The future was almost now for Poway.

Coach Neville Saner’s starters included three sophomores, Dominick Johnson, Judd Buechler, and Andy Byrne, and junior John Colborne.

The young Titans posted a 21-5 record and won the San Diego Section 3-A championship but were sidelined, 79-60, by Riverside John North in the Southern California Regional.

They would be back.

There was a glut of December tournaments and so-called “classics”, 18 in all.  Despite the competition the Kiwanis Tournament was hanging in there, in its 37th year.

12/15/83

Mt. Carmel converted 30 of 40 free throw attempts and pulled away to an 80-63 upset of 5-0 Mira Mesa in a neighborhood bragging rights contest.

Rich Krigger and Pat Buchwald each scored 18 points for the Sundevils, who trailed, 33-32, at halftime.

–Orange Glen made 18×23 free throws in the fourth quarter to hold off Vista, 58-53.

1/11/84

Valhalla topped Grossmont League leader and league-undefeated (7-0) El Capitan for the second time, 62-60, to improve to 9-6 and 5-2 in the league, following seasons of 6-19, 6-16, and 7-15.

1/14/84

“I never thought we were out of it, even when we were down five in the first overtime,” said Mira Mesa coach Tim Cunningham after the Marauders opened their Eastern League campaign with a 55-53, double overtime win at Morse.

1/21/84

Mt. Carmel trailed Poway only 34-30 when Sundevils ace Pete Buchwald fouled out with 3:05 remaining in the third quarter.  Poway pulled away to lead by 11 points with a minute to play and won, 57-50, in a battle of Palomar League leaders  before almost 2,000 persons at Poway.

1/25/84

Patrick Henry’s 99-64 rout of front-runner Mira Mesa represented the highest point total in an Eastern League game since the 1980-81 season.  The Patriots’ Randy Hennis had 27 points and 18 rebounds.

—Madison, Patrick Henry, and Mira Mesa, each with a 4-1 record, were tied for first in the Eastern League after Madison whacked Henry, 69-52, three days after the Patriots bombed Mira Mesa, 99-64.

2/1/84

Mike Haupt had 25 points and 13 rebounds but it was two free throws by Todd Williams in a 1-and-1 situation with two seconds left that allowed the Marauders to escape visiting Morse, 50-49.

—Matt Brock scored 32 points but 9-11 Mission Bay upset 16-4 University City, 56-52, in overtime.

2/15/84

—The third time was not the charm.  Madison couldn’t make it three in a row over Patrick Henry, whose 81-69 victory in a playoff for the Eastern League’s second postseason berth eliminated the Warhawks from the postseason despite a 16-6 record.

—Henry’s Mark Ferguson scored a 70-foot basket at the halftime buzzer and converted 12×17 field goal attempts for 24 points, aided by Howard Wright’s 22 points and 17 rebounds.

TOURNAMENTS

BISHOP

San Pasqual 58, Bishop 52, but  lost to Palos Verdes Peninsula Chadwick, 63-39.

The Golden Eagles traveled almost 400 miles to the community on U.S. 395 near the High Sierras.

CHINO

Escondido made its annual pilgrimage, a tradition observed almost every year since the tournament’s inaugural in the 1939-40 season.

La Canada 94, Escondido 69.

Escondido 49, Chino 48.

Pomona Ganesha 79, Escondido 50.

FOOTHILLER

Santana posted a 3-0 record in pool play, concluding with a 71-32 win over Granite Hills.

–Mark Howard’s two free throws with eight seconds left gave Valhalla a 54-52 win over preseason eighth-ranked El Capitan.

–Grossmont outscored Granite Hills, 11-1, in the final 1:40 to force a tie at 66 on Mike Weber’s basket with one second remaining and then pulled away to a 77-70 victory in overtime.

HELIX

La Jolla 49, Helix 38, 2 OT for championship of the eight teams.

The Vikings outscored Helix, 11-0, in the second overtime.

“We batted away a rebound (instead of controlling the ball),” noted Helix coach John Singer of the Highlanders’ missed opportunity in the first overtime.  La Jolla’s Jeff Jacobs recovered the loose ball and his basket sent the game into another three minutes.

The teams tied at 34 in regulation play, which ended with a basket at the buzzer by the Highlanders’ Juan Espinoza, who scored 23 points.

HILLTOP

Finals of eight-team tournament saw Mira Mesa gradually pulled away to an 84-69 victory over Point Loma. Tournament most-valuable player Mike Haupt led the Marauders with 23 points.

–Kearny jumped on No. 3-ranked Chula Vista, 57-36.

–“They were a little arrogant walking out on to the floor,” said Komets coach Bill Peterson.  “We out-quicked them.  We did a great job of rebounding and we controlled the tempo.”

–Mike Haupt scored 24 points and Mira Mesa outscored Hoover, 19-5, in the fourth quarter for a 71-55 victory.

–John Scott stole the ball and passed to Charles Redding, whose 8-foot jumper eased Point Loma to a 49-47 win over underdog Kearny.

–Point Loma fell behind Sweetwater, 17-1, and then rallied for a 76-73 victory.

FRANCIS PARKER

Eight small schools involved.  Army-Navy edged Parker, 41-40.

The host Lancers had a chance to win the championship after overcoming an eight-point deficit but missed a 1-and-1 free throw and a 20-foot shot in the final seconds.

ELSINORE

Big Bear City Big Bear edged Army-Navy, 60-59, and Wildomar Elsinore thumped Julian, 80-23.

KIWANIS

The 37^th annual opened with 28 teams, up from 24 last season.  The event still was the largest in San Diego but was fighting an image battle as many squads were drawn to other tournaments.

Madison defeated Eastern League rival Patrick Henry, 62-56, and Mission Bay edged Western League foe, 44-42, for the Unlimited and Limited Division titles, respectively.

–Kearny, behind, 33-15, at halftime and 43-27 three minutes into the third quarter, stormed on a 23-2 run to beat Hilltop, 57-55, in overtime on Lionel DeMorst’s rebound and basket in the final second.

–There was no time left in overtime when Steve Jones hit the front end of a 1-and-1 free throw to get unbeaten University City (7-0) past La Jolla, which sustained its first defeat in eight games, 36-35.

LT. JAMES MITCHELL

Joe Hillman scored 51 points, his third half-century achievement in four games, to lead Glendale Hoover to a 93-91 win over Las Vegas Western and championship of the event honoring the San Dieguito star who was killed in Viet Nam.

–Sixteen teams, including six from out of the area, made this arguably the most attractive on the December calendar.

— Hillman passed 50 points for the second time with a 52-point effort in a 95-69 win over Escondido.

–Hillman, who came into the game with a 39-point average, was not pleased with his defense.  The Indiana University-bound Hillman said he expected IU coach Bobby Knight would “make me play much better and tougher D.”

–Hillman’s 20-foot jump shot at the buzzer got Hoover past Torrey Pines, 62-60. The Tornadoes had managed to control the ball for more than four minutes with the score tied at 60.  Hillman finished with 50 points.

— Greg Bowman’s layin with two seconds left in overtime was the difference in Poway’s 83-81 win over Burbank Burroughs.

–Poway, trailing, 36-23, at halftime won the consolation championship, 56-45 over Newport Beach Newport Harbor.

MONTGOMERY

Six teams entered, with Castle Park emerging as champion in the inaugural event, 60-43 over El Cajon Valley.

DOS PUEBLOS

The high school in Santa Barbara was host.

–Mt. Carmel 85, Santa Barbara Bishop Garcia Diego 61.

WILMINGTON BANNING

San Pedro 87, Morse 74.

Morse 62, Los Angeles Fairfax 56, OT.

Morse 60, Harbor City Narbonne 47.

Compton 48, Morse 39, consolation championship.

HOBBS, NEW MEXICO

The 26^th annual Holiday Invitational.

Sweetwater earned third-place honors by defeating Abilene, Texas, 89-77.

–Sweetwater 77, El Paso Austin 61. The Red Devils scored 20 points in a row in the fourth quarter.

–Sweetwater led, 47-39, after three quarters but bowed to Altus, Oklahoma, 62-55.

PENINSULA CLASSIC @POINT LOMA

University City 43, Burbank 41.

The Centurions, 1-18 and 7-12 in their first two seasons improved to 10-1 by coming from five points down in the fourth quarter.

Matt Brock, a 6-foot, 5-inch forward and future NFL player, scored 16, 21, and 24 points in the three-games and was tournament most-valuable player.  Brock’s father, Clyde, also played in the NFL.

–Eight teams played round-robin, two games each a day.

BARON-OPTIMIST

Madison (10-2) ran past Mira Mesa (8-2), 96-75, for the championship after taking a 20-8, first-quarter lead and not looking back.

SANTANA

Mt. Carmel 60, Patrick Henry 48.

The Sundevils lagged, 37-28, with five minutes remaining in the third quarter and then went on a 15-3 run.

–“The team was waiting for me to take control,” said Clairemont’s Keith Landham after two starters had fouled out and the Chieftains trailed host Santana by 10 points in the third quarter.

–Landham scored three consecutive field goals and the Chieftains went on to a 56-52 victory.

–“The refs seemed to be calling a one-sided game, but we didn’t let it bother us,” said Landham.

LAS VEGAS WESTERN RED ROCK

San Dieguito 61, Henderson Basic, Nevada 55.

Las Vegas 60, San Dieguito 34.

Western 86, San Dieguito 58.

Western 81, San Dieguito 68.

WEST COAST CLASSIC @SAN JOSE

Christian 94, Turner Cascade, Oregon 44.

Christian 65, Rippon 59.

Christian 56, Shoreline King’s, Washington, 46. Bill Donley scored 19 of his three-game total of 62 and led the Patriots to the championship.

SEASON SCORING LEADERS

NAME	TEAM	GAMES	POINTS	AVERAGE
Duane Hurd	Carlsbad	24	566	23.5
Aaron Rico	Sweetwater	25	527	20.68
Kirk Hansen	Fallbrook	22	511	23.2
Jan Styles	Torrey Pines	23	480	20.8
Charles Redding	Point Loma	23	461	20.04
Steve Eyler	Army-Navy	21	460	21.9
Neil Bernstein	La Jolla	23	452	19.7
Sam Aguirre	Hoover	21	434	20.66
Brad Milhoan	Kearny	24	430	17.9
Juan Espinoza	Helix	22	422	19.18
Mark Lazoya	Valhalla	22	409	18.59
Mike Haupt	Mira Mesa	24	408	17.0
Matt Brock	University City	22	402	18.27
Fred Farnsworth	Marian	21	389	18.52
John Colborne	Poway	21	385	18.33
Gary Gottschall	El Capitan	21	383	18.23
Mike Robinson	Serra	21	381	18.1
Scott Lanham	Granite Hills	19	362	19.05
Maurice Lewis	Madison	21	361	17.2

Crawford, Montgomery, 18×336, 18.66.  Shawn Bell Morse, 16×292, 18.25.  1-A: Julio Troche, Borrego Springs, 16×342, 21.37.  Richard Winter, The Bishop’s, 15×328, 21.86.

(Search 1983-84 “Those Running Red Devils” for team 100-point games).

PLAYOFFS

BOYS

First Round

3-A
Patrick Henry 46, Monte Vista 43 (19-5).
“The only thing that makes me happy about this game is the final score,” to the Tribune’s Bud Maloney said Patriots coach Fritz Ziegenfuss, unhappy with the way his team ran offensive and defensive sets.”
Poway 77, Sweetwater 68 (21-4).                                                                                                                                                                      Favored Sweetwater was bounced in the first round for the second year in a row in a row, a long winning streak broken each time.  This season the Red Devils carried a 14-game run into the playoffs; it was 16 in 1982-83 and 16 in 1981-82.
Mira Mesa 57, Castle Park 47 (2-18).
Mt. Carmel 51, Helix 49 (11-9).                                                                                       

2-A
Point Loma 77, St. Augustine 50 (12-11).
La Jolla 48, Christian 43 (16-7).
Six-foot, 9-inch Neil Bernstein provided half of La Jolla’s 48 points and added 22 rebounds.
Chula Vista 70, Carlsbad 68 (5-14).
Oceanside 62, Hilltop 51 (13-12). 

1-A
Army-Navy 45, Francis Parker 41.
Borrego Springs 83, The Bishop’s 37.

Semifinals

3-A
Poway 70, Mira Mesa 59 (20-4).
The Titans outscored the Marauders, 34-23, in the fourth quarter after a 36-36 standoff through three quarters.

Poway coach Neville Saner’s “triangle and two defense” helped hold San Diego Section player of the year Mike Haupt to 10 points.

Dominick Johnson, a 6-foot, 4-inch forward and son of legendary San Diego High athlete Deron Johnson, led the Titans with 22 points.
Patrick Henry 48, Mt. Carmel 47 (20-4).                                                                         

2-A
Oceanside 48, La Jolla 43 (12-7).
Chula Vista 63, Point Loma 62 (18-6), OT
“There was this sort of glow in their eyes. It was like they were in a state of shock,” said Spartans coach Mike Collins after his team’s 11-point lead turned into a 12-point deficit in less than a quarter of play.                              “Finally, I had to do something,” said Collins.  “I called timeout and yelled at them.”  David Willard, who led the Spartans with 26 points, converted a 1-and-1 free throw with 16 seconds remaining to force the overtime and was 4×4 in the extra session.

1-A
COASTAL LEAGUE
Army-Navy 60, Borrego Springs 59.

DESERT–MOUNTAIN LEAGUE
Holtville 60, Calipatria 50.                                                                             

3-A CHAMPIONSHIP                                                                                                                                                                                                         Poway 57, Patrick Henry 51 (20-6).
Among the Poway starters, only John Colborne is old enough to drive an automobile, according to Bud Maloney of the Evening Tribune.  “When we want to go anywhere we all pile into John’s car,” said teammate Judd Buechler.

Andy Byrne, one of three sophomore starters, scored 19 points and 6-7 ½ junior Colborne added 18.

2-A
Oceanside 57, Chula Vista 55 (16-10).
Donald Harris’ 22 points and two free throws with 21 seconds left made a last-second Spartans basket meaningless.

1-A
Army-Navy 46, Holtville 42 (19-4).                                                                                                                                                Coach’s son Chris Maffucci’s two free throws throws clinched the victory.

SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA REGIONAL 

D-I
Riverside North 79, Poway 60 (21-5). 

D-II
Oceanside 47, Los Angeles Lutheran 46.   

CHAMPIONSHIP

D-II
Oceanside 68, City of Industry Workman 54.
Reggie Owens scored 22 points and the Pirates defense held their opponents to 36 per cent shooting from the field.

“We took them apart.  Who in the state can control a game like that?” enthused Pirates coach Bill Christopher.

Despite the school name and the relative community in which it is located, Workman was not a generic appellation but named for William Workman, and the mascot is a Lobo.

D-III
Pasadena Poly 63, Army-Navy 38 (18-3).
The Cadets were byed into the finals but over matched.

STATE CHAMPIONSHIP

Modesto (33-2) 50, Oceanside 47 (26-2).
“I think Modesto knows we could have won it…we had plenty of chances”, said Pirates coach Bill Christopher.

Donald Harris (7×14) and Reggie Owens (5×10) hit 50 per cent of their field goal attempts.  The rest of the team was 5×39, 13 per cent.

PLAYOFFS

GIRLS

FIRST ROUND                                                                3-A
Sweetwater 55, Poway 53 (17-4).
Karen Taetafa scored two free throws with 15 seconds remaining for the victory.                                                                                 Santana 62, Madison 31 (11-11).
Patrick Henry 60, Bonita Vista 45 (16-8)
Fallbrook 61, Monte Vista 56 11).
El Camino 76, Southwest 33 (14-6).
Sharon Turner, the County’s leading scorer with a 28.5 average, scored 26 for the Wildcats.

2-A
Point Loma 73, Lincoln 31 (9-7).
Freshman Terri Mann scored 19 points and had 14 rebounds.
University 47, Chula Vista 46 (22-2).
Ramona 60, Crawford 46 (15-5).

1-A
Francis Parker 47, Santa Fe Christian 32.
La Jolla Country Day 45, Julian 42.

SEMIFINALS
A
Santana 75, Sweetwater 46 (14-7).
Patrick Henry 61, Fallbrook 46 (14-7).
“My mom told me before the game that there’s no tomorrow, so I played like there was no tomorrow,” said Henry’s Brooke Davis of her 32 points that included six, three-point baskets, plus 14 rebounds.

2-A
El Camino 55, University 51 (17-5).
Illness that caused breathing problems brought on by hives forced leading scorer Sharon Turner to the locker room but teammate Sheri Williamson scored six unanswered points to create a 52-39 lead and the Wildcats rode out a late storm.

Point Loma 76, Ramona 34 (18-4).
Point Loma’s 6-foot-3 Suzanne Eagye scored 32 points in three quarters and then rested.

COASTAL LEAGUE CHAMPIONSHIP
Francis Parker 63, Julian 47.

CHAMPIONSHIP

3-A
Santana 54, Patrick Henry 50 (18-7).                                                                                                                                        

2-A

Point Loma 64, El Camino 47 (23-2).
“We’re much more ready for the Southern Cals this year,” said Suzanne Eagye. “Terri (Mann) has helped us so much.  We had a hard time with El Camino last year, but this game shows how much we’ve improved.”

Mann, a 6-foot-1 ninth-grader, Mann led all scorers with 22 points.

1-A
Holtville 47, Francis Parker 25 (17-5).
SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA REGIONAL

D-I

Los Angeles Fairfax 52, Santana 49 (24-2).
Outrebounded, 44-27, and trailing at one point, 36-22, coach Wade Vickery’s Sultans scrapped back to take a 45-44 lead but fell short.

D-II

Point Loma 70, Santa Maria St. Joseph 51.

CHAMPIONSHIP

D-II

Point Loma 57, Indio 36.

STATE CHAMPIONSHIP

Point Loma (29-0) 64, Chico Pleasant Valley 55 (27-1).
“When we play as a team we’re awesome.  When we don’t we’re horrible,” said the Pointers’ Beth Thompson, reflecting on a second-quarter deficit of 26-12 and 16 turnovers in the game’s first 10 minutes.                                                                                                                                                                                          

The girls were playing for a state playoff berth for the first time…

…before the start of their regular seasons.

That’s because the regular season still was in the spring in the San Diego Section, while the rest of California (and most other places where there is a court and a ball) plays basketball in the winter.

Patrick Henry represented San Diego in 3-A.

The Patriots got there by splitting a doubleheader.

They benched their starters and lost to Torrey Pines in a morning game at Coronado’s preseason tournament.

Playing their starters, Henry then topped Fallbrook, 54-46, in the evening at Serra High.

Point Loma received the 2-A invitation by defeating Ramona, 53-23, and Francis Parker got the nod in 1-A.

SOUTHERN  CALIFORNIA REGIONAL

FIRST ROUND

3-A

Patrick Henry 45, Reedley 42 (24-1). 

“I can’t believe it!” exclaimed Patriots coach John Ferguson after his team knocked off the unbeaten Central Section power at Long Beach State.

2-A

Point Loma 59, Artesia 44.

The Pointers were seasoned by a winter league schedule of 14 games.

1-A

McFarland (25-1) 59, Francis Parker 31 (4-1). 

“We managed to hang in there until we ran out of gas,” said Lancers coach John Cook.

More than 200 students and fans stocked up on petrol and made a field trip out of the 270-mile jaunt to the small community north of Bakersfield and home of the Central Section representative.

SEMIFINALS

3-A

Ventura Buena 80, Patrick Henry 34 (7-2).

Buena coach Joe Vaughn reportedly said to his starters, after a 23-8 first quarter, “Show no mercy.”

The Henry girls now got ready for their regular season.

CHAMPIONSHIP

2-A

Thousand Oaks La Reina (27-4) 51, Point Loma 42 (6-1).

Point Loma coach Lee Trepanier decided to have his team to play an earlier game in the Morse Tournament and then embark on the two-hour drive for the game at Long Beach State.

The Pointers led, 20-14, in the second quarter but trailed, 41-30, after three quarters.

 

 

 

 

Torrey Pines’ 6-foot, 11-inch Chris Dudley was among the San Diego Section’s leading scorers with 438 points and a 16.8 average.

A fine season  and a productive four years at Torrey  but not a blueprint for the future.

The future stretched…and stretched.

Dudley went on to play four years at Yale University and then embarked on a National Basketball Association career that stretched 19 seasons, from 1983-84 to 2002-03, with five different teams.

Dudley ranks in an NBA Top 25 for longevity.

Through 2022-23 only 23 players had played more seasons.

Dudley epitomized the professional journeyman, valuable and available in any situation.

A future candidate for Oregon’s highest office, Chris played in 886 NBA games, averaged 3.9 points, 6.2 rebounds, and 1.2 blocked shots, and not long after retirement lost a close race in the gubernatorial election.

Dudley was a fourth-round choice and 75^th player in the 1983 NBA draft by the Cleveland Cavaliers. He also played for the New Jersey Nets, New York Knicks, Phoenix Suns, and finished his career in a second stint with the Portland Trail Blazers.

The game still was played from December until early March, but San Diego Section basketballers seemingly were playing more and scoring more.

Ninety points, once considered elite, had become almost routine. 100 points no longer was surprising.

There were more highs than lows but some stunning legislative moves captured the headlines, as usual caused by a “dreaded administrative glitch”: 1982-83: Morse is Out of Playoffs And Then Back In

12/3/82

–Santa Fe Christian stepped up in class and the experience was not uplifting.  Carlsbad defeated the Navigators, 112-18.   The Lancers outscored their outmanned opponents, 29-1, in the fourth quarter.

Santa Fe Christian eventually changed its mascot to Eagles.

12/4/82

–Randy Pass had 6 of his game 14 points as Grossmont outscored San Dieguito, 10-5, in the fourth overtime of a 59-54 victory.

–The teams were deadlocked at 41 at the end of regulation play.

12/9/82

Russ Swier scored 30 of Ramona’s total in a 64-46 loss to Madison.

12/10/82

–Vista’s Jimmy Douglas scored 45 points, retrieved 20 missed shots, and third-ranked Vista topped visiting and fourth-ranked Sweetwater, 77-72.

–El Capitan dropped a 58-46 decision to Monte Vista and the Vaqueros could point the finger at the free throw line, where they missed 16 of 18 attempts.

12/13/82

Steve Brand of The San Diego Union noted the wide gulf between attendance in the championship games at the Hilltop and Mt. Helix tournaments.

“Helix attracted an almost full house (for Morse and Helix).  The Hilltop final, featuring two unbeaten teams (Mira Mesa and Point Loma), drew only a handful of fans.”

Brand pointed out that Mt. Helix had the host school, plus Morse and Lincoln and that the Hilltop championship was played during and after an epic Chargers-49ers football game; during a Virginia-Georgetown contest featuring all-Americas Ralph Sampson and Patrick Ewing, and just before tip of a San Diego-State Oregon game.

The 10-team tournament also started Nov. 30 but finished with a scheduled Dec. 11 ending, a full week after semifinal play and almost two weeks after the opening tip.

12/17/82

Morse ganged up on Sweetwater, 60-32, in the second half and cruised to a 92-51 victory.  Lawrence West, nicknamed “Camel” by his teammates because “he’s a hard worker”, scored 22 points.

CENTURY CLUB

TEAM	OPPONENT	SCORE
Carlsbad	Santa Fe Christian	112-18
Sweetwater	Coquitlam Centennial, B.C., Canada	109-91
Morse	St. Augustine	107-61
Lincoln	Granite Hills	107-40
Sweetwater	Richmond, B.C., Canada	105-74
El Camino	Coronado	105-36
El Camino	Escondido	102-57
Point Loma	Mission Bay	101-71
Borrego Springs	The Bishop’s	100-36

TOURNAMENTS

HILLTOP INVITATIONAL

Point Loma 76, Mira Mesa 73. 

Kevin Celestine of the Pointers and Tag Glithero of the Marauders offset each other with 25 points apiece.

–Point Loma ran away from Mar Vista, 89-70 after a 28-5 first quarter to set up for Mira Mesa, 63-60 winner over Torrey Pines

MT. HELIX INVITATIONAL

Morse, 63, Helix 56.

The Tigers, leading, 46-33, after three quarters, rode out a mild Helix charge.

–Six players scored in double figures as Morse beat Kearny, 85-51.  Madison transfer Ray Epton was one of the five with 14.  Lawrence West had 17 and Shawn Bell 15, plus 15 rebounds.

–Lincoln’s Anthony Todd scored 35 points in an 81-58 win over Mission Bay.

–Morse stopped Lincoln, 67-60, as Lawrence West, after a first half collar, scored 12 points and had 10 rebounds in last 16 minutes.

Eight teams participated.

PARKER

Francis Parker 38, Army-Navy 30.

–The host Lancers won their eight-team event.

RAMONA

San Marcos 60, Canyon Country Canyon, 55, OT.

The Knights emerged in the eight-team event by converting 24×42 free throws, the losers 7×21.

–Russ Swier scored 26 points, almost all in the first half, as Ramona took a 49-17 lead in an 83-43 win over Army-Navy.

LT. JIM MITCHELL MEMORIAL

Las Vegas Western 94, Glendale Hoover 92, 2 OT.

–The Kiwanis Tournament no longer invited out-of-area teams but the San Dieguito-based event, honoring a former Mustangs athlete who was killed in Viet Nam, tabbed the two finalists, Glendale Hoover as No. 1 seed and Las Vegas Western No. 2, among the 16 teams.

–Chris Dudley’s 25 points set the pace as Torrey Pines whipped San Pasqual, 69-65, for third place.

–Western eliminated San Pasqual, 98-63, and Hoover topped Torrey Pines, 75-64, in the semifinals.

–Western also out ran Mira Mesa, 103-96, as three players scored at least 24 points.  Tag Glithero led the Marauders with 30.

–Torrey Pines, pushed by Chris Dudley’s 22 points, upset 10^th-ranked El Camino, 72-65, dealing the Oceanside club its first loss, but the Wildcats, in their fourth season under coach Ray Johnson, rebounded to go to 5-1 with a 102-57 win over Escondido.

KIWANIS

The 36^th annual’s entry list of 27 teams, including fifteen Unlimited and 12 Limited division squads, was the lowest since the 1953-54 season, when there were 24 squads.

–A move to 32 teams in 1955-56 was followed by the creation of the Classified Division for a peak of 44 squads in 1967-68.

Helix 57, Lincoln 50, Unlimited Division.

Lincoln’s Anthony Todd collected his fourth foul with 1:05 remaining in the third quarter and didn’t score again, finishing with 12 points.  Helix clinched with a 22-12 last quarter.

–Yoyo Mitchell’s basket with 4 seconds to go finally got San Diego past Chula Vista, 77-75, in four overtimes.

La Jolla 63, Crawford 54, Limited Division.

La Jolla pulled away with a 19-8 third quarter. Crawford was assessed 28 fouls and 5 players fouled out.

–Sophomores Demetre Lafitte and Dave Burgess combined for 48 points and 17 rebounds as University upset Sweetwater, 75-60.

POINT LOMA

–Starting center Mark Fisher was stranded by weather in Denver and leading scorer Kevin Celestine had a hip pointer.

–The Pointers managed with John Giles, picking up for Fisher and scoring 24 points, and Celestine rallying with 16 in a first-round, 79-56 win over San Marcos.

–The champion Pointers moved to 7-1 the same day in the round-robin event by playing another game, and defeating Mar Vista, 63-49. Celestine added 14 points.

BARON-OPTIMIST

Vista 48, Orange Glen 41.

El Camino 73, Marian 62 (small schools)

The Patriots’ slow-down game pestered Vista until Jimmy Douglas broke through in the third quarter and finished with 22 points and 14 rebounds.

–A 30-10 third quarter, after it trailed, 29-20, at halftime propelled El Camino past Crawford, 74-50.  The Wildcats’ Freddy Spears scored 30 points.

–The ensuing win over Marian gave the Wildcats a 4-0 record in the tournament and they ended December with a San Diego Section-leading average of 85.1 points.

SANTANA

University 55, Patrick Henry 49.

Jim Binford and player-of-tournament David Reyes each scored 15 points for the Dons.

RICHMOND CHALLENGE @VANCOUVER, CANADA

Sweetwater won the round-robin tournament with a 2-1 record on the basis of the most points scored (295).

–Sweetwater 105, British Columbia Richmond 74.

–British Columbia Abbotsford, 81, Sweetwater 73.

–Sweetwater 109, British Columbia, Coquitlam Centennial 91.

CHINO

LaVerne Damien, 69, Escondido 47.

The Cougars were eliminated in consolation play.

1/4/83

Monte Vista overcame a 15-point Helix lead to defeat the Helix, 51-50, on Brad Morgan’s 15-foot basket at the buzzer.

–Reggie Wallace scored 40 points as Sweetwater beat Southwest, 80-51.

1/5/83

Mike Haupt scored 26 points as Mira Mesa set a school record in a 99-73 win over Christian.

1/12/83

Anthony Todd scored 27 points and Arthur Hamilton 17 as Lincoln outlasted Morse, 76-73, in two overtimes.

1/18/83

Out of the past came Poway and Orange Glen, which played to an old-fashioned 20-19 score, edge to Poway.

1/28/83

Reggie Owens scored 22 points and Oceanside gained a first-place Avocado League tie with El Camino, 58-53 in overtime, extending the Pirates’ home-court winning streak to 33 games, dating to the 1980-81 campaign.

–The Pirates trailed by eight points with six minutes remaining and by five with 1:02 left in regulation.

ALMOST TALLEST

Six-foot, 4-inch Russ Swier believed he was the third tallest person in Ramona, population 12,500.

Swier stood behind his 6-5 coach Larry Bringham, who played at U.S. International University “and a dentist here in town named Jim Hill,” according to Bud Maloney of the Evening Tribune.

The 6-8 Hill played at Fordham University in New York.

Swier led the San Diego Section with a 27.0 average this season.

ALL-TIME SINGLE-SEASON LEADERS IN SCORING AVERAGE

NAME	TEAM	SEASON	POINTS/AVERAGE
Mitchell Lilly	Madison	1976-77	893/31.9
Bill Walton	Helix	1969-70	960/29.1
Paul Halupa	Bonita Vista	1968-69	718/28.7
Tom Shaules	St. Augustine	1957-58	736/28.3
Michael Pitts	Sweetwater	1978-79	872/28.1
Halupa		1969-70	689/27.5
Ralph Drollinger	Grossmont	1971-72	868//27.1
Russ Swier	Ramona	1982-83	595/27.0
Hans Wichary	University	1979-80	447/26.3

2/4/83

Lincoln dropped a double-overtime, 76-68 decision to Hoover, despite Anthony Todd’s 35 points.

–Todd had to pick up the slack after the Hornets forfeited 12 victories because of ineligibilities.

–Hoover’s Ricky Pernell scored 36 points, following games of 38, 31, and 29.

2/8/83

Anthony Todd joined an elite group when he scored 50 points, with 24 field goals and two free throws in a 96-78 win over St. Augustine.  The 6-foot, 8-inch Todd was aided by Alton Beavers’ 16 points and 13 rebounds.

–Todd became the 11^th player in County history reach 50.

–Search 1979-80: “Three Division Alignment…” for a listing of the 10 others.

2/10/83

Anthony Todd, just two days later, socked Crawford with 46 points in an 89-48 win.  The Colts led, 15-12, after one quarter.

 2/16/83

—Sweetwater sweated before clinching a fifth straight league title, the first four in the Metropolitan before realigning in the new South Bay loop, 66-62, over Hilltop.

The Lancers converted 12 of 14 free throw attempts in the fourth quarter and slowly chopped a 54-46 Red Devils lead to 4 points, but their last score came with one second left.

2/20/83

—La Jolla won a playoff against University, 58-37, to clear the final hurdle to the 2-A playoffs.  The Vikings and Uni had tied as Western League champions, each with 10-2 records.

—Point Loma closed with a 91-59 win over San Diego and also finished 10-2. A postgame vote by league officials accorded the Pointers the No. 1 playoff position.  They also would be the top seed in 2-A.

PLAYOFFS

3-A

First Round

Morse 76, Madison 64 (17-7).

Granted a reprieve from a City Schools boss, No. 1 seed Morse took a nine-point lead in the first quarter and never looked back. The Tigers originally were scheduled to play Hilltop, the only team in the playoffs with a losing record.

3-A Quarterfinals

Sweetwater 56, Monte Vista 52 (19-5).

Sweetwater won its 16^th in a row, improving to 20-5, which marked their sixth straight 20-win season, but not before experiencing sauna-like perspiration, especially with the memory of their No. 1 seedand first-round, 86-83 loss to Fallbrook the previous season.

“I must have lost ten pounds,” declared Red Devils coach Gary Zarecky.

Vista 77, Mira Mesa 73 (16-8).

The favored Panthers got more than they expected from the rising Marauders, sparked by junior Mike Haupt, who scored 32 points, a total matched by Vista’s Jimmy Douglas.

Vista did not know which team it would play until Mira Mesa suddenly was given playoff entree when Morse was ruled out because of forfeitures.

Morse 75, Hilltop 38 (11-14).

All 12 Tigers got into the scoring column.

Helix 72, Torrey Pines 56 (20-6).

2-A

La Jolla 67, Hoover 54 (15-9).

Central League champion Hoover ran afoul of Rick Eveleth’s tough and resourceful Vikings.

La Jolla held Hoover’s high-scoring Ricky Pernell to 19 points while three Norsemen made double figures.

Point Loma 56, Southwest 47 (15-8).

El Camino 91, Chula Vista 63 (14-10).

Lincoln 60, Oceanside 52 (14-8).

3-A Semifinals

Helix 66, Vista 54 (20-5).

Six-foot, 4-inch Tyrone Muldrow didn’t let Jimmy Douglas’ at least 4-inch height edge get in the way as Muldrow scored 20 points and pulled down 17 rebounds.

With an assist from Scott Webb, Muldrow’s basket stopped a Vista rally, which had narrowed the score to 55-51 and sparked a Highlanders run of 13 points in a row.

Douglas had 27 points and 14 rebounds for the Panthers.

Morse 64, Sweetwater 56 (21-5).

Parade Magazine third-team all-America Lawrence West led the Tigers with 22 points. All of his 10 baskets came from point-blank range.  “What we tried to do was get the ball inside and get them in foul trouble early,” said West.

Sweetwater star Reggie Wallace picked up his third foul halfway through the first quarter and sat for the remainder of the half, at which Morse led, 35-26.

2-A Semifinals

La Jolla 76, Lincoln 54 (8-16).

El Camino 76, Point Loma 72, OT (20-5).

The Pointers scored the last six points to etch a tie at 68 and send the game into overtime.

“When we walked off the court at the end of regulation time we were really hanging our heads, but we gathered our composure and came back,” said Wildcats coach Ray Johnson.

A basket by 22-point contributor Freddy Spears with 12 seconds remaining in the extra session clinched the El Camino victory.

1-A Semifinals

Army-Navy 57, Julian 49.

Francis Parker 83, Victory Christian 43.

SCORING LEADERS

Anthony Todd	Lincoln	24	646	26.9 (2)
Russ Swier	Ramona	22	595	27.0 (1)
Jimmy Douglas	Vista	25	539	21.6 (4)
Kevin Celestine	Point Loma	25	525	21.0 (6)
Reggie Wallace	Sweetwater	26	521	20.0 (7)
Ricky Pernell	Hoover	23	484	21.04 (5)
Albert Gonzalez	Army-Navy	19	463	24.4 (3)
Freddy Spears	El Camino	26	445	17.3
Tyrone Muldrow	Helix	27	445	16.5
David Reyes	University	23	442	19.2 (8)
Chris Dudley	Torrey Pines	26	438	16.8
Fred Farnsworth	Marian	22	430	19.5 (9)
Ed Raymond	Santana	25	417	16.7
Kevin Willard	Chula Vista	22	402	18.3 (10)
Tag Glithero	Mira Mesa	24	397	16.5
Jim Binford	University	23	386	16.8
Mike Haupt	Mira Mesa	23	386	16.8
John Peisner	El Capitan	23	384	16.7
Lawrence Tolbert	Crawford	23	381	16.6
Dwane Hurd	Carlsbad	19	360	18.9

3-A Championship.

Morse 51 (4-20), Helix 50 (24-3).

Helix led, 49-47, before 4,677 persons at the Sports Arena, until the Tigers’ Carl Fisher scored two baskets in the final 1:09 to pull out the victory,

2-A

La Jolla 79 (21-4), El Camino 67 (23-3).

“Our basic game plan was to work for the best shot and bang the offensive boards and it worked almost perfectly in the first half,” said Vikings coach Rick Eveleth.

La Jolla led, 39-24, at intermission.

“They took it to us underneath,” said El Camino coach Ray Johnson.

1-A

Francis Parker 40 (19-3), Army-Navy 39 (17-5).

SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA REGIONAL PLAYOFFS

First Round

Division I

Los Angeles Crenshaw 86, Morse 45 (4-21), @Long Beach Arena.

Many in the crowd of 1,751 stood and gave the Tigers a standing ovation when the Tigers’ Ray Epton scored a field goal with 3:34 left in the half.

The Tigers had launched 14 unsuccessful attempts from the field before Epton’s basket.

Morse also did not score in the first quarter, drawing an 0-17 collar as the Cougars, behind 6-foot, 7-inch John Williams, who scored 22 points.

The Cougars took a breath in a 19-17 Morse second quarter before racing to a 52-26 advantage in the second half.

“I told our players before the game the key would be for us to cut down on our turnovers,” said Morse coach Ron Davis.  “When we had 12 turnovers in the first quarter that was the end of the game.”

Technically, Morse finished with a 4-21 record, with a total of 20 forfeitures.  They were 21-4 on the court.

Crenshaw topped Oakland Bishop O’Dowd, 62-55, in overtime for the state championship.

Division II

Oxnard Santa Clara 57, La Jolla 56 (21-5).

A 17-3 La Jolla lead evaporated into a 54-49 deficit and then the Vikings battled back but couldn’t finish, turning the ball over three times in the final 1:36.

Atherton Menlo defeated Santa Clara, 53-51, for the state title.

Division III

Santa Monica Crossroads 81, Francis Parker 64 (19-4).

Parker, considered the longest of longshots, outplayed the Roadrunners for almost three quarters. Mark Seiber scored 22 for Parker and Jay Filderman added 20 points, 14 on free throws.

Crossroads reached the state finals before losing to Cloverdale, 71-64.

There would be state basketball playoffs this season and Morse liked its chances to represent the San Diego Section.

Ray Epton, whose 25.0 average at Madison in 1981-82 was highest in the San Diego Section, had transferred to the school on Skyline Drive, where Epton joined 6-foot, 7-inch preseason all-America Lawrence West, 6-6 Shawn Bell, and  5-11 Carl Fisher, plus a tall, deep supporting cast.

But an anonymous tip doomed the Tigers, costing them 20 forfeits and knocking Morse out of the San Diego Section playoffs.

Epton’s family, in changing residences, moved to a home that, as it turned out, was beyond Morse’s enrollment boundary.

Tigers athletic director John Shacklett said an investigation established that Epton lived on the Mount Miguel side of a street that separates the Morse and Mount Miguel districts.

Morse officials either did not check the address or were unaware of the boundary.

Eastern League representatives, acting on the late-coming information, voted 3-2 to oust the Tigers.

Someone had ratted out the Tigers to the CIF San Diego Section not long after playoff seedings were published, creating a storm of emotion.

But…

After some shouting, pointed fingers, and foot stomping, the Tigers were let back in the door.

The issue went all the way to the office of City Schools big shots.

EX-BASKETBALL COACH

Dick Jackson, a former basketball player at San Diego High and coach when Crawford began its program in 1957-58, made the decision.

“Taking in all the facts and looking at our options we came to the conclusion that was the fairest way to handle this,” Jackson told Steve Brand of The San Diego Union.

“I’m not entirely comfortable about this because I’m not entirely comfortable about the whole thing,” said Jackson.  “However, I think it is the best decision considering all aspects.”

Jackson pointed out that the playoff time line was critical.  Four games already had been played, four more were scheduled that night, and the Epton family had sought a court injunction.

Madison, the team Epton had left, became the Tigers’ first-round opponent. “It’s not fair,” said Warhawks coach John Hannon.  “We forfeited an entire football season a few years ago and no one came to our defense.”

ANOTHER DREADED ADMINISTRATIVE GLITCH

Lincoln was 12-2 and gearing for the stretch run when it was discovered that Hornets Arthur Hamilton and Charisse Jones had unexpectedly exhausted their eligibility.

Lincoln then forfeited 12 victories, including a 76-73, double-overtime victory over Morse….

“I’m confused,” said Sweetwater coach Gary Zarecky.

“I’m baffled,” continued the Red Devils mentor.

Zarecky also could have noted that he also was dumfounded or even stunned.

Sweetwater had just beaten Castle Park, 94-10.

Zarecky could have 1, in a Metropolitan Mesa League game, which followed an earlier, 106-37 Sweetwater rout of the Trojans.

What made Zarecky (Zar-skee) figuratively scratch his head was that the host Trojans attempted only five shots from the field…and made two.

Castle Park actually led, 1-0, before the game started.  Sweetwater had been called for a technical foul during pregame warmups.

The first-quarter score was 22-1, 42-5 at halftime, and 66-5 after three quarters.

“Their coach (Dave Holmgren) told me their goal was to hold us under one-hundred points and they seemed very pleased to have done so,” said Zarecky.

The Trojans “strategy” worked.

“They would drive the lane and, even with a good shot, circle back under and out to eat up time,” said Zarecky.

“I’ve never been involved in a game like this,” understated the coach whose team won 20 games and a league title for the fourth year in a row.

Terry Fields led the Red Devils with 28 points followed by Tyrone Miller with 20 and Aaron Combs with 16.

Beaten by 83 points, Castle Park, which finished with a 4-17 record, had not been part of the section’s most lopsided defeat.

Mount Miguel was on the outs by 96 points in a 127-31 loss to Helix in 1969-70.