mk208 report

SoCal High School & Prep Report

Pat McKinney: USDHS Beats
St. Augustine 60-39--(February 8, 1998)

Our friend and San Diego correspondent Pat McKinney covered USDHS' Friday night game against St. Augustine, and USDHS won 60-39. It also seems we made a mistake in the lead in to his last article about Morse. It seems that we identified USDHS as playing in the San Diego City Conference's Western Athletic League against such schools as Academy of Our Lady of Peace, La Jolla High, Mission Bay, Scripps Ranch, St. Augustine, and University City High. It seems that all of that is true, except that Our Lady of Peace only plays girls basketball, and while Morse and USDHS play in different leagues, they traditionally have taken a mid-season break to play each other. Thanks for the info Pat. And as always, please be sure to visit the USDHS Basketball Site for additional information on the Dons.

Dons Sweep in Catholic School Rivalry

Luke Walton Assures Victory with 35

By Pat McKinney
USDHS Dons Basketball Website

It's scary to think the University of San Diego High School Dons' defense is getting better, but they bore down relentlessly in tonight's 60-39 victory over St Augustine. Blocking shots, forcing bad shots and turnovers, taking Saints out of its offense, the Dons did it all. And when they needed points, USDHS looked to star forward Luke Walton, who came up with 35 and would not be slowed down.

In a reprise of their matchup two weeks ago, both teams started cold. There was a good reason this time for the cold shooting: one of the referees forgot his whistle and didn't realize it until tip-off. After a slight delay, a whistle was found and the game got underway. From start to finish in this one, however, it was Luke's show. The game was tied at 2 with six minutes left in the first when Luke put one back to put the Dons up. Jim Hill blocked a Walton shot before Luke responded with a 3. Luke recorded a couple of blocks against junior Leon Doxey and Uni went up 10-6 with 2:10 to go. They wouldn't score again, as the quarter wound up 10-9. Saints was having success inside as Andre Porter found Jamaal Williams for a couple of layups.

The second quarter was a prime example of how dominating the Dons defense can be and Saints looked a bit devastated. Luke blocked a shot and drilled a 3, putting the Dons up 4. On Saints next possession, Luke blocked another one and drilled another three. The teams traded buckets and point guard David Abramowitz drained another 3 to put USDHS up 21-11. Luke was on fire, scoring on a sweet spinning drive to give him 15 for the half. The Dons outscored Saints 15-4 in the quarter and played well on both ends. Walton led the Dons in scoring and added 2 assists, 3 steals, and 5 blocks. Abramowitz scored 7 while Williams led Saints with 5 points and 6 boards.

Coach Tomey was not pleased with the team's intensity at the end of the first half and it seemed the Dons were a little cocky about their 25-13 halftime lead. Saints gave them a definite wake-up call in the third behind Senior Jim Hill. Luke started the third with a three to put Uni up 15, but then the team got sloppy. Porter scored twice off 3 turnovers and found Jim Hill wide open inside 4 straight trips for easy buckets. Saints cut it to 32-29 with 1:55 to go, but Luke wouldn't let it happen on this night. He scored all 11 points for the Dons in this quarter and allowed them to weather the storm. Saints outscored Uni 18-11 in the third as they started hitting their shots and closed out the middle, effectively neutralizing Ronnie McMillan.

Another 2500 packed house crowd at USD Sports Center prepared for a fantastic finish as Saints entered the fourth down just 5. Abramowitz got open inside for a layup to push the lead to 7 and Luke hit two more threes to put an end to it. In a four and a half minute span, the Dons went on a 15-3 run which killed Saints chances. The run over, Uni cruised to a 21 point victory.

Luke Walton carried the Dons with 35 points (6 threes), 6 rebounds, and 5 blocks. Abramowitz added 9 points and 5 assists, while McMillan scored 7 to go with 10 rebounds. Jim Hill led Saints with 16 on 7 of 11 shooting while Andre Porter scored 12 to go with 5 assists.

For the stats from this victory over Saints, click here to visit the stats at the USDHS Dons Basketball Website.

With the win over Saints combined with last Friday's defeat of Lincoln puts the Dons in great position to win another Western League title. No other team is within two games of them with only four to play. USDHS will take on La Jolla at home at 3:00 pm on Tuesday at home.

And a note to SoCalHoops readers: Just to set the record straight. Saint Augustine and Our Lady of Peace are both in the Western League, but Saints is all boys while OLP is all girls. Therefore, your (boys) Dons will not play OLP. And, Morse plays in the Eastern League, but USDHS and Morse have traditionally taken a break from league play to play each other once a year at midseason.