Crenshaw Gets Past Manual Arts

Crenshaw did not dominate underdog Manual Arts Friday night, but the Cougars did win their second straight City 4-A basketball title, 73-62, before a crowd of 9,065 at the Sports Arena.

Junior Stevie Thompson, the City’s leading scorer this season, scored 30 points, to send the state’s top-ranked team into the Southern California Regionals Wednesday night at Mira Mesa High School in San Diego.

The Cougars (21-0) will meet San Diego Section 3-A champion Poway, whose 24-1 record includes a two-point win over St. Bernard of Playa del Rey.

Manual Arts led Crenshaw, 34-33, at halftime Friday night. But Thompson scored 17 points in the second half as the Cougars rallied to win.

The game, which started 46 minutes later than the scheduled 9:15 p.m. tipoff, did not end until 11:42. But few people, if any, left before the final buzzer.

Manual Arts (20-6) matched Crenshaw step for step for most of the game except early in the third quarter, when the Cougars made a big run.

At the start of the second half, Thompson (3 of 6 from the field in the first half) controlled the jump ball and took it in for a slam dunk to make it 35-34. The Cougars, getting more effectiveness out of the press, forced Manual Artsinto four quick turnovers, ran off a 13-4 scoring streak and suddenly the lead was eight, 46-38.

Later, Crenshaw lost two starters, forward Stanley Brundy and center Paul Weakley, who fouled out.

In winning its eighth City title for Coach Willie West and fifth since 1978, Crenshaw led, 58-50, with 5:33 remaining. Manual Arts got within striking range at 64-58 but then missed three straight free throws and were never closer.

Thompson converted a blocked shot into a three-point play with 1:41 to play in the game to give Crenshaw a 69-58 lead.

“Some people said we would not be as good without John (Williams, a two-time City Player of the Year),” West said. “So it (the title) is special.”

Crenshaw was The Times’ No. 1 City team since the start of the season.

To the surprise of no one, Crenshaw opened Friday night with its lethal pressing defense. The Cougars pressed after scoring a basket, they pressed after making a turnover, and they even pressed after a jump ball.

Unlike most of their previous 20 opponents, though, Manual Arts didn’t collapse. In the first half, Manual Arts outrebounded Crenshaw, 17-9, nine of which came on the offensive boards.

In fact, the Cougars had two more turnovers in the first quarter as the Toilers jumped out to a 10-4 lead less than four minutes into the game.

Forward Marco Fleming, the Toilers’ leading scorer during the regular season with a 17.5 average, had 13 points and seven rebounds in the first half, while guard Kevin Dandridge had seven assists.