As Steve Brand of The San Diego Union wrote, Dennis Kane began preparing the day after San Diego High concluded the 1986-87 season. The coach moved to quickly put the worst year in school history in the Cavers’ rear view mirror.
San Diego had bottomed out at 0-20 in Kane’s first season.
No Cavers squad, dating to the first in 1904-05, had been so unsuccessful.
“We put the players into a 7 a.m. gym class, shooting 100 times every day,” Kane remembered. “They were so used to losing, they wouldn’t believe in me or themselves. We asked them to put forth the effort if they wanted to win.
“Our priorities were to establish a ninth-grade program, to get the school credibility, and to stop losing some of our better kids (to other schools or to lack of interest),” said Kane, who eventually built the basketball team its own team room and developed a program for incoming freshmen.
Kane’s players began to feel good about themselves, going 5-2 in a spring league and 10-2 in the summer. They went from winless to the playoffs, improving to 15-9 in the coach’s second season. The Cavers had been a cumulative 81-161 since 1975-76.
Things came full circle this season. San Diego lost to Poway in the San Diego Section Division I finals, 64-49, but the 20-5 record was the best since 1981-82 and the Cavers survived despite the late-season loss of 21-point scorer Raynard Wells because of academic ineligibility.
HIGH REGARD
Three San Diego teams were seeded No. 1 in their divisions for the Southern California Regional tournament, Torrey Pines in boys Division II, Lincoln in D-III, and the Vista girls in D-II. Point Loma was a second seed in girls D-1.
BOYS PLAYOFFS
(Seedings in italics)
DIVISION I
FIRST ROUND
Hilltop 71, Mount Miguel 56 (2-21).
San Dieguito 74, Bonita Vista 52 (5-18).
SECOND ROUND
1 Poway 89, Hilltop 46 (11-17).
2 San Diego 62, San Dieguito 51 (8-18).
3 Sweetwater 60, Mira Mesa 51 (4-22).
The Marauders winners of four games against 21 losses, scored the first 10 points and led, 24-6, after one quarter.
“We told the team to take the game little by little, that we would climb back into it,” said David Ybarra, whose Red Devils improved to 25-2.
4 Monte Vista 64, Chula Vista 40 (13-15).
5 Mt. Carmel 71, Santana 49 (13-10).
6 Valhalla 77, Orange Glen 69 (7-19).
7 Southwest 57, Patrick Henry (13-12).
8 Granite Hills 74, Morse 59 (10-13).
Morse led, 15-0, after four minutes. After a timeout, “to calm the jitters,” said coach Jeff Armstrong, the Eagles outscored the Tigers by 30 in the last 28 minutes, led by John Russell’s 22 points.
QUARTERFINALS
5 Mt. Carmel 79, 4 Monte Vista 73 (18-5).
6 Valhalla 97, 3 Sweetwater 89, 2 OT (25-3).
Tony Clark scored 47 points and Rafid Kiti, recovering from a reported collapsed lung sustained during a school day, had 32 to upset the Red Devils, led by Carlos Campbell’s 34.
1 Poway 92, 8 Granite Hills 85 (18-9).
Adam Jones (31) and Jay Blankenbeckler (30) provided the firepower that saved the Titans from an upset.
2 San Diego 59, 7 San Diego Southwest 55 (20-8).
“When we lost Raynard, I told Clark James (23 points) and Milton Miller (21) they would now be the offense,” said Cavers coach Dennis Kane.
SEMIFINALS
2 San Diego 79, 6 Valhalla 67 (19-9).
1 Poway 52, 5 Mt. Carmel 46 (18-9).
CHAMPIONSHIP
Poway 64, San Diego 49 (20-5).
SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA REGIONAL
L.A. Crenshaw 79 (22-2, L.A. City), Poway 62 (23-5).
D-II
FIRST ROUND
Escondido 76, Hoover 51 (2-23).
Mission Bay 67, El Capitan 58 (9-17).
San Pasqual 72, Mar Vista 53 (6-19).
Carlsbad 52, Kearny 49 (10-16).
“They didn’t win this game; we lost it” complained Komets coach Bill Peterson “We’re normally a very good free-throw shooting team.” Kearny was 5×15, the Lancers’ 13×15.
Grossmont 61, University City 59, OT (16-10).
Todd Jaeger’s basket with three seconds remaining in the extra session elevated Grossmont (7-17) in the postseason’s first stunner.
Fallbrook 76, San Marcos 47 (7-18).
Rancho Buena Vista 77, Castle Park 72 (8-16).
Oceanside 73, Vista 55 (6-19).
SECOND ROUND
1 Torrey Pines 71, Escondido 50 (13-12).
7 San Pasqual 66, 2 El Camino 59 (20-6).
Another stunner. San Pasqual was only 13-11 but 6-foot, 9-inch sophomore Erik Meek had 24 points and 24 rebounds.
3 Point Loma 58, Carlsbad 48 (8-17).
4 Helix 45, Grossmont 43 (7-18).
5 Rancho Buena Vista-La Jolla, no score (15-10).
6 Serra 62, Fallbrook 53 (13-13).
7 Madison 69, Oceanside 59 (13-11).
8 Crawford 54, Mission Bay 52 (16-9).
QUARTERFINALS
3 Point Loma 78, 6 Serra 61 (15-10).
Leading, 51-48, Point Loma advanced after making 16×20 free throws in the last quarter.
4 Helix 73, Rancho Buena Vista 59 (14-14).
1 Torrey Pines 91, 8 Crawford 43 (17-9).
7 Madison 73, San Pasqual 71 (13-12).
Monte Bohannon’s rebound and reverse layup with two seconds remaining came off a missed shot by Robby Robinson, who led the Warhawks with 30 points.
–Erik Meek kept his unseeded team in the hunt with 39 points, 24 rebounds, and eight blocked shots.
SEMIFINALS
7 Madison 58, 3 Point Loma 55 (17-11).
1 Torrey Pines 58, 4 Helix 40 (19-7).
CHAMPIONSHIP
1 Torrey Pines 75, 7 Madison 49.
Torrey Pines claimed its first title since 1977-78 and headed to the state tournament as the No. 2-ranked team in the division by Cal-Hi Sports.
SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA REGIONAL
QUARTERFINALS
Torrey Pines 62, Lakewood Artesia 51 (22-7, Southern).
The Falcons went on a 13-2 run after the Pioneers’ Ed O’Bannon received a third personal foul with 5:22 remaining in the first half.
The Falcons led, 45-28, early in the third quarter and withstood a run that cut Artesia’s deficit to eight with 2:16 left in the game,
After sitting until halftime, O’Bannon, considered by some as the state’s best player, finished with 23 points and 6 rebounds.
San Bernardino 78, Madison 54 (17-14).
The Warhawks were out of it after a 28-10 first quarter by the host Cardinals.
SEMIFINALS
Compton Dominguez (26-4, Southern) 78, Torrey Pines 70 (32-2).
The Falcons’ inside play, Courtie Miller 31 points, 8 rebounds, and Kevin Flanagan, 16 points, 8 rebounds, was not enough to overcome their 4×20 shooting from the three-point line. Dominguez was 8×12.
Torrey Pines fell behind by 21 points in the first half, fought back to trail, 42-40, and then was shaken by a 17-2 run by the visiting Dons.
The Falcons came back again to lag, 67-61, with 3:52 remaining but got no closer.
D-III
Ramona 83, St. Augustine 67 (2-19).
SEMIFINALS
1 Lincoln 95, Ramona 54 (19-4).
The victory was the 100th for Hornets coach Ron Loneski, who was Wilt Chamberlain’s college roommate as a freshman at Kansas and a starter on the Jayhawks’ national collegiate runners-up as a senior.
2 Clairemont 72, University 60 (11-11).
CHAMPIONSHIP
1 Lincoln 89, 2 Clairemont 59.
Is it how you dress? Lincoln coach Ron Loneski wore a green blazer and tie. Clairemont coach Greg Lee was in shorts and sweat shirt.
SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA REGIONAL
Inglewood Morningside (22-5, Southern) 81, Lincoln 65 (27-2).
“It’s the coach’s job to have his players ready,” said Lincoln’s Ron Loneski. “I take the blame. We weren’t ready.”
Leading, 33-32, at halftime, Lincoln couldn’t come back when the Monarchs, who were an at-large entry after losing in the Southern Section playoffs, converted two technical foul free throws and stole an inbounds pass for a basket and 44-35 lead.
Trabuco Hills (23-6, Southern) 87, Clairemont 60 (13-17).
D-IV
SEMIFINALS
1 Christian 74, 4 Holtville 47.
2 Coronado 76, 3 Army-Navy 57.
CHAMPIONSHIP
1 Christian 70, 2 Coronado 60.
SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA REGIONAL
Whittier Christian 70 (23-6, Southern), Coronado 58 (11-15).
The Islanders led, 45-44, entering the fourth quarter but turned the ball over four times in the final five minutes.
Orange Lutheran 72 (24-4, Southern), Christian 64 (14-12).
D-V
FIRST ROUND
3 Marian 88, Tri-City 26.
4 Calipatria 66, Victory Christian 30 (3-12).
5 La Jolla Country Day 96, Borrego Springs 51 (6-17).
6 Lutheran 53, Julian 41 (4-17).
7 Francis Parker 54, Calvin Christian 44 (7-12).
8 Midway Baptist 59, Calexico Vincent Memorial 57.
QUARTERFINALS
1 The Bishop’s 55, 8 Midway Baptist 38 (15-11).
2 Imperial 67, 7 Francis Parker 51 (20-5).
3 Marian 57, 6 Lutheran 40 (15-9).
4 Calipatria 65, 5 La Jolla Country Day 56 (15-10).
SEMIFINALS
2 Imperial 52, 3 Marian 45 (7-16).
4 Calipatria 47, 1 The Bishop’s 35 (21-3).
The Hornets were 13×16 on free throws in fourth quarter.
CHAMPIONSHIP
4 Calipatria 58, 2 Imperial 45.
SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA REGIONAL
QUARTERFINALS
The Bishop’s 58, Calipatria 57 (18-8).
SEMIFINALS
Reedley Immanuel (22-5, Central) 45, The Bishop’s 35 (22-4).
The Eagles reversed a 51-48 loss to the Knights in last year’s regional.
GIRLS PLAYOFFS
DIVISION I
FIRST ROUND
Mount Miguel 51, Hilltop 42.
Montgomery 38, Granite Hills 31.
San Diego 44, Sweetwater 43.
Cavers advanced on Melanie Covey’s three-point basket at the buzzer.
SECOND ROUND
1 Point Loma 85, Mount Miguel 22.
2 Santana 75, Montgomery 24 (8-15).
3 Mira Mesa 66, San Diego 31 (11-14).
4 Poway 54, Monte Vista 36 (8-17).
5 Bonita Vista 55, Orange Glen 51 (7-19).
6 Patrick Henry 52, San Dieguito 39 (8-15).
7 Mt. Carmel 65, Morse 38 (11-14).
8 Chula Vista 51, Southwest 49 (15-10).
QUARTERFINALS
3 Mira Mesa 52, 6 Patrick Henry 43 (18-8).
4 Poway 65, 5 Bonita Vista 45 (21-6).
1 Point Loma 64, 8 Chula Vista 12 (13-13).
2 Santana 54, 7 Mt. Carmel 46 (14-13).
SEMIFINALS
3 Mira Mesa 63, 2 Santana 38.
1 Point Loma 48, 4 Poway 29.
CHAMPIONSHIP
1 Point Loma 44, 3 Mira Mesa 25.
“Yes, it was an ugly game, but a great defensive game,” said Pointers coach Lee Trepanier of his team’s fifth section title in six years. “I guess you could say the first four were Terri Mann’s (the all-America Pointer) and this one was mine.”
SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA REGIONAL
QUARTERFINALS
Point Loma 51, Santa Barbara 29 (21-9).
The Pointers’ pressing, man-to-man defense harassed the visiting Golden Tornado.
“Their coach. Andrew Butcher, asked me if we ever play a zone defense,” coach Lee Trepanier related to Pedro Gomez of The San Diego Union. “I told him, ‘When the sky turns gray and the atom bomb goes off we might consider it.’ You have to play man-to-man on this level.”
SEMIFINALS
Point Loma 54, Newhall Hart 47.
CHAMPIONSHIP
Inglewood Morningside 45 (32-1, Southern). Point Loma 44 (32-2).
Six-foot, 5-inch Lisa Leslie’s turn-around jump shot with 57 seconds left held up for the Monarchs, although Point Loma could have won but for a missed shot with five seconds remaining.
Leslie scored 22 points and had 13 rebounds after sitting with 4 fouls for 11 minutes.
The Pointers’ Monica Filner was brilliant in her final game, scoring 20 points with 9 assists and leading the Pointers back from a 17-0 deficit at the outset.
“I’m shedding no tears,” Filer told Steve Brand. “We did the best we could. I enjoyed every minute of this.”
D-II
FIRST ROUND
San Pasqual 53, Crawford 32 (16-9).
Fallbrook 1, Hoover 0, forfeit (2-23).
Helix 58, Escondido 26 (2-21).
University City 60, El Cajon Valley 50 (10-12).
Mar Vista 59, Grossmont 43 (6-18).
Valhalla 38, Madison 36 (6-18).
Rancho Buena Vista 59, Kearny 30 (6-17).
Serra 52, El Camino 46 (4-17).
El Capitan 53, Carlsbad 52 (6-15).
SECOND ROUND
1 Vista 63, San Pasqual 41 (9-16).
Christine Enger buried the Golden Eagles with 41 points, 29 rebounds, and eight blocked shots.
2 San Marcos 72, Serra 44 (5-19).
Susie O’Brien, the County’s top scorer, upped her 29.9 average with 47 points.
3 Mission Bay 58, Valhalla 41 (7-18).
4 Castle Park 61, Mar Vista 44 (11-14).
5 Oceanside 38, University City 20 (7-16).
6 Torrey Pines 54, Rancho Buena Vista 49 (15-11).
7 La Jolla 61, El Capitan 51 (18-7).
8 Fallbrook 51, Helix 48 (12-10).
QUARTERFINALS
3 Mission Bay 53, 6 Torrey Pines 48 (16-10).
5 Oceanside 49, 4 Castle Park 42 (20-7).
1 Vista 72, 8 Fallbrook 44 (13-13).
2 San Marcos 59, 7 La Jolla 40 (16-10).
SEMIFINALS
1 Vista 64, 5 Oceanside 34 (18-9).
2 San Marcos 63, 3 Mission Bay 45 (21-7).
CHAMPIONSHIP
1 Vista 65, 2 San Marcos 51.
SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA REGIONAL
QUARTERFINALS
Vista 82, Anaheim Canyon (22-6, Southern) 38.
Panther Christine Enger scored 43 points, pulled 27 rebounds, and blocked 11 shots.
Anaheim Katella 56, San Marcos 39 (21-8).
SEMIFINALS
Vista 59, Placentia Valencia 38 (21-10, Southern).
CHAMPIONSHIP
Anaheim Katella (29-3, Southern) 56, Vista 50 (28-4).
Christine Enger and Katella’s Joni Easterly battled for a rebound with 5:05 remaining in the game. A game official’s whistle blew. It could have been Easterly’s fifth personal foul but it was Enger’s fourth. Easterly broke a 48-48 tie with two free throws and the Knights scratched out a few more points.
“That was a good call,” said Enger. “I did reach over to get the rebound. It was a dumb foul. Sometimes you get away with it; sometimes you don’t.”
Enger finished with 20 points, 12 rebounds, and eight blocks. Easterly had 24 points and 13 rebounds.
D-III
4 Lincoln 58, 5 Clairemont 32 (12-16).
SEMIFINALS
1 Ramona 62, 4 Lincoln 52 (16-6).
3 University 51, 2 Our Lady of Peace 44.
CHAMPIONSHIP
3 University 54, 1 Ramona 46.
SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA REGIONAL
QUARTERFINALS
Brea-Olinda (28-2, Southern) 81, Our Lady of Peace 36 (19-7).
Reedley (12-13, Central) 54, Ramona 25 (19-5).
Palm Desert (23-3, Southern) 65, University 50 (13-9).
D-IV
4 Mountain Empire 61, 5 West Hills 26.
SEMIFINALS
3 Coronado 39, 2 Christian 38.
1 Holtville 48, 4 Mountain Empire 26.
CHAMPIONSHIP
1 Holtville 44, 3 Coronado 30.
SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA REGIONAL
QUARTERFINALS
Oxnard Santa Clara 54 (25-1, Southern), Coronado 24 (13-12).
D-V
FIRST ROUND
4 Marian 1, Victory Christian 0, forfeit.
5 Julian 66, Calexico Vincent Memorial 23.
6 The Bishop’s 73, Lutheran 31.
7 Borrego Springs 47, Tri-City 9.
8 Francis Parker-Midway Baptist, no score.
QUARTERFINALS
1 Calvin Christian 56, 8 Francis Parker 27 (6-11).
2 La Jolla Country Day 53, 7 Borrego Springs 18 (10-12).
4 Marian 36, 5 Julian 31 (12-11).
3 Calipatria 37, 6 The Bishop’s 29 (9-9)
SEMIFINALS
1 Calvin Christian 59, 4 Marian 41 (3-20).
2 La Jolla Country Day 42, 3 Calipatria 41.
CHAMPIONSHIP
2 La Jolla Country Day 49, 1 Calvin Christian 47.
SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA REGIONAL
L.A. Pilgrim (21-3, Southern) 56, La Jolla Country Day 54 (17-6).
Hemet Baptist (23-3, Southern) 39, Calvin Christian 38 (22-3).
