Dame Sherman Oaks.

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“In the open, we lost two heartbreakers,” said Crean Lutheran Coach Nate Klitzing of the team’s showing in the CIF playoffs where it went 0-3. “I’m was so proud of this resiliency of our guys to come back and get a gutsy win in the first game, down 17 against Cathedral (Catholic) and it was kind of like a weight off our shoulders.”

Klitzing said the Saints came back with plenty of fire again Thursday.

“We had great energy defensively,” Klitzing said. “That’s what I loved the most. For the most part, we made everything tough. That’s a great team that sets good backscreens and cuts and plays well together. I was a little worried about our defense, but our guys came with the energy and the effort, and I’m proud of that.”

Crean Lutheran players picked up the slack in the absence of 6-10 senior forward Koat Keat, who missed the game with knee soreness. Klitzing said he is unsure of Keat’s status for Saturday.

But the Saints had plenty of firepower, led by Vyctorius Miller, who scored a game-high 26 points, including 10 in the first quarter to help Crean Lutheran move out to a 20-15 lead after the first stanza.

“We came out with a chip on our shoulders knowing we didn’t have KK (Keat) one of the best players in the country, so we knew we needed to play hard and be physical from the jump,” said Miller. “I felt I could have done better, but some shots are not always going to fall in. I know I have to get back in the gym so they can fall next time.”

Darrell Morris had 11 points and Rui Han added 10 points for the Saints. James Agany, the Saints 7-0 center, had nine points and played well defensively and Parker Tuttle eight points.

Crean Lutheran led 40-24 at halftime and 48-35 after three quarters.

La Costa Canyon cut the lead to 11 with 2:12 remaining in the game, but the Saints were able to make their free throws down the stretch.

La Costa Canyon (21-8) was led by Brayden Hendricks, who had 17 points and Christian Brown, who had 15 points.

—Tim Burt, OC Sports Zone; timburt@ocsportszone.com