Tony Clark, a 6-foot, 7-inch junior at Valhalla High, set a San Diego Section record with a 30.3 scoring average and had 55 points in one game.
Clark’s season seemingly could lead to future honors in college basketball, or even the NBA.
Clark did play professionally, but it was in baseball and, after a 15-season career on the field, he rose to one of the game’s most important positions, executive director of the Major League Players’ Association.
Clark was the second player chosen in the 1995 baseball draft by the Detroit Tigers, was third in rookie-of-the-year voting, and earned an all-star berth in 2001 in a career in which he hit 251 home runs.
Clark’s high average this year reflected a booming prep season. Lincoln averaged 92 points a game and bettered 100 ten times. Valhalla had a 78-point average, and five others were at 70 or better.
The three-point basket, adopted for the 1987-88 season, had become a smashing success.
The 10 top scorers averaged at least 21.5 points.
SCORING LEADERS BY AVERAGE, UNOFFICIAL
| NAME | TEAM | GAMES | POINTS | AVERAGE |
| Tony Clark | Valhalla | 28 | 847 | 30.25 |
| Joe Temple | Lincoln | 28 | 758 | 27.07 |
| Robby Robinson | Madison | 29 | 757 | 26.10 |
| Ray McDavid | Clairemont | 30 | 757 | 25.23 |
| Aaron Willhite | Lincoln | 29 | 690 | 23.79 |
| Erik Meek | San Pasqual | 24 | 544 | 22.66 |
| Adalberto Silva | Southwest | 29 | 656 | 22.62 |
| John Pressler | Helix | 25 | 540 | 21.60 |
| Brooks Barnhard | Escondido | 24 | 518 | 21.58 |
| David Jerimiah | Christian | 25 | 538 | 21.52 |
12/1/88
“It’s one thing when we control the tempo of the game and it’s another when we win with our talent. Tonight, we won on talent alone.” said San Diego coach Dennis Kane, unhappy after an opening game, 92-35 rout of Castle Park.
12/8/88
Aaron Willhite doubled with 36 points and 20 rebounds and Lincoln outscored Madison, 99-79.
12/10/88
Patrick Henry mentor Fritz Ziegenfuss said, “Basically, they killed us,” after a 75-49 loss to Poway, which presented Coach Neville Saner with his 100th career victory.
12/11/88
Preseason girls No. 1 Vista could not get past legendary power and preseason No. 2 Point Loma. The host Pointers won, 54-44, in the Point Loma/Coca Cola Classic, their 135th win in a row at home, dating to 1980.
Monica Filer scored 29 for the Pointers, Christine Enger 25 for the Panthers.
12/14/88
Lincoln, averaging 87 points in a 5-0 start, ran into stiff defense and lost at Poway, 65-56. Jay Blankenbeckler scored 25 points and was 8×8 from the free throw line in the final minute, after Lincoln had shaved a 15-point deficit to three.
12/20/88
The 42nd Kiwanis Tournament, with 59 teams in boys’ and girls’ divisions, tipped, as the 28th Lt. Jim Mitchell Memorial event was concluding.
Kevin Flanagan scored 33 points as Torrey Pines improved to 10-0 with an 84-56 victory over Las Vegas for the Mitchell championship at San Dieguito.
12/22/88
Tony Clark scored 38 points and Rafid Kiti 34, but Lincoln won the Kiwanis Tournament Limited Division game, 113-94, as Aaron Willhite (33), Joe Temple (28), Darryl McMillan 22, and Victor Dean (16) offset the two Norsemen.
Lincoln also bettered the Kiwanis Tournament scoring record, held by El Capitan, which defeated Sweetwater, 107-44, in 1971-72. Newhall Hart, featuring future NFL quarterback Joe Kapp, had been the first to hit triple digits when it defeated Oceanside, 104-33, in 1954-55.
12/23/88
Lincoln topped La Jolla, 65-56, for the Limited Division championship, by the same score it lost to Poway nine days before. “We learned not to get into a rush if you’re three points behind and certainly not get into as rush if you’re three points ahead,” the Hornets’ Joe Temple said of lessons learned.
–Poway won the Unlimited Division, 57-44, over Point Loma.
12/29/88
“Maybe we need to go down to Tuneup Masters and have a major overhaul done,” Santana coach John Bobof complained to Pedro Gomez of The San Diego Union. “This team is in dire need of a tuneup.”
The 7-1 Sultans and defending San Diego Section Division I champions had just finished a 48-40 win over Chula Vista in the Santana Tournament.
–Robby Robinson scored 40 points and had 12 rebounds to lead Madison to a 79-49 win over Hilltop at Santana.
–Monica Filer, averaging 23.5 points, scored only 10 but dished a reported 21 assists as Point Loma rolled, 56-27, over Bonita Vista in the Ben Fisher Tournament.
–Morse, still finding its way with late football arrivals Darrell Lewis and Jimmie Rose, bowed to Las Vegas Bonanza, 63-49, in finals of the Baron-Optimist tournament.
12/30/88
Ray McDavid outscored Joe Temple, 42-33, but Lincoln outscored Clairemont, 100-77, in the Santana event.
12/31/88
Lincoln bombed Santana, 106-58, for championship of the host school tournament. “I knew we’d come out intense,” said Hornets coach Ron Loneski, who was unhappy with its effort in the day-before win over Clairemont.
“I ripped them,” said Loneski. “They played as individuals. I‘ve never had a team play that poorly. I was upset and I could tell they were upset afterward.”
–A 2,578-mile trip and four nights on the road took the steam out of Torrey Pines, beaten, 68-32, in the City of Palms Classic final by a Miami Carol City squad that had only to deal with a 140-mile bus ride over Alligator Alley to Fort Myers, Florida.
The Falcons had beaten Avon Park, Florida, 64-57, Stuart of Martin County, Florida, 61-50, and Dunbar of Washington D.C., 67-65, to get to the championship game.
The Carol City Chiefs, ranked eighth in the country, with a front line of 7 feet, 6-10, and 6-10 (“They were quicker than our guards,” said a Falcons representative) shot 65 per cent from the field (26×40) and out rebounded the 13-1 Falcons, 26-13.
1/3/89
The Point Loma girls’ 143-game home winning streak, dating to 1980, came to an end, 50-39, to 12-0 Chino in the Ben Fisher final. “That’s what streaks are for…you make them and break them,” said Coach Lee Trepanier. “We’ll just have to start over again.”
Chino had a matchup edge over the Pointers, 13-0 at tip, with four players taller than 6 feet.
1/4/89
Tony Clark, who averaged 26.3 points in 12 December games, got the New Year started with 38 points and Rafid Kiti added 25 to lead Valhalla to a 96-51, Grossmont League 2-A win over El Cajon Valley.
1/6/89
Christian coach Randy Wright was willing to wait, “but I thought our second string would play better,” said La Jolla mentor Rick Eveleth after his sixth-ranked Vikings were beaten by the Patriots, 66-41.
Eveleth went with his No. 2 group at the start of the game because an automobile carrying five of the Vikings’ six top players broke down on the way to the El Cajon campus.
The hosts’ David Jerimiah scored 18 points of his eventual 31 and the Patriots led, 24-11, after one quarter, at which time the Vikings’ regulars showed up.
1/7/89
No. 1 Torrey Pines took a 30-12, first quarter lead and blew out No. 4 Orange Glen, 97-41, as Courtie Miller scored 30.
1/21/89
Lincoln hit triple digits for the eighth time, 100-47, over Crawford. Aaron Willhite scored 37 points, Joe Temple 28, and Darryl McMillan 16.
1/25/89
Christian gave it a good shot, leading, 28-26, after one quarter behind David Jerimiah’s four three-pointers and trailing Lincoln just 46-42 at halftime, but the Hornets pulled way to a 99-75 win, behind Joe Temple’s 32, offsetting Jerimiah’s 30.
–Poway was thought to be a good test for Torrey Pines, but the Falcons prevailed, 64-47.
–Jerome Price scored 28 points and had 19 rebounds to lead University City to a 65-58, overtime victory against 10th-ranked La Jolla.
Price said he was particularly dedicated to performing well because he opted not to play the previous Friday in order to compete in the Los Angeles Invitational track meet, where he won the long jump at 23 feet, 4 inches.
1/28/89
Joe Temple led the way with 38 points as Lincoln scored 100 or more points for the ninth time and set a school record in a 119-74 win over Hoover.
–Tiny Midway Baptist got into the scoring fray, outpointing Victory Christian, 111-43. Tobin Wilkins paced the winners with 36 points, 17 rebounds, 11 assists, and four three-point baskets.
2/4/89
Lincoln called time out, trailing, San Diego, 65-57, with 3:50 remaining before almost 2,000 persons in the Cavers’ gym. Joe Temple scored 7 of his 27 points as Lincoln closed with a 12-3 finish to win, 69-68.
“Coach (Ron) Loneski told me I had to be the man, to take the ball to the hole,” said Temple, who also cleared two offensive rebounds and knocked down 2 free throws after a Caver was called for hanging on the rim after a missed dunk with 1:23 left when the score was tied at 68.
Temple finished the game with a rebound off a missed shot, dribbled the length of the floor, was fouled, and converted a game-winni.ng free throw with: 19 remaining.
2/8-10/89
Tony Clark’s 55 points clinched the Grossmont league 2-A title for Valhalla, 105-82 over Santana, and elevated Clark to the fourth-highest single game total in County history.
Mitchell Lilly of Madison had 61 points in 1976-77, Tom Shaules of St. Augustine, 60 in 1957-58, and Rob Petrie of Julian, 60 in 1969-70.
Clark converted 24×30 attempts from the field, including one three-point basket, and was 6×7 from the free throw line.
–Three technical fouls and a player ejected for telling a game official, “That was a lame call, ref,” was Granite Hills’ denouement in a 71-64 loss to Monte Vista.
–The 100-point frenzy continued, with Lincoln routing St. Augustine, 105-58, and Torrey Pines beating Vista, 104-67.
2/14/89
Clark came back with 45 points in an 86-54 win over Mount Miguel, added 15 rebounds, and was 13×14 on free throws.
–Monte Vista beat Helix, 38-37, for the Grossmont League 3-A championship on Jeff Polinsky’s basket at the buzzer, which nullified a basket by Helix’ Todd McTrusty with 11 seconds remaining.
2/15/89
Montgomery completed a 0-20 season and announced it was not going to participate in the upcoming playoffs, although all teams were eligible.
–Lincoln beat Christian, 109-72, and Joe Temple’s 15 steals set a San Diego Section record.
Temple added 35 points and teammate Aaron Willhite 31 points and 27 rebounds.
— Ray McDavid had 48 points, including a record 10, three-point baskets, in an 89-84, overtime win against Kearny.
2/17/89
Aaron Willhite pulled down 39 rebounds, breaking the record of 38 by Sweetwater’s Michael Pitts in 1978-79 and Lincoln topped Hoover, 105-59.
–The Point Loma girls’ 66-40 win over Patrick Henry earned the Pointers an eighth consecutive league championship and coach Lee Trepanier’s 300th coaching victory against 45 losses, a .869 percentage.
