—Patrick Henry and University struggled through a twilight zone of 8 overtimes in a season that had at least 24 games that went beyond regulation, including a four-overtime contest, a three-overtime joust, and three of two overtimes.

—Grossmont League bosses were overruled after they socked Valhalla with 16 league losses, before it played a game.

—Chula Vista outscored Castle Park, 11-4.  No one turned out the lights and the referees didn’t suspend play.

—A late-season scholastic ineligibility caught up with defending champion San Diego High.

Those were a few of the more notable takeaways from a competitive campaign that still included only one week of playoffs.

THE LONGEST GAME

Patrick Henry and University battled for 2 hours and 37 minutes, at least one hour longer than the usual high school game.  Actual playing time was 56 minutes, each overtime session lasting three minutes.

Henry finally won, 66-61.

The first and fifth extra sessions were scoreless.

Uni coach John Cosentino approached Patriots coach Alan (Fritz) Ziegenfuss during a time out.

“I told Fritz that if it wasn’t over in that overtime (No. 5) we’d go at it one on one,” said Cosentino, joking…maybe.

Three more periods followed before the Patriots’ Ernest Jackson scored and added a free throw, Rich McKee scored, and Tom McGovern made another basket as time was expiring.

The Patriots’ 7-2 advantage in Round 8 was enough to bring matters to a close.

Matt Gorder of Henry had knocked down two free throws with 30 seconds remaining seemingly eons before to etch a 43-43, regulation tie.

SHORTER BUT STILL LONG

Rob Ridgway scored with 17 seconds remaining in the fourth overtime to deliver Monte Vista to a 65-63 victory over El Capitan in a Grossmont League game. A basket by the Monarchs’ James Carley with 1:01 remaining tied the score at 51 and activated OT.

NOT THAT LONG

Sweetwater, comatose since the late 1950s, awakened in Coach Gary Zarecky’s fourth season and its 19-12 record included a triple overtime, 77-75 win over Fallbrook, which had won 16 in a row, in a quarterfinals playoff at Point Loma.

Ten seconds into the third overtime the Red Devils’ Tom Vance, who had a game-high 26 points, drained a long jump shot for the deciding points.

Henry played back-to-back overtimes. Mike Gay scored with 10 seconds remaining in the second three minutes to topple St. Augustine, 71-69, in an Eastern League contest that followed the marathon with University.

San Pasqual’s Rick Roberts nailed an eight-foot jump shot with four seconds left in a second overtime to lift the Eagles to a 55-53 victory over Vista.

Francis Parker edged Pasadena Poly, 41-39, and Clairemont beat Morse, 72-68, in two extra sessions.

DAY BEFORE A NO-NO

Valhalla was charged with opening practice the day before the legal start date, a violation of a Grossmont League and CIF rule.

A special committee from the foothills circuit declared  the Norsemen would forfeit all 16 league games, although none had been played.

Valhalla officials cried foul.

A month later, on Jan. 19, 1976, after the San Diego Section requested a revisiting of the original decision, Grossmont bosses reaffirmed their stand.

At this point in league play Valhalla was 3-3 competitively but 0-6 legislatively.

The case against Valhalla, wrote Henry Wesch of The San Diego Union, “is built around a school bulletin notation advising of basketball ‘tryouts’ prior to the CIF-approved date for practices.”

Valhalla claimed there was no tryout, the notice having been issued only to gauge interest and that no coaches were present when the gym was open and aspiring players were on the floor.

On Jan. 27, another session was convened.

Valhalla and league officials met with a special, three-man panel from the CIF board of managers.

Board honcho Dr. James McDonald, a former basketball game official, later issued a statement that overruled the forfeits.

McDonald praised Valhalla principal George Benson, who apparently laid down the law to coach Bob Speidel.

Speidel, who had won championships at Helix, was perceived by league bosses of trying to circumvent the CIF rule.

“In light of the principal’s intervention, the board of managers lifts the team penalty imposed by the Grossmont League and places the present head basketball coach on probation for a two year period,” was the gist of a four-paragraph statement by McDonald.

“In simplified language, the statement means no forfeits for Valhalla, tread lightly, coach Bob Speidel,” wrote Wesch.

Valhalla finished with a 13-10 record, including 10-6 in the league and in a three-way tie for the last playoff spot with Monte Vista and Grossmont.

Grossmont representatives voted in Monte Vista and the Foothillers.

BASEBALL OR BASKETBALL?

Castle Park shot 100 per cent from the field and lost.

The Trojans attempted just two field-goal attempts and Chula Vista defeated its neighboring rival, 11-4.

Castle Park scored on a second quarter basket by Bob Gadaska and on another in the fourth quarter by Dave Arana.

Chula Vista, however, never trailed, taking a 2-0 lead on Bryan Cottingham’s field goal and converted 5 of 12 attempts from the field.

A six-point outburst in the second quarter provided an 8-2 Spartans halftime lead.

Castle Park went down to its 16th loss in 17 games.

“Chula Vista is one of the best teams ever to come out of the South Bay area and there was no way we could match up with them,” said Trojans coach Ron Wey, explaining his team’s stalling tactic when it possessed the ball.

“We did what we felt we had to do in order to win the game,” said Wey.  “If we had tried to stay with them they might have scored 120 points.”

VICTORY, AT LAST!

Castle Park’s plunge toward the abyss of a winless season was interrupted by a victory after 14 straight losses.

Following a 64-60 win over Mar Vista, Trojans coach Ron Wey reported that there was a two-car victory parade through National City’s Mile of Cars area.

Wey was driving one of the vehicles, his wife the other.

Castle Park closed with a 1-23 record.

CAVERS STUMBLE

At 21-2, San Diego High was in good position, led by superstars Willie Brigham and Percy Gilbert, to claim a consecutive San Diego Section championship, until second semester academic grades were released.

Gilbert reportedly was ruled ineligible for not maintaining good class attendance and the Cavers, while still formidable, no longer were favored.

Ceasar Scott picked up the slack, connecting on 13×15 field goal attempts to score 30 points, and Brigham added 21 as the Cavers demolished Point Loma, 81-55, in their first game sans Gilbert.

The Cavers were 3-2 in Gilbert’s absence, including a 57-52 loss to Kearny, which had nipped them earlier, 69-68, in overtime.

San Diego met a hot Chula Vista team in the playoff quarter finals and went down, 68-42.

The Cavers’ chances of victory were whistled by officials, who stunningly saddled Brigham with his fourth personal foul midway through the second quarter.

MVP TWICE

Kearny’s Alan Trammell scored a rare double in his brilliant career.

He was the most-valuable player, as voted by members of the media, in the postseason, leading the Komets to their second title in three years.

Eight years later Trammell, with a .450 batting average and two home runs in the Detroit Tigers’ five-game near sweep of the San Diego Padres, was named MVP of the World Series.

Trammell had a conversation with himself and coach Tim Short during the season when his shot was not finding the bottom of the basket and his technical fouls were rising.

“Alan started going on the court expecting bad calls by the officials,” Short told Steve Brand of The San Diego Union.  “For some reason he could not accept human error in his own play and that started spreading to the officials….”

“The problem was my shots just weren’t going in,” said Trammell.  “I’d explode.  Afterward, when I calmed down, I regretted what I’d done.”

Trammell, who scored 412 points in 31 games and averaged 13.3, gathered himself and his steady play  was vital in Kearny’s march down the stretch to the title.

Kearny defeated Santana, 57-44, for the championship before 6,000 persons in the San Diego Sports Arena.

The Sultans of coach Bart Hare were 27-5 and, led by junior-to-be Todd Harper, would be back in 1976-77.

HOOPS IN FAR NORTHEAST

Iceland, sitting just outside the Arctic Circle, is known for lava lands, volcanoes, and weather that befits its name.  Basketball, not so much.

But a couple Mission Bay juniors, twins Marshall and Mitchell Lilly, picked up some valuable experience in the Nordic island country.

The youngsters’ father had accepted a civil service position and the family lived there for a year.

The boys gravitated to a recreation hall, according to Nick Canepa of the Evening Tribune.

“It was tough there, believe me,” Marshall told Canepa.  “We were playing against men.  You had to be tough or you didn’t play.  The recreation hall was open 24 hours a day and we played ten, eleven hours a day.”

Marshall was one of the County’s leading scorers with a 16.9 average for the 22-7 Buccaneers, coached by Larry Willis, a Crawford teammate in the early ‘sixties of Patrick Henry coach Fritz Ziegenfuss.

Mitchell was voted most-valuable player of the University Tournament and Marshall was voted most-inspirational as the Bucs topped Lincoln, 70-62, for the championship.

DON’T INVITEMS

Clairemont opened in 1958 and was followed in 1963 by Madison, about 5 miles northeast.

There didn’t appear to be enough distance.

For the second straight year a game between the neighboring rivals was suspended after benches cleared.

Game officials Dave Melton and Jim Uebbing declared Clairemont a forfeit winner.  The Chieftains led, 60-54, with 42 seconds remaining.

When a fracas occurred in the 1974-75 season, Madison was declared winner.

Warhawks coach John Hannon sustained two technical fouls after repeatedly coming off the bench to complain.

“I feel the whole thing was handled poorly,” Hannon lamented to writer Henry Wesch.  “The officials could have ordered the teams back to the benches and played the final 42 seconds.”

SUNDEVILS ARRIVE

Coach John Marincovich’s first-year Mt. Carmel Sundevils posted an 18-11 record and third-place finish in the Coast League with an all-underclass team.

Junior Rod Dingler was fourth in the County with a 20.53 average and 575 points

KIWANIS TOURNAMENT

Forty-six of the 48 teams entered in the 29^th annual were from the San Diego Section.  Outsiders were Calexico and Cerritos Gahr.

Kearny topped Santana, 64-53, for the unlimited Division championship.  St. Augustine rolled Lincoln, 68-47, in the Classified Division.

Game of the tournament matched 8-1 San Diego and 9-0 Chula Vista before more than 3,000 persons at Peterson Gym in the Limited final.

San Diego won, 70-62, despite Bryan Cottingham’s 34 points.  Willie Brigham had 18 points and 10 assists and Percy Gilbert pulled 18 rebounds to go with 16 points for the winners.

CHINO

Mt. Carmel reached the championship bracket finals before losing to Rancho Cucamonga Alta Loma, 51-43.

Escondido was beaten in the fifth place game by Santa Ana, 62-57.

COLLEGE OF DESERT

Vista topped Thermal Coachella, 64-61, for the championship after beating Indio, 63-45, and Twentynine Palms, 58-40.

Coachella was the essential tournament host, although games were played at the junior college campus in nearby Palm Desert.

BARON-OPTIMIST

San Diego defeated Madison, 51-46, for first place.

Reported scoring leaders:

NAME	TEAM	GAMES	POINTS	AVERAGE
Bryan Cottingham	Chula Vista	32	658	20.56 (2)
Victor Edwards	Sweetwater	31	579	18.6 (9)
Rod Dingler	Mt. Carmel	28	575	20.53 (4)
Mark Johnson	Clairemont	27	555	20.55 (3)
Chris Smith	San Marcos	29	543	18.7 (7)
Wayne Smith	Mar Vista	24	519	21.6 (1)
Barney Hinkle	Santana	32	519	16.4
Mike Heaton	Carlsbad	25	510	20.4 (5)
Jeff Ward	Grossmont	27	510	18.9 (6)
Rich Beeson	Poway	24	496	17.1
Dave Ferguson	Madison	28	491	17.53
Marshall Lilly	Mission Bay	29	490	16.9
Willie Brigham	San Diego	28	489	17.46
Bob Chambers	Mission Bay	29	476	16.4
Skeeter Freeman	Lincoln	27	463	17.1
Jeff Lee	Madison	28	462	16.5
Scott Brazil	Bonita Vista	28	447	16.0
Kevin Paulson	Poway	27	446	16.5
Rob Gay	Hoover	27	446	16.5
John Kentera	Torrey Pines	24	442	18.41 (10)
Jim Ferrari	Point Loma	25	441	17.6
Ray Nagem	St. Augustine	26	438	16.8
Randy Long	El Cajon Valley	24	430	17.9 (10)

Campbell, Coronado 21×387, 18.42 (8).  David Cook, Francis Parker, reportedly led County with 23-point average and scored more than 600 points.

PLAYOFFS

FIRST ROUND

University, with a 7-18 record, was one of 16 teams invited.  The champions of the 6 County Leagues and second-place finishers from the Western and Grossmont League had first-round byes.

North County squads were 5-1 out of the gate, with a couple upsets.  Oceanside (10-13) defeated Clairemont (14-13), 59-58, and San Dieguito (11-13) topped St. Augustine (14-12), 60-50.

Escondido went the long way to oust Uni, which took the Cougars into overtime before bowing, 59-58.

Other scores:

Patrick Henry 58, Hilltop (15-13) 49.

Sweetwater 74, Morse (11-16) 62.

Poway 75, Monte Vista (17-11) 56.

San Marcos 81, Marian (21-8) 71.

Grossmont 62, Mt. Carmel (18-11).

SECOND ROUND

Escondido 59, Mission Bay (22-7) 57.

San Diego 83, San Dieguito (12-14) 45.

Fallbrook 62, Poway (16-13) 58, OT.

Chula Vista 88, Oceanside (11-14) 39.

Sweetwater 80, Lincoln (22-5) 77, OT.

Kearny 73, Grossmont 53 (15-14).

Santana 54, Patrick Henry (19-11) 39.

Helix 75, San Marcos 63 (17-12).

QUARTERFINALS

Sweetwater 77, Fallbrook (21-5) 75, 3 OT.

Chula Vista 68, San Diego (24-5) 42.

Santana 65, Escondido (20-10) 63.

Kearny 59, Helix (18-6) 57.

SEMIFINALS

Santana 55, Chula Vista (29-3) 46.

Kearny 67, Sweetwater (19-12) 48.

FINALS

Kearny (29-2) 57, Santana (27-5) 44.

JUMP SHOTS

Francis Parker (24-3) defeated Christian (9-14), 74-48, before a crowd of 2,000 at Patrick Henry for the 1-A championship…David Cook led the Lancers with 33 points…Mark Malone of El Cajon Valley was more prominent in another sport…quarterback-wide receiver Malone was a No. 1 draft choice of the  Pittsburgh Steelers out of Arizona State in 1980 and played 10 seasons in the NFL…the total of 15 points in the Chula Vista-Castle Park game represented the fourth lowest total in state history, according to Cal-Hi Sports…Stockton beat Lodi, 10-0, in 1925; Whittier knocked off San Clemente, 6-4, in 1979, and Sacramento Encina defeated Sacramento Mira Loma, 8-6, in overtime after a 2-2 regulation score in 1975…Castle Park tried stalling again in the rematch with Chula Vista but the Spartans won, 59-27…San Diego was waltzing, 75-46, after three quarters against St. Augustine, which mounted a 29-7 fourth quarter that made the final score, 82-75…Ray Nagem had 34 points for the Saints, but Percy Gilbert had 26 and Willie Brigham 22 for the Cavers…Madison edged Patrick Henry, 64-63, on Dave Ferguson’s free throw after the final buzzer…Mar Vista’s Wayne Smith took a 28-point average into the Kiwanis Tournament but finished with a 21.6 average, still tops in the County…Smith had back-to-back games of 36 in a 88-55 win over Christian and 37 in a 71-54 triumph against El Cajon Valley…Crawford’s Vince Badinovatz had the season’s reported high score, 38 in a 72-51 Kiwanis Tournament victory against Oceanside…Carlsbad’s Mike Heaton took 30 shots in three quarters, knocked down 18, finished with 37 points and 12 rebounds in the Lancers’ 88-56 romp over Christian….

CENTURY CLUB

TEAM	OPPONENT	SCORE
Julian	Borrego Springs	116-83
Julian	Borrego Springs	113-54
Crawford	Coronado	107-46
Chula Vista	Montgomery	105-51
Helix	Granite hills	101-43

Dave Moore topped with a 51-point game, but Patrick Henry’s Mark Fitzner had the most points and held off “Score” Moore for highest average among players from large schools.

The breezy sobriquet for Moore, courtesy of Bill Finley of the Evening Tribune, fit the San Marcos senior, who scored 594 points in 27 games for a 22.0 average, but Fitzner held sway  with 704 points in 31 games and 22.7 average. Clarence Clark of San Diego Military had a 25.8-point average in 19 games, leading small schools players.

Moore and Fitzner earned rank among the all-time leaders with their individual and seasonal efforts.

Moore became the fourth player in San Diego County history to score at least 50 points in one game.  Fitzner moved to 14^th in all-time season scoring.

Fitzner was an exception in what seemed to be a downward trend in scoring.

There were eight players who accounted for at least 500 points this season, compared with 15 in the Bill Walton-dominated season of 1969-70.   Four players scaled 700 that season and six were at 600 or more.

There were eight over 500 in 1970-71, 12 in ‘71-72, and 10 in ’72-73.

Nine players averaged 20 points or more this year, compared with 12 in 1968-69, 20 in ’69-70, 4 in ’70-71, 11 in ’71-72, and 4 in ’72-73.

Fitzner became the 42^nd in the County to score at least 1,000 career points.

Poway’s 108-79 win over San Dieguito in a Coast League game was the single score at or above 100.

THIS SEASON

NAME	TEAM	GAMES	POINTS	AVERAGE
Mark Fitzner	Patrick Henry	31	704	22.7(1)
Dave Moore	San Marcos	27	594	22.0(2)
Andre Robinson	Morse	28	580	20.7(4)
Ron Thomas	Hoover	32	580	18.2(9)
Art Leahy	Madison	17	547	20.3(5)
Mike Milke	Hilltop	25	533	21.3(3)
Ron Wiggins	St. Augustine	26	518	19.9(7)
Rick Taylor	Kearny	32	505	15.8
Robin Harvey	Mar Vista	24	479	20.0(6)
Dean Miller	Poway	26	470	18.1(10)
Ron McFarlin	Lincoln	31	469	15.1
Joe Sobkowiak	Clairemont	25	462	18.5(8)
Paul Robinson	Poway	28	457	16.3
Gary Walin	Bonita Vista	27	450	16.7
Terry Belsan	Marian	27	446	16.5
Eddie Newell	Crawford	27	446	16.5
Dan O’Neill	Marian	29	438	15.1
Kerman	La Jolla	29	437	15.1
Richard Ridgway	Monte Vista	26	435	16.7
John Frise	Bonita Vista	29	435	15.0
Tom Ford	Granite Hills	25	381	15.2
		CLASS A
Dan Stockalper	Ramona	26	580	22.3
Clarence Clark	San Diego Military	19	490	25.8
Partch	Julian	23	404	17.6
Kyle Spain	La Jolla Country Day	16	363	22.7
Dave Cook	Francis Parker	16	310	19.4
Temple	Army-Navy	16	258	16.1

ONE SEASON

NAME	SCHOOL	YEAR	POINTS	AVERAGE
Bill Walton	Helix	1969-70	958	29.0
Ralph Drollinger	Grossmont	1971-72	868	27.4
Dave Smith	Madison	1969-70	776	26.8
Wilburn Strong	Kearny	1968-69	774	25.8
Phil Edwards	Madison	1968-69	766	23.9
George Evans	St. Augustine	1969-70	748	23.4
Larry Blum	Crawford	1962-63	737	23.8
Tom Shaules	St. Augustine	1957-58	736	28.3
Paul Halupa	Bonita Vista	1968-69	718	28.7
Von Jacobsen	Crawford	1965-66	712	24.6
Cedric (Ric) Reed	Morse	1969-70	711	24.5
Clarence Brown	Lincoln	1969-70	709	24.4
Ron Dahms	Madison	1967-68	706	22.1
Mark Fitzner	Patrick Henry	1973-74	704	22.7

ONE GAME

NAME	SCHOOL	YEAR	POINTS
Tom Shaules	St. Augustine	1957-58	60
Rob Petrie	Julian	1969-70	60
Shaules			53
Dave Moore	San Marcos	1973-74	51
Bill Walton	Helix	1969-70	50
Shaules		1956-57	49
Jody Schmitz	Fallbrook	1972-73	49
Ken Leininger	Morse	1963-64	49
Bill Flohr	Julian	1960-61	48
Frank Petersen	Clairemont	1967-68	48
Paul Lockridge	Fallbrook	1950-51	47
Bill Froehling	Army-Navy	1960-61	47
Tim Doerr	Granite Hills	1968-69	47
Blaine Bundy	El Capitan	1965-66	46
Earl May	San Dieguito	1967-68	46

The season and game scoring tables above are historically complete through 1973-74.

TOURNAMENTS

Three local events, the 27^th Kiwanis, ninth University, and fourth Baron-Optimist, took the pre-league spotlight.

KIWANIS

Hoover or San Diego won the event 8 times in the first 10 years of the event and usually was a finalist in years they didn’t win.

The Cardinals and Cavers were dropped into the Limited Division this year because of declining enrollment and recent years of mediocrity.

No matter. San Diego whipped El Cajon Valley, 74-27, and Hoover mashed Orange Glen, 70-45, in opening-round games.  San Diego defeated Hoover, 61-58, for the division championship.

Patrick Henry extended its winning streak to 26 games, including 1972-73, and rocked Santana, 68-38, in the Unlimited Division final. Mark Fitzner had 22 points, 14 rebounds and made 55 per cent of his shots from the floor.

The Cavers’ James Pipkins was spotted wearing a Bonita Vista wrestling shirt after an 86-64 win over Bonita Vista.  “My collection includes a shirt from almost every school in the County,” said Pipkins.

Lincoln topped Brawley, 55-45, for the Classified championship.

Grossmont claimed fifth place in the Limited Division, 76-66, over Hilltop despite 36 points by the Lancers’ Mike Milke, whose total was a tournament high for one game.

COVINA

Poway lost to Long Beach Millikan, 68-60, beat Santa Fe Springs Santa Fe, 57-37, beat Pasadena Blair, 67-63, and lost to West Covina, 78-55, in the consolation bracket semifinals.

EL CENTRO ELKS

Dave (Score) Moore made 21×29 field goal attempts and 9×11 free throw attempts to score 51 points in a 78-42 San Marcos win over Imperial. Moore’s total was the highest since St. Augustine’s Tom Shaules scored 60 in 1957-58 and Rob Petrie of Julian scored 60 in 1969-70.

The Knights dropped the Limited Division championship game to Calipatria, 35-33.  Coronado beat Antelope, Arizona, 83-58, for third place. San Pasqual topped Orange Glen, 57-47, for the Limited consolation title.

BRETHREN

Christian’s trip to the Huntington Beach was short-lived.  The Patriots were defeated by Cerritos Gahr, 100-54, and Montebello Cantwell, 77-56.

CHINO

Escondido was chased out in the first round by Claremont, 67-47, and in consolation play by Montclair, 78-55

RIVERSIDE RUBIDOUX

After a 66-61 loss to Colton, Vista rebounded to defeat Bloomington, 61-43, and Riverside Norte Vista, 49-39, for consolation honors.

TRACY

Mount Miguel traveled 450 miles to the community east of Oakland and lost to the host school, 81-74, and defeated Stockton Franklin, 80-61. We’re still looking for the Matadors’ next-game result.

POST-NEW YEAR

Thirty-one teams entered the University and Baron Optimist tournaments, which began after the first of the new year for the first time. Seedings for both tournaments were done before the season.

The seeds held up at Uni, as Kearny was ranked No. 1 and Patrick Henry No. 2, with Lincoln 3 and Hoover 4.  The Baron-Optimist seeds, not so much.  Monte Vista, with a 5-4 record, was ranked ahead of 9-2 Morse and 11-1 San Diego, with the host Barons seeded fourth with a 4-6 record.

UNI

Kearny topped Patrick Henry in the Kiwanis rematch, 49-47.  Hoover edged El Capitan, 53-52, for third place.  Lincoln beat Santana, 52-45, for fifth, and Granite Hills won consolation by outscoring La Jolla, 45-41.

BARON-OPTIMIST

Bonita Vista lived up to its seeding and even upset No 2 Morse, 64-62, in the semifinals, while unseeded Helix beat Marian, 58-47, pitting two surprising clubs in the finals, the finish of which veered from usual script.

Helix led, 67-66, and had the ball with 22 seconds remaining in the game, at which time the Highlanders signaled for a time out.

Oops.

The Scots did not have any time outs, as was pointed out by the official scorekeeper.

The Barons’ Gary Walin stepped to the line and converted the technical free throw to tie the score at 67.

Bonita Vista then took possession of the ball at side court and worked the ball to Bart Helms, who drilled a 15-footer with 6 seconds left and the Chula Vista squad escaped with a 68-67 victory.

FIRST ROUND PLAYOFFS

Hoover’s 13-1 run at the end of the second quarter led to a 37-29 halftime lead in a 71-55 victory over Marian (21-8). San Diego walloped San Marcos (15-12), 76-58.  Kearny conquered Chula Vista (16-13), 60-45.  Lincoln edged University (13-14), 68-64.  Helix beat Poway (21-7), 76-71.  Henry nipped Mount Miguel (16-12), 62-59, and Grossmont ousted La Jolla (15-14), 46-35.

QUARTERFINALS

Charles McLemore scored all of Lincoln’s overtime points to eliminate San Diego (24-6), 70-69.  The teams were deadlocked, 64-64, after regulation play.  Patrick Henry retired Grossmont (20-9), 56-48.  Kearny dumped Vista (16-10), 76-47, and Hoover, which went to a press against Marian, continued pressing and beat Helix, 55-43.

SEMIFINALS

Hoover topped Lincoln (25-5), 77-63.  Kearny again beat Patrick Henry (23-8), 73-57.

FINALS

Kearny dispatched Hoover (24-8), 71-50 (Search 1973-74: Kearny’s Double Unbeaten Komets).

SWEET IT IS

Sweetwater would finish 1-23 this season and took special delight in its only win, which snapped the Red Devils’ latest losing streak at 22.  Coach Gary Zarecky’s battlers knocked off blood rival Chula Vista, 9-2 in league play and 15-10 overall, 49-46.

HIS BEST

Evening Tribune writer and basketball maven Bill Finley picked his favorite players: 1—Mark Fitzner, Patrick Henry. 2—Donald Page, Kearny. 3—Rick Taylor, Kearny. 4—Mike Milke, Hilltop. 5—Mark Hoaglin, Kearny, 6—Terry Belsan, Marian

MILITARY TRAVEL

Clarence Clark of San Diego Military Academy, which had an enrollment of 200 students, averaged 25.8 points and had been the Southern League player of the year in baseball as well as basketball.

During the summer Clark played for the Los Angeles High Romans near his home. Clark’s father, a retired Army major, sent his son to the military school in Del Mar.

“Let’s face it,” said Eagles coach Rick Stewart.  “The teams in this league aren’t world beaters, but he could play anywhere.  People ignore Clarence because he plays at San Diego Military, not Kearny.”

JUMP SHOTS

Poway’s 108-79 win over San Dieguito bettered the Titans’ record, which had come in a 90-50 win over Orange Glen in December, 1971…San Dieguito (10-17) got even with the Titans in the rematch, 66-63, with a 21-11 fourth quarter…winless Poway Christian after a series of blowouts suspended its program and forfeited the remaining three games on its schedule…Jeff Worley’s two free throws with 5 seconds left got Coronado past Vista, 45-44…Marian’s Terry Belsan was 8×8 from the floor and 9×9 from the free throw line for 25 points and had 21 rebounds in an 88-53 win over Point Loma…Mike Milke scored 24 of his 33 points in the first half as Hilltop ran away from Montgomery, 76-59…St. Augustine’s Ron Wiggins scored 17 of his 33 points from the free throw line but Patrick Henry held on for a 79-74 victory…Wiggins scored 15 fourth-quarter points and the Saints won the quarter, 27-15, but couldn’t overcome Henry’s 67-47 lead….

Kearny High became the second school (after Grossmont in 1971-72) in the 14-season history of the San Diego Section to win football and basketball championships in the same school year.

The Komets took the Grossmont accomplishment a giant step further.  They were undefeated in both sports, football, 12-0-1, basketball, 32-0.

No team has come close since.

Tying it together was Mark Hoaglin, a 6-foot, 8-inch, 230-pound tight end in football and a husky presence in basketball, the only Birt Slater-coached gridder to also be a regular starter for hoops coach Wayne Colborne.

How the Komets won 32 straight:

1—Kearny 74, Oceanside 46.  Poway transfer Rick Taylor, the son of Komets baseball coach Jack Taylor, scored 17 points.  The balanced Komets also received 19 from Alan Rhodes, 13 from Donald Page, and 10 from Greg Ashbaugh.

2—Page, with 20, and Taylor, with 18, were joined by seven others who scored in a 74-47 victory over a second Avocado League foe, Vista.

3—The Komets continued their run through the Avocado League, racing to a 40-14 halftime lead and easing to a 74-38 win over Orange Glen.

4—Hoaglin still was involved in football (he caught a pass for 25 yards and punted 4 times for 36 yards in Kearny’s 34-0 playoff victory over Sweetwater, reversing a 6-6 tie in the first game) and Grossmont, which would mount a championship bid in the Grossmont League, did not take advantage, never out of it but never really in it as Kearny moved on, 69-57.

5—Perennially tough Helix couldn’t penetrate a tough defense, which guided the Komets to a 53-28 victory.

6—Poway, which would win 21 games, tested the Komets’ resolve, leading, 37-35, into the fourth quarter before the Linda Vistans put together a 20-8 final eight minutes to win a 27^th annual Kiwanis Tournament opening game, 55-44.

7—Hoaglin, after celebrating the football championship, made his debut and matched Donald Page’s 19 points in a 73-45 win over San Dieguito.

8—The Komets flexed some muscle against Madison, their former Western League antagonist, scoring the first 16 points and cruising, 74-61.

9—Morse was 8-1, fresh from a 69-52 win over Helix, but the Tigers were run off the floor, 82-54, and trailed by 36 points at the end of three quarters.  Hoaglin scored 18 and three other starters, Alan Rhodes, Rick Taylor, and Donald Page scored at least 13.

10—Matchup of the year brought two teams together with a combined 18-0 record for the Kiwanis Tournament Unlimited Division title. Patrick Henry was defending San Diego Section champion and had won 25 in a row, including 64-53 over Kearny in the 1972-73 championship game.

The Patriots socked the Komets with a 14-0 run that erased a 39-30 Kearny advantage and put Henry in front, 44-39, with four minutes left in the game.

Staggered, Kearny regrouped, taking back the lead and separating with two free throws by reserve Phil Thompson with 55 seconds left in 52-48 barnburner.

The last of the County’s unbeaten teams, the Komets were rewarded with a week off before the New Year.  They led the CIF, averaging 68 points on offense and holding opponents to 46.8.

11—January began with Page scoring 17, Rhodes 16, and Hoaglin 15 in a 74-52 victory over St. Augustine in the University Tournament.

12—Santana came with a deliberate offense, the polite term for a semi stall.  Kearny eased, 45-29.

13—Alan Rhodes’ 18, Rick Taylor’s 16, Donald Page’s 12, and Mark Hoaglin’s 11 were enough keep Hoover at a distance, 64-56.

14—A Kiwanis Tournament championship game encore, this time the Komets administering the big punch. Trailing, 29-26 at halftime, Kearny whacked Patrick Henry with a 10-0 blitz at the start of the third quarter and they pulled away to lead, 43-32, before going into a slowdown.

Henry never got closer than 4 points in the last period, although they scored with 13 seconds left to make the final 49-47.

15—Coach Wayne Colborne’s club was living dangerously.  They opened Western League play with a 63-60, overtime victory at 13-3 San Diego, which moved to the West this season after 13 years in the Eastern loop.

Kearny trailed, 38-29, in the third quarter before jumping in front, 41-40.  They trailed again, 48-47, with 4:34 left but tied the Cavers, 56-56, at the end of regulation.  Rick Taylor’s seven free throws during the extra session pulled out the win.

Taylor was 9×10 from the charity stripe and Kearny shot 49 per cent from the field.  Alan Rhodes led the second-half comeback and had 23 points.

16—Nine players, led by Taylor’s 18, scored in a 75-39 rout of Madison.

17—Morse didn’t give up without a struggle, staying close almost all the way before bowing, 66-58, as Taylor scored 21 and Page 20.

18—It wasn’t getting easier.  Kearny finished with a 21-8 fourth quarter to shake the pesky University Dons, 51-38.  Uni held the Komets to four points in the third quarter and defended strongly, forcing a number of off-balance shots.

19—Kearny shot 56 per cent from the floor, Point Loma 28 per cent.  The Pointers fell, 60-32. Page led with 16 and backup Ed Simpson had 14.

20—Hoaglin (23), Page (22), and Taylor (22) combined for 67 points and Clairemont was left behind, 86-64.

Kearny might have approached the school record of 97, set in 1968-69 versus Granite Hills, but the Komets just maintained in a 19-19 fourth quarter as reserves got some minutes.

21—A 25-6 first quarter was all that was needed in an 85-47 romp over St. Augustine.

22—Mark Hoaglin scored 21 points and pulled down 13 rebounds, the Komets’ shot 55 per cent from the floor, and dominated the rematch with San Diego, 80-55, before a capacity crowd of 1,000 in the Komets’ gym. Kearny’s 1-3-1 zone defense swarmed the Cavers, who shot 38 per cent from the field.

“We’re coming on,” said Colborne.

San Diego coach Gary Todd:  “To fast break you have to get some defensive rebounds. There weren’t any rebounds.  Everything they shot was going in.  Then, when we came down against their zone, we couldn’t move fast enough to get good shots.”

Kearny made 28 free throws to the Cavers’ four.

23—67-57, Hoover. The Cardinals were behind by four points with 1:30 left in the game and had the ball, having run off eight points in a row to close to 60-56.  A 16-6 run had brought the Cardinals back after they lagged, 54-40, after three quarters.

Rick Taylor scored 14 points, including six of the last seven; Donald Page had 17 and Alan Rhodes 21.

24—72-60 over Madison, which scored the last 11 points against reserves.  The Warhawks officially stepped down from the Western League throne, on which they sat for seven straight seasons.

25—The third game, matching No. 1 and No. 2, brought no charm for Henry.  Mark Fitzner’s late, 20-foot looper forced an overtime, but the Komets prevailed, 59-55. Donald Page’s three-point play got separation for Kearny

26—Taylor’s 20, Hoaglin’s 18, and Page’s 16 were the difference in an 81-62 victory over University.  The Dons wilted under a 22-10, third quarter run.

27—77-45, Point Loma.  Ten players scored for Kearny, which was assessed only 5 personal fouls in 32 minutes.  The Pointers were only slightly more aggressive, being whistled for 11 infractions.

28—A perfect, 10-0 Western League season concluded with a 58-45 victory against Clairemont.  The Linda Vistans led, 48-25, after three.

Kearny became the fifth team in County history to end the regular season undefeated, joining Hoover (25-0) in 1959-60, La Jolla (26-0), 1963-64, Mount Miguel (28-0), 1967-68, and Helix (29-0), 1969-70.

29—Chula Vista (16-14) trailed, 40-35, at halftime of the first-round playoff.  The Spartans then affected a stall strategy for the first four minutes of the third quarter.  The stall led to a turnover, which Kearny turned into an 8-0 spurt, and the Komets put away the Spartans, 69-45.

Chula Vista took three shots in the third quarter and was blanked, 6-0, for the period. Rick Taylor led the winners with 29 points.

30—Shooting 58 per cent from the field to Vista’s 37 per cent, the result was a 76-47 victory over the Panthers (17-11).  The Big Four, Hoaglin (17), Rhodes (16), Taylor (14), and Page (12) were in sync.

31—One more time and Happy Trails, Patrick Henry.

It is rare to beat the same opponent 4 times in one season, especially one with a 25-8 record, but Kearny again measured the Patriots, 73-57, in the playoff semifinal before 3,630 at the Sports Arena, Taylor had 24 points and Page 22.

32—Beating the same opponent three times in a season isn’t easy either. Hoover, which finished 24-8, had more wins than any Cardinals team since the 24-3 club of 1960-61.

After defeating Hoover by 8 and 10 points in previous meetings, Kearny pulled away before 5,143 persons in the Sports Arena to a 71-50, championship game victory.

“They were much more aggressive on defense than when we played them before,” Cardinals coach Hal Mitrovich said to Will Watson of The San Diego Union.

“We had hoped to stay close…and then go to the press in the second half and make a run at them, but they just wouldn’t let us do it.”

Kearny led, 39-24, at the half.

Colborne didn’t play a we-were-disrespected card, but he may have been thinking along those lines.  “I don’t know if we made believers of people or not,” he said in answer to a question. “It seemed that all we heard most of the season was that somebody could beat us.”

Colborne wouldn’t be drawn into any what-ifs.  His team had made its statement.  The Komets were balanced and consistent to the end.  They led the County with a 68.1 average on offense and their 49-point defense average was third.

The San Diego Section’s Big 4 of Open Division teams became a Big 5, when La Jolla Country eclipsed all with a dominating run through the state Division III playoffs.

The Torreys (23-13) were the only area squad to make it to the state level, where they defeated San Francisco University, 67-39, after Foothills Christian (24-7) was eliminated in the second round of the Southern California Open Division regional and Torrey Pines (25-7), Mission Bay (18-13), and St. Augustine (22-8)  were dismissed in the first round

The respected Cal-Hi Sports newsletter acknowledged two in its final Top 40:  Torrey Pines finished 19th and Foothills Christian 21st.

Foothills was ranked 13th by the Max Preps computer service and Torrey Pines was 29th, St. Augustine 41st, Country Day 52nd, and Mission Bay 86th.

Cathedral Catholic, the last team to beat La Jolla Country Day, in the San Diego Section playoffs, was 60th with a 24-10 record.

 

La Jolla Country Day’s state championship, the first by a San Diego Section team since 2015, served as the denouement for a basketball season that ended in disappointment for the big four of Torrey Pines, Foothills Christian, St. Augustine, and Mission Bay.

The manner in which ‘Day finished its season, routing San Francisco University, 67-39, for the state Division III crown and winning its five regional and state playoff games by an average score of 70-51, would lend support that the Torreys may have been the best team in the area.

There would be little argument with that premise except the Torreys’ last loss was to Cathedral in the Section D-I playoffs, 64-55.  That was their fifth consecutive and not long after 14-season coach Ryan Meier’s team, which fought injuries to important players during the season, was out of The San Diego Union-Tribune final Top 10 and entering the state playoffs with a 16-12 record.

The Torreys rolled, beginning with their next contest, a Southern California regional, 66-55 victory over Carlsbad that was followed by wins of 73-57 over Los Angeles University, 73-62 over Anaheim Fairmont Prep, 71-43 over La Crescenta Crescenta Valley, and the final against S.F. University.

POINTS AND BOARDS

Ryan Langbord, who will be shooting 3-pointers next season at Princeton University, led the Torreys with 23 points and 17 rebounds, and plugged a possible rebounding deficit with 10 in the first half, when 6-10 Jayson Taylor was in foul trouble.

“I do whatever is needed most,” Langbord told John Maffei of the Union-Tribune.  “Most important was winning the state championship.  It’s awesome.  Winning state is a priceless moment.”

That the Torreys went by air to Sacramento on the day of the game instead of leaving a day earlier and traveling by bus seemed significant.  Maffei wrote that the Torreys were “looking fresh, fast, and fit.”

‘Day was 1-2 during the regular season against two of the Union-Tribune poll’s final top 4.  They dropped a 73-67 decision to No. 1 Torrey Pines and split with Coastal League rival and No. 2 Foothills Christian, winning, 72-67, and losing, 63-52.

Torrey Pines, St. Augustine, and Mission Bay all were eliminated in their first Southern California regional tests and Foothills Christian was sidelined in the quarterfinals.

INTERSECTIONAL SUCCESS

San Diego teams were 26-24 in competition against schools from out of the section and out of state.  Foothills Christian (24-7) was 8-4, La Jolla Country Day (23-13) 6-5, Mission Bay (18-13) 6-7, St. Augustine (22-8) 4-5, and Torrey Pines (25-7) 2-3.

The Torreys’ state title was the ninth for the San Diego Section in boys’ competition and the first since 2013, when St. Augustine was a D-II winner over San Francisco Sacred Heart, 59-52, in overtime, and Horizon defeated Alameda St. Joseph Notre Dame, 47-44.  There have been 11 championships in girls’ competition, beginning with the Terry Mann-led Point Loma Pointers, who dominated from 1984-87.

San Diego Section Boys and Girls champions and runners-up in state tournament competition, which resumed in 1981; the CIF did not hold championships on the state level from 1928-80:

DIVISION	TEAM	OPPONENT	SCORE	YEAR
II	Lincoln	Mountain View St. Francis	74-59	2010
III	University	Redding Enterprise	51-48	1998
	St. Augustine	San Francisco Sacred Heart	59-52, OT	2013
	La Jolla Country Day	San Francisco University	67-39	2019
IV	Lincoln	San Anselmo Sir Francis Drake	63-50	1993
	Horizon	San Jose Valley Christian	78-45	2002
	Horizon	Hercules	77-62	2003
	Horizon	San Francisco Sacred Heart	60-52	2006
V	Horizon	Alameda St. Joseph Notre Dame	47-44	2013
	RUNNER-UP	CHAMPION
II	La Costa Canyon	San Jose Mitty	78-57	2002
	Oceanside	Modesto	50-47	1984
III	St. Augustine	Santa Cruz	67-56	2005
	Lincoln	Daly City Jefferson	77-71	1988
IV	Lincoln	Salinas Palma	55-54	1992
	Helix	Vallejo St. Patrick-St. Vincent	59-46	2017
V	Christian	Colusa	62-48	1990
	Horizon	Modesto Christian	56-47	1997
		GIRLS
I	Point Loma	San Francisco Wilson	53-48	1985
	Point Loma	Sacramento Grant	56-50	1986
	Point Loma	Sacramento Grant	60-44	1987
II	Point Loma	Chico Pleasant Valley	64-55	1984
IV	The Bishop’s	Stockton St. Mary’s	59-54	2001
	La Jolla Country Day	Richmond Salesian	72-41	2012
V	Christian	Ripon Christian	45-43	1992
	Christian	Ripon Christian	49-47	1995
	La Jolla Country Day	San Lorenzo Redwood Christian	69-57	2001
	La Jolla Country Day	Modesto Christian	53-49	2002
	La Jolla Country Day	Palo Alto Eastside Prep	40-36	2015
	RUNNER-UP	CHAMPION
I	San Diego	Oakland Technical	58-54	2004
II	El Camino	Chico Pleasant Valley	63-49	1985
IV	La Jolla Country Day	Stockton St. Mary’s	56-51	2003
	La Jolla Country Day	Piedmont	60-51	2004
	La Jolla Country Day	Vallejo St. Patrick-St. Vincent	67-65	2008
V	Christian	Menlo- Atherton	59-39	1993
	Christian	Ripon Christian	60-46	1994
	Christian	Santa Rosa Rincon Valley Christian	53-38	1997

 

La Jolla Country Day’s Boys Division III team will try to become the ninth San Diego Section squad to win a state championship Friday afternoon against San Francisco University High in Sacramento.

The Torreys, who were 5-5 in the Coast League but have won eight in a row on the section and regional level, are 22-13.  They’ll face the North Coast Section champion Red Devils, who have won 10 of their last 11 and are 27-9.

Torreys are ranked 73^rd in the state by Max Preps, University 89^th.

The 8 seed La Jollans roared past 6 seed La Crescenta Crescenta Valley, 71-43, in the Southern California final.  University topped Monterey, 44-41.

The two other San Diego Section teams that reached the Southern championship were knocked off by higher seeds.

The 2 seed San Diego Southwest boys fell to No. 1 Bakersfield Foothills, 69-55, in D-V and the 5 seed La Jolla Country Day girls were eliminated by No. 2  Fullerton Rosary, 62-53 in D-I.

The last San Diego Section boys to win a state championship was in 2013, when St. Augustine defeated San Francisco Sacred Heart, 59-52, in overtime, and Horizon topped Alameda St. Joseph Notre Dame, 47-44.

The most recent San Diego champion was in 2015, when the La Jolla Country Day girls defeated Palo Alto Eastside Prep, 40-36.

Past San Diego Section Boys champions and runners-up in state tournament competition, which resumed in 1981; the CIF did not hold championships on the state level from 1928-80:

DIVISION	TEAM	OPPONENT	SCORE	YEAR
II	Lincoln	Mountain View St. Francis	74-59	2010
III	University	Redding Enterprise	51-48	1998
	St. Augustine	San Francisco Sacred Heart	59-52, OT	2013
IV	Lincoln	San Anselmo Sir Francis Drake	63-50	1993
	Horizon	San Jose Valley Christian	78-45	2002
	Horizon	Hercules	77-62	2003
	Horizon	San Francisco Sacred Heart	60-52	2006
V	Horizon	Alameda St. Joseph Notre Dame	47-44	2013
	RUNNER-UP	CHAMPION
II	La Costa Canyon	San Jose Mitty	78-57	2002
	Oceanside	Modesto	50-47	1984
III	St. Augustine	Santa Cruz	67-56	2005
	Lincoln	Daly City Jefferson	77-71	1988
IV	Lincoln	Salinas Palma	55-54	1992
	Helix	Vallejo St. Patrick-St. Vincent	59-46	2017
V	Christian	Colusa	62-48	1990
	Horizon	Modesto Christian	56-47	1997