WRONG PATH: CLEVELAND OUSTED IN QUARTERS BOYS' BASKETBALL: FREMONT'S ARMSTRONG SCORES 14 OF HIS 17 POINTS IN FINAL QUARTER.

Byline: Jahmal Corner

Special to the Daily News

The postseason is all about peaking at the right time.

Cleveland, of Reseda, seeded 12th in the City Section boys' basketball playoffs, is proof enough.

But in the quarterfinals, the Cavaliers ran into a team playing a little stronger, and a hand a little bit hotter.

Fremont of Los Angeles forward Laron Armstead went on a fourth-quarter tear, scoring 14 of his 17 points, including 13 in a row, as the Pathfinders turned back streaking Cleveland 70-65 at Fremont.

"It was time for me to step up," said Armstrong, whose team moved into the semifinals, where it faces top-seed Taft. "Cleveland is a strong team that really plays together. They're scrappy."

The Cavaliers (20-8) had scrapped their way to a 51-51 tie with six minutes to go when Armstead delivered with an assortment of shots. After making consecutive 3-pointers, the Pathfinders led 64-56.

Cleveland made one last charge and had the ball trailing by two with 42 seconds on a possession that resulted in a turnover.

Fremont (21-6) post Tony Freeland led the way with 22 points and 14 rebounds, keeping the Pathfinders in control before Armstead closed things.

Jason Johnson scored a game-high 26 points for Cleveland, and his own torrid shooting in the third quarter put the Cavaliers in position to win the contest.

Johnson canned four 3-pointers in the period during an 8-2 spurt that put Cleveland ahead 49-46 through three quarters, its first lead since the start of the second.

But as coach Osiris Nalls explained, his team didn't "take it," much the way it had in its first-round upset of fifth-seed Palisades of Pacific Palisades.

The Cavaliers, who depend on transition and quick strikes at the offensive end, stalled once Fremont slowed the game down and got it inside to Freeland.

The Pathfinders used trapping and some zone defensive to try and make the Cavaliers execute in the halfcourt, which worked until Johnson got hot.

"No one expected us to do this, but we prepared for this kind of run," Nalls said. "This was fun. We have five guys coming back, and they needed to get this kind of playoff experience."

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