2023-24 Basketball Week 11: Happy Trails, San Diego Section Ballers
The girls from Grossmont and Montgomery closed the San Diego Section basketball season on losing notes in championship games in Sacramento.
Montgomery (25-12) dropped a 56-50 decision to Oakland High (23-10) in the Division V final and Grossmont (27-8) was beaten in D-IV, 42-29, by Eureka St. Bernard (30-5).
But a losing performance probably was the highlight of the boys’ and girls’ 2023-24 season.
Studio City Harvard-Westlake (33-3) won the state Open Division championship, 50-45 over Richmond Salesian after edging Eastvale Roosevelt, 63-59, for the Southern championship that followed an epic battle in the Southern semifinals with Carlsbad.
‘Westlake survived the Lancers, 73-72. Carlsbad’s performance, after losing to the same team, 83-44, in the season opener, was such that it climbed from 16th to 10th in the weekly Cal-Hi Sports poll and is ranked eighth in the state by Max-Preps.
Carlsbad’s other loss was to Montgomery. 63-55, in December.
Junior Jake Hall led the Lancers with a 20.7 scoring average.
Hall (23) and Carlsbad Lancers were 30-3. Courtesy, Max-Preps.
Angel Ochoa of St. Joseph was the San Diego Section scoring champion with a 35.3 average and 1,024 points for the 19-10 Crusaders.
Mount Miguel’s girls team was 4-21, but not because of Jaelene Hughes, who averaged 38.7 points and scored 903.
1948 Baseball: Hilltoppers Team of Year, Stagnaro Player of Year
It was another great season by coach Mike Morrow’s San Diego High Hilltoppers, who won their second Southern Section championship in the last three seasons.
(San Diego also won the team championship in track and field and reached the finals in football, losing, 13-12, to Santa Monica).
The Hillers were 69-16, a .812 winning percentage, since Morrow returned from the war to coaching the Hilltoppers in 1946.
San Diego (26-3) lost to Compton, 3-2, in the finals of the Pomona 2030 Rotary Club tournament but slammed the Tarbabes, 24-0, in the Coast League season. They also lost two games to the powerful Tucson Bears, but were 4-2 against the Arizona club in home-and-home series.
Mike Morrow’s Hilltoppers dominated.
POSTSEASON LACKS
This would be incredible by 21st century standards.
There still was half of the Metropolitan League season remaining when CIF boss Seth Van Patten announced that Grossmont would represent the league in the playoffs.
Grossmont and Point Loma were tied for first with seven games remaining, but the Pointers declined.
“Grossmont seems to be more fortified in the pitching department and could stand the strain of three games in a week, whereas on us the burden might weaken our chances for the Metro flag,” Pointers coach Hilbert Crosthwaite was quoted.
The playoffs would begin before the league season was completed.
Van Patten often found it necessary to fill a bracket while regular-season games still were to be played.
The playoffs held no great attraction to some teams and leagues.
4/16/48
“Under a stifling April sun,” wrote Gene Earl of The San Diego Union, San Diego’s Eddie Simpson singled home John Switi in the ninth inning for an 8-7 triumph over Hoover in Balboa Stadium.
Simpson and Neale Henderson each had three hits for the Hilltoppers and Joe Brown and Don Jordan two apiece.
Bill McColl was the losing pitcher but he kept the Cardinals in the game with three hits, all “hard hit” doubles.
—Art Preston struck out 14 and gave up three hits and Dick Rand socked a three-run home run in Grossmont’s 11-3 win over visiting Oceanside.
—Yoko Takeshita drove in three runs with a tie-breaking eighth-inning double and Eddie Serrano homered as Point Loma outlasted La Jolla, 10–7, despite three hits each by the Vikings’ Charlie Way and Eddie Whitehead.
—Al Hooper, Terry Shaw, and Frank Castro clubbed home runs as newcomer Chula Vista whipped Escondido, 16-9, at Sweetwater. Don Silcock homered for the Cougars.
—Dick Bartz had four hits in five times at bat, drove in four runs, and pitched a three-hitter in Kearny’s 7-5 win over Sweetwater.
—Gene Green was 2 for 5 with a triple and single to lead errorless St. Augustine to an 8-3 win at Brown Military, which erred four times.
San Diego High’s Andy Stagnaro was CIF player of the year.
4/18/48
Bill McColl pitched Hoover to a 7-4 win over Pasadena and the Cardinals completed a doubleheader sweep, 13-1 over Pasadena Muir as part of Coast League scheduling that sent teams from the North on combined weekend trips.
McColl and Larry Nenna had two hits each and Leroy Darnell drove in four runs in the opener. McColl had two hits and four runs batted in and Bill White gave up three hits in the seven-inning nightcap.
4/19/48
Brown Military made it three straight Southern League victories, 11-9 at Vista.
—Grossmont and Point Loma each improved to 4-1 in the Metropolitan League, the Foothillers 13-4 over Chula Vista and the Pointers 6-3 over Kearny in eight innings.
—Sweetwater, which was behind, 8-1, in the fifth inning, scored its first league win, 15-14 over Escondido. Earl Holbrook singled in Dave Brennan with the winning run in the seventh inning.
4/23/48
San Diego (8-0) clinched the Coast League championship, hammering Pasadena, 9-1, in Balboa Stadium, while Hoover (5-3) was dropping an 11-7 decision at Compton as loop play concluded.
Hoover’s Bill White “was even wilder” than the 50-mile-an-hour winds, walking 11 batters. San Diego’s Andy Stagnaro struck out 14 and walked none.
—Point Loma beat Escondido, 13-1, and Grossmont topped La Jolla, 7-3, to remain tied for first in the Metropolitan loop.
The Foothillers trailed, 3-2, in the eighth inning and mounted two late rallies. The Pointers’ Eddie Serrano took the bite out of the Cougars by allowing only five hits and stroking a pair of doubles.
—Reserve outfielder Huddy McWilliams hit a two-run home run in the bottom of the eighth inning and Kearny nipped Oceanside, 8-7.
Joe Brown scored San Diego’s first run in 9-1 victory over Pasadena in Coast League encounter in Balboa Stadium.
4/27/48
San Diego collected 12 hits but needed Frank San Filippo’s triple that scored Neale Henderson in the 11th inning to claim a 2-1 win over the Submarine Force at Navy Field.
—Tom Boehlke’s single in the fifth inning was the only hit for Kearny, which dropped a 2-0 decision to the Foothillers’ Art Preston.
—Tom Browning struck out 12 batters in five innings and Mal Vargas hit a grand slam home run in the first inning as Point Loma beat Sweetwater, 13-0, and finished the first round of play with a 6-1 record, tied for first with Grossmont.
5/1/48
San Diego opened a three-game series in Tucson, Arizona, and scored four runs in the top of the ninth inning and then held on for an 8-7 victory.
Frank San Filippo’s 400-foot, three-run home run was the clincher after the Hilltoppers had fallen behind, 7-4, when the Bears scored four runs in the eighth inning.
Ray Irving hurled a scoreless bottom of the ninth for coach Mike Morrow’s visitors before 1,350 persons.
—Outhit, 14-8, visiting Point Loma took advantage of seven Chula Vista errors to score an 11-10, Metropolitan League victory and remain tied for first, matching the 7-1 record of Grossmont, which rolled 1-7 Escondido, 15-4.
5/2/48
Hoover completed a 19-5 season with a doubleheader sweep of visiting Bonita, 12-6 and 5-4. Bill McColl was unavailable to coach Les Cassie’s team as McColl was competing in theall-Coast League track meet at Balboa Stadium.
From left, Third baseman Eddie Simpson, second baseman Tommy Martinez, shortstop Neale Henderson, first baseman Dave Jordan, and third baseman Al Kennerly of the 26-3 San Diego Hilltoppers.
5/3/48
Home Brown Military won its fourth consecutive Southern League game, 15-5, parlaying 12 hits and seven San Dieguito errors.
Pedro Mesa was 4 for 4, Red Wright doubled and tripled, and Morris (Dude) Hedrick pitched Fallbrook to a 6-2 win against visiting Ramona.
5/7/48
Grossmont put an end to Point Loma’s Metropolitan League hopes, embarrassing the Pointers at home, 8-1. The Foothillers pounded out 15 hits and Art Preston shut down the Pointers on three hits.
Grossmont improved to 9-1 in league play. Point Loma and La Jolla were tied for second, each 7-3.
5/9/48
Two games remained in the Metro League but Grossmont had been informed days earlier by Southern Section boss Seth Van Patten that the Foothillers would meet Brown Military in the first round of the playoffs.
Point Loma, at the time still with a mathematical chance to catch John Hancock’s La Mesa squad and with an earlier, 8-6 win over Grossmont, had informed Van Patten that it would not be party to the postseason.
Metro loop squads over the years often declined postseason invitations.
San Diego High was scheduled to take on Imperial Valley titan Calexico the following day.
Jack Graham slid safely into third base with stolen base as Kearny’s Dick Ponse awaited late throw. Foothillers won, 1-0.
5/10/48
Grossmont warmed up for Brown Military with a 6-2 win over Oceanside, while the Cadets beat Julian, 12-3. La Jolla whacked Point Loma, 11-3, to take a one-game lead for second place.
Vikings pitcher Bud Releya set down the Pointers on eight hits and contributed a home run, matched and then some by catcher Charlie Woy’s two home runs.
SOUTHERN SECTION PLAYOFFS.
San Diego 19, @Calexico 1
The Hilltoppers led, 8-0, in the fourth inning, when they exploded for 10 runs.
It would be a happy but long ride back over the Laguna mountains for coach Mike Morrow’s team, so the game mercifully was called after both teams scored in the seventh inning.
Don Jordan homered, Frank San Filippo was 3 for 3, and Neale Henderson had two triples and a single to pace the Hillers’ 16-hit attack.
5/13/48
Grossmont 15, @Brown Military 3.
There were two rounds of games left on the Metro schedule but the playoffs got under way with Grossmont knocking off Brown Military of the Southern League, 15-3.
The Cadets took a 3-0 lead on their Pacific Beach diamond in the first inning when Phil Milligan tripled with the bases loaded after a couple singles and a walk.
Grossmont pitcher Art Preston settled down and Preston’s and his teammates’ bats came to life with a 17-hit onslaught as coach John Hancock’s team scored at least one run in the third through seventh innings and two more in the ninth.
Preston doubled and tripled, drove in six runs, and shut out the Cadets over the last eight innings.
Art Preston was ace of coach John Hancock’s Grossmont pitching staff.
5/14/48
Grossmont backed into a tie Metropolitan League championship after sustaining a 10-3 loss to Chula Vista on the Sweetwater diamond while Oceanside eliminated La Jolla, 7-6.
The standings, with one round remaining, showed the Foothillers (10-2) with a two-game lead over the Vikings (8-4).
Far down in the standings, Escondido (2-8) erupted for a 20-6 victory over visiting Sweetwater (1-9).
Assigned game umpires stiffed Point Loma (7-4) and host Kearny (6-5). The arbiters failed to show, probably thinking the game was at Point Loma.
5/15/48
SOUTHERN SECTION QUARTERFINALS
San Diego 12, Grossmont 0, @Lane Field.
About 700 persons were in attendance as coach Mike Morrow’s Hilltoppers continued to drive the opposition into submission, claiming a fourth win over coach John Hancock’s team, following 22-5, 5-1, and 7-6 victories.
San Diego collected only seven hits, but three Grossmont pitchers issued 14 bases on balls, beginning with three in a row followed by Curtis Everett’s single that put starter Art Preston and the Foothillers in a 2-0 hole in the first inning.
The Hilltoppers’ Andy Stagnaro allowed one extra base hit, Preston’s double, and three singles to Jack Graham, among the losers’ seven. Stagnaro teammates Everett and Joe Brown each had two hits.
5/20/48
SOUTHERN SECTION SEMIFINALS
San Diego 5, @Newport Beach Newport Harbor 1.
It was a semifinal game for San Diego but a quarterfinals game for the Sailors. A Newport Harbor victory would have advanced it to the semifinals. San Diego needed one victory to gain the finals.
Such was the peculiar status of the postseason, a time of constant juggling by commissioner Seth Van Patten in search of filling brackets for an event that wasn’t embraced by all of Van Patten’s CIF constituents.
Andy Stagnaro, soon to be named Southern California player of the year, saw his 22-innings scoreless streak end when the Sailors bunched two hits and a couple errors and scored an unearned run in the ninth inning in San Diego’s 5-1 victory.
Frank San Filippo tripled with Joe Brown and Don Jordan on base to give the Hilltoppers a 2-0 lead in the first inning.
San Fillippo homered in the ninth inning for a 5-0 lead after a two-run eighth that featured Don Jordan’s single, which was followed by three walks, an error, and wild pitch.
5/22/48
Arlan King hit two home runs and Ramona, scoring four runs in the bottom of the bottom of the 10th inning, after San Dieguito had taken an 8-5 lead, pulled out a 9-8 victory.
—Halbert Crow’s two triples and 14 additional base hits by Crow’s Grossmont teammates, plus five Kearny errors, allowed the Foothillers to close their season on a winning note, 14-0, and with a 12-2 league record.
—First-year Chula Vista slugged La Jolla, 14-7, and gained a tie for third place, each with an 8-6 record. Point Loma (9-4) was scheduled to play a makeup game with Kearny (7-6) but clinched second with an 11-8 win over Sweetwater.
San Diego pitcher Andy Stagnaro cut loose against a Glendale Hoover batter in Hilltoppers’ 20-1 victory in Southern Section final.
5/25/48
The umpires showed and the rescheduled game of the May 10 postponement was a 4-2 Point Loma (10-4) victory over Kearny (7-7). Hunter Browning spaced 10 hits and pitched the Pointers’ victory.
5/29/48
Grossmont’s Art Preston hit safely 23 times in 45 at-bats to lead the Metropolitan League with a .511 average. Preston also was the most productive pitcher with an 8-1 record and .889-win percentage.
Twenty-seven players hit at least .300 in league play. The 27th was La Jolla outfielder-first baseman, Bob Skinner, who played 12 seasons and coached or managed in a long major league career.
Skinner had 11 hits in 37 times at bat for a .300 average.
6/5/48
SOUTHERN SECTION FINALS, @LANE FIELD
Glendale Hoover 1, San Diego (26-3) 20, @Lane Field.
Described as “lengthy and drab,” the game lasted two hours and 27 minutes and was essentially over when the Hilltoppers took a 5-0 lead in the first inning.
Andy Stagnaro (15-1) struck out nine, gave up four hits, and won his fourth consecutive playoff start.
The Hilltoppers mustered only eight hits, but four errors and the Tornadoes, without star pitcher Warren Hart, out with the flu, suffered as four pitchers issued 15 bases on balls.
San Diego executed a triple steal during a four-run seventh inning.
Tommy Martinez, Dave Jordan and Bob Evert each had two hits before the turnout of about 700 persons at the San Diego Padres’ ball park.
6/22/58
A crowd of 1,258 persons saw a team of all-stars from the Coast League defeat a all-star squad from the Metropolitan League, 14-1, at Lane Field. The contest was sponsored by the Breitbard Athletic Foundation with proceeds to the San Diego Kiwanis Club’s Child Care Fund.
Don Jordan of San Diego High and Robbie Boone of Compton each had three hits for the Coast League team. Boone and Bill Casey of Hoover tripled with the bases loaded to account for 6 runs.
2023-2024 Girls Week 10A: Believe It! D-IV & V Regional Frontrunners From Here
The San Diego Section girls are 21-8 overall in the Southern California regional tournament and guaranteed two teams in next week’s state finals in Sacramento. That’s because the D-IV and V finals will offer a rarity among rarities:
All four regional finalists are from the San Diego Section.
Fallbrook’s 42-35 D-IV win over Oceanside advanced the No. 7 seed Warriors (26-8) to a match at No. 4 Grossmont (26-8), which defeated No. 1 Newbury Park, 57-39. Escondido Charter (24-11), also known as the White Tigers, will meet D-V No. 1 Montgomery (24-11), which edged No. 4 Reedley Immanuel, 41-39.
Overshadowed by the success of the four surviving teams is Cathedral (23-12), a seemingly no-chance No. 16 seed that scrambled the D-III bracket with its shock of No. 1 Dana Hills, 54-45, and continued to fight through the rounds. The Dons topped No. 8 Anaheim Canyon, 61-54, and led, 34-25, at halftime before running out of gas, or emotion, in a 54-51 loss at No. 5 Granada Hills.
Only games with a San Diego section team are listed. Complete brackets are here. All games played at higher (low number) seed.
Round 1 Teams Tuesday, February 27
Round 2 Teams Thursday, February 29
Regional Semifinal Saturday, March 2
Regional Final Tuesday, March 5
Final Saturday, March 9
Open Division
5 Mission Hills
(23-9) 47
4 Santa Ana Mater Dei (25-7) Southern 71
Division I
13 Orange Lutheran
(21-9) Southern 42
4 La Jolla Country
Day (25-7) 64
5 Garden Grove Orangewood (22-10) Southern 39
4 La Jolla Country Day
(26-7) 42
4 La Jolla Country Day
(26-8) 60
1 Torrance Bishop Montgomery (21-5) Southern 74
14 Westview (19-12) 41
3 Lake Balboa Birmingham (25-6) L.A. City 49
Division II
14 Westview (19-12) 41
3 Lake Balboa Birmingham (25-6) L.A. City 49
8 Del Norte (20-11) 51
1 Oak Park (21-7) Southern 62
9 Alhambra Mark Keppel (21-12) Southern 59
8 Del Norte (20-10) 64
2023-2024 Boys Week 10A: Carlsbad Loses Epic Struggle Against Top Seed
San Diego Section boys teams exited early from the Southern California regional tournament, but No. 4 seed Carlsbad stuck around and almost knocked out No. 1.
Coach Clark Allard’s Lancers lost a semifinal battle, 73-72, at Studio City Harvard-Westlake, the same team that had routed Carlsbad, 83-44, in the season’s first game.
The Lancers led by as much as 13 points at 32-19 in the second quarter and were ahead, 41-33, at halftime. The Wolverines nudged ahead, 55-52, in the third quarter and were in front, 65-58 in the fourth quarter before Carlsbad clawed back in the waning moments.
Boys’ Division I teams were disappointments, not only in the 0-5 record. Examples: No. 13 seed Redondo Beach Redondo Union ousted 4 Montgomery, 84-69. No. 12 La Verne Damien beat 5 St. Augustine, 69-44.
The boys’ season, Open to Division V, ended After 7 seed University City lost, 68-55, to 3 Mission Hills Bishop Alemany in the D-III semifinals. San Diego teams were 9-17 overall.
Only games with a San Diego section team are listed. Complete brackets are here. All games played at higher (low number) seed.
Round 1 Teams Tuesday, February 27
Round 2 Teams Thursday, February 29
Semifinals Saturday, March 2
Open Division Wednesday, February 28
5 Downey St. Pius X-St. Matthias (24-7) Southern 72
4 Carlsbad (30-2) 75, overtime
4 Carlsbad (30-3) 72
1 Studio City Harvard-Westlake (31-3) Southern 73
Division I
9 La Jolla Country Day (23-7) 59
8 L.A. Windward (29-4) Southern 74
2023-24 Boys Week 10: It’s Unanimous, Carlsbad No. 1 in Final Poll
John Maffei’s weekly, final regular-season Union-Tribune poll and the final Max-Preps and Cal-Hi Sports ratings, inclusive of the state playoffs.
#
TEAM
RECORD
POINTS
PREVIOUS
MAX-PREPS
CAL-HI SPORTS
1
Carlsbad
29-2 (17)
161
1
8/9
10/16
2
Montgomery
28-3
159
2
17/20
27/20
3
St. Augustine
25-5
139
3
21/21
31/24
4
La Jolla Country Day
23-6
108
5
60/59
NR/On the Bubble
5
Torrey Pines
21-8
103
4
43/40
NR/NR
6
Mission Hills
21-8
79
8
93
NR/NR
7
La Costa Canyon
19-8
50
6
76/76
NR/NR
8
Mission Bay
21-11
64
NR
97/98
NR/NR
9
Santa Fe Christian
21-9
38
7
118
NR/NR
10
Cathedral
20-9
9
9
104
NR/NR
Others receiving votes Scripps Ranch (20-12, 17 points), San Marcos (24-7, 156), Olympian (28-3, 10), University City (24-8, 10), Mount Miguel (23-9, 1).
First-place votes in parenthesis.
Points on 10-9-8-7-6-5-4-3-2-1 basis.
Bold entries in columns are up-to-date rankings followed by previous. Cal-Hi Sports’ and Max Preps’ represent state rankings. NR—Not ranked.
Records as of Monday, Feb. 5
VOTING PANEL
John Maffei, San Diego Union-Tribune
Aaron Burgin, Fulltime Hoops
Steve Brand, Eric Williams, Freelance writers
John Kentera, Freelance Contributor
Rick Smith, partletonsports.com
Adam Paul, eastcountysports.com
Bodie DeSilva, scorebooklive.com
Braden Surprenant 97.3 FM The Fan
Steve Dolan, Mountain Country 107.9-FM
Todd Cassen, Ron Marquez, CIF San Diego Section.
Rex Johnson, CIF Advisory Committee
Joe Evangelist, San Diego Coaching Legends Committee.
