SoCalHoops High School News

S.D. Section Semifinals: Details &
Updated Brackets--(Mar. 1, 2000)

We're into the semifinals in all of the SoCal CIF sections, and that of course includes the San Diego section.  Here's what we know happened, with some of the details from the Union Tribune, the North County Times, and from other reports we've received from down in San Diego.   Not a lot of surprises, and most of the favorites continued to advance toward the finals which will all be played this Friday afternoon and evening.  Here's what we know: 

San Diego Section Playoffs

Division I
Semifinals

Carlsbad 70, San Diego 55--The upstart Lancers beat top-seeded San Diego High in last night's Division I semifinal basketball game before a packed house at San Dieguito Academy.  Burying 9-of-15 long-range shots in the first half, Carlsbad (22-8) forced San Diego away from the basket so when the Lancers went inside more after intermission, they got open looks.  Meanwhile, second-ranked San Diego (23-4) grew more and more frustrated as Carlsbad added two more long-range missiles early in the third quarter, building a double-digit lead.  Carlsbad outrebounded San Diego 29-26. Early on, it seemed as if San Diego, which plays an up-tempo, above-the-rim game, thought it could just give the Lancers open shots from outside the arc.  Once the Cavers realized Carlsbad was beyond lucky, it was too late.  Guarding just one Lancer didn't do any good. This is a balanced team and its scoring last night was proof positive. Nelson led the way with 18 points, all in the first three quarters, but right behind were fellow sophomore Derek Stockalper with 17, senior Keegan Moore with 16 and senior John Waardenburg with 13.  In contrast, although Sean Matson and Kettrell Perry scored 16 each for the Cavers, none of their teammates could hit double figures. San Diego was held 21 points below its season scoring average.  Although it wasn't as pretty, Carlsbad took minutes off the clock in the second half with a strong passing game, figuring if San Diego didn't have the ball it couldn't score.  It also frustrated the Cavers, who were forced to foul.  After San Diego trimmed the advantage to 56-47 to start the fourth quarter, Carlsbad went on an 8-3 run. By the time the Cavers scored their first field of the final quarter, only 4:01 remained and they were down 62-50.  D.J. Hicks wound up guarding 6-7, 245-pound Teyo Johnson from Mira Mesa and he harassed Johnson most of the game. Junior Woods hit four of six free throws in the final seconds to clinch the victory that puts the unseeded Wildcats (18-11) into the championship game at 8 p.m. on Friday at Cox Arena.  El Camino's win made the finals an all-Avocado League encounter since unseeded Carlsbad knocked off No. 1 seeded San Diego, 70-55, in the other semifinal game.  While Carlsbad (22-8) took control of the game with a 26-16 effort in the second quarter thanks to nine 3-pointers before halftime  the Wildcats had to wait for the final buzzer. James Jajo's desperation jumper at the buzzer from in front of the Marauders (14-13) bench fell just short.  El Camino had rallied from a 35-23 deficit midway through the third quarter by holding the Marauders to 19 second-half points.  Were it not for the job Hicks did guarding Johnson, who scored just 12 points before fouling out and only three after the first quarter, and the contribution of eight points off the bench by freshman guard Mike Watson in the second half, the Wildcats might have been eliminated.   Johnson, who signed to play football at Stanford, topped Mira Mesa with a 22.5-point average until he ran into Hicks, who forced him into a 5-for-13 evening.  Hicks finished with 10 points. El Camino gave up the lead at 8-7 and didn't regain it until a layup by Woods with 1:52 left in the third quarter made it 36-35. The score was tied at 37 and one final time at 49 before Woods hit the second of two free throws with 4.8 seconds left.  The Wildcats were just 6-for-19 from the line.  Carlsbad fell behind 15-11 before unleashing a barrage of 3-pointers. Overall, the Lancers hit six of threes in the second quarter to turn the tide.  After taking the lead for good at 29-27 on one of Greg Nelson's four 3-pointers with 3:01 left in the second quarter --- the Lancers slowly pushed the margin to as much as 16 thanks to a 25-for-53 effort from the floor. Carlsbad 11 26 19 14 -- 70 San Diego 15 16 15 9 -- 55 Carlsbad (22-8) -- Nelson 18, Stockalper 17, Moore 16, Hadley 2, Crenshaw 4, Waardenburg 13. San Diego (23-4) -- Harrison 7, Moore 2, Bland 7, Matson 16, Shire 5, Traylor 1, Perry 16, Foster 1. Three-point goals -- Nelson 4, Moore 3, Stockalper 3, Waardenburg, Matson, Bland, Shire.

El Camino 50, Mira Mesa 49 --It was Junior Woods' free throw with 4.8 seconds remaining that gave El Camino a 50-49 victory over Mira Mesa at San Dieguito Academy last night and a rematch with Avocado League rival Carlsbad in the title game Friday night at Cox Arena.  James Jajo's shot at the buzzer hit the rim for Mira Mesa but did not fall.  El Camino (18-11) was staggering, 35-23, in the third quarter when the 5-foot-7 Watson was summoned. His two three-point field goals plus a two-pointer on a rebound tip proved pivotal in reversing the momentum.  Mira Mesa's Teyo Johnson, who scored 12 points and had 15 rebounds, fouled out with 3:48 remaining in the game. Donald Taylor led the Marauders (14-13) with 16 points, and Woods paced El Camino with 18.Mira Mesa 19 11 5 14 -- 49 El Camino 11 8 18 13 -- 50 Mira Mesa (14-13) -- Johnson 12, Gordon 13, Jajo 6, Taylor 16, Ocampo 2.

San Diego Section Playoffs

Division II
Semifinals

Serra 74, Ramona 61-- Behind James Profit's 23 points and an aggressive defense that blanketed one of the highest-scoring teams in the county, top-seeded Serra advanced to the Division II title game for the second straight year last night with a 74-61 win over Ramona at Mira Mesa High.  Serra's opponent in Friday's title game? None other than Orange Glen, which knocked off Oceanside 62-56 in the second game of last night's doubleheader. The Conquistadors (22-4) will attempt to avenge last year's loss when the teams square off at San Diego State's Cox Arena on Friday at 6 p.m.    Profit, who entered last night's game averaging 19.3 points, was limited to just nine points in Serra's quarterfinal win over Point Loma. It was a season low for Profit, and marked the first time this season that he failed to score in double figures.   Ramona, which had survived a double-overtime game against Hilltop in Friday's quarterfinals, came into last night's contest averaging 72.2 points per game, fourth best in the county.  And while Bulldogs senior forward Cliff Harski dropped a game-high 31 points on the Conquistadors, Serra was able to put the brakes on junior guard Richard Holmes, who finished with 15 points after scoring 42 (a school record) and 37 points, respectively, in Ramona's first two playoff games.   The Bulldogs (21-9) led by five late in the first quarter, but Serra (22-4) went on a run late in the second quarter and took a 35-32 lead into the half.  Ramona tied it at 37 on a Richard Holmes 3-pointer early in the third quarter, but Serra went on a 12-0 spurt and led 49-37 with 2:09 left in the quarter.  Serra pushed the margin to 14 (59-45) at the start of the fourth quarter, but the Bulldogs refused to die, cutting the deficit to five (63-58) with 1:33 to play.  But Serra made 11-of-12 free throws to close the game and hold off Ramona.  Serra outscored the Bulldogs 22-13 in the third quarter as Ramona turned the ball over seven times.  James Profit led the Conquistadors with 23 points while Juluis Profit added 14.  Cliff Harski paced Ramona with 31 points and had 10 rebounds while Richard Holmes added 12.  Ramona 22 10 13 16 -- 61 Serra 19 16 22 17 -- 74 Ramona (21-9) -- Rivera 9, Harski 31, Holmes 15, Truesdale 2, R. Evans 2, Minnick 2. Serra (22-4) -- M.Evans 18, Ju.Profit 14, Gohsler 2, Ja.Profit 23, Minnich 2, Fendrich 2. Three-point goals -- Holmes 4, Harski 2, Ja.Profit 2, Rivera.

Orange Glen 62, Oceanside 56-- Isaiah Orange had 21 points and 15 rebounds and Ian McKeithen added 13 points as Orange Glen (14-14) overcame a 27-26 deficit at halftime to beat Oceanside in a semifinal game at Mira Mesa High. The Patriots will face Serra in Friday's championship game at San Diego State's Cox Arena. The teams also met in last year's title game, won by Orange Glen.  An anticipated all-Valley League matchup failed to materialize when Ramona was beaten, 74-61, by Serra in the other semifinal.  Oceanside moves from the Avocado League to the Valley League next season.   OG's win, coupled with Serra's triumph, sets up a rematch of last year's CIF title game, won by OG.  Trailing by four in the closing seconds, Oceanside turned the game into a free-throw shooting contest. OG tried to give the game away, but Ian McKeithan made one free throw with seven seconds left to stretch OG's lead to three, and Isiah Orange made another with one second remaining. Matt Pound put in a rebound at the buzzer to provide the final margin.  Orange led all scorers with 21 points and he pulled down 20 rebounds. Ian McKeithan added 14 points and seven rebounds.  Kevin Freeman led Oceanside (17-12) with 18 points while Nick Burgess added 14 points and nine rebounds.  The hotly contested game was tied nine times and there were 13 lead changes before OG took control in the fourth quarter and opened an eight-point lead with 2:17 to play.   Orange Glen 11 17 14 21 -- 62 Oceanside 15 11 13 17 -- 56   Orange Glen (14-14) -- Orange 21, Bonds 6, Lemler 6, McKeithen 13 Pound 8, Phillips 5, Scott 2. Oceanside (17-12) -- Freeman 18, White 7, Davis 2, Arellano 4, Watkins 6, Burke 4, Burgess 15. Three-point goals -- Bonds 2, Orange, Phillips, White.

San Diego Section Playoffs

Division III
Semifinals

USDHS 55, Mission Bay 39-- The Dons (21-6) took almost five minutes to break into the scoring column, then pulled away to beat their Western League rivals for the third time in as many games. Mission Bay (10-14) shot a paltry 21 percent (11-for-52) in the game, including 3-of-28 in the first half.Mission Bay 4 10 17 8 -- 39 USDHS 5 15 16 19 -- 55 Mission Bay (10-14) -- Banks 5, Montgomery 2, Patterson 12, Smith 4, Stovel 8, Betancourt 3, Nowden 5.  USDHS (21-6) -- Ganan 12, C. Walton 8, Quentin 3, K. Walton 8, Staggs 9, Conover 2, Stabile 3, Green 8, Olson 2.   Three-point goals -- Patterson 4,Stovel 2, Ganan 4, Stabile 1, K. Walton 1.

St. Augustine 61, Clairemont 40--It took St. Augustine until the second half to make its point, but once the Saints found a groove it was all over for Clairemont at Grossmont College. Sparked by junior Floyd North, the Saints (18-10) embarked on an 18-0 march in the opening 51/2 minutes of the third quarter and continued on to an easy victory in the semifinals. Clairemont 12 13 4 11 -- 40 St. Augustine 14 9 22 16 -- 61 Clairemont (20-7) -- Siskowic 3, Parker 2, Tower 13, Veasey 15, Pugmire 6, Fuentes 1.  St. Augustine (18-10) -- Cochran 6, North 15, J. Williams 20, Osmundson 16, Silva 2, Harrington 2.  Three-point goals -- Veasey 3, Siskowic 1, North 1.

San Diego Section Playoffs

Divsion IV
Semifinals

Horizon 82, Imperial 28--Defensive intimidation set the tone early as 6-foot-9 junior center Ron Coleman swatted away five first-period Imperial shots to help the second-seeded Panthers run out to a 15-6 advantage. On the night Horizon (20-7) permitted the Tigers (13-14) just eight baskets from the field. Senior Fred Hooks led the scoring for Horizon, finishing with 21 points to go with 11 rebounds, six offensive. Demetrius Brown added 21 points, four rebounds and two blocks. Imperial 6 10 4 8 -- 28 Horizon 15 29 19 19 -- 82 Imperial (13-14) -- Taylor 3, Quintana 6, Robbins 1, Naylor 2, Vindiola 7, Vanscoder 3, Jones 4, Juarez 2.  Horizon (20-7) -- Bolden 2, Henderson 2, Johnson 4, Ortiz 7, Browner 11, Gomez 8, Murillo 4, Hooks 21, Brown 15, Coleman 3, Dudley 5.  Three-point goals -- Gomez 2, Brown 2, Ortiz, Dudley.

Lincoln 85, Coronado 56--Top-seeded Lincoln (21-5) controlled the boards, outrebounding the Islanders 33-17 in the opener at Eastlake High School. Lincoln took control early, allowing Coronado only one three-point field goal in the opening period. Nate Carter led the way for the Hornets with 21 points and five rebounds. Jay Holmes led the Islanders (14-11) with 15 points, all on three-pointers. Defensively, the Hornets forced 30 Coronado turnovers.  Coronado 3 19 12 22 -- 56 Lincoln 16 28 20 21 -- 85 Coronado (14-11) -- Stacy 7, Fergurgur 4, Dunlap 6, Thomas 12, Taufaasau 4, Holmes 15, Blanton 8, Albaniel 2.  Lincoln (21-5) -- Palmer 10, J. Davis 8, Benjamin 2, S. Davis 7, Murphy 1, Hite 7, Bussie 9, Carter 21, White 13, Taylor 2, Jones 3, McGuire 2.  Three-point goals -- Holmes 5, Hite 2, Carter 2, Dunlap, Stacy, Davis.

San Diego Section Playoffs

Division V
Semifinals

Christian 68, Tri-City Christian 49--The state's No. 1-ranked Division V boys team (according to Cal-Hi Sports) was too big, too fast and too accurate from three-point range as Christian (26-2) advanced to the championship game against La Jolla Country Day. Tim Brown led the Patriots with 20 points and Chris Carter hit four three-pointers to finish with 16. In all, 10 players scored for Christian. In the third quarter, the top-seeded Patriots erupted for 22 points and stretched their lead to 52-33. Tri-City Christian (20-6) was led by Nate Swanson and Jovan Obradovich, who each scored 13 points.  Tri-City Christian could only handle half of Christian's inside-outside game. The win puts Christian (26-2) into Friday's championship game at SDSU's Cox Arena where the Patriots will defend last year's title. Tri-City's season ends in the semifinals for the second time in three years.  Tim Brown, the Patriots' main inside threat, scored 16 of his game-high 20 points in the first half and Chris Carter, their main outside threat, scored 13 of his 16 in the second half.  Turnovers hurt Tri-City, particularly in the first half. The Eagles had nine turnovers in the first two quarters to the Patriots' two and that translated into a 19-point lead for Christian at the break.  Jovan O'Bradovich topped Tri-City with 13 points and grabbed 22 rebounds but he got little help on the boards. Nate Swanson had five rebounds, but no other Eagle had more than two; Christian out-rebounded Tri-City 41-34.  Swanson and Matt Rosenbohm each scored 11 for Tri-City and James Bishop added 10.  For Christian, Brown had 10 rebounds, four assists and two steals to go with his 20 points. Tri-City Christian 7 10 16 16 -- 49 Christian 13 17 22 16 -- 68 Tri-City Christian (20-6) -- Bishop 10, Swanson 13, Rosenbaum 11, Valenzuela 2, Obradovich 13. Christian (26-7) -- B. Wohlfeil 3, Carter 16, Brown 20, Jackson 9, Freiberg 2, Bell 2, Gerlek 2, VanderWerff 3, Wai 7, Johnston 2. Three-point goals -- Carter 4, Bishop 3, Swanson 3, Rosenbaum, B. Wohlfeil.

La Jolla Country Day 80, Marian Catholic 61--Third-seeded La Jolla Country Day (25-5) set up a championship game between two high-scoring teams. The Torres, led by 29 points from Rashawn Allen, hit 10 three-pointers to beat unseeded Marian Catholic (12-13). Allen hit six three-pointers, all in the second and third quarters. Chris Robinson added 26 points, Cesar Don Juan 13.Marian 15 16 18 12 -- 61 La Jolla Country Day 17 21 18 24 -- 80 Marian Catholic (12-12) -- Salas 10, Lindsey 13, Paullada 2, McNutt 15, Pimentel 8, Corley 3, Daniels 6, Scott 3, Yarbrough 1. LJCD (24-5) -- Allen 29, Don Juan 15, Allamby 4, Robinson 26, Luckham 3, Fermanian 3.  Three-point goals -- Allen 6, Lindsey 3, Robinson 2, Corley, McNutt, Scott, Don Juan, Fermanian.

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