SoCalHoops High School News

Nike Extravaganza Game 4: Crenshaw
Loses To Oceanview--(Feb. 7, 1999)

Last year, Gary McKnight, Mater Dei's head coach was telling anyone and everyone that his Monarch team was one of the "most beatable" he'd had in recent memory.  That's probably what Willie West should be telling everyone too about his Cougar team this year, after Oceanview, last year's Division IAA Southern Section Champs beat up on the LA City Section powerhouse, dropping them by 11 points, 64-55 in the fourth and final game of the morning session of the Nike Extravaganza IV on Saturday at Cal State Fullerton.

This Crenshaw team is one of the most beatable we've seen in recent years. And it's also one of the least consistent teams Willie's had in several year, perhaps more inconsistent than last year's team which made it only as far as the City Championship semifinal game before they were beaten by Manual Arts, which went on to lose to City and State Champ Westchester. Saturday, the Cougars  only got a really big game from one player, Armand Thomas (6'-8" Sr. F/C) who had 17 points and 13 rebounds.  But Armand was the only Crenshaw player to hit double figures.

In contrast, Ocean View had four players score more than 10:  Tony Dow with a team high 15 points and 7 rebounds, Rahshaw McAfee with 14 points and 6 rebounds, Ryan Westbrook with 12 points and 5 rebounds, and Wes Bacchus with 11 points.  Usually good-scoring Torin Beeler only managed a single point, but he did have 8 rebounds and 2 assists in 25 minutes of play.

Oceanview came out scoring well in the first quarter, scoring 18 points and holding Crenshaw, which looked like it was out of synch and disorganized to just 6 first quarter points.   Crenshaw did a little better in the second quarter, scoring 12 points to Oceanview's 16,  and at the half, Oceanview led by a score of 34-18, and it looked like the 'Shaw had one huge mountain to climb over. DeWayne Parker was pretty flat at just 1 for 3 from the field, and E.J. Harris' only first half points cam on just a single three pointer, his only attempt from behind the arc; he did miss three other short jumpers though, and his only assist was cancelled by a turnover.  Why was Crenshaw so "off"?  Well, one explanation was the poor shooting of Fairfax-transfer Tommy Johnson, who went 0 for 6 from the field in the first half,  and in the second half it didn't get much better at he shot only 1 for 10 from the field and just 1 for 5 from behind the arc.  Harris finished the game at only 3 for 12 from the field and only 1-4 from three point range.   Overall, Crenshaw shot just 27 of 57 from the field, 3 for 12 from three point range, and had 19 turnovers in the game, a few less than Oceanview which had 24 turnovers, but then they shot a lot better overall in the first half, more than enough to make up for what was otherwise a not very impressive second half for the Seahawks either.

Oceanview showed a lot of people just how good they might be again this year in playoffs, and right now they have to be considered one of the leading contenders again in Division IAA;  of course, while they may be talented with guys like McAffee and Dow and young Beeler, they really won't be expected to make it as far as the finals, not with teams like Glendora, and Mater Dei in the mix. . . . but then again, you never know.  And as for Crenshaw, well, they're still probably one of the top teams in City Section along with Manual Arts, Westchester, and . . . well, other than Manual, the pack gets pretty crowded.  Can they take another City title?   We sure don't know, but it's going to be fun watching them try.

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