BASKETBALL : Brea Tournament : El Dorado Has a Hot First Half and Beats HH Wilson

El Dorado High School put on a shooting exhibition in the first half and then looked like a team that was in a hurry to get a party Monday night in the championship game of the Brea Tournament.

The Golden Hawks made 21 of 31 shots in the first half to open a 44-33 lead and held on for a 68-56 win over Hacienda Heights Wilson at Wildcat Gymnasium. The victory improved El Dorado’s record to 11-1 while Wilson slipped to 8-4

Bart Hakeman led the Hawk surge in the first half by making his first 10 shots and all but one of them came on 15- to 20-foot jump shots. The senior finished with 28 points and was named the tournament’s Most Valuable Player.

The teams were tied, 25-25, early in the second quarter when El Dorado went on a quick, six-point spurt to take a 31-25 lead and then it was showtime. The Hawks’ run-and-gum offense was responsible for a stretch of 13 points that delighted the partisan crowd.

By the time the second quarter had ended, the Hawks had made 12 of 15 shots and were holding a comfortable 44-33 lead. Wilson never recovered.

“The second quarter was about as good as we can play,” El Dorado Coach Terry Conley said. “I don’t think our team got complacent in the second half, but rather Wilson did a good job of trapping and switched to a 3-2 zone.”

Joining Hakeman on the all-tournament team were Hawks Jim Mansfield and Jim Sammon. Both scored 12 points against Wilson, but most of the fans were talking about Hakeman afterward. Hakeman made 14 of 17 shots.

“They got pretty hot and Hakeman was unbelievable,” Wilson Coach Mike Lowe said. “They shot so well in the first half that our zone defense finally broke their rhythm in the second half, but we were too far behind by then.

“I thought the key play of the game was the second charging foul called against Scott Williams (Wilson’s 6-8 center). I had to take him out early and he never got into his game. But I don’t want to take anything away from El Dorado, they’re an outstanding team.”

In the third-place game:

Mission Viejo 55, Brea-Olinda 52--David Hill’s three-point play with 4:18 left gave the Diablos a 49-44 lead and they managed to hang on for the win despite some poor free throw shooting down the stretch.

The Diablos (11-3) missed the front end of four, one-and-one free throw opportunities in the final 45 seconds, but Brea made only two of nine field goal attempts in the final quarter. The Wildcats fell to 9-4 with the loss.

“My only concern entering league play next week is our mental toughness,” Mission Viejo Coach Bob Minier said. “‘We were in the pressure cooker and needed those free throws, but couldn’t connect. I thought our defense was excellent as it’s been all year.”

Hill and teammate Mike Minier were named to the all-tournament team along with Brea’s Kevin Walker.

In the fifth-place game:

Fullerton 62, La Habra 43--The Indians won their seventh game in their last eight outings to improve their record to 8-4. Ralph Tallent scored 10 points and was named to the all-tournament team.