ONTARIO >> La Serna was hoping to avoid being another team that top-seeded St. Pius X-St. Matthias overpowered in the CIF Southern Section Division 3AA boys basketball playoffs.

And for a few minutes in the first quarter, the Lancers had reason to be hopeful as they tried to win their first section title.

But once St. Pius X-St. Matthias got rolling, there was nothing La Serna could do but be in awe, especially about the Warriors’ 6-foot-6 swingman Tyrone Riley.

Riley, a junior with several scholarship offers, followed his 53-point game in the semifinals with a game-high 33 points and five rebounds as St. Pius X-St. Matthias routed La Serna 79-48 to win its second section championship since 2020.

Riley said the dominant playoff run, which saw the Warriors win their first four playoff games by an average margin of 29 points, was a matter of them not taking their foot off the gas pedal.

“It was amazing for us as a family and as a team,” Riley said. “Coming into this year we made it a mission to win and get the job done and we did today.”

La Serna (27-6), which didn’t have a player taller than 6-foot-3 on its roster, tried attacking the basket against the Warriors, but had trouble getting by 6-foot-8 forward Douglas Langford, who had 16 points and 19 rebounds, along with 6-foot-6 Tariq Bridges and Riley.

The Warriors had too much size and athleticism for the Lancers to counter.

The Warriors finished with a 36-16 advantage on the boards, which coach Donte Archie says is always their mindset, whether they have a size advantage or not.

Tylon Williams and Shaun Fonoimoana also had solid games, scoring nine points apiece for the Warriors.

“It starts on defense, and I told them defense and rebounding would be the key,” Archie said. “The offense would take care of itself and it did. Once we got into that vibe and we got rebounds and played our way, we were able to get a lead and build on it.”

Gabriel Lewis scored six of the Lancers’ first seven points, all attacking the basket for a 7-6 lead midway through the first quarter.

But the Warriors responded with an 12-0 run and never looked back, getting back-to-back buckets from Williams and a tip-in from Langford to go up 18-7.

“They’re the real deal,” La Serna coach Marino Angulo said. “Our goal was to try to control the tempo and get back on defense. But it gets away from you quick, they can score in a hurry.”

Lewis finished with a team-high 13 points and Marco Montano had 10 points. Daniel Angulo scored nine points.

St. Pius X-St. Matthias (29-4) and La Serna both advance to the CIF State playoffs. The regional pairings will be announced Sunday.

Riley ended the first quarter strong and started the second on fire, scoring 11 straight points to maintain a 10-point lead for the Warriors.

“We were aware that he could play, and he has the whole package,” Marino Angulo said of Riley. “He can pull up, really good 3-point shooter and at the elbow he’s dangerous and he can finish at the rim. What we practiced was trying to help early and double him. At times we were successful, but in general, we were not.”

The game got away from La Serna during the last three minutes of the first half, with Riley dunking at the buzzer to send the Warriors into half with a 42-21 lead.

Riley actually started slow, but had 14 of his 33 points in the second quarter.

“It was just settling in for him,” Archie said of Riley. “At first he was kind of hunting shots, and we were telling him to settle down and it will come. His main thing is to lock in on defense and stay locked in on defense and rebounding because he is a special talent on offense and that will take care of itself.”