2019-20 Weeks 11-18: Cathedral Wins Final Newspaper Poll
This is the first The San Diego Union-Tribune Top 10 we’ve posted in several weeks and is final for the 2019-20 season, including San Diego Section playoffs.
*Completion of San Diego Section teams’ participation in the CIF state tournament are included in the final ratings by Max Preps and Cal-Hi Sports.
First-place votes in parenthesis.
*Well-regarded teams not in the top 25 are considered “On the Bubble”. NR—Not ranked.
Union-Tribune
Team
Record
Points
Last Week
Max Preps
*Cal-Hi Sports
1.
Cathedral
24-8 (13)
130
1
29
23
2
Torrey Pines
27-6
117
2
32
25
3.
St. Augustine
24-7
104
3
34
Bubble
4.
Francis Parker
22-6
80
7
72
NR
5.
Foothills Christian
20-10
67
5
56
NR
6.
Christian
21-7
56
4
107
NR
7.
Santa Fe Christian
23-10
51
NR
75
NR
8.
Mater Dei
22-7
39
8
103
NR
9.
Poway
24-6
20
6
186
NR
10.
San Diego
21-11
15
NR
132
NR
Others receiving votes: 11. Carlsbad (23-9, 14 points), 12. San Ysidro (25-9, 12), 13. San Marcos (18-12, 3). 14. El Camino (25-7, 1).
Voting Panel: John Maffei (The San Diego Union-Tribune), Terry Monahan, (Union-Tribune correspondent), Aaron Burgin (Fulltime Hoops), Steve Brand (freelance correspondent), John Kentera, Braden Suprenant, (97.3 FM The Fan), Steve (Biff) Dolan (Mountain Country 107.9 FM), Christian Pedersen (SoCal Preps Insider), Bodie DeSilva (scorebooklive.com); Adam Paul (ecpreps.com), Brad Enright (L.A. Court report), Rick Smith (partletonsports.com).
2019-20 Week 15: Favored Teams win 78% as San Diego Section Playoffs Move Into Semifinals
Shockers, upsets, and surprises (maybe) shook up the first week of the San Diego Section playoffs, which resume Feb. 25 following 120 games in boys and girls first- round and quarterfinals competition.
Twenty-seven games have been won by teams with less attractive (higher) seeds. Favorites won 93 games, a 77.5 winning percentage, according to results from seeds provided by the computer of Max Preps.
Taking them in reverse, we considered a victory by a number 9 seed over an 8 to be a surprise, with the “maybe” qualification. Upsets were typically 10’s beating 7’s, 11’s topping 6’s, or 6’s nodding 3’s.
Shockers, and there were six of those, began on opening night when number 16 Point Loma defeated number 1 Bonita Vista, 58-57, in boys Division II.
Other jolts:
Fourteen seed Canyon Crest over 3 Army-Navy, 51-47, in boys’ II.
No. 13 Hoover over 4 Grossmont, 70-61, in boys’ IV.
No. 13 San Pasqual over 4 Eastlake, 48-34, in girls’ II.
No. 15 Granite Hills over 2 El Centro Southwest, 28-21, in a throwback to the 1940s in girls’ IV.
No. 10 Madison over 2 Helix, 45-44, in quarterfinals of girls’ III.
There were 12 games in which the 9 seed topped the 8, or the 5 beat the 4. Those were the surprises, maybe.
No. 5 El Centro Central’s victory over No. 4 Monte Vista in the quarterfinals of Boys’ IV wasn’t a surprise but the score was, 61-41.
Seed numbers in italics.
BOYS PLAYOFFS
OPEN DIVISION
QUARTERFINALS
8 Christian 9 (21-6) 61, @1 Cathedral 72 (22-7).
5 Francis Parker (22-4) 70, @4 Foothills Christian 63(20-9).
6 Poway (24-5) 43, @3 Torrey Pines 74 (25-4).
7 Mater Dei (22-6) 60, @2 St. Augustine 65 (23-7).
SEMIFINALS
Feb 26.
5 Francis Parker vs. 1 Cathedral @TBA.
3 Torrey Pines vs. 2 St. Augustine @TBA.
D-I
FIRST ROUND
UPPER BRACKET
16 Mount Miguel (4-21) 36, @1 Santa Fe Christian 75 (20-9).
9 Mission Bay (12-17) 66, @8 Rancho Buena Vista 58 (14-15).
12 Vista (10-19) 58, @5 Helix 72 (23-6).
13 The Bishop’s (11-18) 50, @4 San Marcos 73 (17-10).
QUARTERFINALS
9 Mission Bay (12-18) 51, @1 Santa Fe Christian 60 (21-9).
5 Helix (23-7) 50, @4 San Marcos 73 (18-10).
SEMIFINALS
Feb. 25.
4 San Marcos.@1 Santa Fe Christian.
LOWER BRACKET
14 Westview (12-16) 38, vs. 3 El Camino 56 (23-5) @Army-Navy.
11 Rancho Bernardo (12-15) 38, @6 La Costa Canyon 64 (18-12).
10 La Jolla Country Day 48, (12-16) @7 Mission Hills 64 (17-12).
15 Montgomery (12-16) 41, @2 Carlsbad 59 (22-7).
QUARTERFINALS
6 La Costa Canyon (18-13), @3 El Camino 50 (24-5).
7 Mission Hills 41 (17-13) @2 Carlsbad 57 (23-7).
SEMIFINALS
Feb. 25.
3 El amino @2 Carlsbad.
D-II
FIRST ROUND
UPPER BRACKET
16 Point Loma (13-16) 58, @1 Bonita Vista 57 (20-9).
9 Olympian (18-10) 55, @8 Orange Glen 63 (15-14).
12 Lincoln (11-13) 57, @5 University City 61 (18-8).
13 Serra (14-15) 73, @4 Otay Ranch 78 (19-10).
QUARTERFINALS
16 Point Loma (13-17) 51, @8 Orange Glen 54 (16-14).
5 University City 19-8) 73, @4 Otay Ranch 71 (19-11).
12 Victory Christian (5-14) 22, @5 San Ysidro 52 (11-17).
4 Mabel O’Farrell (18-4), bye.
QUARTERFINAL
9 Valhalla (5-18) 45, @1 Hoover 52 (26-3).
5 San Ysidro (12-17) 54, @4 Mabel O’Farrell 33 (18-5).
SEMIFINALS
Feb. 25
5 San Ysidro @1 Hoover..
LOWER BRACKET
3 Horizon Prep (20-2), bye.
11 Salton City West Shores (8-10) 21, @6 Preuss 24 (14-11).
10 The Cambridge (12-8) 33, @7 Guajome Park 45 (16-10).
2 Calexico Vincent Memorial (23-0), bye.
QUARTERFINALS
7 Guajome Park (16-11) 66, @2 Calexico Vincent Memorial 66 (24-0).
6 Preuss (14-12) 28, @3 Horizon Prep 38 (21-2).
SEMIFINALS
3 Horizon Prep @2 Calexico Vincent Memorial.
2019-20 Week 14: Just 27 of 133 Can Claim League Superiority
What’s in a league championship?
Especially in this era of power ratings and strengths of schedules and what they mean in playoff pairings and postseason division assignments, which will be announced today?
A league title represents essentially just bragging rights, but ask the players and coaches who achieved it and what they think when banners are hoisted in gymnasium rafters.
All will agree the accomplishment still carries weight and memories that will last.
Twenty-three league champions and four co-champions were officially crowned last night and began preparing for the second season and playoffs that start Tuesday.
LAST WEEK DECIDERS
Three races went down to the final night.
Foothills Christian, beaten at home, 68-54, two weeks before by Francis Parker, turned the tables, 80-67, in the rematch at Parker to tie the Lancers for the Coastal championship.
High Tech San Diego earned a tie for the Central championship with a 52-48 victory over co-champion Morse.
Scripps Ranch and San Diego shared the Eastern League flag after the Falcons knocked off Lincoln, 60-51, while San Diego was playing a nonleague, 70-69 win over Serra.
Calvin Christian and Classical split two league meetings and shared the Ocean circuit gonfalon.
FAMILIAR PLACE
Ray Johnson left the El Camino program after the 2013-14 season and took his San Diego Section-leading 739 career victories at the Oceanside school to college basketball.
Some things don’t change.
Johnson returned to El Camino this season and coached the Warriors to their first league championship in five seasons.
The Warriors’ Avocado East title was alphabetically first from the 23 leagues in the San Diego Section, which has 133 schools participating, compared to 18 leagues and 98 schools in football.
League
Team
W-L
Overall
Avocado East
El Camino
10-0
22-5
Avocado West
Torrey Pines
10-0
24-4
Central
Morse
8-2
14-14
High Tech San Diego
8-2
16-10
Citrus
Victory Christian
10-0
13-15
City
Coronado
8-0
18-9
Coastal
Francis Parker
11-1
21-3
Foothills Christian
11-1
20-8
Desert
Calipatria
5-1
17-10
Eastern
Scripps Ranch
5-3
13-10
San Diego
5-3
17-10
Grossmont Hills
Helix
8-0
22-6
Grossmont Valley
Granite Hills
8-0
15-9
Imperial Valley
Calexico
5-1
23-3
Manzanita
Calexico Vincent Memorial
10-0
13-8
Metropolitan Mesa
Mater Dei
9-1
22-5
Ocean
Classical
7-1
17-8
Calvin Christian
7-1
14-7
Pacific
Tri-City
7-1
17-11
Palomar
Poway
8-0
24-4
Patriot
High Tech Chula Vista
5-1
11-9
Pioneer
National University Academy
7-1
7-2
Sierra
Horizon Prep
10-0
20-2
Metropolitan South Bay
San Ysidro
12-0
20-8
Summit
Mabel O’Farrell
8-0
23-4
Valley
Escondido
10-0
20-8
Western
Cathedral
7-1
21-7
1989-90 I: Coaching Icons Trepanier, Saner Step Down
Two legendary mentors pulled the pin.
Point Loma’s Lee Trepanier, whose Pointers teams dominated the state and earned national recognition throughout the decade, retired after 14 seasons, with a 331-56 record and .855 winning percentage.
Neville Saner, whose Poway teams won four Division I titles in his seven seasons, retired after posting a 139-42 (.768) record.
CLARK WINNER IN DISPUTE
Barely two weeks remained before the first game and Tony Clark still wasn’t eligible to play.
Clark had transferred from Valhalla to Christian at the start of the school year, but Valhalla principal Bob Avant, an athlete and former 7-foot high jumper at the University of Southern California, had refused to sign the necessary public-private school transfer waiver.
San Diego Section commissioner Kendall (Spider) Webb also had denied the transfer, citing two reasons:
There had been a private dinner several months before at which Clark and other 11th-grade players from around the area had been hosted by a Christian booster and the school principal.
Webb also noted that a Christian coach had improperly approached another area athlete.
Clark appealed and a three-member committee of the section board of managers, unanimously sided with the player and made Clark eligible.
The committee supported the charges against Christian, but said, “Denial of the opportunity to compete in his senior year will be a penalty placed against Tony Clark because of the possibility of improper actions of persons other than himself.”
There had been a strained relationship between Clark’s father, who had coached freshman basketball at Valhalla, and Manny Silva, the Valhalla varsity mentor.
Clark, bound for the University of Arizona on a basketball scholarship and a future No. 1 draft choice by baseball’s Detroit Tigers, set a San Diego Section record with a 30.3 scoring average in 1988-89 at Valhalla and would average 43.1 for Christian..
Clark was winner competitively and legislatively.
MORE AND MORE POINTS
Individual scores in the 30s were common. Tony Clark and Christina Adams of Grossmont routinely posted numbers in the 40s and 50s, Clark even going as high as 64. San Pasqual junior Erik Meek averaged 28 points and would later captain the 1994-95 Duke University team and play eight professional seasons in Europe.
No less than a record 23 games were won by the team that scored at least 100 points. Sixteen different squads reached triple digits, including five by Mt. Carmel, which came close to Sweetwater’s all-time record of 136 in 1983-84 in a 132-58 win over Orange Glen.
12/2/89
San Diego 80, Castle Park 50.
Talk about a full day’s work in the first game. Clark James had 37 points, 29 rebounds, 4 assists, and 4 blocked shots for the Cavers.
12/3/89
Christina Adams completed a three-game onslaught at the El Cajon Valley-Santana tournament by outscoring Serra with 49 points in a 59-48 Grossmont victory.
Adams averaged 40.5 points in the event, although sitting out the second half with a sore ankle versus Bonita Vista after scoring 36 points in the first two quarters.
The 5-foot-6 Adams, who averaged 15 points for the Foothillers in 1988-89, also rocked Hilltop with 47 points.
12/5/89
Christina Adams scored 50 points in a 79-50 win over Sweetwater, including 27 points on nine, three-point baskets.
12/6/89
Tony Clark remembered converting only nine three-point attempts at Valhalla in 1988-89. He hit five in his first game with Christian and scored 46 in a 71-68 win over Capistrano Valley Christian.
12/9/89
Tony Clark’s 58 points, third highest total in San Diego County history, gave him 142 in three games and a 79-60 win over Mountain Empire.
Mitchell Lilly had scored 61 in one game and Tom Shaules and Rob Petrie each scored 60.
—The Helen Bush School of Seattle defeated The Bishop’s, 72-43, in the Small Schools Invitational and then the tournament selection committee awarded the most-valuable player award to the Blazers’ team, although Christian’s Tony Clark scored 225 points in five games averaging 45.
Tony Clark’s game included the occasional slam dunk.
“I don’t think anyone except Tony Clark should score 40 points in a high school game,” said Monte Vista’s Jeff Polinsky, who added, “When you’re on you’re on,” after scoring 45 in a 76-58 win over San Pasqual.
The Golden Eagles’ 6-foot, 10-inch Erik Meek scored 32, but sustained a foot injury.
—Santana took a 22-6, first-quarter lead and then held on to beat Christian, 54-52, despite 36 pints by the Patriots’ Tony Clark.
—Derek Wastila had 26 points and 26 rebounds to lead Coronado past Mount Miguel, 65-60.
12/16/89
J.J. Stokes, a future NFL No. 1 draft choice by San Francisco, scored 20 of his 29 points in the second half and Point Loma, trailing, 50-42, after three quarters, rallied for a 65-64 win over Christian, which couldn’t convert Tony Clark’s 47 points.
12/20/89
Torrey Pines, getting 17 points each from Bart Brandenburg and Kyle Armstrong, won the 29th Jim Mitchell Tournament, 61-52, over Dana Point Dana Hills.
12/22/89
Patrick Henry cut a 25-point deficit from an earlier, 79-44 loss to Poway, but still lost to the Titans, 59-54, in the championship game of the 43rd Kiwanis Tournament.
—Mira Mesa, with late-arriving football players J.J. Rowlett and Mark Ziegler combining for 51 points and 24 rebounds, won the Spartan Classic at Chula Vista, 95-82 over Oceanside.
Joe McDowell was central figure in Sweetwater-Chula Vista battles.
12/28-29 1989
Another big game for Tony Clark (49 points) but another loss for Christian, which bowed, 80-65, to San Dieguito in the Aztec Christmas Classic at Montgomery.
Clark scored 54 points as Christian topped the Montgomery B team, 92-28.
12/30/89
Despite the loss of injured Tracy Halton and his 28-point average, Crawford edged Morse, 62-60, on Tito Singleton’s basket with seven seconds left for the Baron-Optimist championship at Southwestern College.
San Dieguito topped El Centro Central, 79-49, for the Aztec title.
1/3/90
Christina Adams was virtually unstoppable with 45 points but Helix scored a 70-61 win over rival Grossmont.
1/4/90
Clark James, averaging 31.3 points, was held to 15 as Kearny employed a “Diamond and One” defense in a 72-59 defeat of fourth-ranked San Diego.
“Carlos (Morgan) did a helluva job,” said Komets coach Bill Peterson. “The whole game, he denied James the ball.”
1/6/90
Turnabout is fair play, even if not against the same opponent.
Two days following a 108-93 loss to Mt. Carmel, San Dieguito regrouped and defeated Vista, 112-87. Six players scored in double figures led by Brian Malewicz and Matt de la Pena with 20 each.
“It was Morse-Lincoln from the first slam until the final shot,” wrote Ed Graney of The San Diego Union, noting that for the first time in 10 years neither team was ranked in the newspaper’s top 10, but as competitive and high-flying as ever.
Morse outlasted the neighboring Hornets with “a tough, man-to-man defense” and won, 63-61, before 1,800 persons at Mesa College.
Clark James tied single-game and set season record in points for San Diego.
Unofficial leading scorers by average/points
*Incomplete totals.
NAME
TEAM
GAMES
POINTS
AVERAGE
Tony Clark
Christian
31
1,337 (1)
43.12
Clark James
San Diego
23
659 (2)
28.65
Erik Meek
San Pasqual
21
586 (4)
27.90
Jeff Hooper
Lutheran
22
603 (3)
27.41
Tobin Wilkins
Midway Baptist
20
521(12)
26.05
*Jeff Polinsky
Monte Vista
19
463
24.36
*Darryl Parker
Rancho Buena Vista
24
584 (5T)
24.33
Shannon LeFever
Mount Miguel
22
510 (13)
23.18
J.J. Stokes
Point Loma
24
530 (11)
22.08
Carlos Campbell
Sweetwater
27
569 (7T)
Travis Gilley
El Camino
25
551 (10)
22.04
Carlos Campbell
Sweetwater
27
569 (7T)
21.07
*Chris Goergens
Granite Hills
17
358
21.05
*Tony Lee
Valhalla
23
488
21.21
Joe McDowell
Sweetwater
29
584 (5T)
20.13
Darryl McMillan
Lincoln
29
556 (9)
19.17
Tracy Halton, Crawford, 9×242, 26.9. *Alfonso de la Nuez, Ramona, 13×290, 22.30.
1/11/90
Dee Boyer, El Camino’s 6-foot, 9-inch center who missed the first 14 games with a fractured knee cap, scored 11 points in his return and the Wildcats won, 78-64, over San Pasqual, playing without 6-10 Erik Meek, out with strep throat.
1/18/90
Joe McNaull’s 6-foot, 11 inches, were all over the floor for Monte Vista as he scored 29 points and pulled down 32 rebounds in an 80-65 win over Granite Hills.
–Eight of Mt. Carmel’s nine, dressed-out players (they usually suited 12) scored from 11 to 23 points (Tom LaBuda 9×9 from the field, 5×6 on free throws) and they pin-balled to a 132-58, Palomar League victory over Orange Glen.
The Sundevils came close to Sweetwater’s record 136 in 1984-85.
–Christian evened its record at 7-7 as Tony Clark scored 49 points in 79-55, Harbor League win over Marian.
1/20/90
Chula Vista, on the road, led Sweetwater by 13 in the first half and 67-60 entering the final quarter but couldn’t hold on as the Red Devils, behind Joe McDowell’s 37 points, scored a 77-75, Metropolitan League win. The Spartans had led Sweetwater by 15 in a December tournament and lost.
1/24/90
Among four players in double figures for Lincoln was 5-foot, 1-inch (yes, 5-1) ninth grader Archie Robinson, who had 11 points in a 95-67 roll on Madison.
1/25/90
All 12 players scored, led by 24 points each by Shane Knight and Mike Graves, elevating Mt. Carmel to a 117-80 in over Vista.
1/27/90
Patrick Henry’s Alan (Fritz) Ziegenfuss coached his 400th career victory, 84-64 over Mira Mesa. “Yes, four-hundred wins is a special thing, but I credit longevity and talent a whole lot more than coaching,” Ziegenfuss said to writer Steve Brand.
–J.J. Stokes scored 41 points for Point Loma (9-9), but Lincoln won its fifth in a row, 75-70.
–Tony Clark was 21×32 from the field and 6×8 from the three point arc and equaled his season high with 58 points as Christian (9-9) topped Clairemont, 88-52.
Feb 1, 1990
Tony Clark converted 22×32 field-goal attempts and his 55 points marked Clark’s sixth game with at least 50, but Christian fell to St. Augustine, in its first game after 14 forfeitures due to the ubiquitous, dreaded, administrative glitch, 87-79.
St. Augustine had not completed paper work on public-private school player transfer waiver.
–Poway, trailing by 15 points with less than six minutes to play, edged Mt. Carmel, 80-78.
2/7/90
Tony Clark scored 50 points. It was his fourth consecutive game with at least that many and his seventh of the season. Christian topped visiting Marian, 91-45.
2/10/90
Andre Toussaint’s basket with 10 seconds left gave Lincoln a 68-63 victory at San Diego as the Hornets claimed their fifth straight Central league title.
There was nothuing meek about 6-foot, 10 Erik, who led the San Pasqual Golden Eagles.
Feb. 13, 1990
“Yes, we probably got too conservative,” said Spartans coach Mike Collins, whose team led, 68-61, with 2:13 remaining and then attempted to take the air out of the ball, passing but passing up shots.
Joe McDowell’s two free throws with 0.07 on the clock clinched the Metropolitan League championship for the Red Devils, 73-71.
Feb. 15, 1990
Tony Clark’s 36 points gave him a season total of 961, breaking the record of 960 by Helix’ Bill Walton in 1969-70. Christian improved to 12-10 with a 66-50 victory over Coronado.
–Visiting Rancho Buena Vista outscored Mt. Carmel, 103-97, reversing an 82-57 loss to the Sundevils..
Brad Grubaugh set a school record with 43 points. Darryl Parker, son of former NBA player Sonny Parker, added 37 and the Longhorns shot 70 per cent from the field.
Feb. 16, 1990
Christina Adams set a San Diego Section record with 21 consecutive free throws in a 58-47 win over El Cajon Valley. Adams, who missed on her 22nd attempt, finished with 31 points.
Feb. 17, 1990
Tony Clark scored 46 points but Christian bowed to Clairemont, 80-67.
Feb. 17, 1990
Mt. Carmel closed the regular season with a 124-65, Palomar League victory over Vista. The outburst tied the Sundevils with Marian for the fourth highest score in County history.
1989-90 II: Sports Arena Out, Golden Hall In
For the first time in 14 years the San Diego Section championship games did not take place in the Sports Arena (13,700 capacity) on Midway Drive or Peterson Gymnasium (3,668 capacity) on the San Diego State campus.
The championships were played at Golden Hall, a downtown facility of 3,200 seats that was more known as a host for concerts and artists such as the Rolling Stones, Bob Dylan, the Grateful Dead, and others.
But basketball had a history at the C Street venue. It was home of the San Diego Conquistadores of the American Basketball Association in the 1970s.
“If he (San Diego Section commissioner Kendall Webb) had gotten to me sooner, we would have been able to accommodate them,” said Sports Arena executive Norm Smith.
Coaches were split.
“The Sports Arena is a nice place to play in for the kids, but let’s face facts,” said Lincoln’s Ron Loneski. “You go in there and there’s about 700 or 1,000 people. I would rather play in Golden Hall. The Sports Arena is not conducive to basketball when there’s no one in the place.”
Poway’s Neville Saner: “I believe the Sports Arena is the best location because you can get 7,000 in there. I remember when Poway and Serra played in 1986 there were over 7,000 people there.”
NOT ALL INVITED
The season also signaled an end to the 2-year-old open playoff format, in which every team was eligible for a postseason berth. Divisions I and II were limited to 16 teams each, although all teams in D-III, IV, and V were eligible.
STATE FINALIST
Christian, propelled by record-shattering Tony Clark, earned a trip to the state D-V championship, the third San Diego Section team in the last three seasons. Lincoln in D-IV and Calipatria in D-V advanced in 1987-88.
John Gilbert, dribbling around Mt. Carmel’s Bill Wooton, scored 21 points as Sweetwater claimed Division I championship.
BOYS PLAYOFFS
(seeding numbers in italics)
DIVISION I
FIRST ROUND
Mira Mesa 66, Fallbrook 52 (16-11).
2 Mt. Carmel 84, Hilltop 72 (14-14).
Poway 53, Morse 49 (12-15).
1 Sweetwater 96, Granite Hills 53 (10-16).
Sweetwater led, 52-40, in the third quarter. Four minutes later the score was 73-44.
4 San Diego 78, San Dieguito 61 (10-15).
Chula Vista 75, Point Loma 59 (12-13).
The Spartans closed with a 24-7 fourth quarter.
Rancho Buena Vista 79, Bonita Vista 50 (15-9).
3 Patrick Henry 65, Castle Park 57 (11-13).
QUARTERFINALS
1 Sweetwater 80, Mira Mesa 55 (18-9).
2 Mt. Carmel 76, Poway 56 (18-7).
4 San Diego 88, Chula Vista 85 (21-8).
Clark James scored 41 points to tie the Cavers’ school record by Oscar Foster in the 1966-67 season and added 18 rebounds.
3 Patrick Henry 70, Rancho Buena Vista 52 (15-10).
SEMIFINALS
2 Mt. Carmel 67, 3 Patrick Henry 46 (23-5).
Sixteen years after the school opened and following seven losses in the semifinal round, the Sundevils advanced. “I finally got the monkey off my back,” said Coach John Marincovich.
1 Sweetwater 64, 4 San Diego 54 (18-5).
CHAMPIONSHIP
1 Sweetwater 78, 2 Mt. Carmel 71.
Sweetwater couldn’t stop Lynwood and Earnest Killum in three-overtime thriller.
Sweetwater could have won but missed free throws near the end of the first and second overtimes.
The Knights’ Earnest Killum, who scored 45 points, converted a pair of free throws with 14 seconds left in the third extra session. The Red Devils followed with two, missed three-point tries.
“We had to keep our composure in front of a hostile crowd down here,” said Lynwood coach Bill Notley. “We really had to fight. That is one fine team.”
D-II
FIRST ROUND
Monte Vista 81, Oceanside 57 (12-13).
3 El Camino 99, El Capitan 57 (10-16).
4 Valhalla 68, Escondido 40 (7-14).
University City 89, Carlsbad 68 (7-14).
2 San Pasqual 69, Mission Bay 45 (4-17).
The Golden Eagles prevailed despite the absence of 29-point scoring, 6-foot, 10-inch Erik Meek, idle with a sprained ankle.
Crawford 74, Grossmont 71, OT (13-9).
Helix 49, Serra 47 (7-14).
1 Torrey Pines 89, Hoover 53 (5-20).
QUARTERFINALS
2 San Pasqual 74, Crawford 56 (18-9).
1 Torrey Pines 58, Helix 46 (13-8).
University City 83, 4 Valhalla 82 (20-9).
Jerome Price’s fadeaway, 20-foot jump shot with three seconds left and his 24 points earned the Centurions a surprise victory over the better seeded Norsemen.
3 El Camino 82, Monte Vista 62 (19-7).
“Dee (Boyer) was out 14 games and Travis (Gilley) missed four…this is the first time we’ve come together with everything in focus,” said El Camino coach Ray Johnson.
Steal by Henry Lundy was not enough to get Helix past Torrey Pines.
SEMIFINALS
5 University City 75, 1 Torrey Pines 58 (27-3).
The Centurions’ Anthony Hill scored 22 points and held the Falcons’ high-scoring Kyle Armstrong to one field goal. “I told coach (Tom Medigovich) that I wanted him,” said Hill, who described Armstrong as cocky.
3 El Camino 63, 2 San Pasqual 49 (20-6).
“We wanted to pound it right at (Erik) Meek and take our chances with the referees,” said El Camino center Dee Boyer. Meek went to the bench with his fourth foul and the Golden Eagles leading, 26-23, at the 6:12 mark of the third quarter.
El Camino, working easily in the low post with Meek out of the game, finished with a 40-23 run.
CHAMPIONSHIP
3 El Camino 68, University City 65.
The Centurions, trailing, 50-36, late in the third quarter, rallied and could have sent the game into overtime but Jerome Price’s 20-foot jump shot with two seconds remaining clanked off the rim.
SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA REGIONAL
QUARTERFINALS
2 Glendora 51 (27-5, Southern), 7 University City 45 (24-5).
4 El Camino 92, 5 Compton (22-8, Southern) 78, OT.
Poway’s Kyle Milling rebounded in front of Morse’s Darnell Cherry in Titans’ D-I playoff win.
Wildcats coach Ray Johnson drew up a “home run” with two seconds remaining in regulation play. Travis Gilley then “circled the bases” with a 18-foot basket that etched a tie at 73 and sent the game into overtime.
The game-tying play, according to writer Pedro Gomez, began under the opposite basket. Shaun Scurry launched a 55-foot pass toward 6-foot, 9-inch Dee Boyer, who was standing at the free throw line. Instead of catching the ball, Boyer tapped the pass to Gilley, situated just inside the three-point line.
Compton was done.
Twenty-nine seconds into the extra session Scurry drained a 12-foot shot and El Camino had its first lead since midway of the second quarter.
SEMIFINALS
1 Artesia (27-2, Southern) 74, 4 El Camino 70 (23-7).
The Pioneers’ Ed O’Bannon had 30 points and nine rebounds and six consecutive free throws in the final minutes to keep the Wildcats at a distance.
“We couldn’t get that one spurt to take us over the hump,” said Wildcats Coach Ray Johnson. “If a couple calls go our way, it might have been a different outcome.”
University’s Greg Santos scored over defense of Lincoln’s Brian Parks in D-III final.
D-III
QUARTERFINALS
St. Augustine 87, Ramona 58 (14-8).
Clairemont 85, Kearny 76 (16-11).
2 Lincoln 78, La Jolla 60 (4-19).
SEMIFINALS
1 University 90, St. Augustine 69 (7-21).
2 Lincoln 106, Clairemont 56 (7-15).
CHAMPIONSHIP
2 Lincoln 83, 1 University 66 (17-7).
Steve Brand of The San Diego Union wrote that “Lincoln Prep held a board meeting last night at Golden Hall.”
The Hornets, outrebounding the University Dons, 54-23, won their third consecutive D-III title.
“We knew all five of our guys would have to crash the boards to have a chance,” said Uni coach Jim Tomey.
SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA REGIONAL
QUARTERFINALS
4 Goleta Dos Pueblos (18-13, Southern) 72, 5 University 46 (17-8).
7 Corona Del Mar 67 (20-10, Southern), 2 Lincoln 65 (22-9).
D-IV
QUARTERFINALS
3 Army-Navy 66, West Hills 44 (1-16).
4 Mountain Empire 67, Holtville 58.
Sweetwater’s Joe McDowell maneuvers against Mt. Carmel’s Shane Knight.
SEMIFINALS
1 Coronado 60, 4 Mountain Empire 39 (8-6).
2 Imperial 69, Army-Navy 52 (11-14).
CHAMPIONSHIP
1 Coronado 63, Imperial 53.
The Tigers were 0 for 13 from the field in the third quarter.
1 Oxnard Santa Clara (26-0, Southern) 67, 8 Imperial 37 (16-9).
D-V
FIRST ROUND
Calexico Vincent Memorial 51, Borrego Springs (11-10).
La Jolla Country Day 98, Tri-City Christian 52 (7-11).
Marian 61, Calvin Christian 49 (12-12).
The Bishop’s 70, Victory Christian 43 (3-12).
Francis Parker 79, Midway Baptist 66 (7-13).
Lutheran 78, Santa Fe Christian 67 (9-16).
Christian 96, Julian 36 (6-19).
Tony Clark set San Diego Section records with 64 points in playoff versus La Jolla Country Day.
QUARTERFINALS
Christian 103, La Jolla Country Day 65 (18-8).
Tony Clark scored 10, three-point baskets and finished with a San Diego Section record 64 points. “I had no idea how many I had,” Clark told Ed Graney of The San Diego Union. “I first found out when they announced it.”
Clark became the third San Diego County player with as many as 60 points in one game. St. Augustine’s Tom Shaules and Julian’s Rob Petrie had 60 in 1957-58 1969-70, respectively, and Madison’s Mitchell Lilly 61 in 1976-77.
Clark had 29 at halftime and 44 when he went to the bench for the final 1:33 of the third quarter. Christian Coach Randy Wright set Clark free for his 20-point fourth quarter.
The Bishop’s 62, Calexico Vincent Memorial 39.
Marian 59, Lutheran 41 (15-9).
Calipatria-Francis Parker, no score.
SEMIFINALS
Calipatria 47, Marian 39 (9-16).
Christian 57, The Bishop’s 50 (22-5).
Tony Clark scored 18 of Christian’s 20 third-quarter points and the Patriots held on before 2,000 persons at San Dieguito. Clark scored 40 but was 17×37 from the field.
CHAMPIONSHIP
Christian 65, Calipatria 48.
The Hornets triple-teamed Tony Clark, whose 22 points were his lowest total of the season and half of his 44-point average.
“We won; that’s all that matters,” said Clark. “The points don’t mean anything.”
Christian teammate Dave Piester stepped up with 20 points, 10 rebounds, and three blocked shots as the Patriots ended Calipatria’s run of three consecutive titles.
SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA REGIONAL
QUARTERFINALS
Happy camper Dave Piester celebrated win over Paramount Brethren.
Christian 72, Capistrano St. Margaret (21-7, Southern) 52.
Tony Clark’s 52 points matched the Tartans’.
Canoga Park Baptist (Southern) 67, Calipatria 52 (21-6).
The Hunters broke from a tie score at the end of three quarters with a 29-14 fourth quarter.
SEMIFINALS
Christian 44, Paramount Brethren (20-10, Southern) 43.
CHAMPIONSHIP
Christian 80, Canoga Park Baptist (21-11, Southern) 72.
STATE CHAMPIONSHIP
Colusa (28-2, Northern) 62, Christian 48 (19-12).
Coach’s son Jayson Vossler missed all 12 of his three-point attempts in the first half but buried another attempt with five minutes left in the game, breaking a 41-41 tie and launching the Redskins on a 21-7 run to the title.
Tony Clark scored 27 points in his final high school game.
Unhappy campers Dave Piester, Malik Jordan, and Kasey Foulk watch Colusa pull away in final minutes.
GIRLS PLAYOFFS
DIVISION I
FIRST ROUND
1 Mt. Carmel 63, Mount Miguel 27 (7-12).
2 Santana 57, Orange Glen 37 (7-16).
Vista 49, Chula Vista 47 (11-13).
Mira Mesa 41, San Diego 34 (11-12).
3 Rancho Buena Vista 81, Hilltop 42 (9-14).
4 Poway, 80, Southwest 31 (9-13).
Fallbrook 59, Bonita Vista 39 (17-6).
Granite Hills 73, Montgomery 59 (17-8).
QUARTERFINALS
1 Mt. Carmel 60, 8 Mira Mesa 34 (12-12).
2 Santana 73, 7 Vista 56 (13-13).
3 Rancho Buena Vista 73, 6 Granite Hills 49 (12-14).
4 Poway 58, 5 Poway 35 (17-11).
Point Loma sought another state championship with (from left) Stacy Wainwright, Robin Rabello, and Tyeast Brown.
SEMIFINALS
2 Santana 57, 3 Rancho Buena Vista 42 (21-7).
“We just wanted to get away from Point Loma,” said Santana coach Wade Vickery of his decision to enter the Sultans in the D-I playoffs instead of going D-II and possibly meeting the Pointers.
1 Mt. Carmel 51, 4 Poway 48 (21-5).
CHAMPIONSHIP
1 Mt. Carmel 56, 2 Santana 55 (21-5).
There were 3,125 persons on their feet in downtown Golden Hall, as Rebecca Aase’s free throw bounced off the rim. No time remained and Mt. Carmel dodged a Santana bullet.
The Sundevils, playing their last game under Coach Peggy Brose, who would become athletic director at the new Rancho Bernardo High in the fall, was in front, 48-42, with 5:09 left when Vicki de Jesus (20 points, 17 rebounds) fouled out.
The Sundevils bused 156 miles and beat a team that had not lost a home game in more than two years. They led, 40-13, at halftime.
“We have no illusion of winning it,” Peggy Brose told Laura Palmer of the Los Angeles Times the day before. “We just want to go up there and represent San Diego the best we can.”
The loss was “a little stunning,” understated Indians coach Dave Monroe.
“I talked about not being intimidated before the game, but we still were,” Sundevils coach Peggy Brose told Ed Graney.
Tara Schwerin got hug from Coach Peggy Brose after Mt. Carmel’s Division I championship.
D-II
FIRST ROUND
1 Point Loma 59, Madison 29 (9-13).
Grossmont 51, Crawford 37 (15-8).
Serra 55, Monte Vista 46 (13-9).
2 San Pasqual 41, Mission Bay 23 (10-14).
Torrey Pines 63, University 28 (12-8).
Oceanside 59, Helix 25 (11-10).
4 Castle Park 64, San Marcos 39 (12-12).
3 El Cajon Valley 63, Carlsbad 52 (11-12).
QUARTERFINALS
1 Point Loma 66, Serra 38 (15-11).
2 San Pasqual 74, Grossmont 48 (13-7).
The Golden Eagles hit a season high in points and all-time scorer Christina Adams had 33 in her final game for the Foothillers.
4 Castle Park 49, Oceanside 42 (18-8).
3 El Cajon Valley 60, Torrey Pines 58 (16-9).
SEMIFINALS
1 Point Loma 53, 4 Castle Park 42 (18-6).
2 San Pasqual 71, 3 El Cajon Valley 59 (21-7).
CHAMPIONSHIP
1 Point Loma 62, 2 San Pasqual 34.
“They couldn’t match up with us,” Pointers coach Lee Trepanier told Steve Brand of the Union after a fifth San Diego Section championship in six years. “They’re a nice little team, but we were ready.”
Trepanier’s ream did not need a pregame pep talk. “If I have to preach to them about getting up, I’m in the wrong gym.”
Tyeast Brown scored 25 points and blocked five shots for the Pointers.
Christina Adams set state record with, 38.3 average.
SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA REGIONAL
QUARTERFINALS
3 Pasadena Muir (Southern) 56, 6 San Pasqual 39 (24-6).
1 Point Loma 66, 8 West Torrance (23-6, Southern) 36.
SEMIFINALS
1 Point Loma 39, 5 Westminster La Quinta 36.
Tyeast Brown held Amy Jalewalia, the state’s second-leading scorer with a 33.7 average, to eight points and Robin Rabello, an ex-soccer player playing basketball for the first time, scored 14 points and drew 12 rebounds as the host Pointers overcame a two-point deficit after three quarters.
FINALS
3 Pasadena Muir (28-5, Southern) 43, 1 Point Loma 38 (29-4).
“The Lord giveth and the Lord taketh way,” Pointers coach Lee Trepanier said of the loss. “Our defense played well, but the difference was their defense. I sure thought we’d score more than ten points in the second half.”
D-III
QUARTERFINALS
3 Our Lady of Peace 74, La Jolla 34 (2-22).
2 University 65, Clairemont 22 (2-18).
4 Kearny 60, Ramona 35 (6-17).
Freshmen twins Melissa (24 points) and Shelly (7 points 12 rebounds, 5 assists) Krause set the pace for the Komets.
Point Loma’s Robin Rabello is congratulated by teammates and assistant coach Dee Trepanier after a big playoff performance.
SEMIFINALS
1 Lincoln 47, 4 Kearny 44 (18-10).
3 Our Lady of Peace 54, 2 University 47 (18-4).
CHAMPIONSHIP
3 Our Lady of Peace 67, 1 Lincoln 60.
The Pilots reversed an earlier, 12-point loss to the Hornets and Coach Yvonne Sanchez noted to Ed Graney, “We went back to what works, straight, man-to-man defense. I made some coaching mistakes the last time. I redeemed myself.”
Lincoln’s Sheila Dixon had 29 points and 20 rebounds but “we lost because we didn’t box out and we hurried our shots.”
SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA REGIONAL
QUARTERFINALS
7 Palos Verdes Peninsula Palos Verdes (27-6, Southern) 53, 2 Our Lady of Peace 37 (24-5).
1 Brea-Olinda (31-0, Southern) 66, 8 Lincoln 32 (15-8).
Lone Pine defender outscrambled La Jolla Country Day’s Isabel Schoepflin in D-V playoff.
D-IV
SEMIFINALS
1 Holtville 47, Mountain Empire 28 (5-17).
2 Coronado 42, 4 West Hills 34 (3-22).
CHAMPIONSHIP
Holtville 57, Coronado 31.
SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA REGIONAL
QUARTERFINALS
4 Holtville 57, 5 Cerritos Valley Christian (21-6, Southern) 56.
1 Santa Maria St. Joseph (Southern) 89, 8 Coronado 29 (14-12).
SEMIFINALS
1 Santa Maria St. Joseph (27-3, Southern) 71, 4 Holtville 32 (19-10).
Niece of the legendary Terri Mann. Point Loma’s Tyeast Brown was a star in her own right, averaging more than 20 points.
D-V
FIRST ROUND
Julian 74, Calexico Vincent Memorial 44.
Three-time Coast League player of the year Vicki Teter scored a school-record 55 points, elevating her to a tie for fourth behind all time behind leader Terri Mann, (65), Linda Nielson (60) and Sharon turner (60). Kristen Cummings and Mann also had 55.
The Bishop’s 64, Lutheran 32 (4-8).
Francis Parker 70, Tri-City 11 (4-9).
QUARTERFINALS
2 Christian 71, Francis Parker 34 (10-12).
1 La Jolla Country Day 66, Marian 50 (7-15).
Calvin Christian 69, Julian 29 (11-3).
The Bishop’s 46, Calipatria 40.
SEMIFINALS
1 La Jolla Country Day 59, Calvin Christian 57, OT (14-7).
2 Christian 62, The Bishop’s 57 (11-10).
CHAMPIONSHIP
1 La Jolla Country Day 70, Christian 63.
SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA REGIONAL
5 Lone Pine (23-6, Southern) 57, 4 La Jolla Country Day 53 (18-3).
2 Rosamond (19-7, Central) 43, 7 Christian 34 (12-12).
2019-20 Week 11: San Ysidro Cougars Continue to Run
San Ysidro is making noise again. Not enough to earn a top 10 ranking, but the Cougars have won five in a row and scored more than 100 points for the fifth time this season, including a post-poll vote,106-30 victory over Castle Park last night.
The fall of the Trojans marked the third time in the last 12 days that the also identified “Border Boyz” have reached triple digits.
Century scores are not common, but not rare. There have been hundreds in the thousands of games played in San Diego County since the first, a 104-19 St. Augustine romp over San Diego Vocational at the still-standing Municipal Gym in Balboa Park on Jan. 12, 1952.
MIKEY’S MATES SCORE, TOO
The Cougars are not a one-man (freshman Mikey Williams) show. Jurien Dixon (551 points, 24.0 average) and Kailen Rains (445 points, 20.2) have added to the firepower of Coach Terry Tucker’s team, which has an 87.1 average.
Dixon, a 6-foot, 4-inch freshman, scored 29 points against Castle Park. Rains had 33 and Williams 24.
Williams leads California with a 32.6 average in 21 games (he missed two) and has scored 685 points. According to Max Preps, Williams ranks 22nd in the country, behind another frosh, Marcus Robinson, who has a 45.3 average for an 8-8 team in Penfield, N.Y.
Jailen Nelson of Carlsbad (24.3) is 23rd, a notch ahead of Dixon, giving the San Diego Section three of the top 25 scorers in California. Not all teams, however, contribute individual scoring stats to Max Preps.
BROKE 14-YEAR-OLD RECORD
Williams set a County record with 77 points in a 116-42 win over Kearny on Dec. 13, one day short of the 14th anniversary of the 76, by Crawford’s Tyrone Shelley, coached by Tucker, in a 138-26 win over a British Columbia team on Dec. 14, 2005.
The Colts’ outburst, tied for second all-time in the County with Vista (138-57, Bonita Vista, 1992-93), behind La Jolla Country Day (143-60, Mountain Empire, 1991-92), was their only 100-plus effort.
San Ysidro is 15-8 after last night’s game but not yet on the trajectory of that Shelley squad, which was 23-9 and lost to Rancho Santa Margarita, 51-46, in the Southern California Regional playoffs.
A youngster on that Santa Margarita club was a 6-foot, 3-inch sophomore, Klay Thompson, now of much greater renown with the Golden State Warriors.
First-place votes in parenthesis. NR—No ranked.
Union-Tribune
Team
Record
Points
Last Week
Max Preps
Cal-Hi Sports
1.
Cathedral
16-6 (10)
122
T-1
30
Bubble
2
St. Augustine
19-4 (3)
120
3
19
19
3.
Torrey Pines
17-4
99
4
44
NR
4.
Foothills Christian
15-7
80
T-1
43
NR
5.
Francis Parker
16-2
79
7
31
Bubble
6.
Mater Dei
17-3
73
5
38
NR
7.
Poway
18-4
60
6
37
NR
8.
Christian
17-4
39
8
71
NR
9.
Santa Fe Christian
16-6
20
9
68
NR
10.
Carlsbad
15-7
10
10
134
NR
Others receiving votes: 11. Helix (17-6, 3 points), 12. El Camino (16-5, 3) 13. San Ysidro (14-8, 2), 14. Bonita Vista (16-6, 1).
Panel: John Maffei (The San Diego Union-Tribune), Terry Monahan, (Union-Tribune) correspondent, Aaron Burgin (Fulltime Hoops), Steve Brand (San Diego Sports Association), John Kentera, Braden Suprenant, (97.3 FM The Fan), Steve (Biff) Dolan (Mountain Country 107.9 FM), Christian Pedersen (SoCal Preps Insider), Bodie DeSilva (scorebooklive.com); Adam Paul (ecpreps.com), Brad Enright (L.A. Court report), Rick Smith (partletonsports.com).
