1979-80: Three-Division Realignment Okay, But…
The San Diego Section’s decision this school year to realign into three divisions, 3-A, 2-A, 1-A, based on enrollment and breaking from the 19-year, large school-small school arrangement, seemed like a good idea, but allocation of playoff berths left some good teams holding a bag of basketballs.
The 3-A group included teams from the Eastern, Palomar, and Grossmont Leagues. Metropolitan, Avocado, and Western League teams were 2-A. The 1-A setup was of the two-division Southern Prep loop.
A playoff season of 16 teams, the rule since the 24-team, one-week playoff was abandoned after the 1974-75 season, took place over 10 days.
The Eastern, Grossmont, Avocado, and Metropolitan leagues each received three playoff invitations. The Western and Palomar leagues received two.
So Orange Glen, with a 21-4 record and, at one point the No. 1 team in the County with a 15-0 record, was out after tying for second place in the Palomar with Torrey Pines and losing a vote for a playoff invitation to the Falcons.
And Hoover, 20-5 overall and third in the Western League, needed to buy a ticket to get to the postseason.
Not to mention Madison, fourth in the Eastern but possessing a record of 19-7.
Teams from leagues with 3 playoff qualifiers, such as Santana, 15-9, Hilltop, 16-10, and Kearny, 15-10, were in.
The Metropolitan broke a tie for third with a playoff, Hilltop advancing over Marian, 49-43. The Avocado insisted on a playoff to determine playoff seeding, Oceanside defeating Carlsbad, 65-52.
The biggest loser was Orange Glen, which was voted out despite equaling Torrey Pines’ 8-4 league record. That the Patriots had lost leading scorer Sean Salisbury for the last six games with an ankle injury may have played into the Palomar’s vote.
A 16-team playoff was more tidy and efficient than the 24-team setup five seasons before, but tell that to Orange Glen and Hoover…and Madison.
A few moments from almost 700 games, early December through early March:
12/2/79
Brian Caradonna scored 33 points, including 11×11 free throws as Santana got the season underway with a 73-48 victory over St. Augustine.
Four-year starter Tommy Williams, moving up among career leaders, posted 35 for Serra in an 84-50 win over Granite Hills. Williams would finish with 1,843 over four seasons, second to the 1,982 of Bonita Vista’s Paul Halupa, who negotiated the record in three seasons.
12/9/79
Mt. Carmel rolled on El Camino, 116-48, and moved into a tie for 10th place all time for highest single-game points. The Sundevils led, 45-19, at the half, smelled blood in the water, and scored 71 points in the second half, finishing with a 37-12, fourth-quarter flourish. Twelve Sundevils got on the scoreboard.
Thirteen Chula Vista players scored and the Spartans opened with a 30-1 first quarter in a 101-43 victory over Mar Vista.
12/13/79
Grossmont was assessed a technical foul for using too many time outs, resulting in a tech free throw by Brian Caradonna after Pat Gaffney’s two FT’s, all in the last minute of a 39-36 Santana victory.
12/17/79
Fallbrook trailed, 61-56, with 22 seconds to play, then forced three San Pasqual turnovers that led to four points and then a steal and layup by Joe Silva with two seconds left pushed the Warriors past the Eagles, 62-61.
12/20/79
Brian Carradona was 17×18 at the free throw line and scored 25 points in Santana’s 54-47 win over Mount Miguel.
1/11/80
Diego Smith, all of 5 feet, according to Steve Brand of The San Diego Union, scored 20 points on 4 field goals and 12×14 FT’s for Morse in a 56-52 win over Kearny.
1/14/80
Leading, 50-37, at the end of three quarters, San Marcos couldn’t handle a full-court press, turned the ball over 14 times in the 4th quarter, and lost to Escondido, 61-60. Ron Rackley’s two free throws with 10 seconds left secured for the Cougars.
Sean Salisbury scored 30 points and Orange Glen, lagging, 10-7, after one quarter, outscored Fallbrook 68-40 in the next three to win, 78-40 for its 15th straight without defeat. Twenty-eight of Salisbury’s points came in the last three quarters.
Five days after fouling out and scoring six points, Morse’s Tony Rasheed got 16 of his 20 in the second half and buried a 15-footer with 4 seconds remaining to edge Madison, 68-66.
1/18/80
Alonzo Robinson scored 30 points, all on 15 field goals, in Carlsbad’s 84-72 win versus El Camino.
1/22/80
Orange Glen lost its first game, 77-61 as Torrey Pines shot 52 per cent from the field and 84 per cent from the free-throw line. Torrey outscored the Patriots, 63-41, in the last 24 minutes.
1/25/80
Officials ruled a jump ball after a struggle for possession under the basket between Mt. Carmel’s Andy Jedynak and Orange Glen’s Mark Weinberg.
Weinberg won the jump, tipping the ball to midcourt, where the Patriots’ Sean Salisbury retrieved and fired a wild shot that caromed off the basket. Game over. Mt. Carmel won, 65-64.
Orange Glen, now 15-2, tumbled to fourth in the weekly poll. Mt. Carmel moved to 6-0 in the Palomar League and 12-4 overall. Patrick Henry, Sweetwater, and Monte Vista were 1-2-3.
1/28/80
Three North County clubs led in scoring: Mt. Carmel, 74.5; Torrey, Pines, 73.6, and Orange Glen, 71.4.
1/29/80
Basketball science: “When other players are taller you have to think position,” Crawford’s 6-foot, 3-inch center Jaffa Solomon told Steve Brand. “If you get position by screening out, you can outrebound the bigger player.” Hoover’s 6-5 Loren Goodwin and 6-4 Dan Wiedenhoff served as examples. Solomon led Crawford to a 55-47 victory with 22 points and 17 rebounds.
Chula Vista’s John Heller was 7×7 from the field in fourth quarter and scored all of his 16 points in an 86-67 win over Montgomery.
2/1/80
5-9 sophomore Blake Armbrust’s first start was almost memorable. He led all starters with 23 points but Hilltop lost to Chula Vista, 68-67.
Madison coach John Hannon’s earned his 300th victory in 18 prep seasons with a 70-56 victory over Point Loma. Hannon opened the Madison program in 1962-63.
Serra was 17×21 from the free throw line in the fourth quarter and outscored Crawford, 27-7, from line in a 61-53 victory. Tommy Williams had 12 charity points and 16 points total, all in the fourth quarter.
2/5/80
Tommy Williams became the eighth player to score at least 50 points in Serra’s 75-55 win over St. Augustine. Williams was 20×23 from the field and 10×12 from the line.
Fifty points in a game:
| SEASON | NAME | TEAM | OPPONENT | POINTS | SCORE |
| 1976-77 | Mitchell Lilly | Madison | San Diego | 61 | 117-80 |
| 1957-58 | Tom Shaules | St. Augustine | Crawford | 60 | 102-38 |
| 1968-69 | Rob Petrie | Julian | Mountain Empire | 60 | 115-76 |
| 1957-58 | Shaules | La Jolla | 53 | 105-34 | |
| 1967-68 | Todd Harper | Santana | Granite Hills | 53 | 90-62 |
| 1973-74 | Dave (Score) Moore | San Marcos | Imperial | 51 | 78-42 |
| 1969-70 | Bill Walton | Helix | Pasadena | 50 | 110-68 |
| 1976-77 | Lilly | Torrey Pines | 50 | 86-75 | |
| 1978-79 | Michael Pitts | Sweetwater | Hilltop | 50 | 90-64 |
| 1979-80 | Tommy Williams | Serra | St. Augustine | 50 | 75-55 |
2/8/80
Darren Lee, a transfer from Point Loma, converted 20 of 27 shots from the field and scored 45 in Sweetwater’s 85-75 triumph against Chula Vista.
2/11/80
Steve Brand wrote of two major injuries that cut short seasons. University’s 6-foot-9 Hans Wichary, the County’s scoring leader with a 26.5 average, was out with a fractured wrist, and Orange Glen’s Sean Salisbury was sidelined with stretched ankle ligaments.
Patrick Henry’s Steve Brown, son of a former San Diego State player and civil rights leader in San Diego, missed five games with mononucleosis. Brown, who averaged 16.2 points, came back to help Henry win the 3-A title.
2/13/80
Torrey Pines and Mt. Carmel were in a flatfooted tie, 66-66, in the final 3 quarters, but the Sundevils’ 23-7 first quarter was the difference in an 89-73 win. Torrey, trailing, 39-13, with 4:08 left in the half, made a run, outscoring Mt. Carmel, 27-10, to trail, 49-40, with 3:58 left in the third quarter.
San Dieguito’s Keith Kartz, Carlsbad’s Glen Kozlowski, Hilltop’s Bryan Wagner, and Orange Glen’s Sean Salisbury, basketball players all, went on to play in the National Football League.
2/15/80
Marian ended Sweetwater’s 15-game Metropolitan League winning streak, 69-66, in double overtime. The Crusaders’ Gregg Welch scored five free therows in the second extra session.
2/22/80
Vista’s Bud Larsen dunked in pregame warmups and was assessed a technical foul. Orange Glen’s Russ Riley scored the first of his 21 points with a technical free throw before the game started. Orange Glen won, 77-63.
PLAYOFFS
QUARTERFINALS
3-A
Mt. Carmel, 56, Kearny 53 (15-11). Palomar champs Sundevils made it 2 out of 3 over Kearny after trailing by six in fourth quarter.
Monte Vista 75, Torrey Pines 54 (17-9). Falcons were averaging 72.6 points.
Morse 57, Helix 52, OT (18-8). Tony Rasheed scored 22 points, including pivotal, three-point play in overtime.
Patrick Henry 68, Santana 40 (15-10).
2-A
Lincoln 76, Hilltop 70 (17-11). Jared Stutts (23) and Billy Johnson (21) led the Hive.
Crawford 54, San Pasqual 48 (14-8). Colts twice made both ends of 1×1 free throws and were 10×12 from the line in the final quarter.
Sweetwater 92, Carlsbad 82 (14-10). Red Devils, leading 65-43, at one point, strolled behind Darren Lee’s 35 points and sophomore Aaron Combs’ 28 rebounds.
Oceanside 59, Bonita Vista 48 (17-6).
SEMIFINALS
3-A
Morse 57, Mt. Carmel 56 (20-5). Morse’s five-foot-six Dale Fox buried a 25-footer with 4 seconds left.
Patrick Henry 52, Monte Vista 37 (24-4). Patriots recovered from Kiwanis Tournament championship loss to Monarchs.
2-A
Sweetwater 47, Crawford 45 (21-7). Darren Lee’s 14-foot basket with 4 seconds remaining moved Red Devils past pesky Colts.
Lincoln 69, Oceanside 60 (16-6). Jared Stutts’ 22 points and 17 rebounds were key as Hornets made 29-11 run that overcame 18-4 Pirates burst that had Lincoln trailing, 49-40.
1-A
Parker 55. Julian 49.
Army-Navy 54, Borrego Springs 37.
FINALS
3-A
Patrick Henry (25-3) 70, Morse 63 (17-7). Patriots evened season series at 2 wins apiece with help from Morse coach Ron Davis, hit with two technicals after a Tigers foul when trailing, 58-56, with 1:49 remaining. Free throws by Ernie Wright, Jr., and Steve Brown pushed Henry’s lead to four and then Wright, son of a former Chargers standout, added two technical free throws for a 62-56 advantage.
Morse had momentum, coming from 13 points down in the final quarter until Davis was whistled. Henry drained 16 free throws in the last eight minutes and was 22×36 in the game. Morse was 13×22 and played the last 6:27 without Tony Rasheed, who fouled out with 23 points and seven rebounds.
2-A
Sweetwater 68 (25-3), Lincoln 62 (17-9). Red Devils won first title and climaxed a three-year, 73-15 run.
1-A
Army-Navy (15-4) 30, Francis Parker 27 (16-10) Warriors played without injured high scorer Ernie Bond but held Parker, which made its fifth straight trip to finals, to seven points in second half.
TOURNAMENTS
Mt. Helix: Sherman Oaks Notre Dame, 66, Santana 40. Brian Caradonna scored 23 for Sultans.
Hilltop: Hoover 48, Mt. Miguel 33. Cardinals’ 20-9 fourth quarter dispatched Matadors.
Francis Parker: Cal Lutheran was scoreless in first and 4th quarters, beaten by Parker, 69-7 in opener. Lancers went on to claim title in own event, 40-31 over Army-Navy.
Jimmy Mitchell: Mark Lebsock’s basket with 15 seconds left gave Orange Glen (12-0) a 67-66 win over Burbank Burroughs.
POST-CHRISTMAS
Kiwanis—The 33rd event, 32 teams in Unlimited and Limited Divisions, moved to after Christmas for the first time. Morse’s Tony Rasheed’s 40 points helped the Tigers knock off unbeaten Mt. Carmel, 86-68. Monte Vista won Unlimited, 53-46, over Henry. Hoover beat Chula Vista, 56-55 in overtime, for Limited.
Chino—Coronado got to the semifinals in 38th tournament, which began in 1939-40 and featured San Diego-area teams every year since. Islanders lost to Pomona, 48-42. Escondido lost 2 games but San Pasqual got to consolation semifinals before losing to Bonita, 76-74, in overtime. Coronado won third place, 69-54 over Pomona Ganesha.
Carpinteria—San Marcos opened with a 70-55 win over Ventura St. Bonaventure but lost in the semifinals, 72-50, to Santa Ynez.
Santana—Patrick Henry 57, Sweetwater 55. Steve Brown’s two free throws with 5 seconds left was difference.
Baron-Optimist—Madison outscored Mission Viejo Capistrano Valley, 50-14, during a span of 14:34 from the second to the fourth quarter and won the championship, 73-48.
Point Loma Classic—Mission Bay 32, Point Loma 29.
Scoring leaders:
| NAME | TEAM | GAMES | POINTS | AVERAGE |
| Darren Lee | Sweetwater | 28 | 600 | 21.4 (3) |
| Tommy Williams | Serra | 25 | 553 | 22.1 (2) |
| Steve Haupt | Mira Mesa | 25 | 512 | 20.5 (4) |
| Bob Capener | Torrey Pines | 26 | 512 | 19.7 (6) |
| Kevin Nelson | Poway | 25 | 483 | 19.3 (9) |
| Bob March | Hilltop | 25 | 462 | 17.1 |
| Brian Caradonna | Santana | 24 | 449 | 18.7 (10) |
| Jim Eischen | St. Augustine | 23 | 447 | 19.43 (7) |
| Tony Rasheed | Morse | 23 | 446 | 19.39 (8) |
| Ray Floyd | Madison | 26 | 443 | 17.0 |
| Hans Wichary | University | 16 | 424 | 26.5 (1) |
| Alonzo Robinson | Carlsbad | 25 | 424 | 17.0 |
| Ray Hill | Valhalla | 24 | 417 | 17.4 |
| Larry Anderson | Torrey Pines | 26 | 414 | 15.9 |
| Eric Erickson | La Jolla | 24 | 394 | 16.4 |
| Steve Leisingring | Granite Hills | 25 | 393 | 15. |
| Sean Salisbury | Orange Glen | 19 | 390 | 20.1 (5) |
| Billy Johnson | Lincoln | 22 | 388 | 17.6 |
| Billy Beane | Mt. Carmel | 25 | 386 | 15.4 |
SIGN OF THE TIMES
Kerrville High defeated South San West, 55-51, in a 10-overtime game featuring a pair of Texas squads. The first, second, third, fourth, sixth, seventh, eighth, and ninth overtimes were scoreless. The teams deadlocked at 43 in regulation and at 49 after the fifth overtime.
CENTURY CLUB
| TEAM | OPPONENT | SCORE |
| Mt. Carmel | El Camino | 116-48 |
| Sweetwater | Mar Vista | 112-58 |
| Sweetwater | Mar Vista | 105-57 |
| Chula Vista | Mar Vista | 101-43 |