PREP BASKETBALL SOUTHERN SECTION PLAYOFFS : Riverside North Surges to Victory

After losing center Sonny Benjamin because of an ankle injury early in the first quarter, Riverside North rallied to beat Cerritos Gahr, 86-71, in a Southern Section II-AA Division semifinal basketball game Tuesday at Cerritos High.

North was led by senior guard Terreno Butler, who scored 27 points, and Desmen Granger, who scored 16 subbing for Benjamin. The Huskies had to overcome a 39-point performance by Gahr’s Brandon Titus.

On North’s first possession of the game, Benjamin, a 6-foot-5 sophomore, suffered a twisted ankle with 7:46 to play in the first quarter and did not return.

“We just had to have some players step up and fill in,” North Coach Mike Bartee said. “We thought that we had an advantage inside going in.”

North took a 27-17 lead at the end of the first quarter, with Butler scoring 11 points from the outside and Granger scoring eight from inside the key.

In the second quarter, the Huskies led by as many as 19 points before taking a 47-34 halftime lead.

Behind the shooting of Titus, who scored 17 points in the third quarter, Gahr closed within 63-57. However, Titus, who made 15 of 23 shots, made only one of his last six.

“I was real tired at the end,” said Titus, a 6-4 junior guard. “I was just off a little, but they (the Huskies) deserve all the credit.”

Said Bartee: “I will not take credit for stopping Titus. In his case, you can only play so hard for so long, and he just tired. We were holding on for dear life.”

North (24-3) will play Tustin Saturday in the finals at the Sports Arena. Gahr finished 25-4.