Sweetwater fired a season-opening shot to remember on Nov. 21, exploding for 136 points against Coronado in the first game (Seach 1984-85: Zarecky’s Red Devils Runnin’…andTravelin’), but the Red Devils came up short again in the playoffs as Poway, now a team of mostly juniors, ran away with the San Diego Section 3-A title.

Other moments  from a long season:

11/28/84

Poway cemented its status as the team to beat come late February with a first week, 89-51 rout of Morse, an Eastern League stalwart and expected postseason contender.

The Titans outscored the Tigers, 50-23, in the second half.  Jud Buechler scored 26 points.

12/12/84

“He told us if we kept playing like we had in the first half, we could watch the second,” said Poway center John Colborne.

Trailing, 31-30, at halftime, the Titans straightened out at Point Loma and eased to a 75-63 victory, punctuated by a 25-6 third quarter.

“Poway is the best team I’ve seen in San Diego since Bill Walton was at Helix and, because of their guards, Poway might be better than that Helix team,” said Pointers coach John May.

Colborne, hearing Coach Neville Saner loud and clear, led with 26 points and 14 rebounds.

12/14/84

Sixteen days after a blowout loss to Poway, Morse defeated No. 3-ranked and 9-0 Sweetwater, 80-71, as Paul Bryant scored 22 of his 28 points in the second half.

Perhaps the Red Devils were looking ahead, far ahead.  They would leave in two days for a Christmas Vacation trip to Europe and play in a major event in Yugoslavia.

Sweetwater coach Gary Zarecky, his team buttressed by Castle Park transfers Mahlon Williams and Sean Styles, continued to showcase his team.

The Red Devils in previous years played in Canada, Hawaii, and at the prestigious tournament in Hobbs, New Mexico.

1/8/85

Devin Moran scored 34 points and Serra set a school record for points in a 92-72 victory over Mt. Carmel.

Point Loma made 6 of 7 free throw attempts in the last minute to edge Kearny, 76-72.

1/16/85

Patrick Henry improved to 15-0 with a 69-67 win over visiting Morse.  The Patriots called up sophomore Darren Thrower from the junior varsity on the day of the game and Thrower successfully handled the ball against the Tigers’ baseline-to-baseline press.

(Twenty days later the Patriots moved to 21-0 by surviving two overtimes and winning at Morse, 63-60).

–Monte Vista led, 17-3, and 38-20 but El Capitan rallied for a 69-64, overtime victory in a game that matched teams with 7-0 Grossmont League records.

–El Camino’s Sharon Turner set a girls San Diego Section record with 60 points in the Wildcats’ 121-16 win over Ramona. Turner, 29×36 shooting from the field, brought her recent, four-game total to 197 points

–John Colborne was sidelined with an ankle injury but 6-6 Dominick Johnson, son of legendary San Diego High athlete and 16-season major league baseball standout Deron Johnson, scored 28 points and added 17 rebounds in an 80-65 triumph over Orange Glen.

1/23/84

The Point Loma girls set a San Diego Section record with their 45th consecutive win, 62-33 at Patrick Henry.

Fallbrook held the record of 44 in the 1977-78 and ’78-79 seasons.

1/25/84

Chula Vista, loser of its first four, won its 13^th game in 14 with a 95-44 rout of San Diego Southwest as it prepared for a February battle with blood rival Sweetwater.

“I coach the talent,” 13-year Spartans coach Mike Collins replied to a compliment from Jeff Savage of the Evening Tribune.  “We were taller last year and this year we’re shorter but quicker.  We do what we have to.”

–John Colborne was back after a two-game injury but Poway struggled to get to 17-0 and 7-0 in the Palomar League with a 62-59 victory at Vista.

Dominick Johnson set a career high with 30 points and Jud Buechler added 14 for the Titans.

–Hoover came within two points of the school record in a 103-68 win over St. Augustine.  The Cardinals defeated Christian, 105-46, in 1981-82.

2/2/85

Oceanside was 5×14 from the free-throw line, El Camino 11×12, including eight in a row in the final 1:21, to lock a 51-47 victory in a battle of Avocado League rivals.

“That’s the way it’s gone all season,” noted Oceanside coach Bill Christopher of the team’s lack of success at the line.  “No, make that all decade.”

2/8/85

Poway’s John Colborne missed another game because of flu and Torrey Pines sprung the upset of the season, 55-53, in the Falcons’ gym.

The victory elevated Torrey to 11-11 on the season and reduced  the Titans to 19-1, leaving only Patrick Henry undefeated, 22-0.

–El Capitan clinched a playoff spot with a 46-36 win over Helix in a game that erupted with 1:32 left.

–A Helix foul touched off a melee in which both benches emptied and about 100 fans, players, and peace-keepers swarmed the court.

–No one was ejected.  Game officials couldn’t determine who the instigator was.

BOYS SCORING LEADERS

NAME	TEAM	GAMES	POINTS	AVERAGE
Ron Howard	Vista	26	520	20.0 (10)
Howard Wright	Patrick Henry	25	501	20.04 (9)
Bill Donley	Christian	22	500	22.7 (1)
Jim Tatum	Santana	23	497	21.60 (3)
Brad Milhoan	Kearny	24	496	20.66 (5T)
Sam Aguirre	Hoover	24	475	19.8
T. Shawcroft	Granite Hills	23	465	20.2 (8)
Mahlon Williams	Sweetwater	28	473	16.9
Williams	Hoover	24	465	19.4
Paul Bryant	Morse	22	459	20.86 (4)
Dean	Madison	21	455	21.67 (2)
Dominick Johnson	Poway	25	451	18.2
Steve Burroughs	El Capitan	24	438	18.2
Edgar Harvey	Chula Vista	26	441	16.96
Larry Willson	Sweetwater	22	448	20.36 (7)
Robert Jones	El Cajon  Valley	21	434	20.66 (5T)
Demetrius Lafitte	Monte Vista	24	430	17.9
Bay Dean	Chula Vista	26	426	16.4
White	Carlsbad	22	406	18.5
Darnell Woods	Chula Vista	25	406	16.24
Markowitz	Army-Navy	21	395	19.75
Jeff Barry	Santana	23	399	17.3
John Colborne	Poway	23	390	16.95
Pelletier	Valhalla	23	390	16.95
Sommer	Escondido	20	387	19.3
David Fulmer	Bonita Vista	23	382	16.6
Kennedy	Torrey Pines	23	382	16.6

Billings, Mountain Empire, 16×285, 19.0.  Karl Rumpelhart, The Bishop’s 14×255, 18.2.

GIRLS

NAME	TEAM	GAMES	POINTS	AVERAGE
Sharon Turner	El Camino	29	863	31.7 (1)
Terri Mann	Point Loma	27	680	25.2 (2)
Paula Mascari	Monte Vista	25	599	23.96 (3)
Chris Sherman	Santana	24	518	21.58 (4)
Karen Chariker	Clairemont	22	471	21.4 (5)
Hranek	Vista	24	448	18.66
Evans	El Camino	27	441	16.3
Michelle Wilkes	Bonita Vista	23	431	18.7
Heidi Erpelding	University	24	424	17.7
Sheri Johnson	Santana	23	416	18.08
Donna Matthews	Hilltop	24	404	16.8
Julie Evans	Hilltop	18	402	22.33

PLAYOFFS

BOYS

3-A

QUARTERFINALS

Patrick Henry 80, Vista 58 (13-11).

Morse 76, Monte Vista 57 (22-2).

The third-ranked Monarchs had led the County with a defensive scoring average of 43.7.

The Tigers 5-foot, 11-inch Paul Bryant scored 29 points and said, “I’m used to playing under pressure, usually against cats taller than me.”

Poway 106, Bonita Vista 51 (14-9).

Dominick Johnson scored 27 points and the Titans, opening with a 35-7 first quarter, came within two points of the school record, set in 1973-74 against San Dieguito.

Sweetwater 77, El Capitan 69 (18-6).

SEMIFINALS

Morse 71, Patrick Henry 64 (23-2).

Overflow crowd of 2,700 persons at Serra saw the Tigers avenge two losses to Patriots as substitute Deshang Weaver, who played at Lincoln last season, scored 18 points and “gave us an emotional lift,” said Morse coach Ron Davis.

Poway 70, Sweetwater 64 (24-4).

The Titans’ Big Three of Dominick Johnson (23), Jud Buechler (17), and John Colborne (15) led an early, 17-8 run and the Red Devils never caught up.

–“If we play our game, hard to defense us,” said Johnson. “We’re a year older, we’re much more mature, and we’re not selfish.”

CHAMPIONSHIP

Poway 87, Morse 63 (15-7).

Johnson (23), Colborne and Buechler, 20 each, combined to match the Tigers’ total, before 7,618 persons at the Sports Arena.

“We’re not the Cinderella team we were last year.” said Coach Neville Saner.

SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA REGIONAL

L.A. Crenshaw 79, Poway 61 (24-2).

A crowd of more than 2,500 at Mira Mesa watched Poway hang in, trailing only 40-35 in the third quarter.

“They just keep coming at you; they never rest,” said the Titans’ Andy Byrne.

“This is an excellent team,” said the Cougars’ Stevie Thompson.  “When we came here we didn’t think they’d be tough.  They were a three-A team from San Diego and we just didn’t think they’d be very good.”

2-A

QUARTERFINALS

Oceanside 51, Hoover 47 (20-5).

El Camino 72, Hilltop 60 (9-17).

Hilltop crept to 39-38, but “I didn’t think we were in any danger,” Wildcats coach Ray Johnson told Bud Maloney of the Evening Tribune.  “If you’ve seen our team play you would know we go to sleep at times.”

Chula Vista 62, Kearny 61 (18-7).

George Brynd’s two free throws with six seconds left climaxed the Spartans 11-point comeback in fourth quarter.

Mission Bay 56, Crawford 53 (11-11).

SEMIFINALS

Mission Bay 60, El Camino 52 (21-3).

Before Ray Johnson’s boys squad took the floor against and the underdog Buccaneers, Johnson coached the girls’ team to its win over San Marcos.  There would not be an El Camino double final in 2-A.

Oceanside 42, Chula Vista 40 (19-7).

Junior Seau swatted George Brynd’s shot into the stands with one second left at Serra High to preserve the Pirates’ win.

CHAMPIONSHIP

Oceanside 63, Mission Bay 40 (19-6).

Pirates led only 23-21 at halftime.

SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA REGIONAL

Easton Washington Union 50, Oceanside 32 (19-7).

The Panthers were of a Fresno suburb and members of the Central Section of the state CIF.

1-A

COASTAL LEAGUE PLAYOFFS

Army-Navy 73, La Jolla Country Day 52.

Lutheran 68, The Bishop’s 66.

SEMIFINALS

Lutheran 67, Army-Navy 57 (20-4).

CHAMPIONSHIP

Lutheran 61, Imperial 51.

“Once we got the ice off the rim we started hitting,” said Knights coach Michael Heidtbrink after the Mountain-Desert League playoff-winning Tigers took a 14-5 lead.

SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA REGIONAL

Avenal 74, Lutheran 61 (21-5).

BOYS CENTURY CLUB

TEAM	OPPONENT	SCORE
Sweetwater	Coronado	136-48
Sweetwater	Mar Vista	123-54
Sweetwater	Yugoslavian Club Team	116-114
Sweetwater	Mar Vista	115-36
Sweetwater	Southwest	112-39
Sweetwater	Kearny	107-83
Chula Vista	Marian	107-67
La Jolla Country Day	Victory Christian	104-34
Hoover	St. Augustine	103-68
Poway	Bonita Vista	106-51
Sweetwater	Castle Park	100-68
Poway	Fallbrook	100-44
Sweetwater	Chula Vista	100-94

GIRLS PLAYOFFS

QUARTERFINALS

3-A

Point Loma 71, Grossmont 21 (14-5).

The 23-0 Pointers converted an astounding 24 steals into easy baskets, winning their 70^th in a row at home and 52^nd consecutive.

Fallbrook 68, Madison 48 (12-7).

Santana 56, Sweetwater 50 (14-7).

Chris Sherman’s 25 points and 11 rebounds helped Santana (23-0) stay undefeated.

Mt. Carmel 69, Bonita Vista 66 (17-6).

Donna Gutierrez’ two free throws with 33 seconds left closed out the Sundevils’ upset of the  10^th-ranked Barons.

SEMIFINALS

Point Loma 63, Mt. Carmel 29 (17-8).

The Sundevils committed four fouls in a rowdy first minute, “tactically” meaning to keep the Pointers from scoring field goals.  Point Loma was scoreless from the field in the first 4:33 but free throws put the Pointers ahead, 5-1.

Fallbrook 58, Santana 53 (24-1).

“We were scared of their record, but we also thought we wouldn’t be here if we didn’t deserve it,” said the Warriors Nicole Jann, who scored 23 points and pulled 10 rebounds.

CHAMPIONSHIP

Point Loma 86, Fallbrook 52 (20-5).

Terri Mann’s 31 points included 27 in the second half, plus 15 of her 27 rebounds.  Fallbrook, trailing, 40-25, at the half, called off its press.

–“I hoped it wasn’t Terri’s night, so we tried to stop some other things in the second half,” said Fallbrook Coach Buck White.

–“Then,” White added, “she went to work.”

–The move up to 3-A from 2-A this season mattered not to coach Lee Trepanier’s team.

SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA REGIONAL

DIVISION I

Point Loma 63, L.A. Crenshaw 51.

“That number 52 is the best around, period,” gushed Crenshaw coach Major Dennis.  “She just intimidated us in the first half and by the time we realized she was just human, it was too late.”

Dennis was describing the Pointers’ Terri Mann to writer Steve Brand.  Mann had 27 points and 17 rebounds.

Point Loma 59, Delano 49.

Terri Mann sat out almost seven minutes of the third quarter with four fouls but finished with 20 points, 16 rebounds, eight blocked shots, and seven steals

“I wasn’t worried at all,” claimed Pointers coach Lee Trepanier.

STATE CHAMPIONSHIP

Point Loma 53 (28-0), S.F. Wilson 48 (26-3).

Terri Mann drained a free throw on the front end of a 1-and-1, spun, raised her fist, and smiled.  The point gave Point Loma a three-point lead with 16 seconds remaining.

The Pointers scored again and held off San Francisco Wilson for the championship at Oakland-Alameda Coliseum Arena.

–The 6-foot, 1-imch sophomore Mann scored 30 points, collected 17 rebounds, six blocked shots, and had 3 steals.

2-A

QUARTERFINALS

El Camino 96, Clairemont 42 (10-13).

University 54, Southwest 34 (12-6).

Hilltop 55, Crawford 41 (14-7).

San Marcos 55, Lincoln 50, OT (8-6).

Robin Paladino scored 27 points, forced overtime with a layup with six seconds left, and clinched for the Knights with four free throws in the extra period.

SEMIFINALS

El Camino 65, San Marcos 35 (21-6).

University 53, Hilltop 49 (19-5).

Heidi Erpelding scored 22 of Uni’s 29 points in the first half and 34 overall as the Dons, 17-point losers to the Lancers earlier in the season, scored an upset.

CHAMPIONSHIP

El Camino 75, University 42 (21-4).

SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA REGIONAL

DIVISION II

El Camino 64, Easton Washington 58.

The Wildcats had to hold on after building a 53-35, third-quarter lead.

STATE CHAPIONSHIP

Chico Pleasant Valley 63, El Camino 49 (27-2).

The school that lost to Point Loma in the state D-II finals in 1983-84 had a 21-1 advantage at the free throw line.

“The real key though was they broke our press,” Wildcats Coach Ray Johnson told Steve Brand.  “We usually get a lot of points off turnovers.”

El Camino gave up the ball 26 times, compared to 17 for the Vikings.

The Wildcats were called for 25 fouls to 11 for the champions.

El Camino trailed, 49-43, with 6:17 remaining.

1-A

COASTAL LEAGUE PLAYOFFS

La Jolla Country Day 71, The Bishop’s 31.

Calvin Christian 45, Borrego Springs 33.

COASTAL LEAGUE SEMIFINALS

La Jolla Country Day 62, Calvin Christian 42.

CHAMPIONSHIP

La Jolla Country Day 41, Holtville 34*.

The Torres survived nine, first-quarter turnovers (the losing Vikings had 11) and remained undefeated with an 18-game winning streak.

*Won Mountain-Desert League playoff.

SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA REGIONAL

DIVISION III

Woodlake 62, La Jolla Country Day 48 (18-1).

	TOURNAMENT SEASON There were at least 17 involving boys’ teams before and after the New Year and probably more, as many results were not reported or publishedThe majors were the 17th Lt. Jim Mitchell, hosted by San Dieguito; the 38th Kiwanis, and the so named Belgrade Invitational Challenge (Search: 1984-85: “Those Travelin’…) featuring global traveler Sweetwater and some of Yugoslavia’s top junior teams. Others included the Mt. Helix, Grossmont, Peninsula Classic, Santana, Hilltop, Bonita Vista Baron-Optimist, Rohr-Aztec, and Mountain Empire that were played locally, and out-of-town competitions Las Vegas Red Rock, Chino, San Jose Valley Christian, Wilmington Banning, Lake Elsinore, and Santa Barbara Don Volpi. LT. JIM MITCHELL Originally known as the Mustang Optimist in 1961-62, for the last 17 years the tournament honored the late San Dieguito High star who was killed in the Viet Nam war. Sixteen teams, including outsiders Yuma, Arizona, Burbank Burroughs, Saugus, and Playa del Rey St. Bernard. Poway 43, Playa del Rey St. Bernard 42. Poway stayed undefeated with a 10th straight victory in a cliffhanger finish to win the title. The Vikings took a 42-41 lead on a free throw with five seconds left. Poway called time. Jud Buechler missed a 10-foot shot, but 6-7 John Colborne, who had 23 points and 12 rebounds, tapped in the rebound for the decider. KIWANIS Twenty-eight teams, marked by entry of the first out-of-the-area contingent since the 1978-79, got play under way in the 38th annual. Patrick Henry 52, Monte Vista 51, Unlimited Division. Hoover 64, Serra 62, Limited. –Monte Vista outran the Las Vegas Wildcats, 65-57, and pushed its record to 9-0 in a 65-57 victory in the opening round of Unlimited Division play. –“I don’t know how we won,” exclaimed University coach Zach Peck after a 44-42 win over San Pasqual. The Dons were outrebounded, 33-27, and committed 24 fouls to the Golden Eagles’ nine. Two free throws by reserve John Turner clinched it for the Dons with 23 seconds left.

 

Sweetwater coach Gary Zarecky took over a bottomed-out program in 1972-73 that was 2-22, 6-20, and 1-23 in the three previous seasons and proceeded to go 6-19, 1-23, and 11-15.

In Zarecky’s year four the Red Devils saw light at the end of the tunnel and fast-breaked past it.

Since 1975-76 Sweetwater is 196-54, a .772 winning percentage.  Zarecky ioverall is 214-111 (.658) in 12 seasons.  Of the 39 instances in which a San Diego Section team scored at least 100 points in a game since the 1978-79 season, Sweetwater has accomplished the feat 18 times.

The Red Devils passed 100 on six occasions this season, including 123 points, sixth highest all-time, against Marian.

Bud Maloney of the Evening Tribune wrote that the Red Devils were not getting “game-in game-out challenges” to prepare for the playoffs. They had won 39 consecutive Metropolitan Conference games and six consecutive league championships.

Zarecky was not fooled, according to Maloney.

“What am I supposed to do? wondered the coach.  “We have to press to stay sharp and stay in shape.  If we don’t press we’ll win about sixty to fifty and then the first time we play an Eastern League team we’ll get blown out.”

Zarecky promoted his team.  He took it to a tournament in Vancouver, Canada, in 1982-83, and the Red Devils traveled  to basketball hotbed Hobbs, New Mexico, this season.

1983-84 Century Club:

TEAM	OPPONENT	SCORE
Sweetwater	Southwest	123-48
Sweetwater	Marian	122-91
Sweetwater	Montgomery	114-68
Sweetwater	Chula Vista	112-72
Sweetwater	Bonita Vista	112-74
Torrey Pines	El Centro Central	105-64
Sweetwater	Castle Park	104-69
Point Loma	Melbourne Trinity College, Australia	103-53

For more on the San Diego Section season see 1982-83 “A Titan Was Emerging at Poway”.

The future was almost now for Poway.

Coach Neville Saner’s starters included three sophomores, Dominick Johnson, Judd Buechler, and Andy Byrne, and junior John Colborne.

The young Titans posted a 21-5 record and won the San Diego Section 3-A championship but were sidelined, 79-60, by Riverside John North in the Southern California Regional.

They would be back.

There was a glut of December tournaments and so-called “classics”, 18 in all.  Despite the competition the Kiwanis Tournament was hanging in there, in its 37th year.

12/15/83

Mt. Carmel converted 30 of 40 free throw attempts and pulled away to an 80-63 upset of 5-0 Mira Mesa in a neighborhood bragging rights contest.

Rich Krigger and Pat Buchwald each scored 18 points for the Sundevils, who trailed, 33-32, at halftime.

–Orange Glen made 18×23 free throws in the fourth quarter to hold off Vista, 58-53.

1/11/84

Valhalla topped Grossmont League leader and league-undefeated (7-0) El Capitan for the second time, 62-60, to improve to 9-6 and 5-2 in the league, following seasons of 6-19, 6-16, and 7-15.

1/14/84

“I never thought we were out of it, even when we were down five in the first overtime,” said Mira Mesa coach Tim Cunningham after the Marauders opened their Eastern League campaign with a 55-53, double overtime win at Morse.

1/21/84

Mt. Carmel trailed Poway only 34-30 when Sundevils ace Pete Buchwald fouled out with 3:05 remaining in the third quarter.  Poway pulled away to lead by 11 points with a minute to play and won, 57-50, in a battle of Palomar League leaders  before almost 2,000 persons at Poway.

1/25/84

Patrick Henry’s 99-64 rout of front-runner Mira Mesa represented the highest point total in an Eastern League game since the 1980-81 season.  The Patriots’ Randy Hennis had 27 points and 18 rebounds.

—Madison, Patrick Henry, and Mira Mesa, each with a 4-1 record, were tied for first in the Eastern League after Madison whacked Henry, 69-52, three days after the Patriots bombed Mira Mesa, 99-64.

2/1/84

Mike Haupt had 25 points and 13 rebounds but it was two free throws by Todd Williams in a 1-and-1 situation with two seconds left that allowed the Marauders to escape visiting Morse, 50-49.

—Matt Brock scored 32 points but 9-11 Mission Bay upset 16-4 University City, 56-52, in overtime.

2/15/84

—The third time was not the charm.  Madison couldn’t make it three in a row over Patrick Henry, whose 81-69 victory in a playoff for the Eastern League’s second postseason berth eliminated the Warhawks from the postseason despite a 16-6 record.

—Henry’s Mark Ferguson scored a 70-foot basket at the halftime buzzer and converted 12×17 field goal attempts for 24 points, aided by Howard Wright’s 22 points and 17 rebounds.

TOURNAMENTS

BISHOP

San Pasqual 58, Bishop 52, but  lost to Palos Verdes Peninsula Chadwick, 63-39.

The Golden Eagles traveled almost 400 miles to the community on U.S. 395 near the High Sierras.

CHINO

Escondido made its annual pilgrimage, a tradition observed almost every year since the tournament’s inaugural in the 1939-40 season.

La Canada 94, Escondido 69.

Escondido 49, Chino 48.

Pomona Ganesha 79, Escondido 50.

FOOTHILLER

Santana posted a 3-0 record in pool play, concluding with a 71-32 win over Granite Hills.

–Mark Howard’s two free throws with eight seconds left gave Valhalla a 54-52 win over preseason eighth-ranked El Capitan.

–Grossmont outscored Granite Hills, 11-1, in the final 1:40 to force a tie at 66 on Mike Weber’s basket with one second remaining and then pulled away to a 77-70 victory in overtime.

HELIX

La Jolla 49, Helix 38, 2 OT for championship of the eight teams.

The Vikings outscored Helix, 11-0, in the second overtime.

“We batted away a rebound (instead of controlling the ball),” noted Helix coach John Singer of the Highlanders’ missed opportunity in the first overtime.  La Jolla’s Jeff Jacobs recovered the loose ball and his basket sent the game into another three minutes.

The teams tied at 34 in regulation play, which ended with a basket at the buzzer by the Highlanders’ Juan Espinoza, who scored 23 points.

HILLTOP

Finals of eight-team tournament saw Mira Mesa gradually pulled away to an 84-69 victory over Point Loma. Tournament most-valuable player Mike Haupt led the Marauders with 23 points.

–Kearny jumped on No. 3-ranked Chula Vista, 57-36.

–“They were a little arrogant walking out on to the floor,” said Komets coach Bill Peterson.  “We out-quicked them.  We did a great job of rebounding and we controlled the tempo.”

–Mike Haupt scored 24 points and Mira Mesa outscored Hoover, 19-5, in the fourth quarter for a 71-55 victory.

–John Scott stole the ball and passed to Charles Redding, whose 8-foot jumper eased Point Loma to a 49-47 win over underdog Kearny.

–Point Loma fell behind Sweetwater, 17-1, and then rallied for a 76-73 victory.

FRANCIS PARKER

Eight small schools involved.  Army-Navy edged Parker, 41-40.

The host Lancers had a chance to win the championship after overcoming an eight-point deficit but missed a 1-and-1 free throw and a 20-foot shot in the final seconds.

ELSINORE

Big Bear City Big Bear edged Army-Navy, 60-59, and Wildomar Elsinore thumped Julian, 80-23.

KIWANIS

The 37^th annual opened with 28 teams, up from 24 last season.  The event still was the largest in San Diego but was fighting an image battle as many squads were drawn to other tournaments.

Madison defeated Eastern League rival Patrick Henry, 62-56, and Mission Bay edged Western League foe, 44-42, for the Unlimited and Limited Division titles, respectively.

–Kearny, behind, 33-15, at halftime and 43-27 three minutes into the third quarter, stormed on a 23-2 run to beat Hilltop, 57-55, in overtime on Lionel DeMorst’s rebound and basket in the final second.

–There was no time left in overtime when Steve Jones hit the front end of a 1-and-1 free throw to get unbeaten University City (7-0) past La Jolla, which sustained its first defeat in eight games, 36-35.

LT. JAMES MITCHELL

Joe Hillman scored 51 points, his third half-century achievement in four games, to lead Glendale Hoover to a 93-91 win over Las Vegas Western and championship of the event honoring the San Dieguito star who was killed in Viet Nam.

–Sixteen teams, including six from out of the area, made this arguably the most attractive on the December calendar.

— Hillman passed 50 points for the second time with a 52-point effort in a 95-69 win over Escondido.

–Hillman, who came into the game with a 39-point average, was not pleased with his defense.  The Indiana University-bound Hillman said he expected IU coach Bobby Knight would “make me play much better and tougher D.”

–Hillman’s 20-foot jump shot at the buzzer got Hoover past Torrey Pines, 62-60. The Tornadoes had managed to control the ball for more than four minutes with the score tied at 60.  Hillman finished with 50 points.

— Greg Bowman’s layin with two seconds left in overtime was the difference in Poway’s 83-81 win over Burbank Burroughs.

–Poway, trailing, 36-23, at halftime won the consolation championship, 56-45 over Newport Beach Newport Harbor.

MONTGOMERY

Six teams entered, with Castle Park emerging as champion in the inaugural event, 60-43 over El Cajon Valley.

DOS PUEBLOS

The high school in Santa Barbara was host.

–Mt. Carmel 85, Santa Barbara Bishop Garcia Diego 61.

WILMINGTON BANNING

San Pedro 87, Morse 74.

Morse 62, Los Angeles Fairfax 56, OT.

Morse 60, Harbor City Narbonne 47.

Compton 48, Morse 39, consolation championship.

HOBBS, NEW MEXICO

The 26^th annual Holiday Invitational.

Sweetwater earned third-place honors by defeating Abilene, Texas, 89-77.

–Sweetwater 77, El Paso Austin 61. The Red Devils scored 20 points in a row in the fourth quarter.

–Sweetwater led, 47-39, after three quarters but bowed to Altus, Oklahoma, 62-55.

PENINSULA CLASSIC @POINT LOMA

University City 43, Burbank 41.

The Centurions, 1-18 and 7-12 in their first two seasons improved to 10-1 by coming from five points down in the fourth quarter.

Matt Brock, a 6-foot, 5-inch forward and future NFL player, scored 16, 21, and 24 points in the three-games and was tournament most-valuable player.  Brock’s father, Clyde, also played in the NFL.

–Eight teams played round-robin, two games each a day.

BARON-OPTIMIST

Madison (10-2) ran past Mira Mesa (8-2), 96-75, for the championship after taking a 20-8, first-quarter lead and not looking back.

SANTANA

Mt. Carmel 60, Patrick Henry 48.

The Sundevils lagged, 37-28, with five minutes remaining in the third quarter and then went on a 15-3 run.

–“The team was waiting for me to take control,” said Clairemont’s Keith Landham after two starters had fouled out and the Chieftains trailed host Santana by 10 points in the third quarter.

–Landham scored three consecutive field goals and the Chieftains went on to a 56-52 victory.

–“The refs seemed to be calling a one-sided game, but we didn’t let it bother us,” said Landham.

LAS VEGAS WESTERN RED ROCK

San Dieguito 61, Henderson Basic, Nevada 55.

Las Vegas 60, San Dieguito 34.

Western 86, San Dieguito 58.

Western 81, San Dieguito 68.

WEST COAST CLASSIC @SAN JOSE

Christian 94, Turner Cascade, Oregon 44.

Christian 65, Rippon 59.

Christian 56, Shoreline King’s, Washington, 46. Bill Donley scored 19 of his three-game total of 62 and led the Patriots to the championship.

SEASON SCORING LEADERS

NAME	TEAM	GAMES	POINTS	AVERAGE
Duane Hurd	Carlsbad	24	566	23.5
Aaron Rico	Sweetwater	25	527	20.68
Kirk Hansen	Fallbrook	22	511	23.2
Jan Styles	Torrey Pines	23	480	20.8
Charles Redding	Point Loma	23	461	20.04
Steve Eyler	Army-Navy	21	460	21.9
Neil Bernstein	La Jolla	23	452	19.7
Sam Aguirre	Hoover	21	434	20.66
Brad Milhoan	Kearny	24	430	17.9
Juan Espinoza	Helix	22	422	19.18
Mark Lazoya	Valhalla	22	409	18.59
Mike Haupt	Mira Mesa	24	408	17.0
Matt Brock	University City	22	402	18.27
Fred Farnsworth	Marian	21	389	18.52
John Colborne	Poway	21	385	18.33
Gary Gottschall	El Capitan	21	383	18.23
Mike Robinson	Serra	21	381	18.1
Scott Lanham	Granite Hills	19	362	19.05
Maurice Lewis	Madison	21	361	17.2

Crawford, Montgomery, 18×336, 18.66.  Shawn Bell Morse, 16×292, 18.25.  1-A: Julio Troche, Borrego Springs, 16×342, 21.37.  Richard Winter, The Bishop’s, 15×328, 21.86.

(Search 1983-84 “Those Running Red Devils” for team 100-point games).

PLAYOFFS

BOYS

First Round

3-A
Patrick Henry 46, Monte Vista 43 (19-5).
“The only thing that makes me happy about this game is the final score,” to the Tribune’s Bud Maloney said Patriots coach Fritz Ziegenfuss, unhappy with the way his team ran offensive and defensive sets.”
Poway 77, Sweetwater 68 (21-4).                                                                                                                                                                      Favored Sweetwater was bounced in the first round for the second year in a row in a row, a long winning streak broken each time.  This season the Red Devils carried a 14-game run into the playoffs; it was 16 in 1982-83 and 16 in 1981-82.
Mira Mesa 57, Castle Park 47 (2-18).
Mt. Carmel 51, Helix 49 (11-9).                                                                                       

2-A
Point Loma 77, St. Augustine 50 (12-11).
La Jolla 48, Christian 43 (16-7).
Six-foot, 9-inch Neil Bernstein provided half of La Jolla’s 48 points and added 22 rebounds.
Chula Vista 70, Carlsbad 68 (5-14).
Oceanside 62, Hilltop 51 (13-12). 

1-A
Army-Navy 45, Francis Parker 41.
Borrego Springs 83, The Bishop’s 37.

Semifinals

3-A
Poway 70, Mira Mesa 59 (20-4).
The Titans outscored the Marauders, 34-23, in the fourth quarter after a 36-36 standoff through three quarters.

Poway coach Neville Saner’s “triangle and two defense” helped hold San Diego Section player of the year Mike Haupt to 10 points.

Dominick Johnson, a 6-foot, 4-inch forward and son of legendary San Diego High athlete Deron Johnson, led the Titans with 22 points.
Patrick Henry 48, Mt. Carmel 47 (20-4).                                                                         

2-A
Oceanside 48, La Jolla 43 (12-7).
Chula Vista 63, Point Loma 62 (18-6), OT
“There was this sort of glow in their eyes. It was like they were in a state of shock,” said Spartans coach Mike Collins after his team’s 11-point lead turned into a 12-point deficit in less than a quarter of play.                              “Finally, I had to do something,” said Collins.  “I called timeout and yelled at them.”  David Willard, who led the Spartans with 26 points, converted a 1-and-1 free throw with 16 seconds remaining to force the overtime and was 4×4 in the extra session.

1-A
COASTAL LEAGUE
Army-Navy 60, Borrego Springs 59.

DESERT–MOUNTAIN LEAGUE
Holtville 60, Calipatria 50.                                                                             

3-A CHAMPIONSHIP                                                                                                                                                                                                         Poway 57, Patrick Henry 51 (20-6).
Among the Poway starters, only John Colborne is old enough to drive an automobile, according to Bud Maloney of the Evening Tribune.  “When we want to go anywhere we all pile into John’s car,” said teammate Judd Buechler.

Andy Byrne, one of three sophomore starters, scored 19 points and 6-7 ½ junior Colborne added 18.

2-A
Oceanside 57, Chula Vista 55 (16-10).
Donald Harris’ 22 points and two free throws with 21 seconds left made a last-second Spartans basket meaningless.

1-A
Army-Navy 46, Holtville 42 (19-4).                                                                                                                                                Coach’s son Chris Maffucci’s two free throws throws clinched the victory.

SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA REGIONAL 

D-I
Riverside North 79, Poway 60 (21-5). 

D-II
Oceanside 47, Los Angeles Lutheran 46.   

CHAMPIONSHIP

D-II
Oceanside 68, City of Industry Workman 54.
Reggie Owens scored 22 points and the Pirates defense held their opponents to 36 per cent shooting from the field.

“We took them apart.  Who in the state can control a game like that?” enthused Pirates coach Bill Christopher.

Despite the school name and the relative community in which it is located, Workman was not a generic appellation but named for William Workman, and the mascot is a Lobo.

D-III
Pasadena Poly 63, Army-Navy 38 (18-3).
The Cadets were byed into the finals but over matched.

STATE CHAMPIONSHIP

Modesto (33-2) 50, Oceanside 47 (26-2).
“I think Modesto knows we could have won it…we had plenty of chances”, said Pirates coach Bill Christopher.

Donald Harris (7×14) and Reggie Owens (5×10) hit 50 per cent of their field goal attempts.  The rest of the team was 5×39, 13 per cent.

PLAYOFFS

GIRLS

FIRST ROUND                                                                3-A
Sweetwater 55, Poway 53 (17-4).
Karen Taetafa scored two free throws with 15 seconds remaining for the victory.                                                                                 Santana 62, Madison 31 (11-11).
Patrick Henry 60, Bonita Vista 45 (16-8)
Fallbrook 61, Monte Vista 56 11).
El Camino 76, Southwest 33 (14-6).
Sharon Turner, the County’s leading scorer with a 28.5 average, scored 26 for the Wildcats.

2-A
Point Loma 73, Lincoln 31 (9-7).
Freshman Terri Mann scored 19 points and had 14 rebounds.
University 47, Chula Vista 46 (22-2).
Ramona 60, Crawford 46 (15-5).

1-A
Francis Parker 47, Santa Fe Christian 32.
La Jolla Country Day 45, Julian 42.

SEMIFINALS
A
Santana 75, Sweetwater 46 (14-7).
Patrick Henry 61, Fallbrook 46 (14-7).
“My mom told me before the game that there’s no tomorrow, so I played like there was no tomorrow,” said Henry’s Brooke Davis of her 32 points that included six, three-point baskets, plus 14 rebounds.

2-A
El Camino 55, University 51 (17-5).
Illness that caused breathing problems brought on by hives forced leading scorer Sharon Turner to the locker room but teammate Sheri Williamson scored six unanswered points to create a 52-39 lead and the Wildcats rode out a late storm.

Point Loma 76, Ramona 34 (18-4).
Point Loma’s 6-foot-3 Suzanne Eagye scored 32 points in three quarters and then rested.

COASTAL LEAGUE CHAMPIONSHIP
Francis Parker 63, Julian 47.

CHAMPIONSHIP

3-A
Santana 54, Patrick Henry 50 (18-7).                                                                                                                                        

2-A

Point Loma 64, El Camino 47 (23-2).
“We’re much more ready for the Southern Cals this year,” said Suzanne Eagye. “Terri (Mann) has helped us so much.  We had a hard time with El Camino last year, but this game shows how much we’ve improved.”

Mann, a 6-foot-1 ninth-grader, Mann led all scorers with 22 points.

1-A
Holtville 47, Francis Parker 25 (17-5).
SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA REGIONAL

D-I

Los Angeles Fairfax 52, Santana 49 (24-2).
Outrebounded, 44-27, and trailing at one point, 36-22, coach Wade Vickery’s Sultans scrapped back to take a 45-44 lead but fell short.

D-II

Point Loma 70, Santa Maria St. Joseph 51.

CHAMPIONSHIP

D-II

Point Loma 57, Indio 36.

STATE CHAMPIONSHIP

Point Loma (29-0) 64, Chico Pleasant Valley 55 (27-1).
“When we play as a team we’re awesome.  When we don’t we’re horrible,” said the Pointers’ Beth Thompson, reflecting on a second-quarter deficit of 26-12 and 16 turnovers in the game’s first 10 minutes.                                                                                                                                                                                          

The girls were playing for a state playoff berth for the first time…

…before the start of their regular seasons.

That’s because the regular season still was in the spring in the San Diego Section, while the rest of California (and most other places where there is a court and a ball) plays basketball in the winter.

Patrick Henry represented San Diego in 3-A.

The Patriots got there by splitting a doubleheader.

They benched their starters and lost to Torrey Pines in a morning game at Coronado’s preseason tournament.

Playing their starters, Henry then topped Fallbrook, 54-46, in the evening at Serra High.

Point Loma received the 2-A invitation by defeating Ramona, 53-23, and Francis Parker got the nod in 1-A.

SOUTHERN  CALIFORNIA REGIONAL

FIRST ROUND

3-A

Patrick Henry 45, Reedley 42 (24-1). 

“I can’t believe it!” exclaimed Patriots coach John Ferguson after his team knocked off the unbeaten Central Section power at Long Beach State.

2-A

Point Loma 59, Artesia 44.

The Pointers were seasoned by a winter league schedule of 14 games.

1-A

McFarland (25-1) 59, Francis Parker 31 (4-1). 

“We managed to hang in there until we ran out of gas,” said Lancers coach John Cook.

More than 200 students and fans stocked up on petrol and made a field trip out of the 270-mile jaunt to the small community north of Bakersfield and home of the Central Section representative.

SEMIFINALS

3-A

Ventura Buena 80, Patrick Henry 34 (7-2).

Buena coach Joe Vaughn reportedly said to his starters, after a 23-8 first quarter, “Show no mercy.”

The Henry girls now got ready for their regular season.

CHAMPIONSHIP

2-A

Thousand Oaks La Reina (27-4) 51, Point Loma 42 (6-1).

Point Loma coach Lee Trepanier decided to have his team to play an earlier game in the Morse Tournament and then embark on the two-hour drive for the game at Long Beach State.

The Pointers led, 20-14, in the second quarter but trailed, 41-30, after three quarters.

 

 

 

 

Torrey Pines’ 6-foot, 11-inch Chris Dudley was among the San Diego Section’s leading scorers with 438 points and a 16.8 average.

A fine season  and a productive four years at Torrey  but not a blueprint for the future.

The future stretched…and stretched.

Dudley went on to play four years at Yale University and then embarked on a National Basketball Association career that stretched 19 seasons, from 1983-84 to 2002-03, with five different teams.

Dudley ranks in an NBA Top 25 for longevity.

Through 2022-23 only 23 players had played more seasons.

Dudley epitomized the professional journeyman, valuable and available in any situation.

A future candidate for Oregon’s highest office, Chris played in 886 NBA games, averaged 3.9 points, 6.2 rebounds, and 1.2 blocked shots, and not long after retirement lost a close race in the gubernatorial election.

Dudley was a fourth-round choice and 75^th player in the 1983 NBA draft by the Cleveland Cavaliers. He also played for the New Jersey Nets, New York Knicks, Phoenix Suns, and finished his career in a second stint with the Portland Trail Blazers.

The game still was played from December until early March, but San Diego Section basketballers seemingly were playing more and scoring more.

Ninety points, once considered elite, had become almost routine. 100 points no longer was surprising.

There were more highs than lows but some stunning legislative moves captured the headlines, as usual caused by a “dreaded administrative glitch”: 1982-83: Morse is Out of Playoffs And Then Back In

12/3/82

–Santa Fe Christian stepped up in class and the experience was not uplifting.  Carlsbad defeated the Navigators, 112-18.   The Lancers outscored their outmanned opponents, 29-1, in the fourth quarter.

Santa Fe Christian eventually changed its mascot to Eagles.

12/4/82

–Randy Pass had 6 of his game 14 points as Grossmont outscored San Dieguito, 10-5, in the fourth overtime of a 59-54 victory.

–The teams were deadlocked at 41 at the end of regulation play.

12/9/82

Russ Swier scored 30 of Ramona’s total in a 64-46 loss to Madison.

12/10/82

–Vista’s Jimmy Douglas scored 45 points, retrieved 20 missed shots, and third-ranked Vista topped visiting and fourth-ranked Sweetwater, 77-72.

–El Capitan dropped a 58-46 decision to Monte Vista and the Vaqueros could point the finger at the free throw line, where they missed 16 of 18 attempts.

12/13/82

Steve Brand of The San Diego Union noted the wide gulf between attendance in the championship games at the Hilltop and Mt. Helix tournaments.

“Helix attracted an almost full house (for Morse and Helix).  The Hilltop final, featuring two unbeaten teams (Mira Mesa and Point Loma), drew only a handful of fans.”

Brand pointed out that Mt. Helix had the host school, plus Morse and Lincoln and that the Hilltop championship was played during and after an epic Chargers-49ers football game; during a Virginia-Georgetown contest featuring all-Americas Ralph Sampson and Patrick Ewing, and just before tip of a San Diego-State Oregon game.

The 10-team tournament also started Nov. 30 but finished with a scheduled Dec. 11 ending, a full week after semifinal play and almost two weeks after the opening tip.

12/17/82

Morse ganged up on Sweetwater, 60-32, in the second half and cruised to a 92-51 victory.  Lawrence West, nicknamed “Camel” by his teammates because “he’s a hard worker”, scored 22 points.

CENTURY CLUB

TEAM	OPPONENT	SCORE
Carlsbad	Santa Fe Christian	112-18
Sweetwater	Coquitlam Centennial, B.C., Canada	109-91
Morse	St. Augustine	107-61
Lincoln	Granite Hills	107-40
Sweetwater	Richmond, B.C., Canada	105-74
El Camino	Coronado	105-36
El Camino	Escondido	102-57
Point Loma	Mission Bay	101-71
Borrego Springs	The Bishop’s	100-36

TOURNAMENTS

HILLTOP INVITATIONAL

Point Loma 76, Mira Mesa 73. 

Kevin Celestine of the Pointers and Tag Glithero of the Marauders offset each other with 25 points apiece.

–Point Loma ran away from Mar Vista, 89-70 after a 28-5 first quarter to set up for Mira Mesa, 63-60 winner over Torrey Pines

MT. HELIX INVITATIONAL

Morse, 63, Helix 56.

The Tigers, leading, 46-33, after three quarters, rode out a mild Helix charge.

–Six players scored in double figures as Morse beat Kearny, 85-51.  Madison transfer Ray Epton was one of the five with 14.  Lawrence West had 17 and Shawn Bell 15, plus 15 rebounds.

–Lincoln’s Anthony Todd scored 35 points in an 81-58 win over Mission Bay.

–Morse stopped Lincoln, 67-60, as Lawrence West, after a first half collar, scored 12 points and had 10 rebounds in last 16 minutes.

Eight teams participated.

PARKER

Francis Parker 38, Army-Navy 30.

–The host Lancers won their eight-team event.

RAMONA

San Marcos 60, Canyon Country Canyon, 55, OT.

The Knights emerged in the eight-team event by converting 24×42 free throws, the losers 7×21.

–Russ Swier scored 26 points, almost all in the first half, as Ramona took a 49-17 lead in an 83-43 win over Army-Navy.

LT. JIM MITCHELL MEMORIAL

Las Vegas Western 94, Glendale Hoover 92, 2 OT.

–The Kiwanis Tournament no longer invited out-of-area teams but the San Dieguito-based event, honoring a former Mustangs athlete who was killed in Viet Nam, tabbed the two finalists, Glendale Hoover as No. 1 seed and Las Vegas Western No. 2, among the 16 teams.

–Chris Dudley’s 25 points set the pace as Torrey Pines whipped San Pasqual, 69-65, for third place.

–Western eliminated San Pasqual, 98-63, and Hoover topped Torrey Pines, 75-64, in the semifinals.

–Western also out ran Mira Mesa, 103-96, as three players scored at least 24 points.  Tag Glithero led the Marauders with 30.

–Torrey Pines, pushed by Chris Dudley’s 22 points, upset 10^th-ranked El Camino, 72-65, dealing the Oceanside club its first loss, but the Wildcats, in their fourth season under coach Ray Johnson, rebounded to go to 5-1 with a 102-57 win over Escondido.

KIWANIS

The 36^th annual’s entry list of 27 teams, including fifteen Unlimited and 12 Limited division squads, was the lowest since the 1953-54 season, when there were 24 squads.

–A move to 32 teams in 1955-56 was followed by the creation of the Classified Division for a peak of 44 squads in 1967-68.

Helix 57, Lincoln 50, Unlimited Division.

Lincoln’s Anthony Todd collected his fourth foul with 1:05 remaining in the third quarter and didn’t score again, finishing with 12 points.  Helix clinched with a 22-12 last quarter.

–Yoyo Mitchell’s basket with 4 seconds to go finally got San Diego past Chula Vista, 77-75, in four overtimes.

La Jolla 63, Crawford 54, Limited Division.

La Jolla pulled away with a 19-8 third quarter. Crawford was assessed 28 fouls and 5 players fouled out.

–Sophomores Demetre Lafitte and Dave Burgess combined for 48 points and 17 rebounds as University upset Sweetwater, 75-60.

POINT LOMA

–Starting center Mark Fisher was stranded by weather in Denver and leading scorer Kevin Celestine had a hip pointer.

–The Pointers managed with John Giles, picking up for Fisher and scoring 24 points, and Celestine rallying with 16 in a first-round, 79-56 win over San Marcos.

–The champion Pointers moved to 7-1 the same day in the round-robin event by playing another game, and defeating Mar Vista, 63-49. Celestine added 14 points.

BARON-OPTIMIST

Vista 48, Orange Glen 41.

El Camino 73, Marian 62 (small schools)

The Patriots’ slow-down game pestered Vista until Jimmy Douglas broke through in the third quarter and finished with 22 points and 14 rebounds.

–A 30-10 third quarter, after it trailed, 29-20, at halftime propelled El Camino past Crawford, 74-50.  The Wildcats’ Freddy Spears scored 30 points.

–The ensuing win over Marian gave the Wildcats a 4-0 record in the tournament and they ended December with a San Diego Section-leading average of 85.1 points.

SANTANA

University 55, Patrick Henry 49.

Jim Binford and player-of-tournament David Reyes each scored 15 points for the Dons.

RICHMOND CHALLENGE @VANCOUVER, CANADA

Sweetwater won the round-robin tournament with a 2-1 record on the basis of the most points scored (295).

–Sweetwater 105, British Columbia Richmond 74.

–British Columbia Abbotsford, 81, Sweetwater 73.

–Sweetwater 109, British Columbia, Coquitlam Centennial 91.

CHINO

LaVerne Damien, 69, Escondido 47.

The Cougars were eliminated in consolation play.

1/4/83

Monte Vista overcame a 15-point Helix lead to defeat the Helix, 51-50, on Brad Morgan’s 15-foot basket at the buzzer.

–Reggie Wallace scored 40 points as Sweetwater beat Southwest, 80-51.

1/5/83

Mike Haupt scored 26 points as Mira Mesa set a school record in a 99-73 win over Christian.

1/12/83

Anthony Todd scored 27 points and Arthur Hamilton 17 as Lincoln outlasted Morse, 76-73, in two overtimes.

1/18/83

Out of the past came Poway and Orange Glen, which played to an old-fashioned 20-19 score, edge to Poway.

1/28/83

Reggie Owens scored 22 points and Oceanside gained a first-place Avocado League tie with El Camino, 58-53 in overtime, extending the Pirates’ home-court winning streak to 33 games, dating to the 1980-81 campaign.

–The Pirates trailed by eight points with six minutes remaining and by five with 1:02 left in regulation.

ALMOST TALLEST

Six-foot, 4-inch Russ Swier believed he was the third tallest person in Ramona, population 12,500.

Swier stood behind his 6-5 coach Larry Bringham, who played at U.S. International University “and a dentist here in town named Jim Hill,” according to Bud Maloney of the Evening Tribune.

The 6-8 Hill played at Fordham University in New York.

Swier led the San Diego Section with a 27.0 average this season.

ALL-TIME SINGLE-SEASON LEADERS IN SCORING AVERAGE

NAME	TEAM	SEASON	POINTS/AVERAGE
Mitchell Lilly	Madison	1976-77	893/31.9
Bill Walton	Helix	1969-70	960/29.1
Paul Halupa	Bonita Vista	1968-69	718/28.7
Tom Shaules	St. Augustine	1957-58	736/28.3
Michael Pitts	Sweetwater	1978-79	872/28.1
Halupa		1969-70	689/27.5
Ralph Drollinger	Grossmont	1971-72	868//27.1
Russ Swier	Ramona	1982-83	595/27.0
Hans Wichary	University	1979-80	447/26.3

2/4/83

Lincoln dropped a double-overtime, 76-68 decision to Hoover, despite Anthony Todd’s 35 points.

–Todd had to pick up the slack after the Hornets forfeited 12 victories because of ineligibilities.

–Hoover’s Ricky Pernell scored 36 points, following games of 38, 31, and 29.

2/8/83

Anthony Todd joined an elite group when he scored 50 points, with 24 field goals and two free throws in a 96-78 win over St. Augustine.  The 6-foot, 8-inch Todd was aided by Alton Beavers’ 16 points and 13 rebounds.

–Todd became the 11^th player in County history reach 50.

–Search 1979-80: “Three Division Alignment…” for a listing of the 10 others.

2/10/83

Anthony Todd, just two days later, socked Crawford with 46 points in an 89-48 win.  The Colts led, 15-12, after one quarter.

 2/16/83

—Sweetwater sweated before clinching a fifth straight league title, the first four in the Metropolitan before realigning in the new South Bay loop, 66-62, over Hilltop.

The Lancers converted 12 of 14 free throw attempts in the fourth quarter and slowly chopped a 54-46 Red Devils lead to 4 points, but their last score came with one second left.

2/20/83

—La Jolla won a playoff against University, 58-37, to clear the final hurdle to the 2-A playoffs.  The Vikings and Uni had tied as Western League champions, each with 10-2 records.

—Point Loma closed with a 91-59 win over San Diego and also finished 10-2. A postgame vote by league officials accorded the Pointers the No. 1 playoff position.  They also would be the top seed in 2-A.

PLAYOFFS

3-A

First Round

Morse 76, Madison 64 (17-7).

Granted a reprieve from a City Schools boss, No. 1 seed Morse took a nine-point lead in the first quarter and never looked back. The Tigers originally were scheduled to play Hilltop, the only team in the playoffs with a losing record.

3-A Quarterfinals

Sweetwater 56, Monte Vista 52 (19-5).

Sweetwater won its 16^th in a row, improving to 20-5, which marked their sixth straight 20-win season, but not before experiencing sauna-like perspiration, especially with the memory of their No. 1 seedand first-round, 86-83 loss to Fallbrook the previous season.

“I must have lost ten pounds,” declared Red Devils coach Gary Zarecky.

Vista 77, Mira Mesa 73 (16-8).

The favored Panthers got more than they expected from the rising Marauders, sparked by junior Mike Haupt, who scored 32 points, a total matched by Vista’s Jimmy Douglas.

Vista did not know which team it would play until Mira Mesa suddenly was given playoff entree when Morse was ruled out because of forfeitures.

Morse 75, Hilltop 38 (11-14).

All 12 Tigers got into the scoring column.

Helix 72, Torrey Pines 56 (20-6).

2-A

La Jolla 67, Hoover 54 (15-9).

Central League champion Hoover ran afoul of Rick Eveleth’s tough and resourceful Vikings.

La Jolla held Hoover’s high-scoring Ricky Pernell to 19 points while three Norsemen made double figures.

Point Loma 56, Southwest 47 (15-8).

El Camino 91, Chula Vista 63 (14-10).

Lincoln 60, Oceanside 52 (14-8).

3-A Semifinals

Helix 66, Vista 54 (20-5).

Six-foot, 4-inch Tyrone Muldrow didn’t let Jimmy Douglas’ at least 4-inch height edge get in the way as Muldrow scored 20 points and pulled down 17 rebounds.

With an assist from Scott Webb, Muldrow’s basket stopped a Vista rally, which had narrowed the score to 55-51 and sparked a Highlanders run of 13 points in a row.

Douglas had 27 points and 14 rebounds for the Panthers.

Morse 64, Sweetwater 56 (21-5).

Parade Magazine third-team all-America Lawrence West led the Tigers with 22 points. All of his 10 baskets came from point-blank range.  “What we tried to do was get the ball inside and get them in foul trouble early,” said West.

Sweetwater star Reggie Wallace picked up his third foul halfway through the first quarter and sat for the remainder of the half, at which Morse led, 35-26.

2-A Semifinals

La Jolla 76, Lincoln 54 (8-16).

El Camino 76, Point Loma 72, OT (20-5).

The Pointers scored the last six points to etch a tie at 68 and send the game into overtime.

“When we walked off the court at the end of regulation time we were really hanging our heads, but we gathered our composure and came back,” said Wildcats coach Ray Johnson.

A basket by 22-point contributor Freddy Spears with 12 seconds remaining in the extra session clinched the El Camino victory.

1-A Semifinals

Army-Navy 57, Julian 49.

Francis Parker 83, Victory Christian 43.

SCORING LEADERS

Anthony Todd	Lincoln	24	646	26.9 (2)
Russ Swier	Ramona	22	595	27.0 (1)
Jimmy Douglas	Vista	25	539	21.6 (4)
Kevin Celestine	Point Loma	25	525	21.0 (6)
Reggie Wallace	Sweetwater	26	521	20.0 (7)
Ricky Pernell	Hoover	23	484	21.04 (5)
Albert Gonzalez	Army-Navy	19	463	24.4 (3)
Freddy Spears	El Camino	26	445	17.3
Tyrone Muldrow	Helix	27	445	16.5
David Reyes	University	23	442	19.2 (8)
Chris Dudley	Torrey Pines	26	438	16.8
Fred Farnsworth	Marian	22	430	19.5 (9)
Ed Raymond	Santana	25	417	16.7
Kevin Willard	Chula Vista	22	402	18.3 (10)
Tag Glithero	Mira Mesa	24	397	16.5
Jim Binford	University	23	386	16.8
Mike Haupt	Mira Mesa	23	386	16.8
John Peisner	El Capitan	23	384	16.7
Lawrence Tolbert	Crawford	23	381	16.6
Dwane Hurd	Carlsbad	19	360	18.9

3-A Championship.

Morse 51 (4-20), Helix 50 (24-3).

Helix led, 49-47, before 4,677 persons at the Sports Arena, until the Tigers’ Carl Fisher scored two baskets in the final 1:09 to pull out the victory,

2-A

La Jolla 79 (21-4), El Camino 67 (23-3).

“Our basic game plan was to work for the best shot and bang the offensive boards and it worked almost perfectly in the first half,” said Vikings coach Rick Eveleth.

La Jolla led, 39-24, at intermission.

“They took it to us underneath,” said El Camino coach Ray Johnson.

1-A

Francis Parker 40 (19-3), Army-Navy 39 (17-5).

SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA REGIONAL PLAYOFFS

First Round

Division I

Los Angeles Crenshaw 86, Morse 45 (4-21), @Long Beach Arena.

Many in the crowd of 1,751 stood and gave the Tigers a standing ovation when the Tigers’ Ray Epton scored a field goal with 3:34 left in the half.

The Tigers had launched 14 unsuccessful attempts from the field before Epton’s basket.

Morse also did not score in the first quarter, drawing an 0-17 collar as the Cougars, behind 6-foot, 7-inch John Williams, who scored 22 points.

The Cougars took a breath in a 19-17 Morse second quarter before racing to a 52-26 advantage in the second half.

“I told our players before the game the key would be for us to cut down on our turnovers,” said Morse coach Ron Davis.  “When we had 12 turnovers in the first quarter that was the end of the game.”

Technically, Morse finished with a 4-21 record, with a total of 20 forfeitures.  They were 21-4 on the court.

Crenshaw topped Oakland Bishop O’Dowd, 62-55, in overtime for the state championship.

Division II

Oxnard Santa Clara 57, La Jolla 56 (21-5).

A 17-3 La Jolla lead evaporated into a 54-49 deficit and then the Vikings battled back but couldn’t finish, turning the ball over three times in the final 1:36.

Atherton Menlo defeated Santa Clara, 53-51, for the state title.

Division III

Santa Monica Crossroads 81, Francis Parker 64 (19-4).

Parker, considered the longest of longshots, outplayed the Roadrunners for almost three quarters. Mark Seiber scored 22 for Parker and Jay Filderman added 20 points, 14 on free throws.

Crossroads reached the state finals before losing to Cloverdale, 71-64.