central section boys finals

SoCalHoops High School News

CIF Central Section Boys' Championship
Game Details--(March 5, 2000)

The Central Section played all of their final games last Thursday, March 2, so even though these are a little late in getting posted, we at least wanted to put them up if only to archive what happened and who won and lost. Here are the game details, such as we could find them:

Division I Boys Central Section Championship

Clovis West 78, Hoover 59-- While the Eagles, ranked No. 1 in the section, No. 6 in the state and No. 13 in the nation, had everything going early, the Patriots missed layup after layup. The Patriots started finishing some of their drives and making some of their shots and causing turnovers with a Clovis West-like trapping defense in the second half. Javance Coleman, a sophomore guard, scored a team-high 18 points, and Hoover threatened to cut its deficit to single digits, but missed free throws (4 for 12 in the fourth quarter) and untimely turnovers helped thwart that effort. But the closest the Eagles allowed the Patriots was 11 points, twice, midway through the fourth quarter. The game started on a promising note for the Patriots: senior center Matt Kemper opened the scoring with a 3-pointer. But Hoover would make just two more baskets in the first quarter. The Eagles, meanwhile, were getting inside baskets from standout sophomore post Charlie Rodriguez, then 3-pointers from junior guard Jason Walberg, then drives from sophomore reserve Nick Debban and starter Tyrone Jackson, then a 3-pointer from Norcross, then a couple of layups from standout junior point guard Chris Hernandez. By the end of the first quarter, Hoover was behind 24-8. The Patriots outscored the Eagles 33-32 over the next two quarters, but the deficit was too big. Hernandez made 8 of 8 free throws in the fourth quarter and finished with 15 points. Rodriguez scored a team-high 18, Norcross had 12 and Debban 11, including six in the fourth quarter. Kemper scored 12 before fouling out with 4:18 left, and Brian Banman had 10.

Division II Boys Central Section Championship

Foothill 52, East 50 (OT)--East and Foothill high schools were so evenly matched, it figured their Friday night championship game would come down to the last second. Foothill won it, 52-50, in a dramatic overtime game before a standing-room-only crowd in the Foothill gym when a last-second shot by East senior Robert Johnson rolled around the rim and out as the buzzer sounded. The win, in the CIF Central Section Division II championship game, gives Foothill (19-12) a home game in the first round of the state playoffs next week. East (16-14) is also alive in the playoffs, but will travel to its first-round game. There were plenty of dramatics for both teams throughout this contest between Southeast Yosemite League teams that had split their previous two meetings this season. The man of the hour for Foothill was senior forward Daniel Lee, who forced overtime with a game-tying layup with four seconds left in regulation, then scored two baskets in the overtime that proved to be the difference. Lee got two quick fouls in the first quarter and sat the bench for most of the remainder of the half. During the first two quarters, he was held scoreless and had only one rebound. He finished with 13 points — none more dramatic than his game-tying shot at the end of regulation. Lee's aggressive play in the third quarter helped Foothill rally from a 23-17 halftime deficit. East was held scoreless for the first 5:34 of the third quarter. The Blades only had seven points in the quarter. Lee's second overtime basket, a fastbreak layup with 40 seconds left, gave Foothill a 51-46 edge, matching its biggest lead of the game. But it wasn't over. Johnson drove through the lane and scored on an off-balance five-footer with 30 seconds left. He then had a steal and layup with 21 seconds left to make it 51-50 and send East's fans into a frenzy. Foothill's Lorenzo Hernandez was fouled with five seconds left and hit the second of two free throws. Johnson took the inbounds pass and drove the length of the floor, only to see his shot from about five feet out roll off the rim. The dramatics began near the end of regulation. A three-point play by East's Brian Wells with 1:04 left snapped a 40-40 tie. But Foothill junior center Anthony Robinson, who led all scorers with 15 points, came right back with a driving layup with 56 seconds remaining to cut East's lead to 43-42. Foothill's Richard Calloway tied it at 43 by hitting one of two free throws with 32 seconds left, setting up a wild finish in regulation. Working for a last shot, East's Andre Bryant and Chris Molina missed shots, with the Blades getting offensive rebounds after both attempts. Molina wound up with the ball again along the baseline and drilled a 14-foot jumper to give East a 45-43 lead. A fullcourt pass to Robinson was whistled dead when Foothill called timeout. But the clock didn't stop until only one second remained. The officials put the clock back to 10 seconds, and the ball wound up in Lee's hands near the free throw line. He drove hard to the basket for the game-tying layup with four seconds showing on the clock. EAST (16-14) Thompson 2, Molina 9, Bryant 9, Johnson 14, Wells 7, Pincola 9. Totals 20 7-14 50. FOOTHILL (19-12) Calloway 7, An.Dunham 6, L.Hernandez 1, Walton 10, Lee 13, Robinson 15. Totals 17 16-26 52. East 10 13 7 15 5 — 50 Foothill 11 6 14 14 7 — 52 3-point goals— East 3 (Bryant, Wells, Pincola), Foothill 2 (Walton 2). Total fouls— East 20, Foothill 14. Fouled out— none. Technicals— none.

Division III Boys Central Section Championship

Washington Union 71, Selma 55--Despite 18 points from Estevan Murquia, and 14 points from Chris Tabarez Selma (8-1, 20-4) didn't have enough gas to get past a revitalized Washington Union (9-1, 14-7), which managed to string together 56 points from the two Deshawns: Deshawn Stevenson scored 25 points while DeShawn Anderson had a game high 31 as the Panthers won the Central Section Division III title again. Washington Union will meet Morningside at Fresno on Wednesday night in the first round of the State Southern Regional Championship tournament. Selma, the section runner up will play Centennial, the Southern Section Division III-AA runner-up at Compton on Wednesday. Washington Union pulled the No. 3 seeding in the State tournament, while Selma is unseeded, and has a No. 6 travel priority; if Selma wins on Wednesday, and St. Augustine beats Bishop Montgomery, they'll play at Selma; otherwise, look for Selma to do some traveling again to Torrance if they can pull the upset. Here's the basic box score from the Championship game. Selma 7 14 15 19--55; Washington 20 13 13 25--71; Selma (55) --Estevan Murquia 18, Chris Tabarez 14, Bryon Woods 9, Luis Campos 8, Chris Thompson 3, Daniel Galvez 3; Washington Union (71)--Deshawn Anderson 31, Deshawn Stevenson 25, Adam Fain 6, Keith Sconiers 4, Jordan Brice 3, Marvin Carraway 2.

Division IV Boys Central Section Championship

Corcoran 37, Lindsay 34--unbelievably, we just couldn't find anything on this game. . . nothing. We finally found a line score, but other than that, this is all we know.

Division V Boys Central Section Championship

Layton 78, Immanuel 56--With one of the Central Section's smallest enrollments and one of the biggest basketball talents, Laton High is the Division 5 boys' champion. Melvin Medeiros turned in a performance that is becoming almost routine -- 32 points, 10 rebounds, six assists and four steals -- as the Mustangs toppled Immanuel 78-56 Thursday for the school's first section title since 1986. But a full house at the Riverdale gym was treated to more than just another Medeiros show. When Laton pulled away in the second quarter, the spark was provided by Nick Azevedo. And when Immanuel staged its last charge, cutting the lead to four points late in the first half, it was four points by Aaron Kirchert that halted the rush. Even with three starters in foul trouble, the Mustangs never faltered in improving to 23-3. Azevedo scored eight of his 15 points in the first quarter, including a rebound and basket to give the Mustangs an 18-15 lead going into the second quarter. Lucas Gonzales made a 3-pointer to start the second quarter, and Azevedo scored two free throws and a fast-break layup for a 25-15 lead. Immanuel got within 29-25, but Kirchert made two free throws and a fast-break basket, and the Laton lead was 43-31 at halftime. When Medeiros made a 3-pointer to open the second half, the runaway was on. Which is normal for a relentless Laton attack. It was a big moment for Laton, a school with an enrollment of just 210 students, but a community that relishes its sports. The crowd was chanting "Valley champs, Valley champs" the final minute of the game. The Medeiros Family Fued had a brief encounter in the final minute. Kyle Medeiros, a freshman at Immanuel, entered with 1 minute 51 seconds remaining. His first action was running into a screen, set firmly by his brother Melvin, who finished the play with a "love tap," a visible push. Kyle got a pat on the behind from his brother, then a hug when Melvin was pulled from the game with 31 seconds to play. Making it even more memorable was a Kyle's 3-pointer just before the final buzzer.