HUNTINGTON BEACH >> The La Mirada boys basketball team has grown accustomed to playing on the road while the school’s gymnasium undergoes renovation.
After years of being unable to play at their home gym, the Matadores will now get the opportunity to host a CIF final for the first time in school history after they blew out Edison 67-48 Tuesday night at Edison High in a CIF-SS Division 2A semifinal game.
La Mirada (18-14) will face San Juan Hills, another team making its section finals debut, at home on Friday, Feb. 25, in the championship game.
“I’m excited for the team, the program and the school,” Matadores coach Randy Oronoz said. “The boys have been working hard. We had a weird start to the season, but a lot of mental toughness helped us persevere and kinda make this little magical run we’re on right now.”
La Mirada, which won a state title in 2015 but lost to Compton in the section semifinals that year, were led by freshmen players Julien Gomez, who had a team-high 16 points, and Jarrett Cole, who added 10 points. Senior forward Isiah Kalaj finished with 10 points and three blocks for the Matadores.
La Mirada jumped out to a 16-2 lead as the second-seeded Chargers struggled to find any momentum.
Edison coach Rich Boyce wondered if the effort used in Friday’s comeback win over Pacifica Christian took something away from his team’s ability to replicate that performance.
“We just didn’t play with much spark tonight,” he said. “Obviously, credit to them (La Mirada), they played great, they executed well, they shot the lights out in the first half and we didn’t meet that passion or energy. They beat us to every loose ball. It’s like we weren’t ready to play, which is hard to believe since this is the CIF semifinal.”
Cole was a force in the paint who controlled the offensive glass, scoring eight of his 10 points in the first period to help give the Matadores a 24-10 lead.
Tyler Hampton, who scored a game-high 21 point0s, did his best to keep the Chargers in the game, but the La Mirada defense was able to force turnovers which led to easy baskets on the other end or free throws.
Gomez’s 3-pointer late in the second quarter gave La Mirada a 17-point cushion before ending up with a 43-27 halftime lead.
The Matadores started pouring it on in the third as Gomez’s 3-pointer made it a 20-point lead and then bench players like Aidan Nasser, Brennan Reyes and Cole Hilliard helped La Mirada take a 57-34 advantage heading into the fourth.
Edison (26-5) was hoping for another fourth-quarter comeback but the night belonged to the Matadores.
“You always have that hope, but it didn’t feel like it tonight,” Boyce said.
Now La Mirada gets a chance to win a CIF-SS title and could do it on its home court, but Oronoz knows it won’t be easy.
“I’m OK with playing at home in our brand-new gym, but it’s going to be tough.” he said. “San Juan Hills, I’ve had my eyes on them all season, and they’re really good at multiple levels, so we’re going to prepare for a battle.”