SoCalHoops Tournament News

6th Annual Nike Dream Classic:  
The Rest Of The Scores--(Jan. 18, 2000)

We're typing and writing as fast as we possibly can, but we also wanted to get the rest of the scores up. . . we'll have complete boxes and full details, along with some photos up shortly.  Here's the complete list of the entire day's scores, and some highlights and general observations to go along with some of the boxes we did have time to input:

Game No. 1, Bishop's v. Dudley (NC)---9:00 a.m.

Dudley 85, La Jolla Bishop's 33-- We've already posted the details of this game

Game No. 2, Ayala v. Manual Arts--10:35 a.m.

Ayala 69, Manual Arts 49--Manual Arts: This isn't the same team that bears the title of defending LA City Champions. Nope.  It isn't even the team that was in the book, as they brought five players not listed in the program, and even with the guys we knew from the team last year and this year in the preseason, they wore different uniform numbers making it especially difficult to pick out who was who.    Mario Roberts was there, that much we know, and so was Jason Crow and DeAndre Morris, but the rest of the guys were all new to us. Ayala on the other hand was just plain boring, not because they played that way, but because there were no surprised, no shocks. We knew all of the players and have seen them all several times this season.   Who looked good?  Well, on Manual, Mario Roberts (6'-2" Sr. SG) is clearly a floor leader on the Toilers, and he was the second leading scorer. He was only beaten by Jason Crow (6'-4" Sr. F) who had 13. No one performed especially well for Manual, and they need to practice running layup lines under pressure (sounds silly, but try to run a layup line with someone hitting you with a big pillow, as hard as they can. . . that's what they need), and an occasional jump stop wouldn't hurt either now and then.   Manual missed just a ton of shots, some from point blank range, and they reall don't have any perimeter shooters.  Still, they can hold their own in a track race, but without anyone the caliber this year like last year's combo of James Wright and Curtis Millage, since gone, they weren't even as fast on the break as Ayala was.

Here's the box:
Manual Arts (49)

Ayala (69)

Game No. 3, Fairfax v. Westchester--12:05 p.m.

Fairfax 69, Westchester 65--This was a much different game than the encounter these two teams had on Saturday at the Pump Hoop Challenge, when Westchester blew Fairfax away.  The two teams have met three times this year, and twice now Fairfax has won, losing only on Saturday.  On Monday, Fairfax had four players in double figures, led by Fowzi Abdelsamad (6'-2' Sr. PG) with 14 pints on 4-7 shooting from the field. Marqui Jones (6'-5" Sr. SF) had 11 (3 for 5), while Jason Morrissette (6'-5" Sr. SG/SF) who has signed with Santa Clara had 10 as did Craig Smith (6'-8" Jr. F).  Morrissette had 5 rebounds while Smith had 3.   Ishmael Torres (6'-2" Sr. PG/SG) had 8 points as did Evan Burns (6'-8" So. F). Burnes had 4 rebounds. Scottie Stern (6'-4" Sr. SG) had 5 points and played sparingly.  Alex Bausley (6'-7" Fr. F) scored 3 for the Lions.    Westchester was led by Brandon Heath (6'-2" So. SG) with 17 points, while Cedric Thompkins (6'-8" Sr. F) had 13.  Chad Bell (7'-1" Jr. C) had some interesting spin moves and one really nice dunk and finished with 8 points. Ashanti Cook (6'-1" So. PG) had 9 points while Terrance Lawson (6'-5" Sr. SG) had 6. Others scoring for Westchester included John Clemmons (5'-10" Jr. G) with 4, and Brice Buchanan (6'-5' Jr. F/G) with 2.

Here's the box:

Westchester (65)

Fairfax (69)

Game No. 4, Long Beach Jordan v. Crossroads--1:35 p.m.

Crossroads 57, Long Beach Jordan 46--Heck of a game and not at all the result that many predicted ahead of time.  But then this Jordan team often has long stretches where they just forget to come out and play and after a tremendous fourth quarter effort on Saturday night at the Double Pump Hoop Challenge at LBCC against the Long Beach Poly Jackrabbits, which ultimately fell short, Jordan reverted back to their old habits again.   Crossroads looked very sharp, and Felipe Williams was a man among boys along with Isaiah Fox who just dominated the middle.   Felipe Williams (6'-4" Sr. SG) scored 23 points and teammate Isaiah Fox (6'-9" Jr. PF/C) scored 20 and pulled down 11 rebounds to lead the Roadrunners over the Long Beach Jordan Panthers. Fox went 9-15 from the field, and 2-5 from the line.   Williams was 7-17, hit is only three point attempt and was 8-16 from the line. Others scoring for Crossroads included Nick Forman (5'-8" Jr. SG/PG) with 8, Anthony Locke (5'-9" Jr. PG) with 4 and Jordan Rush (6'-5" So. SF) with 2. For Jordan, Travon Bryant (6'-9" Sr. PF) was the only Panther in double figures with 15 points and 10 rebounds,  and he also picked up a couple of huge blocks.  If the rest of the team played with the same urgency that he and Nick Tamarao display, and could sustain it for a whole game, Jordan might have had a chance.   Travon shot 6-11 from the field and 2-2 from the line, hitting 1 of 2 three point attempts. Ron Banks (6'-2" Jr. SG)  had 9 points, Nick Tamarao (5'-11" Sr. PG) had 8.

Crossroads (57)

Total FG%   1st Half: 11-25    .440         2nd Half: 11-25    .440     Game .440
3 PT            1st Half: 0-1     .000             2nd Half: 1-2     .500        Game: .333
FT                 1st Half:2-6    .333             2nd Half: 10-18     .566    Game: .500

Jordan (46)

So what if the minutes for Jordan don't total up to a full game?  Hey these are the official stats, and given the score, maybe Jordan should consider actually playing a whole game. . . just kidding.  In this case, it wasn't so much a war between Isaiah and Travon as much as it was that Jordan just didn't bring any additional really potent scorers.

Game No. 5, Crenshaw v. Upland--3:05 p.m.

Crenshaw 76, Upland 61--Toimmy Johnson (6'-4" Sr. SG) who has committed to Washington State, led all scorers with 27 points, shooting 8-24 from the field, but hitting 4 of 9 three pointers and making 7 of 8 free throws.   He also had 8 rebounds.  Taylor Parsons (6'-3" Sr. SG)  had 11 points for Crenshaw, as did the surpringly good freshman point guard Marcus Williams (5'-8" Fr. PG) who started in place of E.J. Harris (6'-3" Sr. PG), a Kansas State-signee who played only 11 minutes of the game and scored 3 points. For Upland, Jason Harris (6'-4" Jr. SG/SF) scored 15, Prentice Harris (6'-0" Jr. SG/PG) had 19, and Kirk Snyder (6'-6" Sr. F) had 12.  De Marcus Williams (6'-8" Sr. PF) who has signed a letter of intent with Washington, played 13 minutes but didn't score; he picked up 3 fouls and a rebound, missing both of his shot attempts.

Crenshaw (76)

Upland (61)

Scoring by quarters:
Upland--12 19 1812--61
Crenshaw--22 10 19 25--76

Game No. 6, Mater Dei v. USDHS--4:35 p.m.

Mater Dei 72, University of San Diego HS 47--Steve Scoggin (6'-0" Sr. SG) scored 16 and Cedric Bozeman (6'-5" Jr. PG/SG) scored 15 for the Monarchs. Harrison Schaen (6'-8" Fr. F) added 11 for Mater Dei, and Mike Strawberry (6'-5" So. F) had 8 while Rickey Porter (6'-0" Jr. PG) added 7.   Uni's Chris Walton (6'-9" Sr. F) had 17 pioints and 8 rebounds, going 5 for 9 from the line and 6 for 16 from the field.  Cousin Kam Walton (6'-8" Sr. F) had 10 points.  Chris Ganan (6'-0" Sr. PG) had 8 for USDHS, while Carlos Quentin and Joe Terwelp added 3 each.  Scoggin shot 3-4 from the field.  Bozeman also led Mater Dei with 8 rebounds.

Sorry, no time for a box again (we'll add this later).   For now all we'll say is that Mater Dei completely and utterly dominated this game, making Uni look like there really is a huge difference between teams in Divsion I-A as opposed to those in Division III.  Uni was hammered and by the middle of the third quarter, the Dons had players hitting their chest, asking to be taken out because they were just overwhelmed.  Kam Walton suffered a nasty cut over his left eye in the first quarter  and didn't play much of the first half, and only sparingly in the second half.  We really liked Chris Ganan, and while he doesn't have the rep of a David Abramowitz, nor any of the flashy moves that David used to display in high school, he's a credible point guard with good skills and good decision-making ability.

Game No. 7, Dominguez v. Artesia--6:05 p.m.

Dominguez 60, Artesia 57--Tyson Chandler (7'-0" Jr. C) of Dominguez scored 9 points and 5 boards; Keith Brooks (6'-6" Sr. PF) had 15 points and 10 rebounds; Steve Moore had 15, and Michah McKinney scored 12.  Since Billie Wirtz and Gary Klein also provided the details of this one (unbelievably, yes, we had to leave to go see the Buckley v. Holy Martyrs game, so we're dependent on them for this one and the Bishop Montgomery game too. . . We did manage a couple of game photos of the Dominguez game, but those wanting a better look at the game will get their chance tonight because it's going to be on TV, tape-delayed on Fox Sports West 2--Dominguez v. Artesia at 7:00 p.m. and Bishop Montgomery at 8:30 p.m.). Here's the account of the game from the Times' Gary Klein:

Dominguez, ranked No. 2 by USA Today, kept its hopes alive Monday night with a 60-57 victory over No. 6 Lakewood Artesia in the Dream Classic at the Pyramid.  Dominguez forward Keith Brooks scored 15 points and had 10 rebounds to lead Dominguez, which survived a second-half Artesia surge.  "I knew if they left me open, I would have to step up big," Brooks said.  Brooks got opportunities because Artesia was trying to avoid a repeat of its last meeting with the Dons when Dominguez center Tyson Chandler scored 19 points and had 11 rebounds in a 72-63 victory on Dec. 30. Artesia was ranked No. 1 at the time. 

Chandler, a 7-foot junior, had only nine points and five rebounds Monday. But senior guards Steve Moore and Micah McKinney, scored 15 and 12 points, respectively, and combined with Brooks to lift the Dons.  Dominguez (16-2) was not assured of victory until Artesia's Jack Martinez missed a three-point shot in the final seconds.  "[Dominguez] never gives up and neither do we," Artesia guard Andre Hazel said. "so it will probably be a similar situation if we play again." 

Hazel was referring to the Southern California regional of the state tournament, which will include the Southern Section division finalists. Artesia (16-2) has competed in Division I the last few years, but is playing in Division II-A this season.  Artesia overcame a 27-20 halftime deficit to take a 42-41 lead after three quarters behind Jon Steffanson's three three-pointers.  Martinez tied the score, 56-56, with a three-pointer with 1:43 left in the game, but missed a shot with 36 seconds remaining that started a key Dominguez fastbreak. 

Brooks rebounded the miss and passed to McKinney, who pushed the ball upcourt to Darius Sanders near the Dominguez basket. Sanders made a tough shot and was fouled by Amaury Fernandez.  Trailing 58-56, Hazel made only one of two free throws with 13 seconds left.  Moore gave Dominguez its final margin by making two free throws with 11.1 seconds remaining.  

And just in case you want a different perspective, Billy Witz of the Long Beach Press Telegram wrote the following:

When Dominguez High upset Artesia to win the Best in the West Invitation last month, Artesia coach Wayne Merino said the difference was his team getting caught up in Dominguez's "street-like B.S."

Basketball smarts? Bachelor of science?

In the highly anticipated rematch, Dominguez showed that maybe its upset of Artesia wasn't an upset at all as the Dons furthered their education at the expense of Artesia, showing superior poise down the stretch to secure a 60-57 win over the Pioneers before a capacity crowd at the Pyramid Monday night. When Artesia's Jack Martinez's 3-pointer ticked off the rim at the buzzer, Dominguez had its Master's degree and maybe more.

Artesia, for the first time since 1997, isn't moving up to Division I and will be in the same Division II of the state playoffs that Dominguez has dominated, winning three of the past four state titles.

If all goes according to plan, they'll meet again in the Southern California Regional finals in late March. 

"I don't think it's anything," said Merino of the two losses. "They'll be trying to beat us three times and for us, we'll be trying to beat them when it counts."

That's something Artesia has never done, losing to Dominguez for CIF titles in 1989 and 1996 and the CIF semifinals in '95.

Dominguez (16-2), meanwhile, could be playing for more. Artesia (16-2), which was ranked No. 1 in the nation when it lost to Dominguez last month, is out of the national championship picture while the Dons are now No. 2 and have a rematch with No. 1 Oak Hill Academy, Va. who handed Dominguez one of its two losses on Feb. 5 at the Pyramid.

"In the last 10 years, we've accomplished a lot and if we take care of business (the Dons play Philadelphia Roman Catholic with Eddie Griffin, the nation's No 1 player, in two weeks), we have a chance to do something special," Dominguez coach Russell Otis said. "Not many teams get close to a national championship."

Dominguez's win Monday was far different than their 72-63 win over Artesia Dec. 30, a game the Dons led by 19 in the fourth quarter.

Artesia, with Martinez on the bench in foul trouble, went on a 12-0 run late in the third quarter and took a 48-46 lead with 5:32 when Amaury Fernandez scored on one of his three follow shots in the fourth quarter.

Dominguez regained the lead, 56-50, but Ryan Reyes and Martinez hit consecutive 3-pointers to even the score with 1:40 left.

Artesia had two chances to take the lead, but Fernandez was called for traveling and Martinez missed inside, allowing Darius Sanders to get inside for his only basket in six attempts to put the Dons ahead, 58-56, with 25.8 seconds left.

Artesia guard Andre Hazel, after 7-foot Tyson Chandler blocked his jumper in the lane, grabbed the rebound and was fouled, but made just one of two free throws with 13 seconds left.

Steven Moore, who made 10 of 13 free throws (the rest of the team made 7 of 17), was fouled and increased the lead to 60-57 with 11.1 seconds left. Artesia tried to get the ball to Jon Steffanson, who had made all three of his 3-pointers, but Hazel couldn't get him the ball after coming off a pick at the top of the key by Martinez. Instead, he fired back to Martinez, whose open 3-pointer was short.

Keith Brooks and Steve Moore each had 15 points to lead Dominguez, while Fernandez scored 14 and had 10 rebounds to pace Artesia. Brooks also had 10 rebounds.

Game No. 8 Mayfair v. Bishop Montgomery--7:50 p.m.

Mayfair 52, Bishop Montgomery 49--From what we heard after this game, not many people stayed following the Dominguez v. Artesia battle, which of course is the fine tradition established by the Nike Dream Classic, and just about every other showcase event.  For years it was always Glendora which was scheduled late and got the cold shoulder from the fans; this time it was these two teams.  We don't know much about what happened, but we do know that Josh Childress of Mayfair scored 20 points.  And evidently four games in three days, including a win over DeShawn Stevenson's Washington Union team on Saturday at the Double Pump Hoop Challenge was just too much for Bishop Montgomery. . . even the Craven twins have their limits too and need some rest.  No, we don't have the box score either, although Ebony Charles did promise to fax it to us. . . but we'll forgive her, since she also works for Artesia, she probably was in no mood to do any late night faxing. . . .

See you next year at the 7th Annual Nike Dream Classic.

 
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