SoCalHoops High School News

CIF SoCal Regional Finals: Today's Game
Previews & Schedules--(March 13, 1999)

CIF Southern Regional Final Schedule, Saturday, March 13

At The Pyramid, Cal State University Long Beach:

At Cox Arena, Cal State University San Diego:

Here are some "mini-previews": 

Division I:

Mater Dei (33-3) v. Artesia (32-2)

Louis Johnson of the Long Beach Press-Telegram had a pretty insightful preview of the game, but from an Artesia perspective. Here are some excerpts:

The Artesia High boys basketball team, which is ranked ninth in the country by USA Today, was expected to advance to the Southern California Regional Division I final for the second consecutive season. But the Pioneers (32-2) don't plan on watching their season come to an end tonight at 8 when they face Orange County power Mater Dei (33-3) in the regional final at San Diego State's Cox Arena. Instead, with four starters returning from last year's team that suffered a one-point loss to eventual state champion Westchester in the regional title game, Artesia finds itself on the verge of playing for the school's first state title since 1993.  Mater Dei, which is ranked 14th in the country, defeated San Diego champion Bonita Vista in its regional opener, 79-53, and rallied to defeat L.A. City champion Manual Arts in a semifinal, 66-64. Junior guard Steve Scoggin and senior forward Mike Bayer have been the top performers throughout the season for the Monarchs, although 6-foot-10 sophomore center Jamal Sampson has become a major factor on both ends of the court late in the season. The Pioneers received a slight scare Thursday night when All-American forward Jason Kapono sprained an ankle in a surprisingly easy 73-46 semifinal win over Glendora. While Kapono had to be helped off the court after the game, Merino said his star would be available for tonight's game. "Jason's going to be all right. He's a little sore, but he'll be ready to play," Merino said.
Sophomore forwards Jack Martinez and Amaury Fernandez were outstanding against Glendora, scoring 22 and 19 points, respectively. Artesia's defense also did a number on Tartans' McDonald's All-American Casey Jacobsen, who came into the game averaging 31 points but was held to a season-low 10 points.

For the other side of the game, Curtis Zupke of the Orange County Register, chose to focus on Mike Bayer, but he also wrote about the likely matchups tonight at the Cox Arena. Again, some excerpts:

If there is a defining moment in Mater Dei's boys basketball season, it is Mike Bayer's bloodied face and jersey. Bayer, the Monarchs' 6-foot-7 forward, went up for a rebound against Santa Margarita in December's Orange Holiday Classic and came down with a broken septum that will require surgery after this season. Bayer was off the court for all of two minutes before returning to finish with 15 points and 10 rebounds. He was named the tournament's Most Valuable Player. Bayer, auguably the Monarchs' most consistent player, has the daunting task of containing Artesia's huge frontcourt in the CIF Southern Section Regional Finals tonight at Cox Arena in San Diego. The senior is used to challenges. Bayer has played both forward positions this season because of an injury to Jamal Sampson. A solid defender and inside scorer, Bayer has averaged 13 points and seven rebounds in the postseason. More important, he gets opponents into foul trouble and thrives in his role as a blue-collar player. "I'm just a hard worker," said the Manhattan College-bound Bayer. "I get in there and clean up the boards. I'll do whatever it takes to win." That includes playing with mononucleosis over the past month. Artesia's 6-8 Jason Kapono, 6-9 Apolinar Fernandez and 6-8 Jack Martinez are not the right medicine. "Mike's going to have to do things to counter their size," Mater Dei coach Gary McKnight said.

Ok, so it's sort of incomplete, but if by now you have any questions about these teams, who they are, and who's on the rosters, you haven't been paying attention.  And because we're so forgiving, here are the rosters:

Divison II:

Dominguez v. Fresno Edison

Again, Louis Johnson had a pretty good preview of the matchups in today's Long Beach Press-Telegram; here are some excerpts:

Getting to the regional final this season hasn't been extremely difficult for Dominguez (30-3). As a matter of fact, so far, it's been downright easy. The Dons, who are ranked eighth in the country by USA Today, have completely dominated their seven playoff opponents, with the closest margin of victory being a 15-point win over Sonora in the CIF Southern Section quarterfinals. "At this stage, we're just happy to be in the regional final," said Otis, whose team was eliminated by city-rival Compton in the regional semifinals last season. "We were disappointed with how things ended (last year), and we didn't want that to be the case this season." Dominguez, which routed Inglewood, 71-42, in its semifinal Thursday, will be playing a Fresno Edison squad that, man-for-man, can match up physically with the Dons. The Tigers (27-7) had some problems in the first round of the regionals
against Gahr, but the team dispensed a much better performance against Mayfair in the semifinals to pull away for a 69-50 victory. Senior Willie Johnson, an athletic 6-foot-4 shooting guard, scored a game-high 33 points against the Monsoons. Johnson and 6-7 junior Chris Lopez, who added 10 points against Mayfair, have been the primary weapons offensively in the postseason for Fresno Edison. Dominguez's three-guard lineup of Marcus Moore, Keith Kincade and Steve Moore has caused opponents fits and given post players Tyson Chandler and Keith Brooks room to operate inside.

And Terry Betterton of the Fresno Bee had some insightful commentary about the Edison team that will travel from Fresno to Long Beach for today's finals:

It's a well-known and equally well-proven football cliche: Offense sells tickets, defense wins championships.  It fits basketball, too.    "We wear people down with the press and get easy baskets off it," said Edison boys junior center Chris Lopez.  Of course, with high-scoring talent such Edison's Willie Johnson [they] can keep the scoreboard blinking. From slam dunks to putbacks, there is plenty of offense to keep the stands rocking.  But defense is the key against talented, highly regarded competition in today's Southern Regional finals at The Pyramid at Long Beach State. Today's winners advance to next week's state championship games at Arco Arena in Sacramento.  In three Central Section and two state playoff games, the Edison boys are allowing an average of 49.4 points per game.  The Edison boys take advantage of deep benches to apply constant defensive pressure.

And like the Artesia v. Mater Dei game, if you have to ask who's playing, then you haven't been paying attention all year. But again, because we're so forgiving, here are the rosters:

Division III:

Fresno Washington Union v. San Dimas

Here's some more from Terry Betterton's article in the Fresno Bee today from a Fresno perspective:

"Defense is all we talk about," said Washington's Vonn Webb, coach of the state's top-ranked Division 3 team. "We predicate everything we do on defense. Defense is how we (all three Fresno teams--Edison Boys & Girls, and WU) do it and so do the Edison teams," Webb said. "We are all athletic, and we use that athleticism to play defense."  Webb added San Dimas is much like his Panthers - athletic and quick. Exeter coach Jim Mitchell, whose Monarchs lost to both in consecutive games, said the Saints offer a challenge because of their defense.   "The difference between them is that Washington plays full-court pressure and San Dimas plays a half-court man defense and does it as well as any team we played all season," Mitchell said.

Today's Inland Valley Daily Bulletin also featured a front-page preview of San Dimas and the matchups, by staff writer Pete Marshall. Here are some selections:

San Dimas High School has dominated the Valle Vista League in boys basketball for years, only to lose in the CIF Southern Section playoffs. Year in and year out, the Saints had plenty of playoff experience. But they're in uncharted territory now. San Dimas (29-3), seeded second in the Southern Regional of the CIF Division 3 State Tournament after winning the Southern Section 3AA title, will play top-seeded Fresno Washington Union (24-6) today at 3 p.m. at The Pyramid in Long Beach for the right to play in the state finals. It's been the leadership of D.J. Hackett and Josh Smith that has led the way for the Saints. Hackett scored 21 points and Smith added 16 in a victory over University of San Diego High School Thursday that was over by the time San Dimas took a 25-6 lead after the first quarter. The Saints don't have a ton of size, but Smith battles under the boards well, and not many teams can match up with San Dimas' quickness on both ends of the floor. The rest of the starting five, David Malana, Tedric Williams and Jason Greenlee, all had key baskets last week.  A trip to this point is nothing new for Washington. The Panthers have made it to the regional finals three times in the last four years and won a state title in 1996. Washington, the Central Section champion, is led by 6-foot-6 DeShawn Stevenson, one of the top junior forwards in the nation (rebounds well and has a medium-range jump shot), and senior guard/foward Shamell Stallworth and guard Dashawn Anderson. The Panthers, like the Saints in their last game, raced out to an early lead, taking a 30-10 advantage after the first quarter.

Here are the rosters:

Division IV

San Diego Horizon v. Verbum Dei:

We know there won't be a thing about Verbum Dei in any of the papers (well, at least Gary Klein of the LA Times put the schedules in his column today--hey, it's not his fault the editors at the Times don't know what sells papers. . . Think "Local", "Local", "Local". . . ), and the U-T (at least the Online version) didn't have anything on the game either,  so we'll do our own little mini-preview:

Verbum Dei features perhaps the most prolific point guard at any division level in Marlon Parmer, who scored 40 points in the Section final game against Crossroads, which Horizon also defeated in the State Semifinals.  Verbum also features Dalron Johnson, UNLV signee, who can power in the paint, or sets up effectively on the high post. Dalron has an able backup in Nick Dobson, who is athletic and strong to the hole, and a good shot blocker. Ricardo Suazo is mostly a rebounder and defensive player who enables Marlon to look as good as he does.  Washum Dashiell is the other likely starter, and he's an athletice three, with the potential to score inside or out.

Horizon features Trevor Jensen, Ryan Fellows, Wayne Bernard and Detrick Watts as the biggest names on this squad, and the Panthers, who have been playing without Zack Jones throughout the playoffs, haven't stumbled without him. In each game, somebody different has stepped up. Whether Bernard is healthy (he was injured in the division finals) is not known, but these teams actually matchup pretty evenly, and considering the game is on the Panthers "home" court, that should provide some advantage.  But we wouldn't be surprised to see Verbum Dei, the defending state champs, who aren't bothered by traveling, to come out on top in this one. 

Division V

Santa Clara (28-3) v. El Cajon Christian (25-5)

The LA Times had a small feature article today on the other three starters for Santa Clara, Mel Angel, Anthony Camper, and Terrance Dotsy.  Here are some excerpts:

Center Terrance Dotsy and guards Anthony Camper and Mel Angell might not always score in double figures, but their contributions are invaluable to Santa Clara (28-3), which plays El Cajon Christian in a state Division V boys' basketball semifinal at 11 a.m. today at the Pyramid in Long Beach.  As Price Coach Michael Lynch said after Santa Clara defeated his team Thursday in a state quarterfinal: "You don't win the way they've been winning with just two players. It's more than just those two."  Dotsy, 6 feet 4 and 265 pounds, is the most difficult to overlook. A tight end on a losing football team, Dotsy is used to banging bodies. But winning is a new concept for him this school year. "In basketball, we're more like a team," said Dotsy, who was on the winning side in football just five times in the last two seasons.   The basketball team can thank Dotsy for putting in a full-night's work against Price. With Jones and Ward having off nights, Dotsy scored 18 points, including seven in the fourth quarter, and pulled down 12 rebounds against a taller Price front court.   The agile Dotsy, who can leave opponents flat-footed with his quick spin move, is the lone low-post threat on Santa Clara. Camper, who stands 5-10 in his basketball shoes, apparently thinks he can play power forward.  Against taller Price, Camper grabbed four second-half rebounds to help Santa Clara rally from a 13-point deficit, its largest of the season "They were much bigger than us, so I knew I had to get in there and box out," said Camper, who required three stitches over his left eye after being elbowed by freshman Adrian Santana in practice Wednesday.  An unfazed Camper assessed his role on the team as the playoffs wind down.  "[Opponents] are always going to be chasing Nick and B.J.," he said. "[The other starters] just have to step it up."  Angell usually steps back whenever he gets the ball.  A three-point shooter, Angell nailed one during the Saints' most impressive half of the playoffs.   In a Southern Section Division V-AA semifinal against Pacific Hills, Angell scored six first-half points to help Santa Clara take a 40-17 halftime lead. Coach Lou Cvijanovich called it the "greatest first half a Santa Clara team has ever played." Considering this is Cvijanovich's 41st season, that's impressive.  Not to be forgotten is Angell's younger brother, Jason, who scored seven points against Price in a reserve role.  "I keep telling you [media] guys that that's why we're so good," Cvijanovich said. "We have a lot of fine athletes out there."   Even the two finest on the court take notice.  "I think that at any other program, they'd be scoring more points," Ward said of his and Jones' supporting cast. "They're a major factor in our winning."  Said Jones: "[Ward and I] score what we score because of them. There's no jealousy on this team. It's all for one and one for all."

The LA Times also featured some insights into the matchups for today, and since we couldn't find a thing on El Cajon Christian in any of the local papers (including online versions) this will have to do:

* Santa Clara had some problems against a taller Price team in a semifinal Tuesday. El Cajon Christian isn't nearly as physically formidable. The Partiots' best--and tallest-- player is 6-3 forward Tim Brown, a junior who is averaging 15.2 points. Nick Gonzales, a 6-0 guard, averages 14.9 points. El Cajon Christian is champion of the San Diego Section.  Santa Clara center Terrance Dotsy had 18 points and 12 rebounds against Price, but Saint guards Nick Jones and B.J. Ward will
probably be the best players on the court.

Here are the rosters:

And remember, there will be two separate sessions for the southern regional finals games at the Long Beach Pyramid. The Pyramid will be cleared following the conclusion of the boys' division III game, so if you want to attend the second session, you'll have to get another ticket. 

In case you're interested in knowing who will be playing up in the NorCals this weekend (and who will potentially meet the winner of the Southern California Regionals the following Friday or Saturday in Sacramento in the finals) here's the schedule for the NorCal Regional Finals

CIF Northern Regional Finals Schedule, Saturday, March 13

As you can see, there was one major upset, and that was in Division I, where St. Ignatius, which two weeks ago was ranked by USA Today as the No. 8 team in the country, ahead of Artesia, ahead of Dominguez, and ahead of Mater Dei, lost first in the Central Coast Section Finals to Bellarmine Prep, and then lost last night in the Regional semifinals to DeLaSalle, by a score of 47-30, which in essence translates into a complete collapse for St. Ignatius, which was, we thought when we first saw them in Vegas, one of the best coached teams we'd ever seen.  Our condolences to St. Ignatius and to Coach Don Lippee, and our congratulations to Concord De La Salle and to coach Frank Alloco.

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