CIF bosses approved a fifth division for playoffs.
“Those who worried that five playoff divisions would take some of the glitter off league races needed to be in the stands at Christian and San Diego High this past weekend,” wrote Steve Brand before the start of the postseason.
“When Christian beat Our Lady of Peace there was genuine exhilaration from the Christian girls,” continued Brand. “You’d have thought they won the state title again.”
Same at a boys game featuring the Cavers and St. Augustine, pointed out Brand, endorsing the added playoff grouping and contending that league titles were as important as ever.
The Palomar League produced all 4 Division1 playoff semifinalists. Power was in the North County.
Come the Southern California regionals, only Lincoln enjoyed an extended stay. Area teams were 1-8 in first-round games.
With apologies to the Surfaris and their early-1960’s hit, the playoffs were a collective “wipeout” for San Diego’s best.
BOYS PLAYOFFS
FIRST ROUND
D-I
Mt. Carmel 63, @San Diego (13-8) 42.
Morse (7-16) 65, @Poway 86.
Montgomery (9-18) 41, @Rancho Bernardo 82.
Mira Mesa (12-13) 60, @Rancho Buena Vista 79.
San Dieguito 54, @Fallbrook (15-13) 51.
Granite Hills (4-18) 76, @Chula Vista 93.
The Spartans bettered their season average of 80.9 points a game.
Bonita Vista (4-21) 57, @Vista 138.
The No. 1-seed Panthers reached 100 points with a minute left in the third quarter and won their 21st straight. Shane Jager (30) and Kyle Duport (28) led the carnage.
Vista came close to the one-game record set in 1991-92 by La Jolla Country day in a 143-60 romp over Mountain Empire.
Southwest (9-16) 72, @San Marcos 81.
D-II
Patrick Henry (14-11) 69, @Carlsbad 79.
Grossmont (13-11) 58, @Kearny 64.
El Capitan (17-10) 45, @Monte Vista 76.
Hilltop (8-16) 48, @Valhalla 78.
Castle Park (12-12) 47, @Serra 72.
Point Loma (8-15) 49, @Helix 67.
Mount Miguel (8-18) 52 @Torrey Pines 58.
Mar Vista (9-15) 50, @El Camino 97.
D-V
Lutheran (13-10) 66, @Marian 86.
Calvin Christian (7-14) 57, @Santa Fe Christian 88.
La Jolla Country Day (7-17) 49, @Tri-City 72.
Army-Navy (9-10) 46, @Francis Parker 50.
Horizon 35, @The Bishop’s 90.
Calexico Vincent Memorial 74, Julian (16-8) 71.
QUARTERFINALS
D-I
San Dieguito (12-15) 59, @Poway 66.
Rancho Buena Vista 58, @Rancho Bernardo (16-11) 54.
San Marcos (15-13) 76, @Vista 99.
Mt. Carmel 64, @Chula Vista (26-2) 61.
D-II
Carlsbad 66, @Valhalla (21-8) 53.
Torrey Pines (18-13) 65, @El Camino 78.
Helix (17-7) 50, @Serra 56, OT.
Kearny (20-5) 43, @Monte Vista 49.
D-III
Crawford (3-19) 54, @University 74.
Madison (9-14) 63, @St. Augustine 84.
La Jolla (13-11) 50, @Santana 53.
Ramona (10-12) 43, @Oceanside 64.
D-IV
Eastlake 75, @Coronado (10-16) 74.
D-V
Marian (9-14) 65, @Calipatria 75.
Tri-City (13-11) 47, @Santa Fe Christian 66.
Francis Parker 40, @Christian (19-6) 34.
Calexico Vincent Memorial (10-10) 50, @The Bishop’s 54.
SEMIFINALS
D-I
3 Poway 74, Mt. Carmel (12-15) 50.
The Titans virtually were playing at home before 2,400 persons at neighboring Ranch Bernardo
The game was the second half a doubleheader and a capacity turnout was guaranteed when the opponent also was close-by Mt. Carmel.
Andy Davis scored 23 points and had 11 rebounds as Poway moved out to a 40-21 halftime lead.
1 Vista 60, 4 Rancho Buena Vista (19-11) 57.
Carlsbad 79, 2 Serra (23-3) 53.
The loss ended a 14-game winning streak for the Conquistadors.
D-II
1 El Camino 69, 4 Monte Vista 62 (20-7).
The Wildcats trailed by 11 points late in the third quarter, when Chris Dade, sitting with 4 personal fouls, was called on by coach Ray Johnson and scored 13 points in the final 8:30, finishing with 19.
“We just needed to survive the third quarter (a 25-11 Monte Vista run) without him,” said Johnson.
D-III
Santana (13-11) 50, @St. Augustine 53.
Oceanside (14-14) 38, @University 39.
D-IV
Holtville (12-10) 52, @Clairemont 58.
John Brady and Will Gray each scored 21 points and the Chieftains drained 11 three-point shots. “Good thing we were nailing those threes,” said coach Greg Lee.
Lincoln 129, Eastlake 38, @Hoover.
Lincoln, which averaged 78.8 points during the regular season, got started with a 33-7, first-quarter run and closed with 40 points in the fourth as Eastlake committed 15 of its 41 turnovers. Twelve Hornets scored, six in double figures, led by Chester Mangum’s 27.
The 129 total was sixth highest in County history.
Eastlake, which opened months before, played a junior varsity schedule during the regular season.
D-V
3 Santa Fe Christian 39, the Bishop’s (23-4) 37.
4 Calipatria 44, Francis Parker (14-13) 43.
CHAMPIONSHIP
D-I
1 Vista 64, 3 Poway 52.
The Panthers’ championship was their first since defeating Fallbrook for the small-schools title in the 1962.
Poway had won the last two D-I championships and trailed only 49-48 before Vista closed with a 13-4 push.
1 El Camino 77, Carlsbad 62 (24-4).
Football Parade Magazine all-America Bryant Westbrook had 12 points and 11 rebounds and the Wildcats blew open the game with a 16-0 run in the first quarter.
Carlsbad rallied with a 14-2 streak in the third quarter to close to 48-39, but Westbrook halted the Lancers with a basket that returned the double-digit lead.
D-III
St. Augustine 62, University 46.
The somnolent Saints, trailing, 39-36, awakened and blitzed the Dons with a 26-7 fourth quarter. Jelani McCoy scored 20 points and added 10 rebounds and seven blocked shots.
D-IV
Lincoln 88, Clairemont 58.
Lincoln won its sixth consecutive championship and third straight division title over Clairemont, which led the Hornets, 28-25, midway through the second quarter.
“Sometimes it’s hard to get our kids up for these games,” said Hornets coach Ron Loneski, whose team had beaten the Chieftains, 96-49, in the regular season.
The Hornets’ five starters scored from 12 to 14 points each.
D-V
4 Calipatria 49, 3 Santa Fe Christian 41.
The Hornets won their second straight title in their eighth consecutive visit to the Sports Arena, despite missing Referral Simpson, a 20-point scorer as a sophomore who transferred to Hemet West Valley.
Guillermo Zendejas paced the Hornets with 20 points.
SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA REGIONAL
QUARTERFINALS
D-I
Poway (25-5) 65, @Santa Ana Mater Dei (32-1) 88.
Huntington Beach (29-4) 81, @Vista 55 (28-3).
Future NFL All-Pro tight end Tony Gonzalez led the Oilers with 18 points and 17 rebounds.
Vista, which averaged 83 points a game in the regular season, had one run of 13-4 in the third quarter that provided temporary relief and some hope for the standing-room home crowd.
D-II
Lakewood Artesia (26-4) 67, @El Camino 64 (25-5).
“We put everyone on him,” said El Camino coach Ray Johnson to Ed Graney of The San Diego Union. “A great player. We’re tired of seeing him.”
The object of Johnson’s praise was 6-foot 7-inch Charles O’Bannon, who scored 28 points and had nine rebounds, dished five assists, and slammed four dunks.
The highlight and the definitive O’Bannon contribution was a three-point play with one second left in the game.
El Camino came the closest in this third Regional matchup in the last four seasons against Artesia. The Wildcats did it after trailing by 15 points with 3:57 left in the third quarter.
WILDCATS TAKE LEAD
Artesia’s lead was down to one entering the fourth quarter and El Camino held a 64-62 advantage inside two minutes.
Artesia’s Shawn Caracoza tied the score and then, back on defense, O’Bannon forced a change of direction of an El Camino shot and blocked a second attempt, giving Artesia the ball with 37 seconds left.
The Pioneers dribbled and passed until there were seven seconds remaining, then gave the ball to O’Bannon, who scored on a 10-foot, baseline jumper and was fouled and converted a free throw.
“We never went away from what we do best,” Johnson said to Graney of his team’s man-to-man defense and up-tempo offense.
The coach shrugged. “They beat us, but we gave them hell,” he said.
Carlsbad (24-5) 55, @Riverside North (31-0) 65.
Kewan Shariff kept the Lancers in the game with 26 points.
D-III
University (16-9) 56, @South Torrance (27-3) 72.
Sherman Oaks Notre Dame (25-6) 70, @St. Augustine (20-8) 58.
The Saints cut a 15-point halftime deficit to three points but faded. Jelani McCoy led them with 20 points.
D-IV
Clairemont (10-18) 45, @Gardena Serra (23-7) 112.
The top-seeded Cavaliers fattened their lead with a 22-0 run in the first half.
Playa del Rey Sr. Bernard (13-16) 76, @Lincoln 90.
The Hornets were breezing, 53-28, at the half, but the visitors were pressing, 79-71, with 2:01 left.
We got very complacent,” claimed Lincoln coach Ron Loneski.
D-V
L.A. Bel Air Prep (18-9) 61, @Calipatria 65.
The Hornets never trailed, buzzing with Guillermo Zendejas’ 15 points, including four from deep.
@Palos Verdes Chadwick 64, Santa Fe Christian (20-10) 50.
SEMIFINALS
D-V
Bakersfield Garces Memorial (21-9) 58, @Lincoln 70.
Joe Evans scored 33 points and told Ed Graney of the Union, “I felt it. I was at home (before the game) and began meditating….”
D-V
Palos Verdes Chadwick (24-9) 68, Calipatria (17-9) 48, @Imperial Valley Community College.
REGIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP
Gardena Serra (25-7) 69, Lincoln (29-5) 67, @Cal State-Dominguez Hills.
A beef behind the Lincoln bench as the game ended resulted in both teams not being present to accept postgame rewards.
Lincoln botched an inbound play with 18 seconds left and the score tied at 67. Serra promptly turned the ball over. Lincoln then turned the ball over again.
Serra got the ball inside, where it accumulated 46 of its 69 points and the Cavaliers’ Akeli Jackson scored with three seconds to go.
Lincoln was 6×16 from the free-throw line, missing the front ends of five 1-and-1 opportunities, and committed 30 turnovers.
“We’re a better team than Serra,” said coach Ron Loneski. “They didn’t beat us; we beat ourselves.”
GIRLS PLAYOFFS
FIRST ROUND
DIVISION I
Sweetwater (5-12) 18, @Rancho Bernardo 114.
Mt. Carmel 66, @San Diego (14-9) 61, 3 OT.
Granite Hills (6-20) 26, @Morse 53.
San Dieguito (8-18) 45, @Chula Vista 49.
Allison Hines’ 3×4 free throws in the final 1:30 to go with 22 points, seven assists, and five steals got the Spartans to the finish line.
Orange Glen (11-15) 39, @Bonita Vista 52.
San Marcos (7-16) 28, @Poway 77.
Fallbrook 39, @Mira Mesa (17-8) 29.
D-II
Torrey Pines (12-13) 48, @Kearny 56.
Hilltop (12-12) 30, @El Capitan 52.
Mount Miguel (13-10) 41, @Escondido 59.
Castle Park (13-13) 61, @Grossmont 79.
San Pasqual 54, @El Cajon Valley (16-7) 47.
Patrick Henry (8-14) 27, @Carlsbad 67.
Valhalla (9-19) 47, @University City 62.
Mission Bay 55, @El Camino (15-9) 47.
Adia Barnes led the way for the Buccaneers with 22 points, 16 rebounds, and five steals.
D-III
Crawford 40 (3-19), @Ramona 46.
D-V
Calexico Vincent Memorial 45, @Marian (4-18) 38.
Tri-City (4-12) 17, @Francis Parker 69.
QUARTERFINALS
D-I
Mt. Carmel (11-15) 45, @Rancho Bernardo 63.
Vista (16-10) 50, @Morse 63.
Fallbrook (10-17) 44, @Chula Vista 47.
Bonita Vista (14-10) 49, @Poway 77.
D-II
San Pasqual (12-12) 36, @University City 61.
Mission Bay (11-12) 47, @Carlsbad 66.
Kearny 61, @El Capitan 36 (19-7).
Grossmont 48 (20-6), @Escondido 69.
D-III
Madison (6-16) 29, @University 53.
Ramona (4-18) 51, @Santana 80.
West Hills (3-19) 17, @Our Lady of Peace 67.
Oceanside 47, La Jolla (5-16) 40.
D-IV
Eastlake (17-7), 29, @Clairemont 45.
D-V
Calvin Christian (8-11) 53, @La Jolla Country Day 63.
Calipatria (5-15) 33, @Julian 74.
Calexico Vincent Memorial (12-9) 26, @The Bishop’s 47.
Francis Parker (15-6) 17, @Christian 79.
SEMFINALS
D-I
2 Poway 66, 3 Morse (23-6) 36.
1 Rancho Bernardo 71, 4 Chula Vista (20-7) 40.
D-II
1 Carlsbad 73, Kearny (22-6) 42.
Vanessa Nygaard, sidelined with a broken right ankle in a seven-point December loss to the Komets, led the Lancers with 29 points.
2 University City 60, 3 Escondido (20-6) 59, OT.
Alicia Weihi’s two successful jump shots in overtime were the difference for the Centurions.
D-III
Oceanside (8-17) 34, @Santana 61.
Our Lady of Peace (19-5) 35, @University 39.
D-IV
3 Lincoln 67, vs. 2 Holtville 16-5) 58, @West Hills
4 Clairemont (4-16) 20, @1 Coronado 49
D-V
La Jolla Country Day (10-10) 37, vs. Christian 78, @West Hills.
Alisha Nater pulled down 26 rebounds and Stephanie Shadwell scored 18 points for the Patriots.
2 The Bishop’s (22-3) 68, 3 Julian (19-8) 39.
CHAMPIONSHIP
D-I
Rancho Bernardo 48, Poway 38.
Ratings mean something. The Cal-Hi Sports 10th-ranked Broncos topped the No. 20 Lady Titans after losing two of three to Poway during the regular season.
D-II
2 University City 46, 1 Carlsbad 37.
The Centurions hounded Vanessa Nygaard with a 1-1-3 defense and U. City’s 11-0 shutout of the Lancers in the second quarter led to a 20-10 halftime lead.
Nygaard scored 10 points and had seven rebounds but the pressure applied by her defensive escorts resulted in teammates becoming reluctance to pass her the ball.
D-III
University 52, Santana 44.
The Dons stunned No. 1 seed and 26-1 Santana after getting to the finals with a victory over the second seed Our Lady of Peace.
Kathleen Murphy scored 18 points, including 13 in the second half and five in the final 3:30.
DI-V
Coronado 55, Lincoln (11-11) 50.
The sixth consecutive D-IV trip to the finals had the makings of a sixth consecutive defeat for the Islanders, who trailed by 11 points in the first half.
Lincoln’s Shondel Robinson scored 38 points, but Coronado offset Robinson’s performance with a 49-24 advantage in rebounds.
“The happiest I’ve ever been,” rejoiced the Islanders’ Michelle Stevens, who hit a game-clinching free throw in the final seconds after the Hornets took a one-point lead into the final quarter.
D-V
Christian 53, The Bishop’s 48.
The Patriots’ third straight championship saw them trail until the final six minutes after shooting 29 per cent from the field in the first half and lagging, 34-22.
“Coach (Kenny) Grainger yelled at us, then he left the room and let us think,” said Stephanie Shadwell, who scored 15 of her game-high 22 points in the second half.
SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA REGIONAL
QUARTERFINALS
Thousand Oaks (30-1) 54, @Rancho Bernardo (25-4) 47.
Track star Marion Jones also had hoop game. The 5-foot 11-inch senior had 30 points, 18 rebounds, nine blocked shots, and four three-point baskets.
Poway (25-5) 42, @Lynwood (28-0) 58.
D-II
Cerritos Gahr (23-9) 42, @University City 46.
Jenny Gross scored 10 points and had 12 steals and Shannon Colton led with 21 points.
Carlsbad 74, @South Bakersfield (22-4) 58.
Vanessa Nygaard had 24 points and 11 rebounds and the Lancers forced 23 turnovers.
D-III
Lemoore (23-5) 52, @University 61.
The Dons wiped out a 30-21 halftime deficit with an 18-3 sprint starting the third quarter. Leslie Falante held sway with 16 points.
Santana 63, @Fresno Edison (17-8) 44.
Cathy Bass scored 33 points and her sister Michelle posted nine rebounds and seven assists.
“We limited them to one shot in the (21-7) second quarter and took advantage of some fast break opportunities,” said Sultans coach Wade Vickery.
D-IV
Santa Ynez (27-2) 71, @Coronado (18-8) 40.
Lincoln (11-12) 46, @Playa del Rey St. Bernard (26-4) 90.
D-V
Lone Pine (24-5) 40, @Christian 61.
The Bishop’s 38, Lancaster Bethel (19-6) 32.
SEMIFINALS
D-II
3 University City 45, @2 Hacienda Heights Wilson (27-1) 34.
For the third consecutive game U.C. players wore blue, stick-on tattoos of a blue Centurion on their arms and ended Wildcats streaks of 25 wins in a row at home and 17 in the season.
Jennie Gross scored 15 points and added 10 rebounds and six assists and the favored Southern Section team shot only 23 per cent from the field, 12×51.
Carlsbad (23-4) 55, @1 Brea-Olinda 64, OT.
The Lancers led, 51-45, with 3:23 left in regulation time. Vanessa Nygaard (20 points) and Holly Gerdes (16, plus 8 rebounds) fouled out in overtime.
Brea-Olinda made six, three-point baskets, Carlsbad one.
D-III
Santana (27-2) 59, @Inglewood Morningside (27-2) 68.
The Sultans made it respectable with a 30-13 fourth quarter, but they were outscored in every other period, 17-7, 20-13, and 18-9.
University (17-10), 45, @Costa Mesa (28-4) 67.
D-V
Pasadena Poly 32 (26-5), @Christian 37.
Stephanie Shadwell scored 10 of her 18 points in the fourth quarter.
“I don’t feel I have to do everything,” said 5-foot, 10-inch freshman Shadwell to writer Steve Brand, “but I don’t mind having the ball at the end of the game.”
Shadwell’s two free throws with 17 seconds left iced it for the Patriots.
The Bishop’s (24-5) 41, @San Luis Obispo Mission Prep (23-6) 56.
REGIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP
D-II
Brea-Olinda (31-2) 45, University City (18-10) 39.
“I never dreamed we’d get this far,” said Centurion coach Steve Vukojevich. “I was just along for the ride; these girls let me come with them.”
Vukojevich took over the program this season after coaching the football team for the school’s first 11 seasons.
D-V
Christian 48, San Luis Obispo (22-7) 46, @Cal State Dominguez Hills.
The Patriots advanced after Stephanie Shadwell drained an eight-foot jump shot with 37 seconds remaining.
STATE CHAMPIONSHIP Atherton Sacred Heart (37-0) 59, Christian (24-4) 39.
The Lady Gators led, 11-0, after their first five possessions and concluded a two-year run with a 59-1 record.
GIRLS SCORING LEADERS
| NAME | TEAM | GAMES | POINTS | AVERAGE |
| Cindy Bass | Santana | 29 | 713 | 24.6 (3) |
| Odom | Castle Park | 26 | 668 | 25.69 (2) |
| Shondel Robinson | Lincoln | 23 | 602 | 26.17 (1) |
| Allison Hines | Chula Vista | 27 | 542 | 20.08 |
| M. Krause | Kearny | 28 | 541 | 19.32 |
| Burnside | Oceanside | 23 | 540 | 23.47 (5) |
| Reco Edwards | El Cajon Valley | 22 | 521 | 23.68 (4) |
| Stacie Terry | El Capitan | 25 | 517 | 20.68 |
| Adia Barnes | Mission Bay | 23 | 449 | 19.52 |
| Diamond | Patrick Henry | 22 | 395 | 17.95 |
BOYS SCORING LEADERS
| Jerome Green | Chula Vista | 28 | 825 | 29.46 (1) |
| David Demien | San Dieguito | 27 | 732 | 25.24 (3) |
| Shane Jager | Vista | 30 | 705 | 23.5 (5) |
| Marty Ellis | Monte Vista | 27 | 691 | 25.59 (2) |
| John Brady | Madison | 28 | 654 | 23.35 (6) |
| Smalley | Fallbrook | 26 | 633 | 24.34 (4) |
| Brian Baum | San Marcos | 27 | 569 | 21.07 (9) |
| Kewan Shariff | Carlsbad | 28 | 561 | 20.03 |
| Jelani McCoy | St. Augustine | 27 | 557 | 20.63 (10) |
| Shane Lantz | Madison | 25 | 549 | 21.96 (7) |
| Scott Schoenwald | Mt. Carmel | 27 | 546 | 20.22 |
| Charles | Morse | 22 | 482 | 21.91 (8) |
| Silva | San Pasqual | 22 | 429 | 19.5 |
