Hoover trailed Morse, 70-50, with two minutes and 40 seconds remaining in their Eastern League game at Hoover on Tuesday afternoon, Feb. 2, 1971.
Hoover won, 71-70.
Let’s try that again.
Hoover won, 71-70.
The Cardinals scored the game’s last 21 points in arguably the most jaw-dropping finish in the history of area high school hoops.
“I’m glad I’m not Red Auerbach,” Morse coach Tom Williams remarked two days later, acknowledging the Boston Celtics coach Red Auerbach, who would light a cigar on the bench when his team was assured a victory.
“They got into foul trouble and we went into a 1-2-2 press,” said Hoover coach Hal Mitrovich. “I don’t think they broke center court more than two or three times in the last three minutes.”
Mitrovich thought for a moment. “If they had thrown in one more basket, they would have won.”
“I’ve got to admit I felt pretty confident,” said Williams, the winner of 443 games in a career in which he coached start-up programs at Morse and Serra.
Williams thought there was 3:40 remaining when the game took its dramatic change (Hoover officials confirmed the correct time as 2:40).
“They got every break in the book,” said Williams. “We had four starters foul out; they got 19 free throws in the fourth quarter, and then there was the last eight seconds.”
Bill Center of The San Diego Union, who was not at the game, picked up the story with Williams.
“Morse had a one-point lead and a man (the coach would not identify) at the free-throw line, shooting one and one. But he missed the first shot and, to make matters worse, stepped over the foul line—a violation,” wrote Center.
Hoover was awarded the ball out of bounds on side court.
“If he had missed without stepping over the line, Hoover would have had to rebound the ball, get it downcourt, and shoot,” Williams said. “But they got the ball out; they set up, and the time actually was double what they would have had.”
Hoover center Walt Russell dribbled across midcourt, glanced up at the clock, and then let fly with a 15-foot attempt that drained the net with two seconds left. Russell scored 13 of Hoover’s 27 fourth-quarter points and 25 for the game.
“What can you say?” said Williams. “We shoot 50 per cent from the floor and play a good game.” Morse, ahead, 56-44, at the end of three, lost its two highest scorers, Stan Rosendahl and Keith Walker to fouls, plus Mike Bento and Bill Corsello.
“We told our kids it was a once-in-a-million game,” said Williams. “If we stop and worry about this game we’re dead.”
Morse finished at 7-5 and in a tie for third with Patrick Henry in the Eastern League and was 17-11 overall. Hoover was fifth at 5-7 and 10-16 overall.
HELIX STREAK ENDS
Kearny’s Jesse Martinez stole a pass and scored a basket with 15 seconds left and then dropped in a free throw, giving the Komets an opening-game, 63-61 victory. Helix was deprived of a 50th consecutive win and faced life without Bill Walton.
Life wasn’t that bad.
Despite finishing third in the Grossmont League to Monte Vista and Grossmont, the teams that would play for the San Diego section championship, Helix posted a 21-9 record and Mike Honz led the County with 614 points, and his 20.6 average was second highest in the County.
Helix shocked Monte Vista, 74-49, in the league opener and was 2-2 against Monte Vista and Grossmont, the teams that were accorded first and second place in a telephonic vote among principals at the end of the regular season. All three had 11-3 league records.
The Highlanders’ bid for a fourth San Diego Section championship was derailed by five-time Western League champ Madison, 80-76, in the first round of the playoffs after earlier, 77-62 and 87-72 victories over the Warhawks, but the Grossmont League continued to rule with a third champion in the last three seasons and fifth in the section’s 11 seasons.
PLAYOFFS
FIRST ROUND
–Bob Tagye scored 27 points but third seed Chula Vista (25-4) fell to Patrick Henry, the Eastern League’s No. 3 squad, 68-56, in an opening night stunner.
–John Bunting had 21 points and Monte Vista, off to a 41-21 halftime lead, ushered out Bonita Vista (16-11), 70-54.
–Reliable Mike Collier (21) and Ed Aycox (14) pushed Lincoln past Vista (14-12), 60-45.
–Marty Mayer had 17 points and Clairemont eliminated Poway (13-13), 59-49.
–Castle Park dismissed St. Augustine (17-11), 56-51.
–Grossmont’s front line of 6-foot-10, Ralph Drollinger, 6-8 Kevin Enright, and 6-7 Tom Foulds combined for 45 points as the Foothillers raced past Hilltop (19-9), 80-59.
–Madison, a 15-point loser twice to Helix, scored 52 second-half points and held off the Scots. Rockey Lee, a 6-8 sophomore, came off the bench in the first quarter and led the Warhawks with 25 points and nine rebounds.
–Carlsbad topped Kearny (20-8), 60-56.
QUARTERFINALS
–Ten free-throw points in the fourth quarter helped Monte Vista put away Clairemont, 64-57, after the Chiefs had whittled a 13-point Monarchs halftime lead to three. Bob Papciak led with 21 points and was 11×13 from the free throw line. Clairemont, 5-20 in 1969-70, finished with an 18-9 record.
–Madison broke from a 30-30 score at halftime to run off from Castle Park (24-6), 76-57.
–Patrick Henry 60, Carlsbad (22-3), 44. “Every time we shot they had a hand up and I don’t know how many times they got a hand on the ball,” said Lancers coach Dimitri Poradowski. “When we weren’t scoring our defense was fine,” noted Patriots coach Fritz Ziegenfuss.
–Grossmont scored five points in the final 55 points and sneaked past second-seeded Lincoln (24-6), 49-48.
SEMIFINALS
Attendance at the San Diego International Sports Arena was 5,295 for the two games.
–Top seeded Monte Vista got all it could handle from fourth seeded Madison (20-9), which had beaten favored Helix and Castle Park. The Monarchs trailed, 37-24, seventeen seconds into the third quarter but rallied to defeat the Warhawks, 62-60.
–Grossmont defeated Patrick Henry (21-9), 78-59, as 6-10 ½ Ralph Drollinger scored 24 points and pulled down 17 rebounds. Drollinger’s 6-8 teammate Kevin Enright had 24 points and 12 rebounds.
CHAMPIONSHIP
Attendance was 6,451 for the Saturday doubleheader for the title and third place.
Monte Vista (29-2) made it three victories in four tries against its Grossmont League rival, 49-44, pulling away from the Foothillers with a strong third quarter that gave the Monarchs a 43-34 advantage heading into the final eight minutes.
Monarchs coach Pete Colonelli, a standout guard at Lincoln in the late ‘fifties, answered those who thought his virtual ironman team of five starters (Allen Bunting, Gary Earle, Bob Pepciak, Jack Cross, and Carl Stucky), would tire from the pace of 4 games in the one-week postseason.
“I think we were in just a little better shape than anyone else,” Colonelli told Bill Center, “and I think the second team can be thanked for that. The second ream gave the starters all they wanted in practice.
“When fatigue sets in there is a lot of reaching and the tired club will draw the fouls,” said Colonelli. “We were under 20 the last two nights.”
THIRD PLACE
Madison claimed the consolation prize for the third time in five years, defeating Patrick Henry (21-10), 70-59.
SMALL SCHOOLS
Ramona measured San Diego Military, 63-53, for the Class A championship as 6-foot-6 Dale Eberwein scored 24 points and came away with 17 rebounds at La Jolla. The Bulldogs, 19-7, also topped the Eagles (16-5), 70-64 for the December Southern Prep League tournament gonfalon.
TOURNAMENTS
KIWANIS
Forty-two teams in three divisions, playing as many as 65 games in four days, represented the 24th annual event, largest in California. Junior colleges Grossmont, Southwestern, Palomar, and Mesa were hosts for games the first three days, with finals at San Diego State’s Peterson Gym.
Diane Ridgway, widow of the Mount Miguel coach, Dick Ridgway, who passed suddenly before the season, was the honored guest at the tournament tipoff luncheon at U.S. U.S. Grant Hotel.
–San Diego, 2-6 and a decided underdog to 5-2 Helix, upset the second-seeded Highlanders in the quarterfinals, 61-57.
–Carlos Mina, a 6-foot, 8-inch forward destined to play for Jerry Tarkanian at Long Beach State, set a tournament record with 50 points as El Centro Central won the Classified Division, 80-79 over Bonita Vista.
–Monte Vista won its 11th in a row, topping Grossmont, 56-47, for the Unlimited Division crown.
–Two free throws by Bob Peterson with 1:20 remaining gave Castle Park a three point lead and Trojans held on to win the Limited Division over Chula Vista, 67-66.
POST-CHRISTMAS
Thirty-six teams competed in the University, Chino, Covina, Newport, El Centro, and Bonita Vista events, all sponsored by various Kiwanis, Optimist, and Elks clubs.
UNIVERSITY
Sixteen teams in the sixth annual Uni carnival played all games in the University of San Diego gym, some starting as early as 8:30 a.m. and finishing around 9:30 p.m.
–St. Augustine defeated Kearny, 53-42, for the championship.
–John Slater, son of Kearny football coach Birt Slater, scored nine of Mount Miguel’s 14 points in overtime and had a game high of 34 in the Matadors’ 73-66 win over Hoover.
–Castle Park outscored El Capitan, 22-8, in the final eight minutes to overcome a 57-49 deficit and win, 71-65, in a game in which 56 personal fouls were called. Six players fouled out. El Capitan missed 18 of 45 free throws and Castle Park missed 16 of 41.
COVINA
Despite entering with a 6-4 record, Helix played strongly in the prestigious event.
–Dan Coleman’s last-second layin gave the Scots a 78-77 win over Gardena Serra. Coleman and Mike Honz each scored 22 points.
–Poway went to the consolation bracket following a 98-68 loss to Sherman Oaks Notre Dame.
–John Singer’s two free throws with nine seconds left in overtime lifted Helix to a 74-72 win over Lakewood, after Singer missed two free throws with one second remaining in regulation play. Singer had been fouled while he launched a desperation, half-court shot with the score tied at 70.
–Poway headed home after a second loss, 64-48, to South Pasadena in the consolation round.
–Helix ousted host Covina, 72-61, in the quarterfinals.
–Honz, Coleman, and Dennis Dupree each scored 21 points as Helix hammered Huntington Beach Marina, 85-74, to gain the finals for the second year in a row.
–Mike Honz scored 31 points, but the Scots bowed to West Covina, 72-57. Honz led all tournament scorers with 96 points and made the all-tournament team with Coleman.
CHINO
—Chula Vista advanced with a 65-49 win over Montclair and 81-60 triumph over Chino before bowing in the semifinals to Upland, 78-69. The Spartans defeated Clairemont, 79-61 for third place. Escondido lost to Ontario, 87-59, and Pomona Garey, 91-54.
NEWPORT BEACH
–Monte Vista was 2-0 in tournaments after beating Victorville Victor Valley, 64-63; three-time Nevada champion Las Vegas Clark, 61-55, and Camarillo, 46-44 on Gary Earle’s basket with 15 seconds left.
–Oceanside lost to Newport Harbor, 72-62, and La Jolla to Camarillo, 73-63, pushing the two San Diego teams into a consolation bracket game which Oceanside won, 80-71, despite 33 points by La Jolla’s Gary Kloppenburg. Costa Mesa topped the Pirates, 72-51, for the conso’ title.
EL CENTRO
Six County schools were among the 14 entered in the fourth annual event.
–Patrick Henry, coming on in its third season, ran past Morse, 56-51, for the championship.
Carlos Mina’s 27 points escorted El Centro Central past Madison, 66-64, for third place. Future National Basketball Association standout Lionel Hollins scored 24 to lead Las Vegas Rancho to a 78-50 win over Coronado for fifth place.
BARON-OPTIMIST
Bonita Vista was host for the inaugural event.
–San Diego blew a 14-point lead but outscored Mar Vista, 11-2, in overtime for an 81-72 victory.
–Crawford made 30×35 free throws to top Bonita Vista, 76-72, but the Colts lost to El Cajon Valley, 53-43, in the championship game.
SCORING DOWN?
Production was off only at the top, as four players, compared to 20 in 1969-70, averaged at least 20 points a game.
There were 29 individuals who scored 400 or more points, one more than the previous season.
Hilltop junior Steve Copp had the highest single-game total, 45, in a 95-51 win over Montgomery. El Capitan’s Don Sutton scored 43 in an 83-61 triumph over Granite Hills.
Helix led the way with 100-point games, winning their 35th in a row at home, 105-60 over El Capitan. The Scots, whose 75.6 game average was the second highest in section history among major schools to Helix’ 83.2 in 1969-70, also topped Santana, 106-52.
Christian passed the century mark when it beat San Miguel School, 101-82.
Leaders:
| NAME | TEAM | GAMES | POINTS | AVERAGE |
| Mike Honz | Helix | 30 | 614 | 20.5 (3) |
| Bob Tagye | Chula Vista | 29 | 585 | 20.2 (4) |
| Steve Copp | Hilltop | 27 | 571 | 21.5 (1) |
| Gary Earle | Monte Vista | 31 | 563 | 18.2 |
| Mike Collier | Lincoln | 29 | 552 | 19.0 (8) |
| John Service | Patrick Henry | 31 | 533 | 17.2 |
| Kevin Enright | Grossmont | 30 | 523 | 17.4 |
| Dale Eberwein | Ramona | 26 | 496 | 19.1 (7) |
| James Ross | Kearny | 29 | 491 | 16.9 |
| Ron Wrigley | St. Augustine | 28 | 493 | 17.6 |
| Dennis Core | Santana | 27 | 487 | 18.0 |
| Phil Efseaff | San Marcos | 25 | 483 | 19.4 (6) |
| Emlow Henry | Hoover | 26 | 481 | 18.5 (9) |
| Louie Yap | Sweetwater | 26 | 479 | 18.4 (10) |
| Gary Kloppenburg | La Jolla | 24 | 469 | 19.5 (5) |
| Dave Bartholomew | Kearny | 29 | 469 | 16.2 |
| Allen Bunting | Monte Vista | 31 | 468 | 15.1 |
| Dan Coleman | Helix | 29 | 461 | 15.9 |
| Steve Vickery | El Capitan | 24 | 459 | 17.1 |
| Roger Davis | Lincoln | 30 | 450 | 15.0 |
| Ralph Drollinger | Grossmont | 30 | 448 | 14.9 |
| Tom Lines | Bonita Vista | 27 | 446 | 16.5 |
| Vern Rye | San Dieguito | 21 | 435 | 20.7 (2) |
| Bill Howard | Mar Vista | 25 | 432 | 17.3 |
| John Slater | Mount Miguel | 24 | 427 | 17.8 |
| Stan Rosendahl | Morse | 28 | 424 | 15.1 |
| Rich Hastings | Madison | 26 | 423 | 16.3 |
| Marty Mayer | Clairemont | 27 | 420 | 15.6 |
| Braestrom | Vista | 26 | 413 | 15.9 |
SIGN OF THE TIMES
Bill Walton returned to San Diego as a freshman basketball standout at UCLA and scored 29 points as the Brubabes toyed with a Mesa College team, 132-95.
“We expect Walton to start for the varsity next year,” declared frosh coach Gary Cunningham. “We’re a balanced ball club and he’s an excellent team player, which is why he’s averaging only 19 points a game.”
JUMP SHOTS
Grossmont opened a new gymnasium on campus and took a while to get settled, trailing Bonita Vista, 39-30, at halftime before pulling out to a 73-65 victory…Lincoln’s 6-foot-9 Roger Davis scored 23 points and set a school record with 37 rebounds in a 71-57 win at Vista…Davis’ 522 career rebounds broke the record of 516, set by Bruce Anderson in 1967…Tom Snow, 98-59 in six seasons, stepped down and Nate Wallace became head coach at Castle Park…Crawford led Granite Hills only 40-34, but won, 68-38, with a 28-4 last quarter…Ralph Drollinger had 36 points and 24 rebounds in Grossmont’s 81-64 win over Mount Miguel…Kearny’s James Ross was identified as Ross James in one newspaper account…Uni coach Hector Macis was not a happy camper…a 77-54, home-game loss to Madison included 30 fouls to the visitors’ nine, and five Uni players fouled out…not to be outdone, 7 San Miguel players departed as the Knights committed 46 fouls against Christian, which sank 41×67 free throw attempts and defeated the former National City school, 101-82…San Miguel merged with The Bishop’s in 1971…eight players were in double scoring figures in Helix’ 106-52 win over Santana…Castle Park ended a 32-game home winning streak for Chula Vista, 62-59…Tony Baron’s looper with 15 seconds remaining lifted San Miguel to a 74-72, three-overtime victory over La Jolla Country Day…Grossmont outlasted a stall by Granite Hills, 28-12, after Lincoln was successful in a similar game with Crawford, 37-25…San Diego’s 8-19 record was the Cavemen’s poorest since a 2-10 finish in 1925-26 and their first losing season since a 6-8 campaign in 1934-35…the Cavers had one measure of success…they took a 1-8 record into a game with 7-1 rival Lincoln and came out ahead, 70-67….
