What’s in a league championship?

Especially in this era of power ratings and strengths of schedules and what they mean in playoff pairings and postseason division assignments, which will be announced today?

A league title represents essentially just bragging rights, but ask the players and coaches who achieved it and what they think when banners are hoisted in gymnasium rafters.

All will agree the accomplishment still carries weight and memories that will last.

Twenty-three league champions and four co-champions were officially crowned last night and began preparing for the second season and playoffs that start Tuesday.

LAST WEEK DECIDERS

Three races went down to the final night.

Foothills Christian, beaten at home, 68-54, two weeks before by Francis Parker, turned the tables, 80-67, in the rematch at Parker to tie the Lancers for the Coastal championship.

High Tech San Diego earned a tie for the Central championship with a 52-48 victory over co-champion Morse.

Scripps Ranch and San Diego shared the Eastern League flag after the Falcons knocked off Lincoln, 60-51, while San Diego was playing a nonleague, 70-69 win over Serra.

Calvin Christian and Classical split two league meetings and shared the Ocean circuit gonfalon.

FAMILIAR PLACE

Ray Johnson left the El Camino program after the 2013-14 season and took his San Diego Section-leading 739 career victories at the Oceanside school to college basketball.

Some things don’t change.

Johnson returned to El Camino this season and coached the Warriors to their first league championship in five seasons.

The Warriors’ Avocado East title was alphabetically first from the 23 leagues in the San Diego Section, which has 133 schools participating, compared to 18 leagues and 98 schools in football.

League	Team	W-L	Overall
Avocado East	El Camino	10-0	22-5
Avocado West	Torrey Pines	10-0	24-4
Central	Morse	8-2	14-14
	High Tech San Diego	8-2	16-10
Citrus	Victory Christian	10-0	13-15
City	Coronado	8-0	18-9
Coastal	Francis Parker	11-1	21-3
	Foothills Christian	11-1	20-8
Desert	Calipatria	5-1	17-10
Eastern	Scripps Ranch	5-3	13-10
	San Diego	5-3	17-10
Grossmont Hills	Helix	8-0	22-6
Grossmont Valley	Granite Hills	8-0	15-9
Imperial Valley	Calexico	5-1	23-3
Manzanita	Calexico Vincent Memorial	10-0	13-8
Metropolitan Mesa	Mater Dei	9-1	22-5
Ocean	Classical	7-1	17-8
	Calvin Christian	7-1	14-7
Pacific	Tri-City	7-1	17-11
Palomar	Poway	8-0	24-4
Patriot	High Tech Chula Vista	5-1	11-9
Pioneer	National University Academy	7-1	7-2
Sierra	Horizon Prep	10-0	20-2
Metropolitan South Bay	San Ysidro	12-0	20-8
Summit	Mabel O’Farrell	8-0	23-4
Valley	Escondido	10-0	20-8
Western	Cathedral	7-1	21-7

Two legendary mentors pulled the pin.

Point Loma’s Lee Trepanier, whose Pointers teams dominated the state and earned national recognition throughout the decade, retired after 14 seasons, with a 331-56 record and .855 winning percentage.

Neville Saner, whose Poway teams won four Division I titles in his seven seasons, retired after posting a 139-42 (.768) record.

CLARK WINNER IN DISPUTE

Barely two weeks remained before the first game and Tony Clark still wasn’t eligible to play.

Clark had transferred from Valhalla to Christian at the start of the school year, but Valhalla principal Bob Avant, an athlete and former 7-foot high jumper at the University of Southern California, had refused to sign the necessary public-private school transfer waiver.

San Diego Section commissioner Kendall (Spider) Webb also had denied the transfer, citing two reasons:

There had been a private dinner several months before at which Clark and other 11^th-grade players from around the area had been hosted by a Christian booster and the school principal.

Webb also noted that a Christian coach had improperly approached another area athlete.

Clark appealed and a three-member committee of the section board of managers, unanimously sided with the player and made Clark eligible.

The committee supported the charges against Christian, but said, “Denial of the opportunity to compete in his senior year will be a penalty placed against Tony Clark because of the possibility of improper actions of persons other than himself.”

There had been a strained relationship between Clark’s father, who had coached freshman basketball at Valhalla, and Manny Silva, the Valhalla varsity mentor.

Clark, bound for the University of Arizona on a basketball scholarship and a future No. 1 draft choice by baseball’s Detroit Tigers, set a San Diego Section record with a 30.3 scoring average in 1988-89 at Valhalla and would average 43.1 for Christian..

MORE AND MORE POINTS

Individual scores in the 30s were common.  Tony Clark and Christina Adams of Grossmont routinely posted numbers in the 40s and 50s, Clark even going as high as 64. San Pasqual junior Erik Meek averaged 28 points and would later captain the 1994-95 Duke University team and play eight professional seasons in Europe.

No less than a record 23 games were won by the team that scored at least 100 points.  Sixteen different squads reached triple digits, including five by Mt. Carmel, which came close to Sweetwater’s all-time record of 136 in 1983-84 in a 132-58 win over Orange Glen.

12/2/89

San Diego 80, Castle Park 50.

Talk about a full day’s work in the first game.  Clark James had 37 points, 29 rebounds, 4 assists, and 4 blocked shots for the Cavers.

12/3/89

Christina Adams completed a three-game onslaught at the El Cajon Valley-Santana tournament by outscoring Serra with 49 points in a 59-48 Grossmont victory.

Adams averaged 40.5 points in the event, although sitting out the second half with a sore ankle versus Bonita Vista after scoring 36 points in the first two quarters.

The 5-foot-6 Adams, who averaged 15 points for the Foothillers in 1988-89, also rocked Hilltop with 47 points.

12/5/89

Christina Adams scored 50 points in a 79-50 win over Sweetwater, including 27 points on nine, three-point baskets.

12/6/89

Tony Clark remembered converting only nine three-point attempts at Valhalla in 1988-89. He hit five in his first game with Christian and scored 46 in a 71-68 win over Capistrano Valley Christian.

12/9/89

Tony Clark’s 58 points, third highest total in San Diego County history, gave him 142 in three games and a 79-60 win over Mountain Empire.

Mitchell Lilly had scored 61 in one game and Tom Shaules and Rob Petrie each scored 60.

—The Helen Bush School of Seattle defeated The Bishop’s, 72-43, in the Small Schools Invitational and then the tournament selection committee awarded the most-valuable player award to the Blazers’ team, although Christian’s Tony Clark scored 225 points in five games averaging 45.

“I don’t think anyone except Tony Clark should score 40 points in a high school game,” said Monte Vista’s Jeff Polinsky, who added, “When you’re on you’re on,” after scoring 45 in a 76-58 win over San Pasqual.

The Golden Eagles’ 6-foot, 10-inch Erik Meek scored 32, but sustained a foot injury.

—Santana took a 22-6, first-quarter lead and then held on to beat Christian, 54-52, despite 36 pints by the Patriots’ Tony Clark.

—Derek Wastila had 26 points and 26 rebounds to lead Coronado past Mount Miguel, 65-60.

12/16/89

J.J. Stokes, a future NFL No. 1 draft choice by San Francisco, scored 20 of his 29 points in the second half and  Point Loma, trailing, 50-42, after three quarters, rallied for a 65-64 win over Christian, which couldn’t convert Tony Clark’s 47 points.

12/20/89

Torrey Pines, getting 17 points each from Bart Brandenburg and Kyle Armstrong, won the 29^th Jim Mitchell Tournament, 61-52, over  Dana Point Dana Hills.

12/22/89

Patrick Henry cut a 25-point deficit from an earlier, 79-44 loss to Poway, but still lost to the Titans, 59-54, in the championship game of the 43^rd Kiwanis Tournament.

—Mira Mesa, with late-arriving football players J.J. Rowlett and Mark Ziegler combining for 51 points and 24 rebounds, won the Spartan Classic at Chula Vista, 95-82 over Oceanside.

12/28-29 1989

Another big game for Tony Clark (49 points) but another loss for Christian, which bowed, 80-65, to San Dieguito in the Aztec Christmas Classic at Montgomery.

Clark scored 54 points as Christian topped the Montgomery B team, 92-28.

12/30/89

Despite the loss of injured Tracy Halton and his 28-point average, Crawford edged Morse, 62-60, on Tito Singleton’s basket with seven seconds left for the Baron-Optimist championship at Southwestern College.

San Dieguito topped El Centro Central, 79-49, for the Aztec title.

1/3/90

Christina Adams was virtually unstoppable with 45 points but Helix scored a 70-61 win over rival Grossmont.

1/4/90

Clark James, averaging 31.3 points, was held to 15 as Kearny employed a “Diamond and One” defense in a 72-59 defeat of fourth-ranked San Diego.

“Carlos (Morgan) did a helluva job,” said Komets coach Bill Peterson.  “The whole game, he denied James the ball.”

1/6/90

Turnabout is fair play, even if not against the same opponent.

Two days following a 108-93 loss to Mt. Carmel, San Dieguito regrouped and defeated Vista, 112-87.  Six players scored in double figures led by Brian Malewicz and Matt de la Pena with 20 each.

“It was Morse-Lincoln from the first slam until the final shot,” wrote Ed Graney of The San Diego Union, noting that for the first time in 10 years neither team was ranked in the newspaper’s top 10, but as competitive and high-flying as ever.

Morse outlasted the neighboring Hornets with “a tough, man-to-man defense” and won, 63-61, before 1,800 persons at Mesa College.

Unofficial leading scorers by average/points

*Incomplete totals.

NAME	TEAM	GAMES	POINTS	AVERAGE
Tony Clark	Christian	31	1,337 (1)	43.12
Clark James	San Diego	23	659 (2)	28.65
Erik Meek	San Pasqual	21	586 (4)	27.90
Jeff Hooper	Lutheran	22	603 (3)	27.41
Tobin Wilkins	Midway Baptist	20	521(12)	26.05
*Jeff Polinsky	Monte Vista	19	463	24.36
*Darryl Parker	Rancho Buena Vista	24	584 (5T)	24.33
Shannon LeFever	Mount Miguel	22	510 (13)	23.18
J.J. Stokes	Point Loma	24	530 (11)	22.08
Carlos Campbell	Sweetwater	27	569 (7T)
Travis Gilley	El Camino	25	551 (10)	22.04
Carlos Campbell	Sweetwater	27	569 (7T)	21.07
*Chris Goergens	Granite Hills	17	358	21.05
*Tony Lee	Valhalla	23	488	21.21
Joe McDowell	Sweetwater	29	584  (5T)	20.13
Darryl McMillan	Lincoln	29	556 (9)	19.17

Tracy Halton, Crawford, 9×242, 26.9. *Alfonso de la Nuez, Ramona, 13×290, 22.30.

1/11/90

Dee Boyer, El Camino’s 6-foot, 9-inch center who missed the first 14 games with a fractured knee cap, scored 11 points in his return and the Wildcats won, 78-64, over San Pasqual, playing without 6-10 Erik Meek, out with strep throat.

1/18/90

Joe McNaull’s 6-foot, 11 inches, were all over the floor for Monte Vista as he scored 29 points and pulled down 32 rebounds in an 80-65 win over Granite Hills.

–Eight of Mt. Carmel’s nine, dressed-out players (they usually suited 12) scored from 11 to 23 points (Tom LaBuda 9×9 from the field, 5×6 on free throws) and they pin-balled to a 132-58, Palomar League victory over Orange Glen.

The Sundevils came close to Sweetwater’s record 136 in 1984-85.

–Christian evened its record at 7-7 as Tony Clark scored 49 points in 79-55, Harbor League win over Marian.

1/20/90

Chula Vista, on the road, led Sweetwater by 13 in the first half and 67-60 entering the final quarter but couldn’t hold on as the Red Devils, behind Joe McDowell’s 37 points, scored a 77-75, Metropolitan League win.  The Spartans had led Sweetwater by 15 in a December tournament and lost.

1/24/90

Among four players in double figures for Lincoln was 5-foot, 1-inch (yes, 5-1) ninth grader Archie Robinson, who had 11 points in a 95-67 roll on Madison.

1/25/90

All 12 players scored, led by 24 points each by Shane Knight and Mike Graves, elevating Mt. Carmel to a 117-80 in over Vista.

1/27/90

Patrick Henry’s Alan (Fritz) Ziegenfuss coached his 400^th career victory, 84-64 over Mira Mesa.  “Yes, four-hundred wins is a special thing, but I credit longevity and talent a whole lot more than coaching,” Ziegenfuss said to writer Steve Brand.

–J.J. Stokes scored 41 points for Point Loma (9-9), but Lincoln won its fifth in a row, 75-70.

–Tony Clark was 21×32 from the field and 6×8 from the three point arc and equaled his season high with 58 points as Christian (9-9) topped Clairemont, 88-52.

Feb 1, 1990

Tony Clark converted 22×32 field-goal attempts and his 55 points marked Clark’s sixth game with at least 50, but Christian fell to St. Augustine, in its first game after 14 forfeitures due to the ubiquitous, dreaded, administrative glitch, 87-79.

St. Augustine had not completed paper work on public-private school player transfer waiver.

–Poway, trailing by 15 points with less than six minutes to play, edged Mt. Carmel, 80-78.

2/7/90

Tony Clark scored 50 points.  It was his fourth consecutive game with at least that many and his seventh of the season.  Christian topped visiting Marian, 91-45.

2/10/90

Andre Toussaint’s basket with 10 seconds left gave Lincoln a 68-63 victory at San Diego as the Hornets claimed their fifth straight Central league title.

Feb. 13, 1990

“Yes, we probably got too conservative,” said Spartans coach Mike Collins, whose team led, 68-61, with 2:13 remaining and then attempted to take the air out of the ball, passing but passing up shots.

Joe McDowell’s two free throws with 0.07 on the clock clinched the Metropolitan League championship for the Red Devils, 73-71.

Feb. 15, 1990

Tony Clark’s 36 points gave him a season total of 961, breaking the record of 960 by Helix’ Bill Walton in 1969-70. Christian improved to 12-10 with a 66-50 victory over Coronado.

–Visiting Rancho Buena Vista outscored Mt. Carmel, 103-97, reversing an 82-57 loss to the Sundevils..

Brad Grubaugh set a school record with 43 points. Darryl Parker, son of former NBA player Sonny Parker, added 37 and the Longhorns shot 70 per cent from the field.

Feb. 16, 1990

Christina Adams set a San Diego Section record with 21 consecutive free throws in a 58-47 win over El Cajon Valley. Adams, who missed on her 22^nd attempt, finished with 31 points.

Feb. 17, 1990

Tony Clark scored 46 points but Christian bowed to Clairemont, 80-67.

Feb. 17, 1990

Mt. Carmel closed the regular season with a 124-65, Palomar League victory over Vista.  The outburst tied the Sundevils with Marian for the fourth highest score in County history.

 

For the first time in 14 years the San Diego Section championship games did not take place in the Sports Arena (13,700 capacity) on Midway Drive or Peterson Gymnasium (3,668 capacity) on the San Diego State campus.

The championships were played at Golden Hall, a downtown facility of 3,200 seats that was more known as a host for concerts and artists such as the Rolling Stones, Bob Dylan, the Grateful Dead, and others.

But basketball had a history at the C Street venue.  It was home of the San Diego Conquistadores of the American Basketball Association in the 1970s.

“If he (San Diego Section commissioner Kendall Webb) had gotten to me sooner, we would have been able to accommodate them,” said Sports Arena executive Norm Smith.

Coaches were split.

“The Sports Arena is a nice place to play in for the kids, but let’s face facts,” said Lincoln’s Ron Loneski.  “You go in there and there’s about 700 or 1,000 people.  I would rather play in Golden Hall.  The Sports Arena is not conducive to basketball when there’s no one in the place.”

Poway’s Neville Saner:  “I believe the Sports Arena is the best location because you can get 7,000 in there.  I remember when Poway and Serra played in 1986 there were over 7,000 people there.”

NOT ALL INVITED

The season also signaled an end to the 2-year-old open playoff format, in which every team was eligible for a postseason berth.  Divisions I and II were limited to 16 teams each, although all teams in D-III, IV, and V were eligible.

STATE FINALIST

Christian, propelled by record-shattering Tony Clark, earned a trip to the state D-V championship, the third San Diego Section team in the last three seasons.  Lincoln in D-IV and Calipatria in D-V advanced in 1987-88.

BOYS PLAYOFFS

(seeding numbers in italics)

DIVISION I

FIRST ROUND

Mira Mesa 66, Fallbrook 52 (16-11).

2 Mt. Carmel 84, Hilltop 72 (14-14).

Poway 53, Morse 49 (12-15).

1 Sweetwater 96, Granite Hills 53 (10-16).

Sweetwater led, 52-40, in the third quarter.  Four minutes later the score was 73-44.

4 San Diego 78, San Dieguito 61 (10-15).

Chula Vista 75, Point Loma 59 (12-13).

The Spartans closed with a 24-7 fourth quarter.

Rancho Buena Vista 79, Bonita Vista 50 (15-9).

3 Patrick Henry 65, Castle Park 57 (11-13).

QUARTERFINALS

1 Sweetwater 80, Mira Mesa 55 (18-9).

2 Mt. Carmel 76, Poway 56 (18-7).

4 San Diego 88, Chula Vista 85 (21-8).

Clark James scored 41 points to tie the Cavers’ school record by Oscar Foster in the 1966-67 season and added 18 rebounds.

3 Patrick Henry 70, Rancho Buena Vista 52 (15-10).

SEMIFINALS

2 Mt. Carmel 67, 3 Patrick Henry 46 (23-5).

Sixteen years after the school opened and following seven losses in the semifinal round, the Sundevils advanced. “I finally got the monkey off my back,” said Coach John Marincovich.

1 Sweetwater 64, 4 San Diego 54 (18-5).

CHAMPIONSHIP

1 Sweetwater 78, 2 Mt. Carmel 71.

SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA REGIONAL

QUARTERFINALS

5 Lynwood 82 (31-2, Southern), 4 Sweetwater 79, 3 OT (29-2).

Sweetwater could have won but missed free throws near the end of the first and second overtimes.

The Knights’ Earnest Killum, who scored 45 points, converted a pair of free throws with 14 seconds left in the third extra session.  The Red Devils followed with two, missed three-point tries.

“We had to keep our composure in front of a hostile crowd down here,” said Lynwood coach Bill Notley.  “We really had to fight.  That is one fine team.”

D-II

FIRST ROUND

Monte Vista 81, Oceanside 57 (12-13).

3 El Camino 99, El Capitan 57 (10-16).

4 Valhalla 68, Escondido 40 (7-14).

University City 89, Carlsbad 68 (7-14).

2 San Pasqual 69, Mission Bay 45 (4-17).

The Golden Eagles prevailed despite the absence of 29-point scoring, 6-foot, 10-inch Erik Meek, idle with a sprained ankle.

Crawford 74, Grossmont 71, OT (13-9).

Helix 49, Serra 47 (7-14).

1 Torrey Pines 89, Hoover 53 (5-20).

QUARTERFINALS

2 San Pasqual 74, Crawford 56 (18-9).

1 Torrey Pines 58, Helix 46 (13-8).

University City 83, 4 Valhalla 82 (20-9).

Jerome Price’s fadeaway, 20-foot jump shot with three seconds left and his 24 points earned the Centurions a surprise victory over the better seeded Norsemen.

3 El Camino 82, Monte Vista 62 (19-7).

“Dee (Boyer) was out 14 games and Travis (Gilley) missed four…this is the first time we’ve come together with everything in focus,” said El Camino coach Ray Johnson.

SEMIFINALS

5 University City 75, 1 Torrey Pines 58 (27-3).

The Centurions’ Anthony Hill scored 22 points and held the Falcons’ high-scoring Kyle Armstrong to one field goal.  “I told coach (Tom Medigovich) that I wanted him,” said Hill, who described Armstrong as cocky.

3 El Camino 63, 2 San Pasqual 49 (20-6).

“We wanted to pound it right at (Erik) Meek and take our chances with the referees,” said El Camino center Dee Boyer.  Meek went to the bench with his fourth foul and the Golden Eagles leading, 26-23, at the 6:12 mark of the third quarter.

El Camino, working easily in the low post with Meek out of the game, finished with a 40-23 run.

CHAMPIONSHIP

3 El Camino 68, University City 65.

The Centurions, trailing, 50-36, late in the third quarter, rallied and could have sent the game into overtime but Jerome Price’s 20-foot jump shot with two seconds remaining clanked off the rim.

SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA REGIONAL

QUARTERFINALS

2 Glendora 51 (27-5, Southern), 7 University City 45 (24-5).

4 El Camino 92, 5 Compton (22-8, Southern) 78, OT.

Wildcats coach Ray Johnson drew up a “home run” with two seconds remaining in regulation play.  Travis Gilley then “circled the bases” with a 18-foot basket that etched a tie at 73 and sent the game into overtime.

The game-tying play, according to writer Pedro Gomez, began under the opposite basket.  Shaun Scurry launched a 55-foot pass toward 6-foot, 9-inch Dee Boyer, who was standing at the free throw line.  Instead of catching the ball, Boyer tapped the pass to Gilley, situated just inside the three-point line.

Compton was done.

Twenty-nine seconds into the extra session Scurry drained a 12-foot shot and El Camino had its first lead since midway of the second quarter.

SEMIFINALS

1 Artesia (27-2, Southern) 74, 4 El Camino 70 (23-7).

The Pioneers’ Ed O’Bannon had 30 points and nine rebounds and six consecutive free throws in the final minutes to keep the Wildcats at a distance.

“We couldn’t get that one spurt to take us over the hump,” said Wildcats Coach Ray Johnson.  “If a couple calls go our way, it might have been a different outcome.”

D-III

QUARTERFINALS

St. Augustine 87, Ramona 58 (14-8).

Clairemont 85, Kearny 76 (16-11).

2 Lincoln 78, La Jolla 60 (4-19).

SEMIFINALS

1 University 90, St. Augustine 69 (7-21).

2 Lincoln 106, Clairemont 56 (7-15).

CHAMPIONSHIP

2 Lincoln 83, 1 University 66 (17-7).

Steve Brand of The San Diego Union wrote that “Lincoln Prep held a board meeting last night at Golden Hall.”

The Hornets, outrebounding the University Dons, 54-23, won their third consecutive D-III title.

“We knew all five of our guys would have to crash the boards to have a chance,” said Uni coach Jim Tomey.

SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA REGIONAL

QUARTERFINALS

4 Goleta Dos Pueblos (18-13, Southern) 72, 5 University 46 (17-8).

7 Corona Del Mar 67 (20-10, Southern), 2 Lincoln 65 (22-9).

D-IV

QUARTERFINALS

3 Army-Navy 66, West Hills 44 (1-16).

4 Mountain Empire 67, Holtville 58.

SEMIFINALS

1 Coronado 60, 4 Mountain Empire 39 (8-6).

2 Imperial 69, Army-Navy 52 (11-14).

CHAMPIONSHIP

1 Coronado 63, Imperial 53.

The Tigers were 0 for 13 from the field in the third quarter.

SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA REGIONAL

QUARTERFINALS

5 Laguna Beach (24-6, Southern) 71, 4 Coronado 37 (19-9).

1 Oxnard Santa Clara (26-0, Southern) 67, 8 Imperial 37 (16-9).

D-V

FIRST ROUND

Calexico Vincent Memorial 51, Borrego Springs (11-10).

La Jolla Country Day 98, Tri-City Christian 52 (7-11).

Marian 61, Calvin Christian 49 (12-12).

The Bishop’s 70, Victory Christian 43 (3-12).

Francis Parker 79, Midway Baptist 66 (7-13).

Lutheran 78, Santa Fe Christian 67 (9-16).

Christian 96, Julian 36 (6-19).

QUARTERFINALS

Christian 103, La Jolla Country Day 65 (18-8).

Tony Clark scored 10, three-point baskets and finished with a San Diego Section record 64 points. “I had no idea how many I had,” Clark told Ed Graney of The San Diego Union.  “I first found out when they announced it.”

Clark became the third San Diego County player with as many as 60 points in one game.  St. Augustine’s Tom Shaules and Julian’s Rob Petrie had 60 in 1957-58 1969-70, respectively, and Madison’s Mitchell Lilly 61 in 1976-77.

Clark had 29 at halftime and 44 when he went to the bench for the final 1:33 of the third quarter.  Christian Coach Randy Wright set Clark free for his 20-point fourth quarter.

The Bishop’s 62, Calexico Vincent Memorial 39.

Marian 59, Lutheran 41 (15-9).

Calipatria-Francis Parker, no score.

SEMIFINALS

Calipatria 47, Marian 39 (9-16).

Christian 57, The Bishop’s 50 (22-5).

Tony Clark scored 18 of Christian’s 20 third-quarter points and the Patriots held on before 2,000 persons at San Dieguito.  Clark scored 40 but was 17×37 from the field.

CHAMPIONSHIP

Christian 65, Calipatria 48.

The Hornets triple-teamed Tony Clark, whose 22 points were his lowest total of the season and half of his 44-point average.

“We won; that’s all that matters,” said Clark.  “The points don’t mean anything.”

Christian teammate Dave Piester stepped up with 20 points, 10 rebounds, and three blocked shots as the Patriots ended Calipatria’s run of three consecutive titles.

SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA REGIONAL

QUARTERFINALS

Christian 72, Capistrano St. Margaret (21-7, Southern) 52.

Tony Clark’s 52 points matched the Tartans’.

Canoga Park Baptist (Southern) 67, Calipatria 52 (21-6).

The Hunters broke from a tie score at the end of three quarters with a 29-14 fourth quarter.

SEMIFINALS

Christian 44, Paramount Brethren (20-10, Southern) 43.

CHAMPIONSHIP

Christian 80, Canoga Park Baptist (21-11, Southern) 72.

STATE CHAMPIONSHIP

Colusa (28-2, Northern) 62, Christian 48 (19-12).

Coach’s son Jayson Vossler missed all 12 of his three-point attempts in the first half but buried  another attempt with five minutes left in the game, breaking a 41-41 tie and launching the Redskins on a 21-7 run to the title.

Tony Clark scored 27 points in his final high school game.

GIRLS PLAYOFFS

DIVISION I

FIRST ROUND

1 Mt. Carmel 63, Mount Miguel 27 (7-12).

2 Santana 57, Orange Glen 37 (7-16).

Vista 49, Chula Vista 47 (11-13).

Mira Mesa 41, San Diego 34 (11-12).

3 Rancho Buena Vista 81, Hilltop 42 (9-14).

4 Poway, 80, Southwest 31 (9-13).

Fallbrook 59, Bonita Vista 39 (17-6).

Granite Hills 73, Montgomery 59 (17-8).

QUARTERFINALS

1 Mt. Carmel 60, 8 Mira Mesa 34 (12-12).

2 Santana 73, 7 Vista 56 (13-13).

3 Rancho Buena Vista 73, 6 Granite Hills 49 (12-14).

4 Poway 58, 5 Poway 35 (17-11).

SEMIFINALS

2 Santana 57, 3 Rancho Buena Vista 42 (21-7).

“We just wanted to get away from Point Loma,” said Santana coach Wade Vickery of his decision to enter the Sultans in the D-I playoffs instead of going D-II and possibly meeting the Pointers.

1 Mt. Carmel 51, 4 Poway 48 (21-5).

CHAMPIONSHIP

1 Mt. Carmel 56, 2 Santana 55 (21-5).

There were 3,125 persons on their feet in downtown Golden Hall, as Rebecca Aase’s free throw bounced off the rim.  No time remained and Mt. Carmel  dodged a Santana bullet.

The Sundevils, playing their last game under Coach Peggy Brose, who would become athletic director at the new Rancho Bernardo High in the fall, was in front, 48-42, with 5:09 left when Vicki de Jesus (20 points, 17 rebounds) fouled out.

SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA REGIONAL

QUARTERFINALS

5 Mt. Carmel 65, 4 Newhall Hart (25-5, Southern) 42.

The Sundevils bused 156 miles and beat a team that had not lost a home game in more than two years.  They led, 40-13, at halftime.

“We have no illusion of winning it,” Peggy Brose told Laura Palmer of the Los Angeles Times the day before.  “We just want to go up there and represent San Diego the best we can.”

The loss was “a little stunning,” understated Indians coach Dave Monroe.

SEMIFINALS

1 Inglewood Morningside (30-3, Southern) 78, 5 Mt. Carmel 42 (23-6).

“I talked about not being intimidated before the game, but we still were,” Sundevils coach Peggy Brose told Ed Graney.

D-II

FIRST ROUND

1 Point Loma 59, Madison 29 (9-13).

Grossmont 51, Crawford 37 (15-8).

Serra 55, Monte Vista 46 (13-9).

2 San Pasqual 41, Mission Bay 23 (10-14).

Torrey Pines 63, University 28 (12-8).

Oceanside 59, Helix 25 (11-10).

4 Castle Park 64, San Marcos 39 (12-12).

3 El Cajon Valley 63, Carlsbad 52 (11-12).

QUARTERFINALS

1 Point Loma 66, Serra 38 (15-11).

2 San Pasqual 74, Grossmont 48 (13-7).

The Golden Eagles hit a season high in points and all-time scorer Christina Adams had 33 in her final game for the Foothillers.

4 Castle Park 49, Oceanside 42 (18-8).

3 El Cajon Valley 60, Torrey Pines 58 (16-9).

SEMIFINALS

1 Point Loma 53, 4 Castle Park 42 (18-6).

2 San Pasqual 71, 3 El Cajon Valley 59 (21-7).

CHAMPIONSHIP

1 Point Loma 62, 2 San Pasqual 34.

“They couldn’t match up with us,” Pointers coach Lee Trepanier told Steve Brand of the Union after a fifth San Diego Section championship in six years.  “They’re a nice little team, but we were ready.”

Trepanier’s ream did not need a pregame pep talk.  “If I have to preach to them about getting up, I’m in the wrong gym.”

Tyeast Brown scored 25 points and blocked five shots for the Pointers.

SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA REGIONAL

QUARTERFINALS

3 Pasadena Muir (Southern) 56, 6 San Pasqual 39 (24-6).

1 Point Loma 66, 8 West Torrance (23-6, Southern) 36.

SEMIFINALS

1 Point Loma 39, 5 Westminster La Quinta 36.

Tyeast Brown held Amy Jalewalia, the state’s second-leading scorer with a 33.7 average, to eight points and Robin Rabello, an ex-soccer player playing basketball for the first time, scored 14 points and drew 12 rebounds as the host Pointers overcame a two-point deficit after three quarters.

FINALS

3 Pasadena Muir (28-5, Southern) 43, 1 Point Loma 38 (29-4).

“The Lord giveth and the Lord taketh way,” Pointers coach Lee Trepanier said of the loss.  “Our defense played well, but the difference was their defense.  I sure thought we’d score more than ten points in the second half.”

D-III

QUARTERFINALS

3 Our Lady of Peace 74, La Jolla 34 (2-22).

2 University 65, Clairemont 22 (2-18).

4 Kearny 60, Ramona 35 (6-17).

Freshmen twins Melissa (24 points) and Shelly (7 points 12 rebounds, 5 assists) Krause set the pace for the Komets.

SEMIFINALS

1 Lincoln 47, 4 Kearny 44 (18-10).

3 Our Lady of Peace 54, 2 University 47 (18-4).

CHAMPIONSHIP

3 Our Lady of Peace 67, 1 Lincoln 60.

The Pilots reversed an earlier, 12-point loss to the Hornets and Coach Yvonne Sanchez noted to Ed Graney, “We went back to what works, straight, man-to-man defense.  I made some coaching mistakes the last time.  I redeemed myself.”

Lincoln’s Sheila Dixon had 29 points and 20 rebounds but “we lost because we didn’t box out and we hurried our shots.”

SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA REGIONAL

QUARTERFINALS

7 Palos Verdes Peninsula Palos Verdes (27-6, Southern) 53, 2 Our Lady of Peace 37 (24-5).

1 Brea-Olinda (31-0, Southern) 66, 8 Lincoln 32 (15-8).

D-IV

SEMIFINALS

1 Holtville 47, Mountain Empire 28 (5-17).

2 Coronado 42, 4 West Hills 34 (3-22).

CHAMPIONSHIP

Holtville 57, Coronado 31.

SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA REGIONAL

QUARTERFINALS

4 Holtville 57, 5 Cerritos Valley Christian (21-6, Southern) 56.

1 Santa Maria St. Joseph (Southern) 89, 8 Coronado 29 (14-12).

SEMIFINALS

1 Santa Maria St. Joseph (27-3, Southern) 71, 4 Holtville 32 (19-10).

D-V

FIRST ROUND

Julian 74, Calexico Vincent Memorial 44.

Three-time Coast League player of the year Vicki Teter scored a school-record 55 points, elevating her to a tie for fourth behind all time behind leader Terri Mann, (65), Linda Nielson (60) and Sharon turner (60).  Kristen Cummings and Mann also had 55.

The Bishop’s 64, Lutheran 32 (4-8).

Francis Parker 70, Tri-City 11 (4-9).

QUARTERFINALS

2 Christian 71, Francis Parker 34 (10-12).

1 La Jolla Country Day 66, Marian 50 (7-15).

Calvin Christian 69, Julian 29 (11-3).

The Bishop’s 46, Calipatria 40.

SEMIFINALS

1 La Jolla Country Day 59, Calvin Christian 57, OT (14-7).

2 Christian 62, The Bishop’s 57 (11-10).

CHAMPIONSHIP

1 La Jolla Country Day 70, Christian 63.

SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA REGIONAL

5 Lone Pine (23-6, Southern) 57, 4 La Jolla Country Day 53 (18-3).

2 Rosamond (19-7, Central) 43, 7 Christian 34 (12-12).

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

San Ysidro is making noise again. Not enough to earn a top 10 ranking, but the Cougars have won five in a row and scored more than 100 points for the fifth time this season, including a post-poll vote,106-30 victory over Castle Park last night.

The fall of the Trojans marked the third time in the last 12 days that the also identified “Border Boyz”  have reached triple digits.

Century scores are not common, but not rare. There have been hundreds in the thousands of games played in San Diego County since the first, a 104-19 St. Augustine romp over San Diego Vocational at the still-standing Municipal Gym in Balboa Park on Jan. 12, 1952.

MIKEY’S MATES SCORE, TOO

The Cougars are not a one-man (freshman Mikey Williams) show.  Jurien Dixon (551 points, 24.0 average) and Kailen Rains (445 points, 20.2) have added to the firepower of Coach Terry Tucker’s team, which has an 87.1 average.

Dixon, a 6-foot, 4-inch freshman, scored 29 points against Castle Park. Rains had 33 and Williams 24.

Williams leads California with a 32.6 average in 21 games (he missed two) and has scored 685 points. According to Max Preps, Williams ranks 22^nd in the country, behind another frosh, Marcus Robinson, who has a 45.3 average for an 8-8 team in Penfield, N.Y.

Jailen Nelson of Carlsbad (24.3) is 23^rd, a notch ahead of Dixon, giving the San Diego Section three of the top 25 scorers in California.  Not all teams, however, contribute individual scoring stats to Max Preps.

BROKE 14-YEAR-OLD RECORD

Williams set a County record with 77 points in a 116-42 win over Kearny on Dec. 13, one day short of the 14th anniversary of the 76, by Crawford’s Tyrone Shelley, coached by Tucker, in a 138-26 win over a British Columbia team on Dec. 14, 2005.

The Colts’ outburst, tied for second all-time in the County with Vista (138-57, Bonita Vista, 1992-93), behind La Jolla Country Day (143-60, Mountain Empire, 1991-92), was their only 100-plus effort.

San Ysidro is 15-8 after last night’s game but not yet on the trajectory of that Shelley squad, which was 23-9 and lost to Rancho Santa Margarita, 51-46, in the Southern California Regional playoffs.

A youngster on that Santa Margarita club was a 6-foot, 3-inch sophomore, Klay Thompson, now of much greater renown with the Golden State Warriors.

First-place votes in parenthesis.  NR—No ranked.

Union-Tribune	Team	Record	Points	Last Week	Max Preps	Cal-Hi Sports
1.	Cathedral	16-6 (10)	122	T-1	30	Bubble
2	St. Augustine	19-4 (3)	120	3	19	19
3.	Torrey Pines	17-4	99	4	44	NR
4.	Foothills Christian	15-7	80	T-1	43	NR
5.	Francis Parker	16-2	79	7	31	Bubble
6.	Mater Dei	17-3	73	5	38	NR
7.	Poway	18-4	60	6	37	NR
8.	Christian	17-4	39	8	71	NR
9.	Santa Fe Christian	16-6	20	9	68	NR
10.	Carlsbad	15-7	10	10	134	NR

Others receiving votes: 11. Helix (17-6, 3 points), 12. El Camino (16-5, 3) 13. San Ysidro (14-8, 2), 14. Bonita Vista (16-6, 1).

Panel:  John Maffei (The San Diego Union-Tribune), Terry Monahan, (Union-Tribune) correspondent, Aaron Burgin (Fulltime Hoops), Steve Brand (San Diego Sports Association), John Kentera, Braden Suprenant, (97.3 FM The Fan), Steve (Biff) Dolan (Mountain Country 107.9 FM), Christian Pedersen (SoCal Preps Insider), Bodie DeSilva (scorebooklive.com); Adam Paul (ecpreps.com), Brad Enright (L.A. Court report), Rick Smith (partletonsports.com).

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 100^th 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).

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 100^th 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 135^th 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 42^nd Kiwanis Tournament, with 59 teams in boys’ and girls’ divisions, tipped, as the 28^th 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 10^th-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 300^th coaching victory against 45 losses, a .869 percentage.