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LONG BEACH — Dana Hills’ boys basketball team leaned on its brotherhood on multiple levels Tuesday night to advance to the CIF-SS finals for the first time in school history.

Senior Griffin Haugh scored 25 points, including six 3-pointers, and his freshman brother Collin added three 3-pointers as the third-seeded Dolphins defeated host Millikan 61-56 before a high-spirited crowd in the CIF-SS Division 3A semifinals.

Griffin scored 20 of his points in the first half to help the Dolphins (19-9) open a 16-point lead at intermission. He and Collin both made key 3-pointers in the fourth quarter but also teamed with seniors Adam Pellini, Ryan Ralph and Christian Boehmer to play strong defense and rebound en route to the historic victory.

“It’s incredible,” Griffin Haugh said of the triumph. “I’m enjoying every moment because of my brother and my brothers on the team, too.”

Dana Hills, under 19th-year Coach Tom Desiano, will play at Bishop Diego of Santa Barbara in the finals Friday. Bishop Diego beat St. Pius X-St. Matthias 51-46 in the other semifinal.

“The kids played their heart out,” said Desiano, whose team tied for third in the Sea View League. “They’re very resilient. They constantly are surprising me with what they can accomplish but at the same time, they put the work in.”

Dana Hills needed its toughness on the road against a team with a Moore League MVP candidate, good height and the strong-backing of its crowd.

The Dolphins led by as many as 18 points en route to a 39-23 at halftime. Griffin Haugh made five of his 3-pointers in the first half, including one that proceeded a 3-pointer by Collin, who finished with 11 points.

But Millikan, trying to reach its first section final since 1991, trimmed the Dolphins’ lead to three before trailing 49-44 going into the fourth.

Griffin Haugh opened the final period by draining a 3-pointer over 6-foot-8 freshman center Jackson Cryst.

Millikan (15-18) cut the lead back to five before Collin Haugh answered a triple by the Rams with his own 3-pointer for a 57-50 cushion.

The Dolphins closed the fourth by hitting the offensive glass to chew clock. They also received a key block shot from Boehmer and a combined 4 for 4 foul shooting by Pellini and Griffin Haugh.

Griffin led Dana Hills with 12 rebounds.

Ralph mostly guard Rams’ standout guard Kamaury Washington, who scored seven of his 14 points in the third but was limited to two in the fourth.

Pellino finished with 12 points while Ralph added 11.

“We just battled and fought through and gutted it out,” Desiano said. “We told them on the bus, ‘You’re going to have a little adversity. How are you going to respond to it?’ And our kids responded.”

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