Evening Tribune writer Roger Conlee said the Grossmont-Helix game was more a circus carnival (of errors), with everything but a pie-throwing contest.

Conlee covered the Metropolitan League Southern Division contest that attracted about 1,200 persons to Grossmont’s “ancient, creaky arena.”

Taking them one at a time:

–The game started at 8:45 p.m. after a longer-than-usual junior varsity preliminary. The gymnasium was overflowing by 7:15 p.m.

–The lead changed 12 times in the first half.

–Officials made conflicting foul calls three times in the first half.  Unable to agree, the zebras each time ordered a jump ball.

–Play temporarily was halted when a puddle of water appeared on the floor.

–The gymnasium public address announcer pleaded with the crowd to be quiet during the shooting of free throws.

The announcement came during the shooting of a free throw.

–Twenty-one fouls were called on plays that involved driving to the basket.  None of the fouls were for charging on the player with the ball.

–Seven timeouts were called in the fourth quarter.  The eight-minute session of playing time began at 9:47 p.m. and did not end until 10:31 p.m.

–Spectators, restless after sitting for almost two hours-plus, engaged in three separate fights in the stands, all broken up quickly.

–Fourteen free throws were attempted in the frenzied, final three minutes.

–Officials attempted to quiet the crowd with no success when the game entered its final 1:55.

“That the scoreboard clock didn’t work and time had to be called out from the scorer’s table seemed to fit in perfectly, Conlee concluded.

Oh, the game. Helix took a 28-27 lead in the third quarter and hung on to win, 51-49.  Ed Vitale had 16 points for the Highlanders and Neil McClellan 15 for the Foothillers.

CARDINALS FLY AGAIN

Nick Barkett was the fifth of five guards on Hoover’s 26-2 squad of 1959-60, but he moved to forward this season and led the Cardinals to another Eastern League championship and to the inaugural CIF San Diego AA title.

“He lived at Muni Gym with (John) Bocko all summer,” said Coach Charlie Hampton, acknowledging Barkett’s commitment and reference to just-graduated Cardinals star John Bocko.

Barkett joined a lineup that included only one starter from 1959-60, guard Dave Morehead.  Dave Sickels, a 6-6 center had seen limited action.

The Cardinals’ record for the last two seasons was 50-5.  The only defeats for this year’s 24-3 squad was 65-60 in an early-season encounter at Hilltop, 63-59 in a stunning upset by Kearny, and 36-30 in a ragged contest at Lincoln.

Barkett was joined in the starting lineup by 6-1 Morehead, 6-foot junior guard Rick Potter, the 6-6 Sickels, and 6-2 Rich Keely, a junior varsity graduate who came within two points of the school record when he had 34 points in a December game against Glendale Hoover.

Barkett had 24 points in a 66-53 win over Point Loma in the regular season and 20 in the AA championship, a virtual repeat of the first game, Hoover winning, 66-54.

LINCOLN FOILED

Hoover enjoyed its usual late-game dominance of Lincoln, overcoming a 37-35 halftime deficit to win the Kiwanis Tournament, 55-51, the fifth Cardinals victory by four points or less in the last four years over their South 49^th Street rival.

Lincoln felt good when it took a 30-22 halftime lead in the teams’ first league meeting, but the Cardinals outscored the Hornets, 21-7, in the fourth quarter for a 59-48 win.

“This may be the best basketball ‘team’ I’ve had,” said Coach Charlie Hampton.  “They may not be the best players, but as a team they can’t be beat.”

CLAIREMONT BLOWS

Leading Point Loma, 35-34, with 11 seconds left in the game and in possession of the ball, Clairemont liked its chances.

But the Chiefs’ Joe Michael launched a shot that Point Loma’s Joe Soares rebounded, and got the ball to Dave Elliott, who was fouled.

Elliott made two free throws for a 36-35 victory and the Western League championship before a capacity crowd of 1,800 at Point Loma.

“I don’t know why (Michael) took the shot,” said Clairemont coach Dick Eiler.  “The poor kid is crying his eyes out about it.  It was just one of those things.”

T’D OFF

Leading Hilltop, 44-43, Escondido was assessed a technical foul when a substitute did not report  properly.  Robbie Hewitt then sank a free throw to tie the game and Tom Lee scored seconds later for a 46-44 Hilltop victory.

After much discussion, the T was upheld.

Escondido coach Don Hegerle argued with officials that the official scorer was not an adult and did not wear a jersey or shirt that indicated his position at the table.

“There was some question about it all right,” said Lancers coach Paul Pruett, “but we got our share of bad breaks, too. We’ll take the victory.”

NAME	TEAM	GAMES	POINTS	AVERAGE
John Fairchild	San Dieguito	26	428	16.5
Charlie Schneider	Hilltop	26	416	16.0
Brian Ross	El Capitan	21	393	18.7
Bob Hoss	El Cajon Valley	22	374	17.0
Dennis Henry	Kearny	25	367	14.7
Nick Barkett	Hoover	27	356	13.2
Robbie Hewitt	Hilltop	26	339	13.0
Steve Ojetti	Lincoln	24	327	13.7
Ed Vitale	Helix	23	319	13.9
Larry Meek	Escondido	22	318	14.4
Don Sada	Point Loma	25	317	12.7
Paul Hagen	Helix	26	312	12.0
Joe Soares	Point Loma	25	300	12.0

HIGHS

Army-Navy’s Bill Froehling had the season’s highest individual point total, 47, on 23 baskets and one free throw. as the Warriors also scored the most points in a 91-47 win over San Diego Military.

Froehling’s total tied Fallbrook’s Paul Lockridge for the fourth highest in San Diego County History.

Lockridge’s 47 came in a 90-31 win over Brown Military in 1950-51.  St. Augustine’s Tom Shaules, with 60- and 53-point outbursts in 1957-58, ranks first and second.

El Capitan outscored El Cajon Valley, 77-75, the teams’ combined 152  leading the County.

San Diego Military served up the lowest, outscored by University, 59-14.

SMOKING

Al Catlin was a starter for three straight seasons at Lincoln and one of the school’s all-time top players, an accolade later to be duplicated at San Diego City College and San Diego State.

Catlin, in a stunning turn of events, was forced to learn how to shoot from his opposite hand this season because he was wearing a cast on his right arm.

The 6-foot, 2-inch forward unknowingly played his entire junior season with a broken bone in his right wrist, an injury sustained in the 1959 football season.

Catlin had experienced continual discomfort, finally forcing a visit to a physician who discovered the injury. The Hornets’ senior remained the area’s best rebounder and was a more-than-adequate shot maker on a contending squad.

Like many of his generation Catlin took up smoking, a habit he says he never indulged on the school campus.  Someone, Catlin believes a member of the Lincoln faculty, saw Catlin smoking at the Campus Drive-In Theater on El Cajon Boulevard.

The faculty snitch reported what he saw to Lincoln coach Warren Barritt, who summarily cut Catlin from the squad.

“Steve Ojetti and I both used to smoke a cigarette before a home game,” Catlin remembered years later.  “It wasn’t a crime, but I got called into Barritt’s office and he told me I was off the team for disciplinary reasons.”

Despite the loss of Catlin, Lincoln rallied behind Ojetti’s 27 points and walloped Crawford, 75-60, to secure the Eastern League’s second playoff spot in the final regular-season game.

PLAYOFFS

Two divisions and 16 teams comprised the one-week posteason.

CLASS A

John Fairchild and San Dieguito couldn’t get a seat at the Class AA table (search 1960-61: “Where’s Aretha? Mustangs Want Respect”), so they rolled to the Class A title, capping a 25-1 season with victories of 73-57 over El Cajon Valley (8-14), 66-53 over Kearny (13-11), which had eliminated University (13-11), 43-38,  and 54-46 over Sweetwater (11-12).

Ramona, 21-1 in the regular season behind the scoring thrusts of Allen Brown and Mike Walters, was up against schools much larger, even though the Bulldogs were in the small schools class.

Ramona was beaten in the first round, 50-47, by Sweetwater, which got to the finals after a 48-46 win over Vista (12-8).

Vista had advanced with a 46-45 win over St. Augustine (4-17), fueled by the temper of the Saints’ Hugh (Hudge) McConnell, who threw a ball into the stands at Vista after a foul call with three seconds remaining in the game.

The Panthers’ Fred Boyer converted the resulting personal and technical foul free throws, giving Vista the come-from-behind victory.

CLASS AA

Lincoln (17-8) topped Grossmont (12-9), 46-45, in the first round but was eliminated in the semifinals as Point Loma (15-10) won a wild, 66-60 struggle at Lincoln. Pointer Joe Soares’ 24 points offset a 34-point performance by Steve Ojetti. Point Loma earlier eliminated Escondido (13-10), 61-44.

Hoover avenged an early-season loss with a 56-49 win over Hilltop in the semifinals after dismissing Chula Vista (10-11), 63-34. Hilltop (20-6) had polished off Clairemont (12-11), 71-48.

JUMP SHOTS

San Diego’s 10-14 record was the Cavemen’s poorest since the 1933-34 team was 6-9 and the ’34-35 squad was 6-8…Hoover coach Charlie Hampton said Glendale Hoover had the tallest high school lineup he ever saw: 6-foot, 4-inch and 6-3 guards, 6-2 and 6-5 forwards, and 6-5 center…Kearny presented a front line of 6-7 Doug Ogilvie, 6-5 Lon Swank, and 6-3 Elliott Reaves…Hilltop and Escondido each reached the semifinals of the Chino Tournament, losing to Anaheim Western, 56-51, and Chino, 58-46, respectively…San Dieguito topped Ramona, 58-47, for the Kiwanis Tournament Limited Division title…the Hoover-Lincoln Unlimited final was played in San Diego State’s Men’s Gym… Ventura whipped Helix, 80-47, for consolation honors at Fillmore…Fritz Ziegenfuss set  a Crawford record with 28 points in a season-opening, 73-57 win over El Cajon Valley…La Jolla’s Chet Guthrie set a school record with 35 points in one game…until the playoffs, Hilltop was 2-0 against Hoover…the Lancers also beat the Cardinals, 53-52, in Pepsi Summer League competition at Muni Gym….

West Hills’ Cameron Barry led the San Diego Section, was tied for second in the state, and 10th nationally in scoring average, and 22^nd in total points, according to Max Preps.

Barry scored 866 points in 26 games.  His 33.3-point average is No. 3 all-time in San Diego County. Jc Canahuate of Army-Navy was second to Barry locally with a 27.8 average in 23 games.

The national leader in points was Qwan Jackson of the Conservatory of Lifelong Learning in Milwaukee with a 42.3 average in 18 games.

Barry, who followed state leader Ryan Turell of Valley Village Valley Torah’s 34.3 average and 1,031 points, was tied  with Landis Spivey of Aspire Langston Hughes Academy in Stockton, although Spivey was limited to 17 games and scored 566 points.

Barry is behind only Tony Clark’s 43.1 and Tyrone Shelley’s 34.9 in scoring average.  See below.

SHAYLA LEADS

Bonita Vista’s Shayla Latone was first in San Diego and in California and third nationally with a 36.9 average with 1,290 points in 35 games.

Latone’s  closest challenger in California was Hannah Hurley of Lake Isabella Kern Valley, with a 30.9 average in 22 games. Shemera Williams of Milwaukee Science led the nation with a 39.9 average and 1,038 points in 26 games.

San Diego Section 2017-18 boys leaders in average and all-time season leaders:

HIGHEST AVERAGE

Name	Team	Games	Points	Average
Cameron Barry	West Hills	26	866	33.3
Jc Canahuate	Army-Navy	23	639	27.8
Kibru Sugebo	Preuss UCSD	27	695	25.7
Hassan Hunt	Chula Vista High Tech	26	593	22.8
Tiberus Ballard	Guajome Park	13	291	22.4
Bryce Pope	Torrey Pines	32	713	22.3
Taeshon Cherry	Foothills Christian	25	556	22.2
DeAndre Andrews	Kearny	21	464	22.1
Phillip Willis	Maranatha	27	592	21.9
Jayden Holloway	Patrick Henry	23	464	20.2

SEASON HIGH  ALL-TIME

Year	Name	Team	Games	Points	Average
1989-90	Tony Clark	Christian	31	1,337	43.1
2006-07	Tyrone Shelley	Crawford	27	941	34.9
2017-18	Cameron Barry	West Hills	27	866	33.3
1998-99	Kemmy Burgess	El Cajon Valley			33.1
2010-11	Johnny Dee	Rancho Buena Vista	30	982	32.7
1976-77	Mitchell Lilly	Madison	28	893	31.9
1995-96	Jeremy Killon	Rancho Bernardo			31.9
1995-96	Jorge Salazar	Bonita Vista	20	629	31.5
1988-89	Clark	Valhalla	28	847	30.3
2004-05	Chase Budinger	La Costa Canyon			30.1

CAL-HI SPORTS HAS BUCS AT NO. 17

Mission Bay (27-6), whose record included a win over No. 8 Oakland Bishop O’Dowd, finished 17th in trhe final Cal-Hi Sports Top 40.

Fioothills Chridtian (26-7) is 20th, although the up-and-down Knights, defeated No. 5 Los Angeles Westchester and No. 11 L.A. Fairfax.

Torrey Pines (28-4), is 33rd.

 

The warm days of spring aren’t here, but San Diego Section girls and boys performed above the temperature last Saturday in the season’s first major meet, Dennis McClanahan’s Mt. Carmel Invitational.

McClanahan, the 35-years-plus coach at Mt. Carmel and former Helix shot putter and discus twirler, has built his late-March event into one of the top early-season meets in Southern California.

The Arcadia Invitational is in two weeks, promising more good performances.

Karson Lippert, the state runner-up in the 400 at :46.98 last season and No. 2 all-time in San Diego, likely will run in the evening at Arcadia and his :48.03, second-in-the-state race at Mt. Carmel seems to indicate Lippert has recovered from an injury during football season.

Kenan Christon of Madison, whose :10.58 at Mt. Carmel ranks No. 11 all-time in the San Diego Section, also is a possibility for the evening invitational.

Arcadia meet director Rich Gonzalez was at Mt. Carmel and likely will give consideration to several others.

Coronado’s Alysah Hickey is third in three state Top 10 categories.

Hickey is seventh at :11.87 in the 100 meters, tied for second at 5 feet, 8 inches, in the high jump, and leads in the long jump, although her 19-5 ¼ had a tailwind of 2.2 miles per hour, above the limit of 2.0.

Eastlake’s Jalyn Jackson is the state leader at 24-5 ½ in the long jump and third at 49-3 ½ in the triple jump. Kevin Ward of San Dieguito is second at 16-1 in the pole vault.

Almost all marks came at the Mt. Carmel Invitational.

San Diego Section versus the state:

GIRLS

Event

Name

Mark

Place

Leader

Mark

100 Meters	Hickey, Coronado	:11.87	7	Wilson,  Bakersfield Stockdale	:11.71
200 Meters	Salongo, Mira Mesa	:24.89w	10	Robinson-Jones, Oakland Bishop O’Dowd	:24.01
800 Meters	Morales, Scripps Ranch	2:13.02	5	Brewer, San Ramon California	2:08.99
	Riedman, La Costa Canyon	2:13.80	8
1600 Meters	Brown, La Costa Canyon	4:56.20	8	Friedman, Santa Cruz	4:48.55
300 Hurdles	Thomas, Torrey Pines	:44.64	10	Bernard-Joseph, Eastvale Eleanor Roosevelt	:42.46
High Jump	Hickey	5-8	2T	Glen, L.B. Wilson	5-9
Long Jump	Hickey	19-5 ¼w	1	Downes, Tracy Kimball	*19-5

*Second place.

W–Wind-aided.

BOYS

Event	Name	Mark	Place	Leader	Mark
100 Meters	Christon, Madison	:10.58	3	Hampton, Yucapia	:10.53
	Ellis, Mt. Carmel	:10.69	5
200 Meters	Christon	:21.42	4	Hampton, Yucaipa	:21.26
	Ellis	:21.68	9
	Lippert, La Costa Canyon	:21.85	10
400 Meters	Lippert	:48.03	2	Okonkwo, Murrieta Mesa	:47.77
1600 Meters	Brooker, Westview	4:17.40	10
300 Hurdles	Farmer, Rancho Bernardo	:38.64	3	Jackman, Concord Clayton Valley	:38.18
Pole Vault	Ward, San Dieguito	16-1	2	Guttormsen, Davis	17-1
	Sheldon, Mission Hills	15-6	4
	Rice, Rancho Bernardo	15-2	7
Long Jump	Jackson, Eastlake	24-5 ½	1	Enos, S.F. St. Ignatius	*24-2 1/2
Triple Jump	Jackson	49-3 ½	3	Stevenson, Temecula Great Oak	50-5

Hoover’s 25-2 record and second consecutive San Diego Section Class AA championship did not reflect a season-long struggle to stay ahead of the Eastern League posse.

Back-to-back league losses for the first time since 1957-58 and top-to-bottom league challenges, including one from rising Crawford, tested the Cardinals’ mettle.

Coach Charlie Hampton’s team showed its grit, rebounding in tough games down the stretch, led by a fiery guard and floor leader, Rick Potter.

A 50-49, overtime victory over San Diego before 1,800 persons at Cal Western University’s new, Golden Gym, including one girl on the San Diego side who fainted during the frenzied final moments,  would mark the last championship in Hampton’s career.

Hampton would coach the Cardinals one more season before becoming head coach at San Diego City College, leaving behind six league championships and three ties for second in his 11 years.

Hoover started the season with 14 consecutive wins, including 51-41 over Grossmont, thought by many to be the Cardinals’ most imposing threat.

The Redbirds defeated San Diego, 62-49, in the Kiwanis Tournament Unlimited Division final but were upset in Eastern League play by Crawford, 43-34 (the Colts’ first win in against their neighborhood rivals since the school opened in 1957), and then lost at San Diego, 57-54.

San Diego’s win exhausted a San Diego standing room crowd of 1,600, which nervously watched a back-and-forth game that was tied 16 times.

Elburt Miller scored 10 of his 20 points in the third quarter and Graig Nettles eight of his 15 in the final quarter as the Cavers, trailing, 48-43, moved ahead, 55-52, and held on.

San Diego, at 3-0, held a 1½-game edge on the Cardinals, 2-2.  Hampton considered the prospect of running the table in the final 4 league games.  “It’s possible, but not probable,” he said.

The Cardinals won their last 11, including a last-second, overtime, 56-55 battle at Crawford (15-7), a return match with San Diego, and a 38-36 close shave with Chula Vista (17-7) in the playoffs.

CAVERS CAVE

The Cavers were 19-8, with five of their defeats by no more than two points. A late, regular-season, 37-33 loss at Hoover was the most galling, especially to guard Graig Nettles.

An all-Southern California second-team selection and future 21-year player in the major leagues, many with championship New York Yankees clubs and the San Diego Padres’ 1984 World Series participants, Nettles had the worst night of his career.

The 6-foot guard, who launched jump shots from beyond the future three-point arc, was zero for 19 from the field.

After the final buzzer and in frustration, Nettles drew aim one more time.  He fired a shot that appeared to be going through the hoop, but rolled around and out.

“Zip, zero, nada?” smirked a colleague of mine in the Evening Tribune sports department.

“Nettles was colder than last week’s potatoes,” noted Chuck Sawyer in The San Diego Union,

ZEBRAS HEAR IT

San Diego coach Bill Standly held his tongue after the Cavers dropped a 72-70 decision to St. Augustine (“We played lousy defense in the first half, but there were some things going on out there I’d rather not talk about”) but Standly went Code Red after a 70-69 loss at Crawford.

“I may get a bad name with the officials over this, but they choked; they blew that ball game for us,” said Standly, referring to referees Jerry Tooze and Bert Nichols.  “Officials don’t (usually) beat you in this game, but they beat us tonight.”

The Cavers led, 69-66, when Crawford’s Paul Janicki drained a long looper from the side with 39 seconds left.   Ron Kroepel followed with a steal, was fouled, and converted two free throws for a 70-69 Colts advantage.

San Diego’s Elburt Miller drove down the middle of the court and crashed into Crawford’s Dick Woodson.  Miller was called for “progress”, charging in more conventional nomenclature.

Crawford took possession and stalled the last 16 seconds. Standly paced and raged inside the Cavers’ dressing room that Woodson should have been cited for a blocking foul.

CANDID COACHES

Point Loma coach John Early led the Pointers to a tie for the Western League title, sweeping favored Clairemont, 35-32, and 49-44. The Pointers actually made it three in a row, including a 39-33 victory over the Chieftains in the Kiwanis Tournament consolation finals.

“Eiler can’t beat me,” the outspoken Early announced before the regular-season finale.

Early was more comfortable in a rumpled suit than the button-downed, upwardly mobile Clairemont mentor Dick Eiler, who brought attention to himself by periodically chugging from a quart of milk positioned next to Eiler’s seat at home games.

“There never was a doubt in my mind,” Early said amid the Pointers’ five-point-victory celebration  on the Chieftains’ floor.  “I’ll beat him every time.  He fools around with his defense too much.”

Early said Eiler employed a man-to-man defense, 2-1-2 zone, and a 1-3-1 zone “and we still scored 24 points on layups and stuff under the basket.”

Early, who played football at St. Augustine in the ‘forties and at San Diego State in the early ‘fifties, had a final zinger.

“Also, you may put this in print:  I told that referee (Arch Dugan) that if he was going to let Eiler call the game for him, why didn’t he wear Eiler’s shirt?

PRINCIPAL NOT AMUSED

Early was referring to a goal tending call on his 6-foot, 5-inch center Joe Soares at the end of the third period.

“They had a little too much size for us, with Soares and (Glen) Willardson,” said Eiler. ”I hope Point Loma does well in the playoffs.”

Both teams, tied in the league with La Jolla, each with a 5-3 record, were voted into the postseason.

Early, meanwhile, was called on the carpet by principal Don Giddings, who took a dim view of the coach’s remarks.

HIGHLANDERS’ COACH RIPS

Helix’ Bob Speidel, after his team made 6 of 51 shots from the field for 12 per cent in a 58-20 loss to Grossmont, also was not at a loss for words.

“If we had really fought and got beat by 30 points we could hold our heads high, but we were scared,” Speidel said to Roger Conlee of the Evening Tribune.  “We choked.  We talked ourselves out of our shots.”

FOOTHILLERS THE BEST?

“When we play up to our capabilities we’re the best team in the area,” Grossmont coach Locke Olson told Conlee at the season’s midpoint.

“We could be head and shoulders above all of ‘em,” said Olson.  “We just clutched up against Hoover and San Diego,” referring to two December losses.

Olson said Grossmont’s problem was at the guard position.  “If we had a backcourt man like Rick Potter at Hoover, we’d be extremely tough.”

The Foothillers rolled with Dick Baker, a 6-foot, 7-inch center with a nice touch around the rim.

“Richard just wipes off the boards,” Olson said.  “When he’s working we really go.  When he loafs, the team can’t do a thing.”

Grossmont averaged 71 points a game in a 12-0 Grossmont League campaign.

ARE WE BACK?

Convinced they were relevant again after seasons of 10-12, 9-10, and 4-17 following the departure of Tom Shaules and Sammy Owens after the 1957-58 season, St. Augustine, off to a 4-1 start, held its first basketball rally in several years.

“We just hope the student body and team can keep their heads,” first-year head coach Hal Mitrovich said on the eve of the Saints’ Eastern League opener at Hoover.

The Cardinals defeated the Saints, 48-47, in overtime to move to 11-0.  “I’d rather be good, but I’m glad to be lucky,” said Coach Charlie Hampton.

THAT KIND OF GAME

“Hoover Edges Lincoln But Was It Basketball?” That was the headline the day after in the Evening Tribune.

A sloppy, physical, 48-43 win at Lincoln (10-12) saw a Hoover player, Jim Surber, sustain the team’s first technical foul since 1956, although Lincoln was whistled for 25 fouls to the Cardinals’ 12.

Ever diplomatic, Charlie Hampton observed that “they upset us and I guess that’s what made us play their game.”

Lincoln coach Warren Barritt, a football coach by trade, predicted that 48 points would win the game and used 11 players.

“We outplayed them; we outscrapped them,” said Barritt.  “We platooned, because we thought it would run ‘em out, and I think we succeeded there.  They aren’t invincible.”

A small group of Hoover supporters jeered so loudly at one point in the game that Lincoln’s Mickey McFarlin walked off the free throw line three times before shooting.

DECEMBER SOUTH VS. NORTH

San Diego lost at Inglewood Morningside, 46-45, but won at Inglewood, 58-46.  Point Loma won at Inglewood, 50-49, and at Morningside, 51-37.

Hoover defeated visiting Burbank Burroughs, 46-34, and Glendale Hoover, 55-53, in overtime.  Glendale Hoover topped San Diego, 69-59, and San Diego beat Burroughs, 62-48.

Grossmont beat Redlands, 59-51.

EARLY-SEASON TELL?

Hoover beat Hilltop, 64-57, and Grossmont, 51-41.  After Grossmont slapped Hilltop, 70-47, Lancers coach Paul Pruett said of Locke Olson’s Foothillers:  “Grossmont’s as good as Hoover.  They have better material.”

Hoover and Grossmont were in different brackets at playoff time, with most experts seeing them in the finals, but San Diego, which edged Grossmont, 50-44, in the Kiwanis Tournament, repeated against the La Mesa squad, 65-62, in the semifinals as Graig Nettles scored a career-high 29 points, offsetting 30 by Grossmont’s Dick Baker.

Grossmont’s 22-3 season was the best since Ralph Chaplin’s 1946-47 team was 15-2.

POINTS

Unofficial leading scorers, based on total points (games played may not be accurate and leading scorers from small school leagues were not always covered):

Name	Team	Games	Pts.	Average
Dick Baker	Grossmont	25	490	19.6
Joe Soares	Point Loma	25	428	17.1
Rick Potter	Hoover	27	368	13.6
Lew Riley	Grossmont	25	366	14.6
Graig Nettles	San Diego	26	360	13.8
Paul Janicki	Crawford	21	347	16.5
Bob Anderson	Monte Vista	21	341	16.9
Dennis Biletnikoff	Hilltop	25	341	13.6
Hugh (Hudge) McConnell	St. Augustine	19	328	17.3
Fred Boyer	Vista	20	307	15.4
Chet Guthrie	La Jolla	22	302	13.7

ONE-GAME BESTS

Point Loma’s Joe Soares scored a school-record 41 points, within one of the record St. Augustine’s Jacob Crawford set in the 1959 Kiwanis Tournament, as the Pointers defeated El Cajon Valley, 86-36.

Point Loma and Grossmont, which slammed El Capitan, 86-42, in a Grossmont League game, shared single-game team highs for the season.

BACK-HANDED COMPLIMENT

Point Loma defeated La Jolla, 47-35, although Joe Soares didn’t score until late in the first half, had four fouls at halftime, and fouled out at 7:11 of the fourth quarter with 11 points.

“For once, Joe didn’t take a shot every time he got the ball,” said Coach John Early.  “He passed off more.  He was more of a team man.”

HARDWOOD PAVING

El Cajon Valley and Helix, the last two Grossmont League schools without gymnasiums, each announced plans for on-campus, 1,500-seat buildings that would be available sometime in the 1962-63 season.

Longtime Helix coach Bob Divine often remarked, “If the playoffs were on asphalt we’d win every year.”

The last two asphalt strongholds, the schools practiced outdoors for years.

Evening Tribune reporter Roger Conlee also noted the gyms would have glass backboards, better than the outmoded fan-shaped backboards.

TOURNAMENTS

Suburban coaches were not happy and this was reflected in the Kiwanis field’s shrinking from 32 to 24 teams.

The court bosses complained that a majority of games were played on city floors (see Hoover and San Diego), giving the urbans an unfair advantage.

Since there was a CIF rule limiting teams to one tournament, nine schools stiffed the Kiwanis and went elsewhere.

COVINA

Helix opened with a 36-34 win over Covina Charter Oak but then was eliminated by Downey Warren, 56-48.

CHINO

Chula Vista was defeated in the finals by Pomona, 50-39.  Hilltop measured Escondido, 47-40, for third place.

Chula Vista advanced with victories of 45-37 over Upland, 56-48 over Rialto Eisenhower, and 33-23 over Escondido.

Hilltop advanced by nudging Chino, 36-33, and Buena Park, 38-37, before bowing to Pomona, 61-49.

Mar Vista lost to Pomona, 56-31, and was shoved out of the consolation bracket by Santa Ana Valley, 72-25.

Before losing to Chula Vista, Escondido defeated Pomona Ganesha, 39-32, and Garden Grove Rancho Alamitos, 58-47.

SECOND ANNUAL MUSTANG-OPTIMIST

Laguna Beach topped El Capitan, 78-69, for the championship. The Artists opened with a 64-17 win over San Marcos and followed with a 60-53 triumph over Calexico.

El Capitan had beaten Capistrano, 37-29, and Vista, 55-53, after Vista beat El Centro Central, 53-39.

Vista outscored Calexico, 59-51 for third place. Host San Dieguito lost to Calexico, 53-41 and to El Centro Central, 37-34.

PLAYOFFS

Helix and Monte Vista tied for the second place in the Grossmont League and a 7-7 vote, by two administrators from each school, could not choose the league’s second participant, so Helix defeated the Monarchs, 44-38, in a hastily prepared “Play-in” game.

Coming back the next day at Hoover, the Highlanders had no chance, bowing, 65-33.  San Diego won its first-round playoff, 45-36 over Point Loma; Chula Vista sent Clairemont packing, 59-37, and Grossmont ousted Hilltop, 58-32.

Vista (14-6) defeated Fallbrook (15-3), 81-67, for the Class A small school championship at Escondido.

The CIF approved a third-place game and Grossmont edged Chula Vista, 55-54.

SIGN OF THE TIME

The Spreckels Building, on Broadway between First and Second avenues, was sold for $1.65 million to a Beverly Hills couple.  The six-story edifice, erected in 1912, for years was the tallest in San Diego.

JUMP SHOTS

San Dieguito’s 25-game winning streak, which started after a loss to Helix in the opening game of the 1960-61 season, came to an end when Helix struck again, topping the Mustangs, 40-29, in the opening game this season at Mount Miguel…Crawford’s Paul Janicki set a school record with 30 points as the Colts outscored Lincoln for the first time in school history, 65-60…the Colts were coming, with three juniors, Larry Blum, Ron Kroepel, and Dick Woodson, in the starting lineup…Robert Anderson set a record for first-year Monte Vista with 31 points in a 61-58 win over Oceanside in the Kiwanis Tournament…maybe it was the intimate surroundings of 700-seat Dougherty Gym, but San Diego coach Bill Standly contended that St. Augustine’s floor was not the standard, 94 feet by 50…”When you try to run, get a fast break going, you’re there before you get started,” claimed Standly….

It officially was a down year in San Diego Section basketball.  Every team in the final Union-Tribune Top 10  poll was eliminated by the quarterfinals round of the Southern California regional tournament.

Three of the six from the original 32 in five divisions made it past the semifinals into a championship game, but all were beaten on the road.

The Christian boys (24-10), Division IV No. 13 seed who eliminated No. 1 Riverside Hillcrest, 43-42, in the semifinals, were 1 for 14 from three-point range and bowed to View Point of the Los Angeles City Section, 57-43, in the finals.

San Marcos, the 3 seed in girls D-II, was 6 for 25 from the arc and completed a 22-8 season with a 56-43 loss to top-ranked Redondo Beach Redondo Union.

Mater Dei (22-14), a No. 9 seed which battled uphill through the rounds, defeating No. 8 La Canada Flintridge Prep, 78-55; No. 1 Bonita Vista, 75-67, and No. 5 Tulare Mission Oak, 71-50, could not finish in girls’ D-III, dropping a 53-50 decision to No. 6 Fullerton Sunny Hills after leading, 24-14, at halftime.

The season marked the third consecutive  in which there will be no state champion from the San Diego Section. The La Jolla Country Day girls were the last to achieve the feat when they defeated Palo Alto Eastside Prep, 40-36, in 2014-15.

The three remaining San Diego teams,  eliminated in the semifinals, were No. 5 San Diego, 67-48, by No. 1 Santa Clarita Christian in boys D-IV; No. 13 San Diego Southwest, 72-52, by No. 7 Van Nuys in boys’ D-IV, and the Cathedral girls, 15 seed who were pushed out by neighboring San Marcos, 71-55, in D-II.

SINGER LEADS

Helix’ John Singer, who did not coach this season due to illness, still leads active San Diego Section coaches with 668 victories, all-time No. 2 behind El Camino’s Ray Johnson, who won 763.

 

Six San Diego Section teams, from the original 32, reach the semifinals of the Southern California state regional playoffs tonight.

An all-San Diego Section final is possible in Boys Division V, but both teams, 5 San Diego and 11 San Diego Southwest, face higher seeds on the road, 1 Canyon Country Santa Clarita Christian and 7 Van Nuys, respectively.

The Cavers, following the remergence of their football team, are making their first appearance in a Southern Califronia semifinal since they lost to Burbank Burroughs, 59-50, in 1955.

At least one girls team from here will be in the D-II finals, because 15 Cathedral (21-11) or 3 San Marcos (21-7) meet tonight at San Marcos.

Christian (23-9), seeded 13th in boys D-IV, is at 1 Riverside Hillcrest (32-3) tonight and 9 Mater Dei will travel 300 miles North to face No. 5 Tulare Mission Oak (25-7) of the Central Section in girls D-IV.

Mater Dei roiled the brackets last week when it rode a 28-20 last quarter to upset No. 1 Bonita Vista, 75-67, after losing twice to the Barons in the regular season.

For the other 26 teams in the playoffs the season ended last week, their conclusions reminiscent of  the popular 1960’s surfer tune “Wipeout.”

Local clubs, even those favored in the seedings, went down under a wave of Southern Section power.  All of the teams in the final Union-Tribune Top 10 were given happy trails sendoffs in the first or second round. Hardest hit were our big ones in the Open Division and D-I.

Mission Bay (56-34 to Torrance Bishop Montgomery), and Foothills Christian (88-62 to Chatsworth Sierra Canyon) fell early in the Open Division.  Torrey Pines, the 2 seed in D-I, was beaten in overtime by 15 Taft Woodland Hills, 81-74.

The only question about theTorrey Pines defeat was why Taft was a 15 seed.  The Torreadors long have been a Los Angeles City Section blueblood and annually one of the better teams in Southern California.

Tonight’s matchups:

DIVISION	TEAM	RECORD	OPPONENT	RECORD
IV BOYS	13 Christian	23-9	@ 1 Riverside Hillcrest	32-3
V	5 San Diego	24-7	@ 3 Santa Clarita Christian	23-9
	11 San Diego Southwest	19-12	@7 Van Nuys	23-12
II GIRLS	15 Cathedral	21-11	@3 San Marcos	21-7
III	9 Mater Dei	21-13	@5 Tulare Mission Oak	25-7