The Falcons (3-0) did plenty of that against the Antelopes (5-2). In fact, Crescenta Valley led throughout and limited Antelope Valley to three field goals in the first half to take a 32-11 halftime lead.
The Falcons, who opened the tournament with victories against South Pasadena on Tuesday and Alhambra on Wednesday, got another big performance from senior forward Coltrane Powdrill. Powdrill, the reigning All-Area Player of the Year, finished with 14 points, nine rebounds and six assists.
Powdrill, who had 10 first-half points, said the Falcons wanted to play at a relaxed pace.
“We were able to calm down and play the way we know how to play,” Powdrill said. “Nothing is ever easy out there.
“We knew that [Antelope Valley] would run and we were able to slow them down.”
Crescenta Valley also got a game-high 16 points from freshman guard Cole Currie and nine from sophomore forward/center Christian Misi.
Antelope Valley, which will meet Flintridge Prep in the tournament’s third-place game at 6:15 p.m. today, got 11 points from guard Bryant Woodard.
Crescenta Valley will battle Simi Valley, which posted a 70-54 victory against Crescenta Valley in the tournament’s title game last season. It will mark the third season in a row that the Falcons will appear in the championship contest, all under Zargarian.
Zargarian said the Pioneers will present a challenge.
“We are going to have to control the tempo,” Zargarian said. “It’s going to be more about decision making because Simi Valley is a team that plays hard.”
The seventh-place game will pit LACES against Alhambra at 3:15 p.m., followed by St. Francis versus South Pasadena in the fifth-place contest at 4:45 p.m.
