Ocean View back in CIF final

SANTA ANA — Anthony Brown and Avery Johnson are the players who receive the most publicity for the Ocean View High boys’ basketball team, and deservedly so.

But if senior center Ryan Okwudibonye keeps playing this way, the Seahawks are going to be awfully tough to beat.

Okwudibonye picked a perfect time to have one of his best games of the year, Friday night in a CIF Southern Section Division III-AA semifinal game. He had 15 points and a career-high 18 rebounds as Ocean View topped Palm Springs, 70-51, at Mater Dei High.

Top-seeded Ocean View (27-3) will face No. 2-seeded Foothill for the CIF title next weekend at the Honda Center. The exact time will be released by the Southern Section on Monday at noon.

The 6-foot-8 Okwudiboyne was all over the boards, keeping Ocean View in the game early even as Palm Springs took the early lead. And he was money late as well, with 10 rebounds in the second half as the Indians tried to come back.

“It’s my last year, my senior year,” said Okwudibonye, who has double-doubles in each of the last three Ocean View playoff games. “I just want to keep that consistency up and keep my intensity up, keep my motor going. I’ve got a really good head on my shoulders, so I know what needs to be done.”

Johnson scored a game-high 24 points for the Seahawks, who trailed by as many as seven points in the first quarter before getting hot in the second. Ocean View started the second on a 22-3 run, with two dunks — one each by Brown (21 points) and Okwudibonye — thrown in for good measure. The run was started on the defensive end as the bigger Seahawks were able to get into passing lanes on the smaller Indians.

“I think as the game went on we just picked it up,” Okwudibonye said. “Every game we’re getting closer as a team.”

By halftime, the Seahawks were in control, 41-25, in the extremely fast-paced game. Ocean View was up by as many as 23 points early in the third quarter, but Palm Springs (21-7) rallied to cut it to 50-42 on a three-pointer from Quinten Taylor late in the quarter.

But Palm Springs couldn’t get closer and Ocean View ran its winning streak to 17 games, while snapping the Indians’ 16-game streak in the process.

“Ryan was unbelievable,” Ocean View Coach Jim Harris said. “We won because we had defensive spurts that were awesome and because of Ryan Okwudibonye. Ryan was more than I’ve ever seen him. He was the man.”

After missing the quarterfinal win against La Habra with a concussion, Billy Keller started Friday night and had four points. Fellow guards Aaron Delgado and Steven Yoon had three each.

Junior guard Marcus Hall led Palm Springs with 21 points.

Ocean View is a game away from winning its second straight CIF title, and third overall.

“It feels great,” Johnson said. “We’ve got a chance to get another ring.”