Cleveland rocks the first round

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I’m sure Palisades didn’t see that ambush coming from Cleveland in their City Section Championship Division first-round matchup. I’m sure the Dolphins, seeded fifth, were not expecting the kind of trouble they got from 12th-seeded Cavaliers.

But that’s the beauty of having time to prepare. Cleveland (20-7) spent a week working on ways to neutralize -- or at least not be intimidated by -- the relentless full-court press of Palisades (24-7). That preparation, and the calm-under-fire feeling it produced, went a long way in helping the visiting Cavs upset the Dolphins on Friday.

The game also verified something else Cleveland Coach Osiris Nalls believed.

‘We understood that physically we matched up [to Palisades],’ Nalls said. ‘Other than The Big Three of Taft, Fairfax and Westchester, we feel there’s a lot of parity as far as athletic talent goes. That gave us the feeling they were not necessarily taller, faster or more athletic than we were.’

So it’s Cleveland, not Palisades, that moves on to play fourth-seeded Fremont on Wednesday. The Cavaliers and Pathfinders met earlier this season in the Rose CIty Classic tournament at Pasadena, and Fremont won with a three-pointer at the buzzer.

I can’t imagine the rematch being any better. But if Cleveland has taught us anything, it’s don’t take anything for granted.

-- Mike Terry

-- Image by: www.escape-to-the-seventies.com/70s_sport_usa.php