Eighty-three teams, 47 boys squads and 36 girls teams, all had their “hoop dreams” (a so-named, popular movie of the day) as they embarked on what would become a postseason of 114 games, ending with a state championship by the Division V Christian girls.
BOYS PLAYOFFS
FIRST ROUND
D-I
Poway 80, Morse 61 (11-17).
San Dieguito 58, San Diego 41 (9-15).
“It was like a plexiglass lid,” San Diego coach Dennis Kane remarked of the basket at which the Cavers’ were firing in the Mustangs’ 17-4, third-quarter run.
QUARTERFINALS
Rancho Buena Vista 72, Poway 64 (13-15).
Rancho Bernardo 72, San Dieguito 63 (14-15).
Fallbrook 68, Orange Glen 46 (18-9).
Vista 75, Chula Vista 63 (17-10).
SEMIFINALS
Rancho Buena Vista 51, Fallbrook 46 (20-8).
Vista 92, Rancho Bernardo 84 (19-9).
Trailing, 27-13, late in the first quarter, the Panthers went on a 29-9 run to take a 42-36 lead.
CHAMPIONSHIP
Rancho Buena Vista 57, Vista 49 (18-11).
SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA REGIONAL
L.A. Fairfax (L.A. City) 52, Rancho Buena Vista 51 (23-7).
Down 16 points entering the fourth quarter, the Longhorns went on a 22-6 run to tie the score at 49 on Jamahl Mosely’s basket with 1:30 left.
—The Lions’ Duane Davis converted a 1 and 1 with 19 seconds remaining for a 51-49 Fairfax lead.
Rancho’s Justin Phillips, with :05 left, was fouled and converted a 1 and 1 for 51-51.
—Fairfax’s Davis was fouled as he brought the ball up court for a final shot and made the free throw that was the difference.
D-II
FIRST ROUND
Grossmont 59, Hilltop 47 (13-14).
Mike Van Raaphorst scored 30 points but the Foothillers’ leading scorer, Greg Clark, was carted off the floor after landing awkwardly.
Serra 68, Hoover 38 (17-8).
Scripps Ranch 81, San Marcos 63 (14-14).
Ashante Johnson scored 27 points, pulled 11 rebounds, and the second-year Falcons ran away with a 32-12 third quarter.
Ramona 82, Helix 69 (14-11).
Sonny Drago buried the Highlanders with 37 points, including four three-pointers.
Patrick Henry 56, Monte Vista 49 (19-8).
El Capitan 73, Valhalla 50 (16-12).
Torrey Pines 74, University City 53 (10-14).
El Camino 79, Point Loma 64 (13-13).
QUARTERFINALS
Scripps Ranch 70, Serra 52.
El Camino 90, El Capitan 70 (20-8).
Ramona 50, Torrey Pines 49 (22-9).
Sonny Drago, who scored 30 points, converted two free throws with three seconds remaining for an upset over the No. 4-seed Falcons.
Grossmont 62, Patrick Henry 51 (17-12).
Greg Clark was 10 minutes into the pregame warmup before it was decided he would play. “My jump shot started falling in warmups,” said Clark, who scored 29 points after missing much of the first playoff with stretched ligaments in his ankle.
SEMIFINALS
El Camino 59, Ramona 58 (20-8).
Clarence Martin’s layup with 2.4 seconds left bailed out the Wildcats, who trailed, 58-57, after Wayne Mealhouse’s basket for Ramona with :13 remaining.
Scripps Ranch 66, Grossmont 40 (18-7).
“They found our Achilles heel,” said Grossmont coach Dave Hollman. “They knew who our shooters were and shut them down.” Greg Clark (8) and Shaka Thomas (8) were the Foothillers’ shooters.
CHAMPIONSHIP
El Camino 58, Scripps Ranch 57.
SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA REGIONAL
El Camino 77, Tustin (Southern) 57 (28-3).
“I think our guys underestimated them, but I don’t know why,” Tustin coach Joe Ground said of the Wildcats. “They’re a good team. They shoot well, run well, and they push the ball.”
Pasadena (Southern) 59, Scripps Ranch 49 (25-7).
The Falcons, led by Ashante Johnson’s 20 points and 12 rebounds, could not overcome the host Bullpups’ 10-0 run in the fourth quarter.
SEMIFINALS
Riverside John North (Southern) 77, El Camino 73, OT (29-3).
There are losses and there are losses. El Camino coach Ray Johnson lost at home to the team for which he played in high school.
“If we’re going to lose, at least we lost to a great team (25-4) with a great tradition,” said Johnson.
D-III
QUARTERFINALS
University 97, Mar Vista 57 (14-9).
The Mariners, who scored more than 100 points seven times, felt the pain.
La Jolla 77, Kearny 51 (13-14).
Eastlake 73, Mission Bay 48 (8-16).
St. Augustine 58, West Hills 49 (11-14).
SEMIFINALS
La Jolla 62, Eastlake 56 (21-4).
University 76, St. Augustine 62 (19-10).
Despite scoring 23 of his 27 points in the second half, Jelani McCoy and the Saints never got closer than 64-57, before almost 2,000 persons at Scripps Ranch.
CHAMPIONSHIP
University 66, La Jolla 45 (18-9).
SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA REGIONAL
QUARTERFINALS
University 67, Compton Centennial (Southern) 55 (18-14).
Nate Walton led the way for the Dons with 19 points and 11 rebounds.
SEMIFINALS
Artesia 55 (Southern), University 54 (20-10).
D-IV
SEMIFINALS
Lincoln 114, Clairemont 38 (7-20).
Lincoln led, 51-13, at halftime after holding the Chieftains to two points in the second quarter.
Holtville 66, Coronado 59 (18-7).
CHAMPIONSHIP
Lincoln 84, Holtville 48 (22-6).
“With Holtville’s big kid (Jared Garewal) out, it wasn’t the same,” said Charlie Paulk, coach of the state’s No. 1 D-IV team, according to Cal-Hi Sports. “I’m glad we won, certainly, but this is just a first step.”
SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA REGIONAL
QUARTERFINALS
Lincoln 78, Corcoran (Central) 46.
L.A. Verbum Dei 102 (Southern), La Jolla 53 (18-10).
SEMIFINALS
Lincoln 90, Gardena Serra (Southern) 88.
CHAMPIONSHIP
L.A. Verbum Dei 93, Lincoln 70 (23-9).
Revenge for the Eagles, who lost to Lincoln in the regional D-IV final in 1993-94.
D-V
QUARTERFINALS
Horizon 60, Calipatria 54 (12-14).
La Jolla Country Day 88, Tri-City 59 (12-15).
Christian 63, Calvin Christian 40 (11-10).
The Bishop’s 55, Santa Clarita Christian 48 (15-9).
SEMIFINALS
Horizon 81, The Bishop’s 67 (17-10).
La Jolla Country Day 63, Christian 62 (15-12).
The difference was Jamie Hooper’s free throw with one second left. Hooper scored 23 points and had six three-pointers.
CHAMPIONSHIP
Horizon 55, La Jolla Country Day 53.
SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA REGIONAL
QUARTERFINALS
Horizon 63, Reedley Immanuel (Central) 56.
Pasadena Poly (Southern) 56, La Jolla Country Day 37 (25-6).
SEMIFINALS
Horizon 69, Visalia Central Valley (Central) 65.
CHAMPIONSHIP
Montclair (Southern) 59, Horizon 58 (23-3).
The Panthers took a 58-57 lead into the final minute but were beaten on a 15-foot jump shot with five seconds to play at Cal-State Fullerton.
GIRLS PLAYOFFS
FIRST ROUND
DIVISION I
San Dieguito 54, Fallbrook 42 (12-15).
Orange Glen 55, Chula Vista 37 (17-9).
QUARTERFINALS
Poway 77, Mira Mesa 42 (13-12).
Rancho Bernardo 65, Orange Glen 40 (6-21).
Rancho Buena Vista 71, Morse 53 (17-9).
Vista 57, San Dieguito 37 (11-17).
SEMIFINALS
Poway 61, Vista 51 (23-4).
Rancho Bernardo 85, Rancho Buena Vista 69 (18-11).
CHAMPIONSHIP
Poway 81, Rancho Bernardo 55 (22-7).
SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA REGIONAL
QUARTERFINALS
Ventura Buena (Southern) 60, Poway 32 (21-7).
D-II
FIRST ROUND
Torrey Pines 56, Grossmont 28 (12-13).
El Camino 67, Hoover 44 (8-11).
Scripps Ranch 71, Patrick Henry 47 (12-15).
Alyssa Murphy shot down the Patriots with 38 points.
Point Loma 43, San Pasqual 39 (11-14).
El Cajon Valley 51, Helix 47 (14-10).
Montgomery 52, Valhalla 43 (13-15).
Aztecs coach Lori Morris, after playoff losses the last two seasons, on a ritual this year: “I went home after every game and (along the way) would buy one of those Haagen-Dazs ice cream pints. Ate those all the time.”
Escondido 56, Serra 46 (14-9).
El Capitan 57, Hilltop 48 (12-12).
QUARTERFINALS
Point Loma 53, El Cajon Valley 29 (16-11).
El Camino 50, Escondido 38 (19-9).
Torrey Pines 79, Montgomery 55 (19-7).
Scripps Ranch 76, El Capitan 37 (20-10).
Alyssa Murphy singlehandedly eliminated the Vaqueros with 42 points.
SEMIFINALS
Scripps Ranch 51, El Camino 43 (25-5).
Torrey Pines 55, Point Loma 52 (26-6)
CHAMPIONSHIP
Torrey Pines 75, Scripps Ranch 69, 2 OT.
Robyn Turner’s third three-point field goal started the second, four-minute overtime and the Falcons were in front for keeps. Scripps Ranch’s Alyssa Murphy scored 35 points but was 11×37 from the field.
“It was gut wrenching,” said Scripps Ranch coach Dan Regas of his team’s inability to overcome 33 turnovers.
SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA REGIONAL
QUARTERFINALS
Irvine Woodbridge (Southern) 79, Scripps Ranch 45 (19-13).
Alyssa Murphy, headed for Boston College, fouled out in the third quarter, but ended her brilliant senior season with 908 points and a 28.4 average.
Newbury Park 85, Torrey Pines 59 (26-7).
D-III
QUARTERFINALS
University 60, Mission Bay 28 (7-18).
Our Lady of Peace 54, Madison 28 (4-17).
Santana 67, La Jolla 23 (4-21)
Eastlake 68, West Hills 54 (8-17).
SEMIFINALS
Santana 86, Eastlake 51 (19-9)
Our Lady of Peace 58, University 39 (16-10)
CHAMPIONSHIP
Santana 52, Our Lady of Peace 28.
OLP was doomed when 22-point scorer Susie Erpelding was out with a knee injury.
SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA REGIONAL
QUARTERFINALS
Santana 82 Exeter Union (Central) 62.
“We’re going to change history,” said junior point guard Sophia Sledge. The Sultans were aiming past the semifinals.
Newbury Park (Southern) 79, Old Lady of Peace 38 (20-10).
SEMIFINALS
Santana 81 Lemoore (Central) 54.
I thought we put on a clinic out there,” said Coach Wade Vickery to Josie Karp of The San Diego Union-Tribune.
“We’d like to be talked about in the future,” said Kelly Simers, who led the Sultans with 25 points.
CHAMPIONSHIP
Newbury Park 67 (31-1), Santana 57 (32-2).
The game at the Anaheim Pond arena tipped at 9 a.m. and the Sultans were slow to start, trailing, 23-11, with 5:31 left in the half.
Santana mounted a 15-4 rally and, after Kelly Simers’ three-pointer, went into halftime behind only 27-26.
A basket and free throw by Monica Pope increased a Santana advantage to 30-26, but the Panthers took a 31-30 lead and never looked back.
D-IV
SEMIFINALS
Clairemont 61, Lincoln 39 (11-11).
The Lady Hornets, leading, 13-4, and winners of three of the last four D-IV titles, were no match when the Chieftains’ Rori Robertson, slowed by the flu, entered the game in the second quarter, scored 24 points, and teamed with Faye DeLeon, 13 points, 10 rebounds, 12 assists, and 10 steals.
Holtville 53, Coronado 41 (15-9).
CHAMPIONSHIP
Clairemont 52, Holtville 50, OT (23-5).
“I never stopped believing in my team,” said Clairemont coach Lamont Jackson.
The Chieftains trailed 20-4 with 3:40 left in the first half. “You notice,” Jackson added, “I never called timeout.”
SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA REGIONAL
Morro Bay (Central) 51, Clairemont 36 (21-5).
D-V
FIRST ROUND
Lutheran 51, Covenant 38 (9-10).
Horizon 59, Marian 34 (5-16).
Calvin Christian 74, Tri-City 38 (8-12).
Calipatria 42, Francis Parker 27 (7-13).
QUARTERFINALS
Christian 80, Lutheran (11-9).
Horizon 65, La Jolla Country Day 55 (11-8).
The Bishop’s 55, Calvin Christian 41 (15-8).
Julian 87, Calipatria 33 (15-9).
SEMIFINALS
Christian 76, Horizon 22 (19-6).
Julian 62, The Bishop’s 44 (14-14).
CHAMPIONSHIP
Christian 86, Julian 52.
“The four seniors have been together for four years and that will be a big advantage the rest of the way,” predicted Christian’s UC-Santa Barbara-bound Stephanie Shadwell to Steve Brand of The San Diego Union.
SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA REGIONAL
QUARTERFINALS
Christian 77, Pasadena Poly (Southern) 33.
Julian 73, San Bernardino Christian (Southern) 42.
Missy Bryan was too much for the host team, with 27 points, 12 rebounds, and 12 steals.
SEMIFINALS
Julian 73, Visalia Central Valley (Central) 54.
Stephanie Sick scored a triple double, 15 points, 12 assists, 10 rebounds for the Eagles.
Christian 66, San Luis Obispo Mission Prep (Southern) 33.
The Patriots jumped to a 17-0 lead and were ahead, 43-17, at halftime. Stephanie Shadwell led with 13 points and 10 rebounds.
FINALS
Christian 52, Julian 46 (31-4).
“We should have won,” said Julian coach Carl Focarelli. “Nobody in the world gave us a chance after a 34-point loss (to Christian in the San Diego Section finals) and us having been on the road five straight days (to San Bernardino and Visalia).”
–The Patriots, the No. 1 ranked D-V team in the state, praised their opponent. “They played outstanding,” said April Payton. “They just missed their shots.”
–We played tougher man defense and didn’t give them the threes,” said Focarelli. “We outplayed them, but we missed too many shots and free throws.”
–Christian shot 32.2 per cent (19×59) from the field and Julian 31.5 per cent (17×54).
STATE CHAMPIONSHIP
Christian 49 (33-3), Ripon Christian (Sac-Joaquin) 47.
Stephanie Shadwell drained a half court basket at the buzzer at Oakland Coliseum Arena. The three points lifted the Patriots to a stunning, come-from-behind victory over the 35-4 team that beat Christian, 62-46, in the 1993-94 final.
“Every basketball player dreams of hitting a last-second shot from halfcourt to win a state title,” Shadwell told Tom Shanahan of the San Diego Union-Tribune. “To have that dream become reality…it’s an indescribable feeling.”
