Lake Balboa Birmingham took control of its City Section semifinal Friday night by converting two Gardena turnovers into touchdowns in the first quarter, then ended the Panthers' comeback bid by doing the same in the fourth quarter for a 34-20 victory at Pierce College.
The victory advances the sixth-seeded Patriots (10-3) into their first final since 1961.
Seventh-seeded Gardena (9-4) appeared to have pulled to within two points when Craig Bastiste returned Ryan Lombardo's punt 70 yards for an apparent touchdown with two minutes left in third quarter. However, the touchdown was nullified by an illegal block in the back.
