DNIV317.htm

SoCal High School & Prep Report

CIF State Playoffs: Northern Region D-IV Final:
Pacific Grove Beats Modesto Christian 55-54--(March 17, 1998)

It took a player from down under to finally kill Modesto Christian High's two-year basketball crusade. Australian foreign exchange student Michael Lizzari sliced between a tangled mess of post players from both teams to tip in a missed shot, lifting the Pacific Grove Breakers to a 55- 54 upset Saturday night at Delta College. Lazzari tipped in a missed shot by Eddie Banaszek -- the nephew of former 49er lineman Cas Banaszek -- with six seconds left. The Melbourne native then began celebrating wildly, crying out loud as the Crusaders called timeout to set up one last play. With the Breakers' defense extended full court for the first time, Modesto Christian guard Chris Armstrong took the outlet pass and fired a 40-foot pass to teammate Chuck Hayes, who was open on the left wing. After a quick head fake, the freshman squared-up for an open 15-footer that bounced out at the buzzer. That set off a wild celebration at midcourt for the Breakers, who -- despite the three-hour drive -- had half the packed crowd of 3,000 wearing red and gold.

Pacific Grove (28-2), the No.2 seed featuring four starters back from last year's 20-8 team, had never been to the NorCal Finals before. And the 6'-3" Lazzari, who learned the game in the same Melbourne Tigers club team that produced former Seton Hall star Andrew Gaze, had never even played in a high school game before.

"We don't have the same type of high school ball, and all these divisions, back in Australia," said Lazzari, who scored 18 points. "But I sure like it. This is all pretty incredible for me to explain right now." He tipped the winning bucket in with his left hand. "I've had maybe a few tip-ins all year," he said, "but none before with my left hand it's the only one I had free." But it turned out to be the knockout punch for the defending Division V state-champion and top-seeded Crusaders (34-3). Winners of 69 of their previous 71 games and an amazing 14 straight playoff games, the Crusaders seemed poised to become the Stanislaus District's first boys team to reach the state finals in consecutive years.

And with five sophomores and Hayes in their eight-player rotation, the Crusaders looked primed to be a team that would perhaps even accomplish the feat all four years. But Modesto Christian, outscoring its opponents by an average of 83-53 coming in, finally found an opponent that could not only slow the tempo down, but have the savvy to finish things off down the stretch. Sir Francis Drake-San Anselmo and Palma-Salinas had accomplished the former but not the latter in the Crusaders' previous two NorCal games. "They played with an awful lot of intensity to go along with their control," Modesto Christian coach Gary Porter said. "It wasn't the tempo we wanted, but that's no excuse. That's a credit to Pacific Grove." A Pacific Grove team that beat Drake twice and Palma three times, ironically, turning the tempo up on each to do so.

"That's been the key to this team all year -- that we could adapt to any style and still play sound basketball," Breakers coach Todd Buller said. "I was impressed with the poise we showed tonight, especially considering how talented that young (Modesto Christian) team is. "We didn't crawl into a shell after their dunks (Jairol Red and Brad Watkins), and we just kept fighting on both sides of the court ... Modesto Christian will be making noise for years to come -- but this was our year." The game was nip-and-tuck affair, with Pacific Grove's biggest lead of five points (18-13) established midway through the second quarter and the Crusaders biggest spread of four (46-42) with 4:30 left to play. Then Pacific Grove got the break it needed. Modesto Christian's Clarence Denning knocked a driving Lazarri to the floor with a forearm that didn't appear intentional -- especially considering the score and situation -- but was ruled that way by officials. He hit both free throws and 6-4 Coleman Peiffer converted on a follow shot to knot the score. Banaszek buried a trey on the next trip down to convert the seven point swing. Red carried the Crusaders from there, scoring their final eight points, including a pair of free throws with 19 seconds left to put MC up 54-53, setting up Lazarri's heroics. A few of the other tell-tale numbers:

-Pacific Grove became the first team to outrebound Modesto Christian (36-28) in two years.

- The 18 points marked a career-high for Peiffer, also a quarterback headed to Saint Mary's on a football scholarship.

- Modesto Christian shot just under 50 percent from the free throw line this season, so its 11-of-22 showing wasn't so surprising. But in a game this close, each clank really stuck out.

"I'm as proud of these boys as I was last year after we won it all," Porter said. "Each of them are maturing into fine young men -- much than just great basketball players. They've got nothing to hang their heads about -- there will be many more wins and surely, more losses ahead, too."