Rosemead junior Ryhs Anderson showed why he’s one of the area’s top scorers, scoring 26 points to go with 13 rebounds during Friday’s 44-33 playoff victory over South El Monte that sends the Panthers to the CIF Southern Section Division 5A championship game.

Rosemead (16-12) will try to win the program’s first CIF-SS title when it takes on Mission Valley League foe Arroyo on Friday or Saturday. Arroyo advanced to the final by beating Saddleback, 60-58, with a shot the buzzer.

The Panthers finished fourth in the Mission Valley League and needed an at-large berth to make the playoffs. The Panthers split a pair of games with South El Monte during league play.

In Friday’s contest, Anderson was the difference.

“He’s carried us,” Rosemead coach Sonny Hayes said. “He had 32 points in our first-round game, he had 25 points in the quarterfinals and you saw tonight, he’s got ice water in his veins.”

The dates, times and locations for the boys basketball championship games will be announced Monday.

— Fred Robledo

DIVISION 3A

San Dimas 74, Norte Vista 65: San Dimas made seven free throws in the final 38 seconds to pull away from Norte Vista.

No. 6-seeded San Dimas (20-11) is in the finals for the first time since winning the Division 3AA title in 1999. It will face No. 4 Aquinas for the title.

Appropriately, San Dimas won the game with the retired coach of that 1999 team, Gary Prestesater, in attendance.

“This is the house that Pres built. We had a good opportunity. I’m ecstatic for our kids,” Saints coach Jeremy Ketterling said. “They worked really hard. I couldn’t be prouder of them.”

Saints junior point guard Andrew Diep and senior Nathan Yearout both made four 3-pointers and scored 17 points, with all of Yearout’s points coming in the second half.

— Pete Marshall

DIVISION 4A

California 80, Alhambra 62: California’s basketball team earned a spot in the Division 4A championship game for a chance to win the school’s first title.

Cal (17-15) will take on Citrus Hill, a 47-45 winner over Wilson.

“It’s been a long time coming,” California coach Joel Simonds said. “A lot of ups and downs over the last eight years, some good seasons and some seasons we were disappointed. We have six sophomores on the varsity team and I thought maybe we are a year away, and they responded.”

Cal’s Jair Linares finished with a team-high 18 points.

Sophomore Aham Nwosu scored 15 points and added three steals.

— Gabriel Duarte

DIVISION 5AA

Diamond Ranch 74, La Puente 65: Diamond Ranch junior Devin Turner scored 23 points to help lead his team to the victory.

Diamond Ranch (19-13) will play Kaiser for the championship. Kaiser defeated Sierra Vista 48-43 in the other semifinal.

This will be Diamond Ranch’s first CIF-SS championship game appearance since winning Division 3A in 2016.

— Donald Morrison

DIVISION 5A

Arroyo 60, Saddleback 58: Arroyo’s Kamren Dorantes hit a jump shot from just inside the 3-point line with fractions of a second left in the contest to lift Arroyo to a victory over Saddleback in the Division 5A semifinals. Arroyo (16-11) will take on Rosemead in the championship game.

— Lou Ponsi

OPEN DIVISION (Pool Play)

Santa Margarita 68, La Mirada 61: Gene Roebuck scored 17 points for La Mirada before fouling out with 51 seconds remaining, and Julien Gomez scored 16, including 10 in the fourth quarter. Cole and M.J. Smith had nine apiece.

Santa Margarita improved to 23-7 overall and 1-2 in the pool, while the Matadores fell to 25-7 and 0-3.

— Martin Henderson

FRIDAY’S SCORES

OPEN DIVISION (POOL PLAY)

Santa Margarita 68, La MIrada 61

SEMIFINALS

DIVISION 3AA

Knight 58, Maranatha 56

San Gabriel Academy at Sage Hill, Saturday, 7 p.m.

DIVISION 3A

Aquinas 62, Keppel 38

San Dimas 74, Norte Vista 65

DIVISION 4A

California 80, Alhambra 62

Citrus Hill 47, Wilson 45

DIVISION 5AA

Kaiser 48, Sierra Vista 43

Diamond Ranch 74, La Puente 65

DIVISION 5AA

Arroyo 60, Saddleback 58

Rosemead 44, South El Monte 33

CHAMPIONSHIP GAMES

FRIDAY AND SATURDAY

Dates and sites are TBA

DIVISION 3AA

Knight vs. San Gabriel Academy/Sage Hill winner

DIVISION 3A

Aquinas vs. San Dimas

DIVISION 4A

California vs. Citrus Hill

DIVISION 5AA

Kaiser vs. Diamond Ranch

DIVISION 5AA

Arroyo vs. Rosemead