Boys’ basketball: It’s a family reunion for Pasadena-St. John Bosco

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Tuesday’s Division III Southern California Regional semifinal game between Bellflower St. John Bosco and host Pasadena has all the elements of a family battle.

Pasadena sophomore guard Ajon Efferson played for Woodland Hills Taft’s City championship team last season. The coach was St. John Bosco Coach Derrick Taylor.

‘It’s not quite the Beatles getting back together,’ Taylor said.

Efferson was highly regarded by Taylor, who has seen him play for Pasadena this season. ‘I thought he’s shown a lot of growth,’ Taylor said.

Then there’s the Hamilton family battle. Isaac and Daniel Hamilton of St. John Bosco are first cousins with Pasadena’s Blake Hamilton. The NBA’s Jordan Hamilton, brother of Isaac and Hamilton, might have to fly in for this one.

For Taylor, it’s the fifth consecutive year he has taken a team into the regional semifinals. He’s 0-6 overall in getting past the semifinals. He’s trying hard to figure out how to get past the semifinals, but it’s not as if he’s losing to bad teams. Darren Collison and Etiwanda eliminated Taylor and Taft in 2004. Twice his Taft teams were beaten by Riverside King and Kawhi Leonard.

So get ready for lots of emotion, because family games produce the best ones.

-- Eric Sondheimer