BOYS BASKETBALL
BY MATT JOCKS
HEMET If Perris Citrus Hill’s young basketball team wants to know what it will take to find success in the CIF playoffs, the Hawks might have provided their own answer in Wednesday’s third quarter. In a game that was still up for grabs, Citrus Hill seized control with the kind of top-to-bottom effort that will be needed in the playoffs. The Hawks took a commanding lead and then held off a late flurry by Hemet to complete a 66-56 victory, giving them sole possession of second place in the Mountain Valley League. Citrus Hill (14-9, 6-3 in league) had a chance to take the game over in the second quarter, when Hemet point guard Garrick Sherrod was driven to the bench with his third foul. However, Hemet (15-8, 5-4) cut into the lead with Sherrod on the bench and trailed by just seven at the half. Sherrod returned, but the third quarter belonged to the Hawks. They held Hemet to 3-of-11 shooting in the quarter and forced seven turnovers. The Hawks committed just one turnover , that on a charging call and shot 50 percent from the field. “It’s just being a little more careful,” Citrus Hill coach Tim Hatch said. “I think we were going just a little too fast in the first half.” As usual, junior guard Brandon Brown was in the middle of the offense for the Hawks. He hit all four of his shots in the quarter, scoring nine of his game-high 27 points. He was 11 of 18 from the field for the night. He wasn’t the Hawks only standout. Tyler Whitson scored six of his 16 points in the quarter, and Whitson and Ladarius Smith did a solid job sharing the task of guarding Sherrod, who finished with seven points. Justin Clarkson finished with 16 points and Lamar Reliford had eight rebounds and two blocks. “I thought Justin was huge for us,” Hatch said. “He’s not that big but he’s got great hands.” Hemet opened the game with a 7-0 run, then fell behind by 10 in the second quarter. Citrus Hill’s lead swelled to 14 midway through the fourth before the Bulldogs closed to within eight. Citrus Hill, however, closed it by going 5 of 5 from the line in the final minute. Troy Bolden led Hemet with 13 points and nine rebounds.