PHOTOS: Garden Grove headed to semifinals for first time after defeating Uni 69-66

Garden Grove players celebrate after Friday’s playoff victory. (Photos courtesy Mark Bausman, For OC Sports Zone).

Garden Grove High School’s boys basketball team is doing something it’s never done in the school’s 101-year history: go to the semifinals of the CIF playoffs.

Vidal Jimenez scored 21 points and Miguel Ortega poured in 17 points as the Argonauts defeated University 69-66 in the quarterfinals of the CIF Division 4AA playoffs Friday night at Garden Grove High.

Garden Grove advances to the semifinals for the first time since the school opened its doors in 1921 and will face Sunny Hills, who beat Ontario Christian 63-51 on Friday.  The Argonauts improved to 20-8 and 9-0 at home.

To see the slide show, click on the first photo:

University, an at-large team into the playoffs, finished the season 14-16.

The game was filled with spectacular plays on both ends of the floor by both teams as a capacity crowd cheered wildly on each possession.

The Trojans late 7-0 run at the end of the third quarter, sparked by McKay Nelson and Jad Hajj-Shehadeh, propelled University to a 50-48 lead after three quarters.

The Trojans upped their lead to 56-50 on a basket by Hajj-Shehadeh with 6:59 to play. However, Garden Grove tied the game at 59-59 on a basket by Landon Mendoza and again at 62-62 on two free throws by Ortega with 2:27 remaining.

Moments later, Ortega converted two more free throws to give the Argonauts a 66-62 lead with 1:41 left, but Ali Wahedi scored back-to-back baskets and tied the score at 66-66 with 55 seconds remaining. Ortega added a go-ahead bucket with 39 seconds left.

The Trojans had two excellent opportunities to tie the score late but they missed a shot and a free throw with under 30 seconds left. Mendoza added a free throw with 20 seconds remaining. The Trojans forced a turnover and had one last chance to tie the score with three to go, but Joseph Purser’s 3-point attempt at the buzzer was off the mark and Garden Grove secured the win.

“I think the difference was that we remained calm down the stretch, made good passes and rebounded well on the offensive end,” said Ortega. “It’s means a lot to me that we are going to the semifinals.”

‘The fans gave us a lot of energy,” said Jimenez. “We took care of the ball, rebounded and did not break down.”

Argonauts coach Brian Girard said Ortega and Vidal Jimenez have been the team’s leaders all season.

“I’ve been telling everybody that Miguel (Ortega) is one of the best players in North Orange County,” said Girard. “Jimenez kept us in the game in the first half with his 3-point shooting. But we took care of the ball, got it inside when we had to and pushed it outside when we needed to.

“Sunny Hills is going to be tough but we’ll put a game plan together for them starting tomorrow at practice. I couldn’t be happier for our program, our players and our fans that we are going to the semifinals for the first time in the school’s history.”

Mendoza and Allen Abarca each scored 10 points for the Argonauts. Christian Debarge led University (off the bench) with 17 points and six rebounds. Wahedi scored 14 points, had six rebounds and four assists and Hajj-Shehadeh recorded a double double with 13 points and 11 rebounds for the Trojans.   

“We made some mistakes and had some turnovers but these kids set out this season to change University basketball and they did it,” said Trojans Coach Beau Budde. “My hats off to Garden Grove. They executed down the stretch and when you force mistakes, you end up winning.”

Garden Grove led 17-12 after the first quarter and the two teams traded baskets for much of the second quarter. In one stretch of the quarter, the teams combined to score on 16 of 18 consecutive possessions. Gabriel Garcia’s back-to-back baskets in the final two minutes of the half gave the Argonauts a 36-32 lead at the break.

Tensions ran high as the intensity of the game mounted in the second half and the Trojans were called for two technical fouls that resulted in three Garden Grove free throws.

—Tom Connolly, For OC Sports Zone