SOUTHERN SECTION BASKETBALL PLAYOFFS : 2-A : Woodbridge Runs Away With Victory Over Walnut

With a front line that averages 205 pounds and 6-feet 6-inches, Woodbridge High School’s basketball team prefers to wear down opponents with a punishing inside game, relying more on power than finesse. But that doesn’t mean the Warriors are afraid to get into a sprinting contest every now and then.

“We like to run, too. We’ve got a lot of great athletes out there,” center Adam Keefe said after he scored 8 of his 22 points off the fast break to lead the Warriors past up-tempo Walnut, 69-57, Tuesday night in a Southern Section 2-A playoff game at Irvine High.

With the victory, Woodbridge (22-5) advanced to Friday’s quarterfinals. The Warriors will play Righetti, a 61-46 winner over Azusa, at a site to be determined.

Keefe, an agile 6-8, 205-pound junior who already has drawn the attention of college scouts, had 14 rebounds and 22 points. He accomplished this although he sat out 6 1/2 minutes of the second half with four personal fouls.

In Keefe’s absence Vince Bryan, a 6-6, 225-pound senior forward, began rebounding with authority on his way to a 20-point, 11-rebound night. Chris Deibert, a 6-2, 175-pound junior, scored his five points while filling in for Keefe. Together, they helped the Warriors open up a nine-point margin, 50-41, with 5:58 to play.