There would be state basketball playoffs this season and Morse liked its chances to represent the San Diego Section.

Ray Epton, whose 25.0 average at Madison in 1981-82 was highest in the San Diego Section, had transferred to the school on Skyline Drive, where Epton joined 6-foot, 7-inch preseason all-America Lawrence West, 6-6 Shawn Bell, and  5-11 Carl Fisher, plus a tall, deep supporting cast.

But an anonymous tip doomed the Tigers, costing them 20 forfeits and knocking Morse out of the San Diego Section playoffs.

Epton’s family, in changing residences, moved to a home that, as it turned out, was beyond Morse’s enrollment boundary.

Tigers athletic director John Shacklett said an investigation established that Epton lived on the Mount Miguel side of a street that separates the Morse and Mount Miguel districts.

Morse officials either did not check the address or were unaware of the boundary.

Eastern League representatives, acting on the late-coming information, voted 3-2 to oust the Tigers.

Someone had ratted out the Tigers to the CIF San Diego Section not long after playoff seedings were published, creating a storm of emotion.

But…

After some shouting, pointed fingers, and foot stomping, the Tigers were let back in the door.

The issue went all the way to the office of City Schools big shots.

EX-BASKETBALL COACH

Dick Jackson, a former basketball player at San Diego High and coach when Crawford began its program in 1957-58, made the decision.

“Taking in all the facts and looking at our options we came to the conclusion that was the fairest way to handle this,” Jackson told Steve Brand of The San Diego Union.

“I’m not entirely comfortable about this because I’m not entirely comfortable about the whole thing,” said Jackson.  “However, I think it is the best decision considering all aspects.”

Jackson pointed out that the playoff time line was critical.  Four games already had been played, four more were scheduled that night, and the Epton family had sought a court injunction.

Madison, the team Epton had left, became the Tigers’ first-round opponent. “It’s not fair,” said Warhawks coach John Hannon.  “We forfeited an entire football season a few years ago and no one came to our defense.”

ANOTHER DREADED ADMINISTRATIVE GLITCH

Lincoln was 12-2 and gearing for the stretch run when it was discovered that Hornets Arthur Hamilton and Charisse Jones had unexpectedly exhausted their eligibility.

Lincoln then forfeited 12 victories, including a 76-73, double-overtime victory over Morse….

“I’m confused,” said Sweetwater coach Gary Zarecky.

“I’m baffled,” added the Red Devils mentor.

Sweetwater had just beaten Castle Park, 94-11, in a Metropolitan Mesa League game, which followed an earlier, 106-37 Sweetwater rout of the Trojans.

What made Zarecky (Zar-skee) figuratively scratch his head was that the host Trojans attempted only five shots from the field…and made two.

Castle Park actually led, 1-0, before the game started.  Sweetwater had been called for a technical foul during pregame warmups.

The first-quarter score was 22-1, 42-5 at halftime, and 66-5 after three quarters.

“Their coach (Dave Holmgren) told me their goal was to hold us under one-hundred points and they seemed very pleased to have done so,” said Zarecky.

The Trojans “strategy” worked.

“They would drive the lane and, even with a good shot, circle back under and out to eat up time,” said Zarecky.

“I’ve never been involved in a game like this,” understated the coach whose team won 20 games and a league title for the fourth year in a row.

Terry Fields led the Red Devils with 28 points followed by Tyrone Miller with 20 and Aaron Combs with 16.

Beaten by 83 points, Castle Park, which finished with a 4-17 record, had not been part of the section’s most lopsided defeat.

Mount Miguel was on the outs by 96 points in a 127-31 loss to Helix in 1969-70.

 

Local teams were just that, local.

That’s because San Diego Section bosses, most of whom did not  know if the ball was made of leather or composed of rubber, continued to defy the state CIF.

–For the first time in the history of the game in San Diego County, going back at least 60 years, there was no out-of-area opponent on anyone’s schedule.

Bud Maloney of the Evening Tribune explained:

“The situation came about because boys and girls basketball seasons in San Diego are not held at the same time.

“The girls play in the spring and thus do not have the same opportunity as boys to play against competition outside of the County.

(Everywhere but in the San Diego Section basketball was a winter sport).

“Since this is considered possible grounds for discrimination suits, the state CIF has ruled that San Diego Section boys cannot compete against out-of-county schools in basketball,” Maloney concluded.

The San Diego Section had repeatedly given the stink eye to the state CIF when the larger body suggested/implored that girls basketball and softball, which were inaugurated during the 1980-81 school year, move respectively to the winter and spring, in line with the state’s other sections.

Change would come but not this season.

MOMENTS OF THE SEASON

12/4/81—Defending champion Morse opened with a 63-55 win over visiting Oceanside, which would not lose again, posting a 22-1 record and the San Diego Section 2-A championship.

12/9/81—Sweetwater jumped to a 31-9 lead, saw it dwindle to 43-40, and then pulled away to top Morse, 79-64, in the season’s first major.

12/17/81—Things started poorly for the new Centurions of University City.  The first-year school was scoreless and trailing Lincoln, 22-0, after one quarter in a 76-29 defeat.

12/21/81—Kearny’s Lawrence Winters made a run at Wilburn Strong’s school record of 42 points with 39 but Morse scored a 75-70 Kiwanis Tournament victory over the Komets.

12/22/81—Winters had 30 points, but Sweetwater’s Terry Fields had 35 and the Red Devils beat the Komets, 99-86, in the Kiwanis.

1/9/82—Madison’s Ray Epton took the season single-game lead with 48 points in a 75-64 win over St. Augustine.

–Epton’s was the most since Serra’s Tommy Williams posted 50 points in 1979-80 but wasn’t close to the Madison record, 61 by Mitchell Lilly in 1975-76.

1/15/82—Future New York Yankees perfect game pitcher David Wells drained a free throw with 5 seconds left to clinch Point Loma’s 40-39 win over Clairemont.

1/23/82—Aaron Combs (27), Terry Fields (25), and Tyrone Miller (23) scored 75 points and their Sweetwater associates provided the rest in a 106-37 win over Castle Park. See 1981-82: “Zarecky Thought…”.

1/27/82—Morse’s hopes relied on a quick basket, foul, and free throw, which would have forged a tie and sent the game into overtime.

–The Tigers’ Carl Fisher did score with one second left but was whistled for charging.  Patrick Henry escaped with a 60-57 victory.

2/2/82

Tag Glithero, whose father starred at Lincoln in the late 1950s; Rick Oscarson, and sophomore Mike Haupt led a fourth-quarter, 27-16 Mira Mesa surge that stunned Morse, 68-55.

–Haupt converted nine of 10 free throw attempts in the final eight minutes, just one of many personal highlights in a career that would lead to coaching championships at St. Augustine.

2/5/82

San Diego made only 7×22 from the free throw line and Norman Baker, the County’s leading scorer, was 6×23 from the field.

University, meanwhile, made 14×17 free throws and the 9-12 Dons shocked the 15-2 Cavers, 58-55.

PATS & TIGERS SWAP HAYMAKERS

2/11/82

Morse defeated Patrick Henry, 75-71, in another battle of closely matched titans.  Henry, not counting forfeits in its first two games this season, had won 46 of its last 48 games, both losses to the Tigers.

Henry held a 4-2 edge over Morse during the 48 games, winning by three points in three of the games and by one point in the fourth.

Morse’s other victory over Henry was 52-50 in the 1980-81 San Diego Section 3-A finals.

PLAYOFFS

QUARTERFINALS

3-A

Morse 51, Helix 47 (18-7).

For the second season in a row the underdog Tigers went into a league champion’s gymnasium in the first round.

Lawrence West’s steal with 31 seconds left, followed by Carl Fisher’s layup, put the Tigers in front, 49-47, and Fisher iced the victory with two free throws at :14.

Hilltop 50, Vista 49 (19-5). 

Fred Haley knocked down a 20-foot jump shot with two seconds left.  “I just wanted us to take the best shot we could, whenever it came,” sighed relieved Lancers coach Jan Chapman.

Fallbrook 86, Sweetwater 83 (23-2).

The headline in the Evening Tribune screamed:  “Fallbrook Win Over Sweetwater Almost Defies Description”

Coach Jack Sandschulte started at Fallbrook in 1956 and this was his most satisfying, and unexpected, victory.

“We need to play a perfect game,” said the Warriors coach of his seventh-ranked team (and second in the Avocado League) going to the No. 1 Red Devils’ gym and its environmentally unfriendly atmosphere, created by 6-8 Aaron Combs, 6-7 Tyrone Miller, and 6-1 playmaker Terry Fields.

“Sweetwater has the best physical talent since Bill Walton played at Helix,” Sandschulte told writer Bud Maloney after the Warriors’ surprising victory.

“They did what they should do against us. They took the ball inside (Brian Busch at 6-3 was Fallbrook’s tallest player) and scored a lot of points off the offensive boards.

“But we did what we do well,” said Sandschulte.  “We shot well and made them play some defense.”

“I didn’t think we had a chance,” the veteran mentor admitted.  “Nobody did,” especially after Sweetwater took a 60-47, third-quarter lead.

Dominic Johnson led the winners with 30 points, including a 40-footer at the end of the third quarter that cut Sweetwater’s lead to 67-65, and two free throws with seven seconds remaining.

Brian Busch’s five-foot jumper with 11 seconds left had finally put Fallbrook in front, 84-83.

Busch added 20 points and Jeff Adams 19, including 9×9 from the free throw line.  Tyrone Miller scored 24 for Sweetwater.

Patrick Henry 68, Monte Vista 44 (14-9).

Playoff top seed Henry converted 29×51 shots from the field for 57 per cent.

2-A

Hoover 97, San Marcos 84 (14-10).

Charlie Steel’s 33 points and a flock of other Cardinals scorers were enough to subdue the Knights and Charlie Panos (19) and Brent Barnes (20).

Oceanside 66, Marian 55 (15-11).

Five-foot, 4-inch Mike Lee scored 15 points and the Pirates overcame a 19-11 Marian lead at the end of one quarter.

San Diego 63, Lincoln 53 (19-4).

The Cavers won the season series, two games to one, as 6-5 Herman Webster finished with 21 points and 19 rebounds.

La Jolla 68, Chula Vista 41 (15-9).

1-A

Santa Fe Christian 87, Borrego Springs 58.

Rob Rittgers scored 22 points and Lance Saber pulled down 20 rebounds.

Army-Navy 61, Francis Parker 35.

Parker’s run of six straight trips to the finals came to an end.  Uchenna Agu led the Warriors with 22 points.

SEMIFINALS

3-A

Patrick Henry 66, Morse 58 (16-8).

The Patriots’ Troy Thrower, who attended Mount Miguel as a sophomore and Helix as a junior, led Patrick Henry with 23 points and nine rebounds.

–Henry broke to a 17-point lead in the third quarter, after which Morse cut the margin to 54-49, but Billy Washington scored on a pair of layups and Thrower finished the Tigers with another score for a 60-49 advantage.

Fallbrook 71, Hilltop 51 (21-6).

Brian Busch missed 11 of his first 13 shots but converted all seven he attempted in the fourth quarter and the Warriors bolted with a 26-10 run after Hilltop pressed, 45-41, at the end of three.

2-A

San Diego 78, Hoover 65 (21-4).

Herman Webster again overshadowed County leading scorer and teammate Norman Baker with 18 points, 19 rebounds, and 3 blocked shots.

“Norman has been sick this week and it was my job to take over,” Webster told Linda Murphy of The San Diego Union.

Oceanside 48, La Jolla 46 (18-6).

The Pirates survived a barren fourth quarter after winning the third period, 27-14, to escape La Jolla, which outscored Oceanside, 8-3, in the final eight minutes.

1-A

Santa Fe Christian 49, Army-Navy 46.

CHAMPIONSHIP

3-A

Patrick Henry 67 (23-3), Fallbrook 66 (21-4).

The Patriots overcame a dreaded administrative glitch when their starting center was ruled ineligible and Henry’s first two games, both victories, were forfeited.

Center Randy Hennis, up from the junior varsity, proved an excellent addition to Billy Washington and Troy Thrower, and scored nine points with nine rebounds against Fallbrook, while Thrower’s free throw with six seconds remaining was the decider.

The Warriors’ Dominic Johnson led all with 35 points.

2-A

Oceanside 60 (22-1), San Diego 58 (21-4).

Mike Lee slipped under the defense and laid up the basket that broke a 58-58 deadlock with nine seconds to play.

1-A

Calipatria 87 (21-1), Santa Fe Christian 71.

The losing Navigators’ Rob Rittger was the evening tripleheader point leader with 36.

CENTURY CLUB

TEAM	OPPONENT	SCORE
Sweetwater	Montgomery	122-57
Sweetwater	Southwest	117-57
Patrick Henry	Christian	108-50
Granite Hills	Grossmont	108-94
Sweetwater	Castle Park	106-37
Hoover	Christian	105-46
Sweetwater	Grossmont	103-71
Sweetwater	Mt. Carmel	100-66

CHRISTMAS TOURNAMENTS

MT. HELIX INVITATIONAL

Lincoln 50, Helix 43, championship.

San Diego 84, La Jolla 77.

–The Cavers’ Norman Baker (34) and the Vikings’ Craig Weiss (33) traded hoops in third-place game.

HILLTOP-CHULA VISTA JAYCEES

All games were at Hilltop over four days, involving Granite Hills, Hilltop, Hoover, Mar Vista, Montgomery, Mount Miguel, Point Loma, and Santana.

Point Loma 78, Hoover 76, championship.

–Derrick Riley scored 28 points as Point Loma, trailing, 60-53, after three quarters, closed with a 25-16 fourth period.

GROSSMONT

Also known as the “Foothiller-Monarch” and the “Foothiller” tournament in news accounts.

Actually the event was a round-robin series of nonleague games involving Grossmont, Monte Vista, San Dieguito, Castle Park, El Capitan, and Serra.

Three games were played on each of three days at Grossmont or Serra.

No champion was declared.

FRANCIS PARKER

Army-Navy 69, Santa Fe Christian 60.

–Tournament most-valuable player Uchenna Agu scored 23 points for the Cadets and Albert Gonzalez 20.

RAMONA

San Marcos 72, Ramona 58.

Lt. JIM MITCHELL MEMORIAL

Oceanside 71, Mira Mesa 58.

–The Pirates’ 5-foot, 4-inch Mike Lee took most-valuable-player honors and scored 13 points, while teammate Eddie Anselmo added 18.

KIWANIS

The 35^th annual, continually feeling the pinch from other, ambitious events, was dying a slow death.

Kiwanis, once the largest and premier tournament in the state in the 1950s, had become a round-robin event with 32 Unlimited and Limited Division teams.

The tournament started before Christmas and renewed after the holiday.

–A rare Kiwanis bonus:  The No. 1 and 2 seeded teams, Sweetwater and Patrick Henry, met in the Unlimited finals, with the Patriots emerging on top, 73-70.

–Terry Fields scored 30 for Sweetwater, not enough to offset Billy Washington’s 29 and Troy Thrower’s 24.

–Hoover’s 28-14 fourth quarter overtook San Diego, 76-70, for the Limited crown.

POINT LOMA

Point Loma 51, Ramona 45.

Four teams in round robin play, El Cajon Valley, Point Loma, Ramona, and Mar Vista.

Point Loma was 3-0 and upped record to 8-0.

BARON-OPTIMIST

Sweetwater 67, Vista 65.

–Wes Saleaumua’s basket with five seconds remaining got the Red Devils past the Panthers, whom Sweetwater had dominated, 85-66, three weeks earlier.

Fourteen teams participated, with the championship played in the New Year, Jan. 2.

SANTANA

Helix 61, Santana 39.

–Two days after its Kiwanis victory, Henry needed Troy Thrower’s follow shot with two seconds remaining to beat Clairemont, 47-45.

An earlier victory over Clairemont was one of two forfeits Patrick Henry had sustained.

–With only six players in uniform, Henry dismantled Christian in the second round, 108-50.  Troy Thrower (26), Billy Washington (24), Randy Hennis (20), and Kevin Brown (16) led the way.

–Still dressing out only six players, Henry won a semifinal game against Mount Miguel, 65-48.

–More players were in uniform and seven scored as the Patriots took the title game over Santana.

Eight teams competed with the championship on Jan. 2.

SCORING LEADERS

Name	School	Games	Points	Average
Dominic Johnson	Fallbrook	25	610	24.4 (3)
Norman Baker	San Diego	24	598	24.9 (2)
Ray Epton	Madison	23	575	25.0 (1)
Terry Fields	Sweetwater	25	561	22.4 (7)
Charlie Panos	San Marcos	24	555	23.1 (6)
Lawrence Winters	Kearny	22	523	23.7 (4)
Troy Thrower	Patrick Henry	26	523	20.1
Todd Iseminger	Grossmont	22	511	23.2 (5)
Charlie Steel	Hoover	24	508	21.16 (9)
Paul Nelson	Marian	24	498	20.8 (10)
James Wilson	El Camino	23	488	21.21 (8)
Billy Washington	Patrick Henry	26	488	18.8
Jim Douglas	Vista	24	462	19.3
Aaron Combs	Sweetwater	25	456	18.2
Lawrence West	Morse	24	455	19.0
Brian Busch	Fallbrook	24	454	18.91
Brent Barnes	San Marcos	24	453	18.87
Craig Weiss	La Jolla	23	451	19.6
Tyrone Miller	Sweetwater	25	449	18.0
Herman Webster	San Diego	24	440	18.3
Russ Swier	Ramona	21	409	19.5
Paul Taylor	Chula Vista	24	404	16.8
Dally	Orange Glen	21	385	18.3
Rob Rittgers	Santa Fe Christian	21	383	18.2
Scott Fite	Serra	20	382	19.1

JUMP SHOTS

The arrival of Tommy Fields as a transfer from Chula Vista was the third recruiting (?) coup by Sweetwater Coach Gary Zarecky in three seasons…Darren Lee came in 1979-80 and Tyrone Miller in 1980-81…Floyd Evans, head coach at Riverside Poly, was reprimanded by Ivy League bosses and his school principal, who said in a statement that Evans “did not operate within the CIF Athletic Principles and Code of Ethics,” after leaving star Cheryl Miller in a game in which Miller scored 105 points and the Bears defeated Riverside Arlington, 179-15….

Records are made to be broken, but it took 11 years, until Jan. 23, 1981, for  Bill Walton and Helix  to surrender the San Diego Section’s signature team scoring achievement.

Helix slammed Mount Miguel, 127-31, in the 1969-70 season and the Highlanders’ record seldom was in trouble, other than a couple 122-point assaults by free-wheeling small schools Francis Parker in 1974 and Army-Navy in 1977.

Montgomery, 1-21 for the season and with a defensive average of 84 points, including 111 in an early-season Sweetwater game, was a perfect target in a rematch with the Red Devils, who gang rushed the Aztecs to a pinball machine-tilt of 130 points against 51.

DUBIOUS CLAIM

The San Diego Union reported that all but one starter on coach Gary Zarecky’s squad left the game in the middle of the third quarter (suggesting no return), which is hard to believe because Aaron Combs scored 38, Calvin Murrell 33, Tyrone Miller 23, and Juan Aguirre 20 for a total of 114 points.

Even if the Red Devils kept floor general Aguirre in the game, Sweetwater would have scored only another 16 points, if the newspaper account, reported by Sweetwater coach Gary Zarecky or a student manager, since the Union did not have a representative at the game, was accurate.

The box score in the newspaper suggested differently.

The Red Devils led by quarterly scores of 28-15, 60-29, and 99-44, before closing with a 31-7 final eight minutes.

Moments from the season:

11/29/80

Nine players returned to the defending champion and preseason No. 1 Patrick Henry Patriots, including 1979-’80 San Diego Section player-of-the-year Steve Brown, fellow all-CIF selection Billy Washington, and Tom Dobyns, son of a 1957-58 Hoover standout. Five players also moved up from a 19-2 junior varsity.

Coach Alan (Fritz) Ziegenfuss, offspring of long-time San Diego State mentor George (Ziggy) Ziegenfuss, started the program with a 2-23 record 13 seasons before, improved to 12-15 the next season, and then compiled a 215-80 record in the ‘seventies, won two San Diego Section championships, and, after an early setback this season, the Patriots picked up where they left off.

—Seventh-ranked Morse also was expected to contend, with graduates from a 19-3 JV squad and tall veterans Cedric Phillips (6-5), Zach Trueblood (6-8), Kevin Jennings (6-3), and Brian Ritchey (6-8).

12/09/80

Sean Salisbury scored 30 points as the also named Patriots from Orange Glen (4-1) defeated visiting Henry 71-65.  It would be Henry’s only loss in a 24-1 regular season.

Orange Glen, leading by one, pulled away with two free throws and a technical foul free throw in the last 18 seconds.  Henry stars Steve Brown and Billy Washington fouled out in the last two minutes.

—Sweetwater introduced another transfer, 6-foot, 6-inch Tyrone Miller—last year it was Darren Lee, who became the county’s leading scorer—who quickly fit in with 20 points, joining teammates Calvin Murrell, 23, Aaron Combs, 20, and Juan Aguirre, 20, in a 111-46 win over Montgomery.

ALABAMAN WOWS

—Ken Johnson, a 6-8 ½, 240-pound transfer from Montgomery, Alabama, made a memorable debut with La Jolla.

Johnson scored as many points, 37, as opponent Clairemont in the Vikings’ 61-37 victory. He was 18×27 from the field, added 14 rebounds, and blocked 8 shots.

Johnson had been ruled ineligible in Alabama and had to battle through San Diego Section red tape before being cleared to play.

12/12/80

Three days following the blowout by Sweetwater, Montgomery took it on chin again, from Marian, 99-35. Fallbrook also came close to the century, 99-62 over El Camino.

—Henry, with 29 points from Steve Brown, 20 from Tom Dobyns, and 19 from Billy Washington, walloped Hoover, 100-63.

—Serra outscored Crawford, 9-6, in a fourth overtime to win, 62-59.  The score was 40-40 at the end of regulation.

12/13/80

—New No. 1 Sweetwater kept Chula Vista (No. 7) at a distance and won a ragged, early Metropolitan League showdown, 76-67. Bonita Vista beat Coronado, 96-52. Fallbrook socked San Pasqual, 98-51.

—Ken Johnson scored 30 points, pulled 18 rebounds, and had 4 blocks, but La Jolla was shackled, 19-8, in the third quarter and bowed to Patrick Henry, 63-53.  The Vikings committed 14 turnovers, five in last 4 minutes of the third quarter.

Henry’s Steve Brown on Johnson to Bud Maloney of the Evening Tribune: “There are a lot of big men who can score, but he can do so much more. He’s got a nice, soft touch.  He’s really a load out there.”

12/19/80

Ken Johnson scored 46 points in La Jolla’s 81-65 win over Ontario Chaffey.

1/2/81

Los Angeles Verbum Dei trounced Morse, 77-50, and Torrey Pines, 74-47, in a two-game swing through San Diego.  Morse actually had battled back from a 35-22 deficit to take a 36-35 lead before the roof fell in.

1/6/81

Juan Aguirre’s 15-foot basket was enough to beat Marian, 59-58, and keep Sweetwater tied for first in the Metropolitan League with Bonita Vista, 93-45 winner over Montgomery.

1/7/81

A 17-point lead was evaporating in the third quarter when Morse went almost six minutes without scoring.  The Tigers regrouped and beat Kearny, 60-54.

1/9/81

Patrick Henry trailed by five points at Morse with three minutes remaining, but the Patriots scored the next 10 points and stunned their host, 65-62. The Tigers’ Cedric Phillips led both teams with 27 points and 13 rebounds.

—John Elston’s two free throws with five seconds left appeared to bring Granite Hills home safe with a 54-53 lead over Monte Vista in the third overtime.  But a long, inbound pass to Mark Fielder and Fielder’s subsequent 18-foot fielder at the buzzer made for a 55-54 Monte Vista victory.

–Robert Pearson scored 41 points on 19×29 shooting and El Capitan retained its Grossmont League lead, 70-60 over Mount Miguel.

–Jim McBroom scored 37 points, but St. Augustine dropped a 90-59 decision to Hoover.

–Sweetwater outscored Southwest, 54-31, in the second half and moved to 8-0 in the Metropolitan loop and 14-1 overall with a 96-58 victory.

1/15/81

Ken Johnson scored 33 points and Craig Weiss 21, but visiting Serra surprised La Jolla, 72-65.

1/16/81

Sweetwater (15-1) struggled to its ninth consecutive Metropolitan League victory, 46-45, over patient, cautious Bonita Vista, which wondered what might have been.

With 43 seconds remaining, the Barons’ John Freeman followed a missed free throw by controlling the rebound and scoring a basket, followed by a converted free throw.

Not so fast.  Game officials, at least 10 seconds later, disallowed the free throw, saying Freeman stepped over the free throw line too soon.

The point that was taken away was enough for Sweetwater to avoid overtime and put the game away.

1/22/81

Alex Amaraz led with 22 points as Chula Vista slammed Montgomery, 101-59.

Somnambulance in the desert:  Calipatria outscored Holtville, 26-14.

1/30/81

Fallbrook, among many teams to score in the high nineties, some more than once, topped Escondido, 95-57.

CIF BOSSES’ NARROW VISION

2/2/81

Commissioner Kendall (Spider) Webb announced the San Diego Section board of managers had declined an invitation to participate in the state championship tournament, which would inaugurate at the end of the 1981-82 season.

“They see no reason to extend the season,” Webb told writer Steve Brand of The San Diego Union.  “They feel the San Diego Section championship produces enough honor, recognition, and prestige.”

The issue was virtually ignored at a board of managers meeting, despite obvious financial benefit to the section, competition and “I-played-in-the-state-tournament” bragging opportunity for players.

“Who said we should consider it?  Just because every other section participates shouldn’t influence us,” said Robert Thomas, Fallbrook Union District honcho.  “Maybe the others ought to change to our way of thinking.”

“It would be humorous if he wasn’t serious,” writer Steve Brand said of Thomas’ remarks.

2/3/81

Henry nipped Morse, 67-64, in two overtimes and the stars were out.  Morse’s Cedric Phillips scored 35 points and Henry’s Steve Brown 31.

The Patriots’ Tom Dobyns’ 4 free throws in the last 35 seconds were the difference, including two in final three seconds after Dobyns was fouled following his steal.

2/6/81

Ken Johnson scored 38 points in La Jolla’s 96-61 win over St. Augustine. San Marcos defeated Carlsbad, 96-83, as Willie Dudley (29), Kevin Feddock (26), and Chuck Panos (22) offset a 36-point effort by the Lancers’ Sid Mack.

IN TROUBLE, CALL KEN

2/10/81

Ken Johnson had 21 points in three quarters but was only 10×23 from the field and Serra was pressing, 44-43. Johnson scored 16 points in the last eight minutes including the Vikings’ final 12 for 37 total and delivered a 62-56 victory over La Jolla’s closest Western League challenger.

—San Diego’s Robert Moore made a run at Oscar Foster’s single-game scoring record with 37 points in the Cavers’ 75-69 win over University.  Foster scored 41 points in the 1966-67 season.

—Sid Mack rescued Carlsbad with a basket in the final two seconds as the Lancers nipped San Pasqual, 79-

77.

—Sean Salisbury’s put-back with six seconds left punctuated a 25-point effort as the Patriots edged Fallbrook, 54-51.

—Julian took it out on Cal Lutheran, 108-79, as all 12 Eagles scored from 5 to 18 points.

2/17/81

AZTECS RISE

Montgomery, 0-20, got off to a 20-6 lead over unsuspecting Coronado, was outscored, 25-12, in the middle two quarters, but stayed even with the 5-14 Islanders in a 13-13 fourth to experience the thrill of victory, 45-44.

2/19/81

San Marcos, trailing, 59-46, after three quarters, gathered itself with 26 points in the fourth quarter to nudge San Pasqual, 73-72.

2/20/81

Visiting Bonita Vista tied Sweetwater for the Metropolitan circuit championship with a 60-55 victory on the final night of the regular season and after a league grind of 18 games, each finishing 16-2.  The teams were even at the end of each quarter except the third, when the Barons created a 44-39 advantage.

SCORING LEADERS

NAME	TEAM	GAMES	POINTS	AVERAGE
Ken Johnson	La Jolla	24	694	28.91 (1)
Sean Salisbury	Orange Glen	26	663	25.5 (2)
Bob Capener	Torrey Pines	25	616	24.6 (4)
Tony Reuss	Christian	22	544	24.7 (3)
Jim McBroom	St. Augustine	24	527	22.0 (5)
Steve Brown	Patrick Henry	26	505	19.4 (9)
Mitchell	Carlsbad	26	500	19.23 (10)
Clifford Johnson	Serra	26	478	18.4
Cedric Phillips	Morse	28	474	17.6
Mike Dabasinkas	San Pasqual	22	473	21.5 (6)
Greg Lanthier	Mt. Carmel	25	471	18.8
Billy Washington	Patrick Henry	28	468	16.7
Robert Pearson	El Capitan	23	465	21.1 (7)
Norman Baker	San Diego	24	455	19.0
Louie Gonzalez	Chula Vista	24	444	18.5
Paul Nelson	Marian	26	440	16.9
Jon Freeman	Bonita Vista	28	433	15.5
Eric Sams	Crawford	24	427	17.8
Aaron Combs	Sweetwater	24	427	17.8
Willie Dudley	San Marcos	24	426	17.75
Todd Iseminger	Grossmont	22	422	19.18
James Wilson	El Camino	23	418	18.2
Lyle Bourke	Mar Vista	24	418	17.4
Robert Hayes	Mission Bay	20	404	20.2 (8)
Thompson	Madison	22	400	18.2
Tyrone Miller	Sweetwater	23	399	17.3
Eddie Anselmo	Oceanside	24	399	16.6

                                                                                                                              

PLAYOFFS   

3-A

QUARTERFINALS

Patrick Henry 71, Santana 55 (16-9).

The Patriots moved to 25-1 as Steve Brown scored 30 points.

Morse 40, Vista 34 (21-5).

Second in the final Evening Tribune Top 10, Morse outlasted the ball control offense of the third-ranked Panthers.

Mt. Carmel 76, El Capitan 74 (16-9).

Sundevils held off Vaqueros and Robert Pearson, who scored 34.

Orange Glen 61, Monte Vista 43 (19-7).

Bound for USC on a football scholarship, Sean Salisbury impressed visiting Trojans basketball coach Stan Morrison with a 24-point effort.

 

2-A

La Jolla 56, Sweetwater 52, 2 OT (24-4).

“I see no reason to change that opinion just because we won,” said straight talking Rick Eveleth, the La Jolla coach who had insisted all season that Sweetwater was the County’s most talented team.

Bonita Vista 61, Carlsbad 51 (13-13).

The game was delayed for at least an hour when it was discovered, just before the tip, that Bonita Vista’s home uniforms were the same shade of gold as Carlsbad’s road uniforms. A frantic scurrying to the home of Bonita Vista players dredged up enough dark blue road jerseys and the game went on, according to Bud Maloney of the Evening Tribune.

Serra 67, San Marcos 48 (11-13).

Oceanside 67, San Diego 61 (14-10)

1-A

Francis Parker 80, La Jolla Country Day 62.

Army-Navy 58, Santa Fe Christian 41.

SEMIFINALS

3-A

Patrick Henry 61, Mt. Carmel 56 (18-9).

Mt. Carmel purposely fouled Art Jackson, a 6-7, 225-pound center in the game for defense and rebounding.  Jackson missed both free throws and the Sundevils went after Jackson again with 51 seconds remaining and trailing, 55-54.  Jackson converted twice and the Patriots got four more points on free throws from Steve Brown and Tom Dobyns to escape.

Morse 62, Orange Glen 50 (20-6).

A good city team still was superior to a good North County squad.

2-A

La Jolla 50, Oceanside 43 (20-4).

Bonita Vista 49, Serra 48 (19-8).

By defeating Sweetwater in the league final to tie for the Metro championship the Barons were chosen by the league be its top seed in the postseason, a decision met with controversy and considered by some to be a shot at Sweetwater and its proclivity for attracting transfers.

Bonita lived up to its side of the bargain.  “You can say (the vote) was controversial, but I think my players have proved they deserve to be in the final,” said coach John Grande.

CHAMPIONSHIP

3-A

Morse 52 (23-5), Patrick Henry 50 (26-2).

After two great battles during the season, one a come-from-behind, 65-62 Patrick Henry victory, the other a 67-64 Henry win in two overtimes, the Morse Tigers got some redemption.

Rodney Flowers launched a 20-foot shot with six seconds left, after a Kevin Jennings steal and Morse timeout at 1:37.  Morse played for the final attempt and Flowers blossomed.

Morse had won its last five Eastern League games to reach the playoffs and ended the season on an eight-game winning streak.

2-A

La Jolla 69 (21-3), Bonita Vista 61 (21-7).La Jolla qualified for its first championship game since the 29-1 1963-64 team, featuring present coach Rick Eveleth, lost to Helix, 76-56. Ken Johnson scored 34 points, retrieved eight rebounds, and blocked 11 shots before 6,770 persons at the Sports Arena.

1-A

Francis Parker 73 (21-2), Calipatria 57 (18-5).

The Lancers rolled with their 1-2 punch of Ted Davis (28 points) and George Smith (16). Parker’s third championship in its sixth consecutive trip to the finals was over newcomer Calipatria, which joined the San Diego Section this year with Imperial Valley neighbors Holtville, Winterhaven San Pasqual, and Imperial.

CHRISTMAS TOURNAMENTS

MT. HELIX

Helix 55, Kearny 46.

–Sweetwater versus Sherman Oaks Notre Dame, which featured 6-foot, 6-inch Nigel Miguel, the preseason state player of the year, was the headliner.

The game turned on a 15-foot jump shot by Tyrone Miller with 3:20 remaining in the Red Devils’ come-from-behind, 46-45 victory, sealed only after a harrowing finish of missed shots and free throws for the loser.

Notre Dame led, 27-20, at halftime.  Miguel had 27 points. Six-foot, eight-inch Aaron Combs had 18 for Sweetwater.

HILLTOP JUNIOR CHAMBER OF COMMERCE

Chula Vista 58, Hilltop 52.

FRANCIS PARKER

Francis Parker 61, La Jolla Country Day 32.

GROSSMONT-MONTE VISTA

Monte Vista 52, Crawford 36.

SAN DIMAS

Morse defeated LaVerne Damien, 66-58, for the seeded division championship. Cedric Phillips of Morse was the division most-valuable player with 14 points and 14 rebounds in the championship game.

JIM MITCHELL MEMORIAL

Orange Glen 82, San Clemente 69.

The Patriots’ Sean Salisbury scored 40.

KIWANIS

The 34^th annual event started before Christmas on Dec. 23, broke for two days, and resumed Dec. 26.  Patrick Henry, behind Steve Brown’s 21 points, overcame turnovers on its first six possessions to win the 16-team, Unlimited Division, 56-54, over Helix.

–“We played too well in the first half,” said Rick Eveleth of La Jolla’s 69-61 win over Chula Vista in the 16-team Limited Division. The Vikings led, 41-29, after two quarters.  The coach thought that was the reason the Vikings “got away from our game” in the second half.

More blowouts: Helix whipped Montgomery, 95-48; Morse clouted Grossmont, 99-62, and Fallbrook defeated Southwest, 96-57.

–Morse fell behind Mt. Carmel, 24-8, and 46-28, then rallied with a 28-14 fourth quarter, but the Sundevils held on for 78-74 victory  in the second round.

–Scott Ogden’s last-second shot moved Vista past San Diego, 37-35.  The Cavers led, 35-34, with 14 seconds left, but Norman Baker was given a technical foul and ejected for biting the Panthers’ Bob Ike during a scramble for the ball.

25^TH PUNAHOU TOURNAMENT

After raising $45,000 for the trip, top-seed Sweetwater, the only mainland team at the Honolulu classic, defeated James Castle High of Kaneohe, Oahu, in the first round, 81-74, and gained the finals with a 68-59 win over Honolulu Radford.  University High of Honolulu outpointed the Red Devils, 64-54, in the final.

CARPINTERIA

San Marcos opened with an 85-56 triumph over Ventura St. Bonaventure but was beaten by host Carpinteria, 89-58, and then dropped a 58-55 decision to North Hills Los Angeles Baptist for third place.

CHINO

Escondido won its opener, 79-76 over Pomona Garey but lost in the semifinals to Montclair, 60-55 and to Temple City, 61-55, for fifth place.  San Pasqual lost to Pomona Ganesha, 68-53, and to Cerritos, 64-54.  Coronado packed it in after losses of 51-35  to Chino Don Antonio Lugo and 55-48 to Upland.

BARON-OPTIMIST

15 teams entered the 11^th annual, including a squad of American players from Taipei, Taiwan.

Mission Viejo Capistrano Valley, 114-46 over Montgomery, set a one-quarter record of 39 and tied the 1971 game record of Bonita Vista’s 114.  Westminster La Quinta beat Ramona, 104-34.  Madison beat Taipei, 110-20.

–Capistrano Valley topped San Clemente, 69-60, for the championship in matchup of South Coast League opponents from Orange County.

SANTANA

Patrick Henry, without Steve Brown, out with an ankle injury, defeated the host school, 71-58, in the semifinals and then, with Brown scoring 17 and Billy Washington 18, knocked off Mt. Carmel, 59-50, for the title.

POINT LOMA

Point Loma defeated El Cajon Valley, 99-55, and Mission Bay topped Mar Vista, 68-62.  The Pointers then beat Mission Bay for the championship.

CENTURY CLUB

TEAM	OPPONENT	SCORE
Sweetwater	Montgomery	130-51
Sweetwater	Montgomery	111-46
Madison	American Taipei	110-20
Julian	Cal Lutheran	108-79
Chula Vista	Montgomery	101-59
Patrick Henry	Hoover	100-63

 JUMP SHOTS:  Ken Johnson played collegiately at USC and Michigan State…he was the  28^th player selected, in the second round, in the 1985 NBA draft, and was with the Portland Trail Blazers for two seasons, averaging 4.1 points and 3.8 rebounds…Johnson’s 28.91  season average had been surpassed only by Madison’s Mitchell Lilly, 31.9 in 1976-77, and Helix’ Bill Walton, 29.1, in 1969-70…Johnson passed Bonita Vista’s Paul Halupa, who averaged 28.72 in 1968-69…Orange Glen’s Sean Salisbury, a Parade all-America in football, stuck to the gridiron at USC and played quarterback with five NFL teams from 1986-96 and was quarterback for the Winnipeg Blue Bombers Grey Cup championship squad in 1988…Salisbury later went into radio and television and hosted a national show and appeared in motion pictures….

Referees’ whistles echoed throughout the Bonita Vista gymnasium.

From a 1/14/81 account of a Metropolitan League game by Linda Murphy of The San Diego Union:

Seven-foot, one-inch Bonita Vista center Larry Irwin was fouled by Chula Vista’s Louie Romero as Irvin went up for a rebound.  Bonita Vista led, 65-61, with 26 seconds remaining in the game but the unranked Barons had seen a 13-point, third-quarter lead shrink against the No. 6 Spartans.

The foul was Romero’s fifth but he also picked up a technical foul for beefing too loudly to the game official.  Irwin converted both ends of the one-and-one and Jon Freeman drained the technical free throw. Bonita Vista led, 68-61.

Twenty-six seconds still remained.

Chula Vista’s Terry Fields almost immediately was assessed a technical foul for guarding too closely when Bonita attempted to inbound the ball following the free throws.

Fields picked up another technical when he “bounced the ball in the direction of the official”.

The clock did not move.

Jon Freeman then converted a free throw for the first technical and then made two more for the second technical.  Bonita’s lead was 71-61.

There still were 26 seconds remaining.

The clock began to run with the Barons riding out the final ticks.

A referee’s whistle tooted again.

Freeman, who took game scoring honors with 25 points, including 13 from the free-throw line, added two more points following a late, intentional foul.

Final score, Bonita Vista (11-4) 73, Chula Vista (11-3) 61.