1974-75: Cavers Rebound After Stunning Loss at Lincoln

Nels Olsen stood at the free throw line, shooting one and one, the crowd screaming, challenging the San Diego High forward to falter in the charged atmosphere and din of the Lincoln gymnasium.

San Diego trailed, 68-67. Two seconds remained in the game.

Olsen drained the bottom of the net with each free throw attempt.  The Cavers thought they were home free, 69-68.

What followed was a preposterous non-finish, abetted by the partisan gathering in the dangerously overcrowded building, intimidating the two game officials, who exited, posthaste.

“I just threw it up,” said Lincoln’s Keith Logan of his 40-foot shot that fell through the hoop for a 70-69 Hornets win.

The 5-foot-8 Logan had dribbled at least 50 feet, around a couple defenders, and past the half-court line in two seconds.

“Actually, there was one second left on the clock (after the basket),” said a still-incredulous Bob Cluck more than 40 years later.

Cluck, a San Diego High graduate, was sitting next to Lyle Olsen, the San Diego State baseball coach and father of Nels.

HERO SWARMED

The Lincoln students, cheering loudly throughout the nip-and-tuck battle, converged on the floor, knocking Logan off his feet, and surrounded the officials. The men in striped shirts virtually dashed out of the gymnasium.

San Diego alumnus Nick Canepa, today a nationally recognized columnist for The San Diego Union but then a young prep writer for the Evening Tribune, has his own vivid memory of what took place that January afternoon:

“I was sitting with (USC football assistant coach) Skip Husbands, who was recruiting Michael Hayes, the great tailback who was the starting point guard for San Diego.

“Nels made those two free throws with kids yelling they were going to kill his family.

“I’ve never seen anything like it,” said Canepa.  “Two seconds left. The ball was basically handed to (Logan), who was cut off by Hayes and Willie Brigham.  He pivoted around them and dribbled down court before he launched his shot. All in about one second (on the scoreboard clock).  Absolutely robbed.

“A kid with a Lincoln letterman’s jacket was on the clock.  Officials feared for their lives.  The Lincoln principal allowed too many people into the gym.  They were lined up at both ends of the court, crowding the baselines.  It exacerbated the situation.”

Canepa remembered that “the buzzer (ending the game) never sounded” and that “someone from San Diego walked over the scorer’s table and grabbed the kid by his lettermen’s jacket and lifted him out of his chair.”

The mild-mannered Cavers coach, Gary Todd, a former all-Southern California distance running standout at Crawford; football game official, and timer at San Diego Chargers games, stonily shook his head, silenced by the stunning finish.

CAVERS NOW 22-1

Lincoln coach Bill Peterson had a different take: “Arcadia hit a last-second shot to beat us earlier (57-56 in December, on the road), so things have a way of evening out.

“But San Diego is a great team,” said Peterson, magnanimously.  “They have four starters (Willie Brigham, Percy Gilbert, Tony Saulisberry, and Nels Olsen) who should be all-league and the fifth (Michael Hayes) is the best athlete in the County.”

The defeat was San Diego’s first after 22 consecutive victories.

ANOTHER TOUGH LOSS

Staggered by the defeat, San Diego dropped its next game, 74-70, to Madison in a tense contest that saw both benches empty several times. San Diego’s Michael Hayes and Madison’s Jerry Williams were ejected.  The Warhawks’ Art Leahy scored 37 points and connected on 15 of 23 field-goal attempts.

Flat after victory, Lincoln lost its next outing to Crawford, 83-68, committing nine, first-quarter turnovers and falling behind, 27-17.  Brothers Kenny and Eddy Newell led the Colts with 21 and 15 points, respectively.

Lincoln won only once in its final five games to finish 18-10 and San Diego dropped another, concluding the regular season at 25-3 with a 70-62 defeat to Kearny led by Alan Trammell and Phil Thompson.

Trammell, headed to a Hall of Fame baseball career, scored 26 points. Kearny, which earlier lost at San Diego, 59-41, saw a 14-point lead dwindle to three but held on.

The loss forced San Diego to share the Western League championship with Kearny and Madison and the Cavers lost their place as the No. 1 team in the final Evening Tribune poll to Mount Miguel, but the Cavers were the top seed in the one-week, four-round playoffs that included 24 teams, up from 16 in previous years.

Lower seeds in the playoffs faced the possibility of games four nights in a row.  A survivor would get a day off before the Saturday finals at the Sports Arena.

OPERATION BOUNCE BACK

San Diego’s losses to Lincoln, Madison (19-11) and Kearny (21-9) became distant memories.  Todd, who resigned at the end of the season because, in part, he was unhappy with the direction of athletics in the City Schools system, steadied his team as it regained form with a 4-0 run through the rounds.

The Cavers ushered out Castle Park (14-14), 75-47; Patrick Henry (21-9), a semifinalist in three of the last four seasons, 71-59, behind Tony Saulisberry’s 29 points, and third seed Chula Vista (27-5), 80-58, in the semifinals.

“If they play like they did against us in the Bonita Tournament (a 66-53 San Diego victory) they’ll beat us by twenty,” Chula Vista coach Mike Collins presciently declared before the game.

Mount Miguel (28-5) stayed with the Cavers through a 22-21 first quarter in the championship game before 5,707 persons in the Sports Arena, but the Cavers began to pull away.  It was 47-36 at the half and 76-50 after three quarters enroute to 102-72 triumph and a final record of 29-3.

San Diego converted 40×78 shots from the field for 51.3 per cent as 6-foot, 4-inch junior Percy Gilbert, son of an early ‘fifties Cavers star of the same name, scored 31 points, connecting on 13×22 attempts, and leading a starting lineup that in which all five scored in double figures.  Nels Olsen had 19, Tony Saulisberry 16, Willie Brigham 15, and Michael Hayes 10.

Todd wanted to talk defense.  “The biggest thing was our boards,” the coach said to Michael Grant of The San Diego Union. “They’d take a shot and we’d sweep the boards and we were gone.”

San Diego held a 42-24 edge in rebounds.

Gilbert, who with Brigham would be the anchors of the 1975-76 team, had 17 rebounds and blocked several shots.  “He might have gotten the all-tournament (MVP) award because of what people thought of his offense,” said Todd, “but to me it was because of his defense.”

Mount Miguel coach Bob Holm had said earlier in the season that “the press is our offense.”

The press that pushed the Matadors to a 71.5 scoring average didn’t work.

“Their quickness getting down court and falling back on defense offset the press,” Holm told Steve Brand of The San Diego Union.  “We wanted to run and managed to stay with them for a quarter.

“Let’s face it, we played a great team,” said Holm.

GROWING PAINS

Torrey Pines’ first year was one to remember but not repeated.

It was hard enough that classes were at San Dieguito High in Encinitas as the Falcons’ campus was being completed in Del Mar, but the Falcons and Mustangs were so tied together that they shared a bus to their Kiwanis Tournament Classified Division game.  San Dieguito (14-12) won, 89-55, despite 23 points from Torrey’s John Kentera, later known on local radio and in County sports circles as “Coach”.

There were other tribulations for Torrey Pines, which was 1-11 in the Coast League and 3-17 overall, including a 20-0 blank in the first quarter of a 64-42 loss to Coronado.

The zero marked the first time in four seasons that an area team had whiffed in the opening eight minutes.  Kentera, with support from Mark (Pate) Halda, led the Falcons with 23 points and was one of the most prolific scorers in the County with a 19.3 average and 366 points in 19 games.

SAY IT

San Diego’s Gary Todd was direct:

After a 73-59 victory over La Puente Bishop Amat, which unsuccessfully attempted a full-court press in the third quarter:  “I think it was a mistake”.

After a 45-43 victory over Poway to improve to 12-0:  “I thought it would be a close game, but they (his team) didn’t.”

After a 64-60 win over Crawford: “I was scared to death.  I told the team to sit on the ball with a minute to go (with the Cavers ahead, 61-60). “Instead we took a shot.” Tony Saulisberry clinched the victory with two free throws.

After crushing Chula Vista, 80-58, in the playoff semifinals:  “They were simply demoralized” by San Diego’s best offensive and defensive performance of the season.

After the championship runaway against Mount Miguel:  “The last three weeks of the (regular) season, I think we were still feeling sorry for ourselves after losing to Lincoln.”

100 OR BUST

Francis Parker (24-2), school enrollment 130 and coached by former Point Loma High and University of San Diego baseballer Ron (Dyno) Bennett, brought new meaning to the fast break, leading the way to 100-point outbursts with a 122-49 victory over Huntington Beach Harbor Christian in a tournament at Costa Mesa.

San Miguel School took stock after an opening-game, 71-point loss to Francis Parker.  The Knights announced they were shutting down for the season.

OUTLIERS

Laboring in near anonymity in far flung locales around the County, with a two-ply division alignment of Mountain and Coastal divisions, the Southern League led the way in offense, with its teams posting the four highest scores in a season of nine, reported 100-point achievements.

Christian claimed the Mountain Division title with a 96-71 victory over Julian.  Parker won the Coastal Division championship but was upset by Julian, 60-57, in the 1-A semifinals. Parker’s only other loss was to Christian, 66-61 in January.

Julian (20-5), which led the County with an 80.4 scoring average,  beat Christian (17-10), 88-84, in the championship game at La Jolla High after John Linton stole the ball with 15 seconds left and scored to break an 84-84 tie.

CENTURY CLUB

MADE TO BE BROKEN

Jim Jollett of Grossmont (20-7), hitting on 21×25 field goal attempts, set a Foothillers record with 46 points, bettering the 41 by Howard Smith in 1966-67 and Ralph Drollinger in 1970-71.

On the same day Jollett was lighting it up, Hoover (20-10), which would go on to clinch its first Eastern League title since 1961-62, established a school record for points in a 97-69 win over Bonita Vista (22-7).

San Diego’s 102 points in the CIF finals bettered 1958-59 club’s 96-37 outburst against Crawford.  The Cavers also set a school record by averaging 70.5 points.

TOURNAMENTS

The 28^th annual San Diego Kiwanis event opened with 44 San Diego Section Section teams playing in 11 area gymnasiums.

Mount Miguel defeated Madison, 72-59, for the Unlimited Division championship.  Crawford (22-8) won the third-place game, 67-48 over Kearny.

A 20-2 blitz in the third quarter led San Diego to a 61-51 victory in the Limited finals over Mar Vista (18-10). Bonita Vista (22-7) beat Hoover, 72-69, in overtime for third place.

Bonita Vista, coached  by ex-Chula Vista star Bill Foley, beat Chula Vista (27-5) in three overtimes, 47-45.  The first two overtime periods were scoreless. Madison (19-11), trailing, 19-6, after one quarter advanced in overtime over Crawford, 72-68.

Lincoln claimed the Classified title, 62-47 over San Pasqual (17-10). University was third, 65-62 over San Dieguito.

BARON-OPTIMIST

San Diego topped Chula Vista, 66-53, for the championship and Crawford beat Madison, 60-55, for third place.

UNIVERSITY

Patrick Henry nipped Grossmont, 56-55.  Clairemont (12-17) claimed third, 63-51 over host University (9-18). Bonita Vista won a rematch with Chula Vista, 48-46.

TRACY

Mount Miguel defeated Stockton Edison, 91-74, for third place after the Matadors bowed to Oakland Bishop O’Dowd, 74-53.

BOSSES RELENT

City Schools honchos, who eliminated night athletics because of rowdyism in 1974, relented in January and allowed the return of Friday night basketball.

SCORING LEADERS (some media published totals differ; unofficial)

HANNON UNLOADS

Veteran Madison coach John Hannon couldn’t take it any longer.

“I’ve never seen it so bad,” said Hannon.  “It seems the officials don’t know court mechanics and many don’t even know the rules.  Probably worst of all, they’re not in control of the game.”

Hannon wasn’t talking about a situation involving his team but coincidentally was referring to a La Jolla-Coronado game.

Hannon was a standout in the early ‘fifties at Coronado, which dropped a 74-57 decision to the Vikings.

A total of 64 personal fouls were called in the contest, which lasted almost two hours, at least 30 minutes more than most games.

Five players fouled out and there were two technical fouls. Tempers flared in the fourth quarter as officials, trying to keep  control, whistled several infractions.

La Jolla had the advantage at the foul line by converting 19×31 free throws.  Coronado was 9×13.

JUMP SHOTS

Valhalla lost its first-ever game, 63-44, to Marian…the Norsemen, 1-15 in the Grossmont League and 2-21 overall, surprised Christian, 69-66, for their first win in the Kiwanis Tournament…Grossmont improved to 5-0 with a 69-66 win over Monte Vista (15-13) that took three overtimes…Christian’s Kurt Edwards went coast to coast in the last three seconds and laid in a basket at the buzzer to nip St. Augustine, 53-52… Jerry Finkbeiner of Poway (20-8) connected on a desperation 30-footer at the buzzer to topple Orange Glen (14-8), 51-49…San Diego played 13 consecutive road games after their first two at home…Hoover mentor Hal Mitrovich, whose first head coaching position was at St. Augustine, said the Saints were “the best last-place team I’ve ever seen”…the North Park five was 1-9 in the Eastern loop and 5-21 overall, but they topped playoff-bound Patrick Henry, 67-66…6-foot, 9-inch Randy Adams converted two free throws in final 15 seconds as Crawford nipped Patrick Henry, 49-48, after Henry had taken its first lead of the game, 48-47, with a minute to play…Crawford took a 17-4 lead in its playoff with Chula Vista but lost, 74-62….