SoCalHoops High School News

Catch Up Time: Wednesday Game
Results From In & Around SoCal--(Feb. 12, 1999)

Here's the last of this week's games that have already been played. . . No, don't panic; the final games in Southern & City Section are still tonight, but these are the games we missed reporting on from Wednesday, February 10, 1999. More league races decided upon, more playoff spots up for grabs.  Coming into the final stretch.  Here are the scores and results:

Camino Real League

Cantwell 66, Bosco Tech 60--The Cardinals (6-18, 1-7), behind a game-high 22 points from senior forward John Rodriguez, used an 18-6
third quarter to defeat the visiting Tigers. Adam Garcia also had 16 points for Cantwell.

Verbum Dei 69, St. Monica 40

City Section --Coastal Conference

Westchester 82, Venice 58--Guard Lou Wright scored 31 points, including five three-pointers, and center Wayman Rowe added 17 points and 10 rebounds for the Comets (16-8, 7-2) as they rolled past the host Gondoliers (3-6 conference).

Fairfax 122, Los Angeles 76-- Joe Shipp scored an amazing 44 points in a dominating performance by Fairfax.

Manual Arts 111, Hamilton  55-- Brandon Moorer scored 30 points in the win for Manual

Palisades 60, University 42

City Section--East Valley League

Grant 72, North Hollywood 52-- Despite facing constant double-teaming, Arenas scored 24 points and was a defensive force with five blocks in helping
Grant to a 72-52 victory over North Hollywood in an East Valley League boys' basketball game at North Hollywood.  Arenas, who has signed with Arizona, scored nine points in the decisive second quarter, when Grant outscored North Hollywood, 18-4, en route to a 36-14 halftime lead.  Next up for Grant (19-5, 7-2 in league play), is the regular-season finale at Sylmar on Friday night that will determine the league champion.   Rahnell Johnson scored 13 points for North Hollywood (12-11, 3-6).

Sylmar 72, Canoga Park 51-- Sylmar was led by George Wrighster who scored 22 points in another fine performance after signing to play both basketball and football at the University of Oregon.  Branden Jacobs had 17 points and 6 steasl, 5 assists, while Dallas Townsend scored 3 but had 10 rebounds and 5 steals.   Jeremiah Turner scored 15 and 13 rebounds and 8 steals, while TK Reed scored 8 and had 10 rebounds.  Sylmar will meet Grant on Friday night in the league title game, and following Wednesday's game improved to 8-1 in league, 21-5 overall.  It's only league loss occurred when Coach Bort Escoto received two technicals in a game against Poly, and under City Section rules the team was required to forfeit.  Canoga Park is 0-9 in league and 3-18 overall.

Reseda 58, Poly 57-- Reseda stunned Poly with a balanced attack, three players scoring in double figures:  Ruiz 19, Sims 122, and Gotiz 11;  Poly's James Word had 27 points, but it wasn't enough to overcome Reseda's attack.   Poly drops to 13-10 overall and 7-2 in league;  Reseda is 3-6 in league and 10-13 overall. 

City Section--Northern Conference

Franklin 89, Verdugo Hills 59-- Franklin was led by Berumen with 30 and Turner with 29.  Verdugo's High scorer was Baird with 19; Zac Peterson had 6 and 8 steals for Verdugo which drops to 5-18 overall and 2-11 in league.   Franklin is undeafeated at 13-0 in conference and 21-3 overall.

Belmont 66, Lincoln 43
Hollywood 46, Eagle Rock 42
Marshall 49, Wilson 37

City Section North Valley League

El Camino Real 59, Birmingham 36

Granada Hills 55, San Fernando 51

City Section--Southeastern Conference

Jordan 64, Garfield 55

City Section--Southern Pacific Conference

Carson 68, Narbonne 60--Senior forward Marques Duncantel scored a game-high 21 points as the Colts (13-11, 5-4) used pressure defense in the fourth quarter to shut down the Gauchos (1-8 in conference) to secure the win.  The Colts used a big fourth quarter and Marques Duncantel 's game-high 21 points to beat the host Gauchos (5-19, 1-8). Andre Johnson had nine points and Marques Washington had eight for Carson, which outscored Narbonne, 24-12, in the fourth quarter. The Gauchos, who led by four at the end of the third quarter, were led by Beto Delgado 's 13 points. Charles Smith and Nnamdi Asomugha each scored 11 for Narbonne.

Banning 59, San Pedro 57-- Senior forward Donnie Walker scored 29 points, including a 3-pointer with forty-five seconds left in the game, to give the Pilots (6-13, 4-5) the win over the Pirates (6-13, 4-5).  The Pilots came back from a 17-point deficit, 40-23, and outscored the Pirates, 22-7, in the final quarter. In fact, the Pilots trailed by double digits with about five minutes remaining. San Pedro missed two shots, one at the buzzer, that could have tied the game. Walker, who didn't play much of the first half after getting two fouls in the game's opening minutes, scored 12 points in the deciding fourth quarter and had five three-pointers for the game. Hassan Adams scored seven points in the final quarter for Banning. Banning, which made 10 three-pointers for the game, improved to 6-13, 4-5. The Pilots are a game behind Carson in the Pacific League race, and can share a piece of the title if they beat the Colts Friday night. Guard Oscar Abrons led San Pedro (7-15, 3-6) with 12 points.

Crenshaw 102, Dorsey 52
Washington 71, Gardena 54

City Section--West Valley League

Cleveland 68, Kennedy 61--Kent Dennis had 23 points and six steals for the Cavaliers (19-4, 9-0), in a West Valley League victory over Kennedy (13-10, 5-4) at Cleveland. 

Chatsworth 74, Taft 72--Ronald Ruffin scored 21 points, Richard Harrison had 17 points and 14 rebounds, and the Chancellors (15-3, 6-2) survived a fourth-quarter rally by Taft (11-8, 4-5) at Chatsworth.

Coastal Life League

Glendale Adventist 423, Light and Life 43

Condor League

Cornerstone Christian 68, Ojai Valley 37

De Anza League

Riverside Notre Dame 73, Silver Valley 71-- Kyle Anderson's driving layup in double overtime erased a one-point Riverside Notre Dame lead and
sent Yermo Silver Valley to a 73-71 De Anza League victory Wednesday. Behind by one after Anderson's shot, the Titans lost the ball and had to foul Silver Valley's Jarell Bailey, who made one free throw. Notre Dame then missed a desperation shot to end the game. Jay Thomas led Notre Dame with 29 points, 16 rebounds and six steals. SILVER VALLEY (73) -- Bailey 13, Blankenship 15, Johnson 0, Anderson 13, James 12, Aayes 4, Hudson 2, Everly 8, Ricke 6. NOTRE DAME (71) -- Frost 6, Sledge 2, Steele 2, Thomas 29, Calhoun 8, Johnson 10, Givens 6, Freeman 6, Ely 2. Halftime score -- Notre Dame 29-28. Regulation -- 61-61. First overtime -- 67-67. Three-point goals -- Givens, Calhoun, Blankenship 2, Anderson 2. Total fouls -- Silver Valley 10, Notre Dame 10. Fouled out -- Thomas.

Big Bear 67, Aquinas 56

Del Rey League

Bishop Amat 66, St. John Bosco 60--Despite a game-high 25 points from freshman shooting guard Donald Quiroz, the Braves (6-18, 1-8) failed to hold on to a 10-point lead and fell the the visiting Lancers. 

St. Paul 78, St. Bernard 56--Junior guard Abraham Cruz was perfect from 3-point range, hitting all eight of his attempts, and finished with 30 points to lead the Swordsmen (14-11, 5-4) past the Vikings (13-12, 3-6).

Serra 69, Bishop Montgomery 60--The Serra boys basketball team, with all its height and talent, has had troubles sustaining any rhythm this season. Dwan Hurt, coach of the inconsistent Cavaliers, said he thinks his team found it Wednesday night. Serra surprised Bishop Montgomery, one of the hottest teams in the area, 69-60, in overtime during a Del Rey League game at Bishop Montgomery. The loss was the Knights' first in league play, dropping them to 20-4 and 8-1 in league. Serra, which outscored Bishop Montgomery, 14-5, in the overtime period, improved to 14-12, 5-4. The win also gave the Cavaliers much-needed momentum heading into the playoffs. “ This is probably the biggest win of the year,” said Hurt. “ Bishop Montgomery definitely puts us right on track again.” Bishop Montgomery, playing without 6-foot-9 center Gabriel Hughes (concussion) and 6-4 forward Garrett Lee (foot), was dominated down low. Serra's 6-8 center, Aerick Sanders, scored a game-high 18 points, 10 of which came in the first half, which the Cavaliers led, 26-19. He also grabbed 10 rebounds and blocked three shots. Forward Earl Lewis added 17 points, including eight in overtime. Guard Ryan Odums scored four of his 12 points in overtime. Bishop Montgomery, which buried itself in the first half by missing several layups en route to its 8-for-33 shooting performance, trailed by 11 at the end of  the third quarter. But the Knights caught fire in the fourth quarter, making eight of 15 shots, including three three-pointers.  Leland Dodd (12 points) shaved the margin to two with a layup, then Marvin Perez's two free throws with 1.2 seconds left sent the game into OT. Errick Craven led Bishop Montgomery with 15 points, and Derrick Craven had 11.

Del Rio League

California 86, Santa Fe 58
La Serna 66, Pioneer 58

Empire League

Katella 65, Cypress 51--Brandon Jordan had 23 points to lead second-place Katella (19-6, 7-2). Alphonsa Stovall led Cypress (8-19, 3-6) with 17 points.

Kennedy 36, Century 30-- Kennedy improved it's record to 8-17 overall and 2-7 in league, while Century dropped to 8-17 as well and also sits at the bottom of the league standings at 2-7.  Mike Zepeda drew a technical, but managed to hit for 13 points a team high for Century in the loss. Kennedy had no one scoring more than 8.

Loara 68, El Dorado 50-- El Dorado dropped to 13-12 with the loss and 5-4 in league while Loara remaind atop the league standings at 22-3 overall an 8-1 in league. Gracia scored 21 points for Loara, a game high.

Express League

Southlands Christian 61, Liberty Christian 56-- Paul Sutton scored 15 points for SC, while Billy Wilcox had 10, Omar Bond 11, and J.P. Martinez had 128 as SC improved to 5-9 overall and 2-5 in league play.  Sergio Andonian had 26 for Liberty, while Dante Salazar had 13 points.

Freeway League

Buena Park 59, Sonora 48--DeAndre Gibson made eight consecutive free throws in the fourth quarter and scored 17 points to lead Buena Park.
Matt Okoro had 14 points, 21 rebounds and eight blocks for the Coyotes (18-7, 6-3).   Marquis Worthy scored 24 points to lead the Raiders (20-6, 8-1). 

Sunny Hills 48, Fullerton 40-- Sunny Hills improved to 5-19 overall and 1-8 in league and Fullerton dropped to 6-19  and 1-8 as well, in a tie for last place.  Both teams have been eliminated from playoff   consideration.

Golden West League

Ocean View 61, Santa Ana 47--The Seahawks (21-5, 8-1) clinched at least a tie for the league championship by winning at Santa Ana (11-13, 4-5). Tony Dow led a balanced Ocean View attack with eight points and seven assists.

Tustin 70, Saddleback 44--DeAngelo Collins only scored 2 points, but Tustin got big performances from Jackson with 13, Johnston 11, Hayes 17, Chatman 11, and Cordova with 10, as they improved to 18-7 overall and 7-2 in league play.  Saddleback dropped to 2-7 in league.

Servite 64, Westminster 51--Michael Le and Andy Walton each scored 10 points for host Westminster (5-19, 1-8). Servite improved to 13-12, 5-4. 

Liberty League

Viewpoint 66, Providence 52-- It was a night of unexpected upsets which avoided a four-way tie for first place in the Liberty League as both Providence, in a tie for first with Windward, lost it's fourth game of the season, and Buckley at Holy Martrys also lost, setting up a potential coin-flip or at-large scenario for Holy Martyrs, or Viewpoint, depending upon the outcome of the Viewpoint's game against Buckley on Friday night at Buckley, and Providence's second game against Avalon on Friday at Providence;  Both Providence and Buckley have beaten their Friday opponents by substantial margins as Providence hammered Avalon on Thursday night, and Buckley beat Viewpoint by 20 in their first meeting last month.  In this game on Wednesday, Providence was shocked by the scoring of Dan Roy who had 21 points, and the inability of their own scorers to get going.  Pedraja, who is typically a high scorer only had 6, and Jones, the most athletic member of the Providence team, fouled out after receiving his fourth personal and gesturing to the refs which drew a technical, his 5th personal;  he only had 2 points.   Even with the loss, though, Providence, with only 4 losses, is still guaranteed a piece of the league title with Windward unless they lose on Friday to Avalon. 

Yeshiva 51, Oakwood 39

Los Padres League

Morro Bay 74, Santa Ynez 64-- Coach Jeremy Bates was a toddler the last time Morro Bay High won a Los Padres League boys basketball title.   His players? They weren't around.   Morro Bay climbed back atop the Los Padres League on Wednesday, beating Santa Ynez 74-64 to clinch a share of its first LPL title since 1977.   "I coached these guys as freshmen," said Bates. "We've had such high expectations all four years. They've finally come true."  Morro Bay, 8-1 in the LPL and 16-6 overall, can clinch the league title outright Friday with a win over second-place Atascadero.  The teams will meet Friday night at 7:30 p.m. in Atascadero's Ewing Gym.  "This is the first step to our goal," said Morro Bay senior Ryan Gray. "The preseason conditioning and what have you were done to win a league championship. We want it all to ourselves. We don't want to share it with anybody.  "We can enjoy this ( Wednesday's win ), but then we need to put it behind us and take care of business."  Santa Ynez was in the game for much of the first half.  But once Matt Epperheimer hit the first of two free throws early in the third quarter, Morro Bay would hold a double-digit lead the rest of the way.   Morro Bay was forced to win the game at the free-throw line.  Santa Ynez committed 35 fouls -- four players fouled out -- and sent Morro Bay to the free-throw line 57 times.  "It wasn't the prettiest game in the world," said Bates. "I don't know if the kids were looking ahead to Friday. The were so many stoppages in the game. The clock was continually stopping. We do better when the clock keeps running."   Morro Bay shot 34.8 percent from the field, but the 39 free throws it made helped it past Santa Ynez ( 2-7 and 9-15 ).  Epperheimer had 19 points, while Gray scored 17.  Morro Bay overcame a start in which it trailed through spots of the first quarter and didn't take its first double digit lead until Pat Dzuba hit a three-pointer at the end of the first half.  "I'm not sure what it was," said Gray. "We may have played down to the competition. I don't know. I don't think it was because it was parents' night. We can't put the blame on anything else. We have to take the blame for that."

Atascadero 65, Cabrillo 50 -- The Greyhounds kept alive their hopes of sharing the LPL title, beating the Conquistadores in Ewing Gym.  Atascadero held Cabrillo to 16 first-half points.  The Greyhounds, 7-2 in the LPL and 16-6 overall, will play Morro Bay on Friday for a share of the league title.  "We're going to really have to be aggressive," said Atascadero coach Jerry Tamelier. "We have to space well, move the ball and play a great game. An average game won't make it on Friday night."   Jonathan Bentley had 24 points for Atascadero, while Chris Donovan had 15 and Jaysen McKinney added 12. 

Santa Maria St. Joseph 71, Paso Robles 62-- The Knights used their trapping defense to get ahead of the Bearcats in the LPL game.  St. Joseph went to its trap to take a 37-32 halftime lead.  The Knights held the Bearcats to nine points in the second quarter.   Paso Robles is 3-6 in the LPL and 10-12 overall.  The Bearcats were led by Ben Garcia's 25 points. Teammate Brian Baugh had 10.  St. Joseph, 7-2 in the LPL and 17-7 overall, stays a game behind league-leading Morro Bay.  The Knights' Brett Krausse led his team with 14 points.  On Friday, Paso Robles hosts Santa Ynez.

Marmonte League

Simi Valley 111, Thousand Oaks 84--Brett Michel scored 23 of his 32 points in the first half to help the Pioneers (24-2, 11-0) to a near-record point total in a Marmonte League game at Thousand Oaks.  Top-ranked Simi Valley, which clinched the league title outright, scored a school-record 113 points against Roosevelt earlier this season.

Newbury Park 86, Agoura 64--Brian Polen had 27 points and 16 rebounds to help the Panthers (17-5, 9-2) clinch second place in the Marmonte League at Agoura (13-12, 7-4). 

Royal 57, Westlake 54-- Royal was led by Dickson with 13 and Foster with 9.  Royal improves to 9-15 overall and 3-8 in league while Westlake drops to 11-14 overall and 4-7 in league.

Metro League

Riverside Christian 70, Christian Center 59-- J.R. Fernandez scored 28 points, and James Ayres had 17 points, 13 rebounds and three blocked shots to power Riverside Christian (10-3, 12-3) to a Metro League victory. Riverside Christian led by eight points going into the fourth quarter, and built the lead as high as 19 points in the final period. Josh Juneau had 22 points for Colton Christian Center (7-6 in league.)CHRISTIAN CENTER (59) -- Juneau 22, Hardesty 10, Rendon 11, Armstrong 4, Fults 12. RIVERSIDE CHRISTIAN (70) -- Goree 2, Fernandez 28, Paige 6, Harrison 10, Falk 7, Ayres 17. Halftime score -- Riverside Christian 33-28. Three-point goals -- Fernandez 2, Paige, Juneau 6, Hardesty 2. Total fouls -- Christian Center 17, Riverside Christian 8. Fouled out -- Fults, Rendon. Technical fouls -- Fults

Mission League

Loyola 85, Harvard-Westlake 84--David Salvatore's put-back basket with two seconds remaining spoiled Harvard-Westlake's comeback effort in a Mission League game at Loyola.  The Wolverines (14-12, 7-5), who trailed by 12 points in the third quarter, took an 84-83 lead with 20 seconds to play on a three-point play by Eric Geffner.

Crespi 62, St. Francis 48-- Crespi improved to 17-8 overall and 7-5 in league as they defeated St. Francisl behind a balanced scoring attack:   Marsin Jagoda scored 13, Blake Tibbetts 15, Tim McDonough had 18 and 7 assists, and Gregg Guenther had 6 blocked shots. . St. Francis drops to 9-15 overall and 1-11 in league.

Alemany 48, Chaminade 44-- With the win by Alemany, the Indians get their first league co-championship ever in Mission League, tying with Chaminade.

Mission Valley League

Mountain View 48, Arroyo 36-- Mountain View imporoved to 10-13 overall and 6-45 in league with the win while Arroyo dropped to 10-15 and 5-6.   Mountain View was led by Mike Juarez with 17, Johnny Vargas with 10, and Rudy Caudillo with 14;  Arroyo had no scorers in double figures.

Rosemead 68, S. El Monte 612 (OT)-- Donald Gordaon had 20 for Rosemead while Tony Ruiz had 13, Chris Harmon 14, and Joe Reyna 10 for Rosemead which improved to 11-13 and 3-7 with the win.

El Monte 68, Gabrielino 54-- El Monde's Jackson Dunbar had 21 oints and Jose Resendez had 15 as El Monte improved to 13-13  overall and 8-2 in league.  Gabrieldino dropped to 15-11overall and 7-3 in league.

Moore League

Compton 71, Millikan 63--The Tarbabes (7-2 in league), despite losing six players due to academics last week, got 18 points from forward Donovan Morgan to move past the Rams (10-15, 2-7) at Millikan High. Millikan, which jumped out to an 18-9 lead in the first quarter, got 18 points from senior guard Andre Sparks, including five 3-pointers. But Compton was able to mount a comeback in the second half, behind Morgan, Ellis Myles (15 points) and Johnathan Henderson (13 points) and claim the victory and remain tied with Jordan for second-place behind Poly.

Jordan 68, Wilson 44--The Panthers (20-6, 7-2) took advantage of 22 points from junior Travon Bryant, and the hot shooting from the backcourt of Craig Calloway and Darren Peterson, to hand the Bruins the loss and remain in a second-place tie with Compton. Peterson and Calloway both shot over 50 percent from the floor on the evening for Jordan, which outscored Wilson 23-10 in the third quarter. Cory Harris led the Bruins with 13 points.

Long Beach Poly 81, Lakewood 23--For Lakewood High coach Matt Ruiz, this year has been special - except for gamedays. Winning just two games all season would give anybody that kind of outlook. And no gameday has been as sufferable for Ruiz as Wednesday, when host Poly pounded his Lancers, 81-23, to clinch no less than a tie for the Moore League title. "The kids have been great," said Ruiz, whose team dropped to 2-23 overall and 0-9 in league. "They haven't complained or pointed a finger at anyone." It was apparent after the first couple of minutes that the Jackrabbits (18-6, 9-1) would run away with the game. Poly raced out to a 25-3 lead after the first quarter, the only Lakewood basket coming from guard Anthony Evans at the 2:29 mark.
The second quarter proved just as bad, if not worse for the Lancers, whose only point was scored by Evans, who finished with a dozen points, from the free-throw line with 12 seconds remaining until halftime. When the buzzer sounded, the Jackrabbits had a commanding 41-4 advantage. "If we were going to compete with them, we were going to have to play as close to perfect as possible," said Ruiz. "From the first play, I knew we weren't going to play anywhere close to that. We played our poorest game tonight. We should have given them a better game, but didn't. "We got demoralized, and I haven't really seen that until tonight." It didn't help Lakewood's cause that it didn't have guard Ricky Balboa in uniform. Instead, the Lancers' point guard and leading scorer was sitting on the bench in street clothes, suffering from a strained ligament in his right knee. The Jackrabbits, who played solidly in the first half, were a bit sloppy over the final two quarters. Still, they continued to build their lead, taking a 59-11 lead into the fourth quarter. Poly coach Ron Palmer played his entire roster and each player scored. The Jackrabbits were led by Joe Travis (10 points), Charles Jones (9), Wesley Stokes (8) and Markee White (8). "Obviously, we are athletically a superior ballclub," said Palmer. "It's not always easy to win by this kind of margin. I thought we played excellent offensively and defensively in the first half."

Mountain View League

Norco 52, Santiago 50 -- Norco's Mountain View League overtime win over Corona Santiago leaves the Cougars (4-6, 10-14) with a shot at a playoff berth. The Sharks (1-9, 9-17) went up 20-7 early in the second quarter, but Juan Reyes scored eight of his 14 points to help the Cougars cut the lead to three at the half. With Norco trailing 42-33 at the end of three periods, Joey Vergara scored nine of the Cougars' 16 points in the fourth quarter. Vergara also made a driving layup to put the Cougars up by four in overtime. The Sharks scored at the buzzerSANTIAGO (50) -- Jennings 13, LeDuc 15, Rugg 11, O'Douherty 4, Pirch 7. NORCO (52) -- Norman 7, Branch 6, Vergara 13, Reyes 14, Burghgraef 5, Baaske 3. Halftime score -- Santiago 22-19. Regulation -- 48-48. Three-point goals -- Norman, Vergara, LeDuc 2, Rugg 2, Pirch. Total fouls -- Santiago 10, Norco 19. Fouled out -- none. Technical fouls -- Santiago bench. .

Orange League

Magnolia 71, Savanna 62 --Solomon Brown scored a game-high 30 points for the visiting Rebels (15-9, 6-4), but Asi Faoa's 20 helped the Sentinels (13-12, 5-5) upset Savanna and keep their playoff hopes alive.

Anaheim 44, Valencia 41--Brandon Pinkney hit a three-pointer from 40 feet to win it for Anaheim (8-15, 2-7) after Emmanuel Ortega tied it with a three-pointer for Valencia (9-16, 5-4). 

Brea Olinda 82, Western 54--Landon Lewis had 24 points all on three pointers and Kyle Dodd had 18 points and eight assists for host Brea Olinda (23-2, 9-0). James Turner had 16 points for Western (2-22, 0-9). 

Pacific Coast League

Laguna Hills 49, Aliso Niguel 44--Josh Pierson scored seven of his 23 points in the fourth quarter, including a three-pointer with a minute remaining, that gave Laguna Hills (14-10, 6-3) a five-point lead. 

University 72, Estancia 63--The Trojans (16-8, 7-2) clinched at least a share of the league championship with the victory at Estancia (11-14, 4-5). Chet Johnson scored 20 points and Andy Lawrence had 15 for University. University hosts Laguna Beach Friday night and will win the title outright with a victory. 

Laguna Beach 61, Costa Mesa 41-- Beimfhor had 26 for Laguna Beach as they improved to 7-2 in league; Costa Mesa dropped to 4-21 overall and 0-9 in league.

Santa Fe League

Mary Star 88, St. Genevieve 59--Allen Danielson had a career game 34 points and 21 rebounds and the Stars (10-13, 6-6) had no problem at home. Rudy Brown added 20 points and 10 assists for the Stars, who won for the fourth straight time. Brian Hoagland finished with 16 points and eight rebounds in the win.

La Salle 62, Murphy 56-- Albert Aquino had 15 and Brian Brisbin scored 16 as La Salle beat a tough Murphy team, led by three players in double figures:  Dawson with 11, Singletary 12, and Urena 12.  La Sall in 20-5 with the win and 11-1 in league; Murphy fell to 11-13 overall and 7-5 in league.

Salesian 69, Bell Jeff 68 (OT)

Sea View League

Santa Margarita 51, Newport Harbor 34 -- Call it Santa Margarita's farewell tour through the Sea View League. The defending CIF-Southern Section Division II-AA and Division II state champion won't be able to defend its Sea View boys basketball title next season because of league realignment. Going into the Eagles' final Sea View game against host Newport Harbor on Wednesday, the finality was on the mind of Santa Margarita coach Jerry DeBusk. "I'm going to miss not being in the Sea View League," he said. "There were some great rivalries here, especially with Newport Harbor." The econd-ranked Eagles (23-2, 9-0) left the Sailors something to remember them by, as Kelly Kramer scored a game-high 23 points to lead Santa Margarita to a 51-34 vicotry. Both teams were cold early. Kramer scored the first points of the game with four minutes remaining in the first quarter on a layup. The Sailors (21-5, 6-3) got on the scoreboard with two minutes left in the quarter, when Matt Jameson scored their only points of the quarter. Santa Margarita armed up enough to take an eight-point lead at the end of the quarter. In the second quarter, the Eagles went on a 7-2 run to take a 13-point lead with  five minutes left. The Sailors created turnovers and pressured enough on defense to come as close as eight points with 1:30 remaining in the half on a 10-footer by Adam Hearlson. But Spencer Gloger converted three of four free throws in the final seconds to stretch the lead to 22-11 at halftime. DeBusk had said before the game that playing the Sailors would keep his team focused instead of looking ahead to the CIF playoffs. "They're tough," he said. And he was proved correct in the second half. The Sailors offense awoke, and their defense held the Eagles scoreless for the first 2:40 of the third quarter. But for every threat Newport Harbor posed, Santa Margarita had an answer in Kramer and Gloger, who finished with 17 points. The Sailors, down by as much as 15 points in the third quarter, inched within 10 at the beginning of the fourth, but Gloger capped a 6-0 run with a 10-footer to take the lead up to 16 points.
Kramer put the game out of reach with two minutes remaining. The Eagles forced a turnover and fed the ball to Kramer, who dunked emphatically.
"We lost here last year," Kramer said. "And I just wanted to get revenge." Although the score belied the closeness of the game, Kramer admitted the Sailors could have won had they been a little warmer on offense. "They always stay around," he said. "They're a good team." One person who will not shed tears over Santa Margarita's departure from the Sea View League is Newport Harbor coach Larry Hirst. "They're our toughest competitor," Hirst said.
Asked if he will miss the rivalry and challenge the Eagles gave his team, Hirst had only four words. "Nope. Not at all."

Irvine 59, Corona del Mar 51--Matt Hardeman and Chris Ferguson each had 22 points for Irvine (18-7, 5-4). Brandon Crosby had a game-high 23 for host Corona del Mar (16-9, 4-5).

El Toro 54, Woodbridge 41-- Woodbridge drpped to 7-14 with the loss and 1-8 in league, while El Toro improved to 13-12 overall and 2-7 in league.

Sierra League

Nogales 53, Damien 47-- Denver Lopez scored 12, Adam Tailey 14 for Nogales as they improved to 15-9 overall and 7-2 in league;  Damien dropped to 12-14 overall and 2-7 in league.

Diamond Bar 64, Rowland Heights Rowland 59-- Brian Pichon scored 12 poijnts, while Kevin Turner added another 19 for Diamond Bar, and Kenneth Mitchell and Cornell Taylor added 12 and 11 respectively, improving DB's record to 17-8 overall and 6-3 in league.  Rowland was led by Julius Barnes with 23, Trae Fortier with 15 and Kynan Bush with 11, and dropped to 17-7 and 5-4 with the loss.

Ayala 77, West Covina 51

South Coast League

San Clemente 69, Mission Viejo 41-- Wednesday night San Clemente clinched the third and final automatic playoff berth in the South Coast League with a 69-41 victory at Mission Viejo.  Had Mission Viejo won, it would have moved into a tie with the Tritons going into Friday's last game of the regular season. And the Diablos would have had the inside track for the final automatic position by virtue of their 69-61 victory at San Clemente.  But the Tritons' suffocating man-to-man defense that often picked up the ball as the Diablos brought it across midcourt held Mission Viejo (11-14, 3-6) to only 10 field goals in 37 attempts and forced 23 turnovers.  "Coach [Brad Davis] told us that that Dog Defense, if we just learned to play it for four quarters, would work," said Pierce, who had 18 points, eight rebounds and six steals.  San Clemente (16-8, 5-4) opened this one up for good in the second quarter with its frustrating defensive pressure. When Mission Viejo committed its 10th turnover that led to Pierce's basket for a 28-13 lead with 2 minutes 38 seconds left, tempers began to flare.   Shortly thereafter, Davis was hit with a technical foul for arguing with a referee's call when a Triton was called for being too close to a player he was defending.   Nonetheless, San Clemente kept up the pressure and in the third quarter, Mission Viejo Coach Jeff Cunningham was ejected after two technical fouls for arguing about the rough nature of the game.  "I thought we came out with tough, hard defense and I like to think
that our defense made them step back and think about what was happening," said center Triton Joe Tatala, who scored 18 points.
Matt Cole led Mission Viejo in scoring with 10 points.

Mater Dei 77, Dana Hills 56-- Mater Dei clinched its seventh South Coast League championship and Coach Gary McKnight won his 500th game when the Monarchs beat visiting Dana Hills, 77-56, in boys' basketball Wednesday.  McKnight (500-45), in his 17th year at Mater Dei, is the second active county coach with 500 victories. Tom Danley, in his 32nd season at Katella, is 616-241.  McKnight said he was grateful to have reached the milestone, considering he had surgery two years ago to remove a cancerous tumor.  "To get this many wins means you've had great players," McKnight said. "I've been blessed with great players and great assistant coaches.   "I really appreciate being able to come back and coach [after the surgery.] It's a personal number, but it's a tribute to the teams we've had."  Mater Dei center Mike Bayer, who led all scorers with 15, said the team "was proud the way he came back to us after the surgery. It shows how strong he is. "I'm also glad we did it tonight, so we can concentrate on the playoffs."  In acknowledging the team's final regular-season game at Mater Dei this season (Friday's season finale is at the Bren Center), McKnight started four reserve seniors--Imran Sufi, Travis Kasper, Chris Mello and Bryan McKnight--with Bayer.  The makeshift lineup enabled the Dolphins (9-15, 2-7) to jump out to a 17-8 first-quarter lead. But once regulars Derrick Mansell, Steve Scoggin, Cedric Bozeman and Erik Soderberg got in and got warmed up, the Monarchs (25-3, 9-0) took control, outscoring Dana Hills 51-22 over the next two quarters.  Tommy Gallups led Dana Hills with 11.

Capistrano Valley 78, Trabuco Hills 55: Mike Stowell scored a game-high 20 points and J.J. Sola added 17 points and 11 rebounds to lead the third-ranked Cougars (20-6, 7-2) to victory over the visiting Mustangs.Trabuco Hills is 11-13, 1-8. 

Suburban League

Artesia 96, Cerritos 28--Despite playing just eight minutes, sophomore forward Jack Martinez scored 17 points and grabbed 12 boards as the Pioneers substituted freely in the victory over the host Dons (4-7 in league). Senior standout Jason Kapono had a relatively quiet night, tossing in 16 points, while going a perfect 4-4 from the free throw line. On the season, Kapono has now made 109 of 118 free throws.

Bellflower 72, Glenn 37--The Buccaneers (16-10, 7-5) got 20 points and 10 rebounds from Taku Muradzikwa to lead them past the host Eagles. Muradzikwa posted his second straight double-double. 

Mayfair 77, Norwalk 47--Sophomore forward Josh Childress continued his solid season for the Monsoons (19-6, 9-2), scoring 11 of his 18 points in the first half in the win over the Lancers at Mayfair High. Mayfair, which will finish in second place in the Suburban League behind Artesia, also got solid games from senior Jesus Miranda (10 points, seven rebounds) and sophomore Edwin Draughan (10 points, six boards, eight assists).

Tri-Valley League

St. Bonaventure 63, Fillmore 41-- St. Bonaventure was led by Brandon Duplessie with 18 points and 11 rebounds, Michael Emard with 16 ponts and 13 rebounds, and Michal Perez with 6 and 7 assists. Spargo added another 14 for St. Bonaventure, which improved to 17-6 overall and 5-3 in league.   Fillmore drops to 5-16 overall and 1-6 in league.

Carpinteria 55, Bishop Diego 45

Non-League

St. Anthony 68, Cabrillo 54--Junior guard Jared Lloyd led the Saints (20-6) with 22 points, while Pearson Smith added 15 in the victory over the visiting Jaguars. St. Anthony, which jumped out to a 15-3 lead in the first quarter, also got 11 points and eight steals from A.J. Diggs.

Buena 57, Rio Mesa 37-- Buena improved to 22-3 overall with the win, while Rio Mesa dropped to 2-20.

Grace Brethren 63, Thacher 49-- Grace Brethren was led by John Durso with  13, Jackson Beauchamp with 12 and Robert Serra with 25.   GB improved to 14-8 overall and remains at 9-2 in Heritage League.  No record was available for Thacher.

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