Southern Section Basketball : Brea-Olinda, Los Alamitos Match Contrasts

Brea-Olinda and Los Alamitos high schools, teams with contrasting styles, will meet tonight in the second round of the CIF Southern Section 3-A division playoffs at Millikan High in Long Beach.

Brea-Olinda (23-4) is a methodical team that relies on the scoring of 6-foot 10-inch center Kevin Walker, who averages 26.7 points and 11.5 rebounds per game.

Walker’s contribution is significant considering the Wildcats are 23-0 when he’s been in the lineup for an entire game. He fouled out of three games and missed another with an injury. The Wildcats lost all four.

Los Alamitos (18-6) is one of three Empire League teams that won opening playoff games. The Griffins are a running team and rely on forward J.T. Snow, who averages 18.6 points per game and holds seven school records, including career assists and steals.

“We’re going to try and dictate the tempo,” said Steve Brooks, Los Alamitos coach. “The higher the score, the better off we’ll be.”

Gene Lloyd, Brea-Olinda coach, acknowledged that the Griffins are quicker and enjoy playing the transition game. The Wildcats shot only 38% from the field last Friday in a 59-43 win over El Segundo.

“We’ll have to play much better than we did against El Segundo if we hope to beat Los Alamitos,” Lloyd said. “I think we had playoff jitters. But we did rule the boards and took six offensive charges in the first half against El Segundo.”

The Wildcats will be trying to advance past the second round for the first time in six years.

In other 3-A action:

Troy (17-8) vs. Ganesha (25-1) at Chino High--The No. 1-seeded Giants are led by 6-7 center Kevin Cutler. Cutler, who has signed with Cal State Fullerton, averages 19 points and 13 rebounds per game. Jeff Ferren made seven of eight free-throw attempts in the final minute to lead Troy to a 62-60 first-round win over Montebello.

Pomona (16-6) vs. El Dorado (20-5) at Katella High--The Red Devils scored 89 points in an opening-round win over Bolsa Grande and three players--Marcellius Lee (6-10), Tyrone Greer (6-6), and Derwin Collins (6-5)--combined for 79 points. El Dorado’s Jim Sammon averages 26.9 points and 8.6 rebounds per game.

Valencia (14-10) vs. HH Wilson at Rowland High--Wilson center Scott Williams (6-11) could be the state’s best player. Williams, who has signed with North Carolina, averages 19.4 points and 11 rebounds per game. Valencia relies on balanced scoring from Dennis Burbank (11.9), Kevin Jones (11.6) and David LaRue (11.4).

Katella (22-3) vs. Centennial (11-10) at Dominguez High--Centennial is a quick team that features junior guards Dwight Thomas (6-1) and Trent Allen (5-9). Katella will have a decided height advantage with 6-9 Bob Erbst and 6-5 Richard Lucas. Erbst, who averages 21.5 points per game, has signed with USC.

In the 4-A division:

Eisenhower (18-9) vs. Capistrano Valley (25-2) at Saddleback College--Forwards Tracey Lindsey (15.6 points per game) and Alex Green (12.7) are the keys to the Eagles’ attack. The Cougars have three players--point guard Nathan Call (Brigham Young), center John Waikle (Weber State) and forward Jason Trask (Weber State)--who have signed with NCAA Division I schools. Call averages 8.8 assists per game.

Simi Valley (24-2) vs. Santa Ana (20-6) at Orange High--The Pioneers gained their first playoff victory in 20 years with a 67-56 win over Glendale last week. Sophomore center Don McLean (6-9) reminds many of former Southern Section Player of the Year Mark Acres (Palos Verdes) at the same stage in their careers. Sophomore Bobby Joyce averages 15.5 points per game for the Saints.

Muir (25-2) vs. Mission Viejo (21-6) at El Toro High--Stacey Augmon, a 6-8 forward, is being recruited by Kansas, Washington, Texas El Paso, Pepperdine and UC Irvine. He scored 30 points and had 13 rebounds in a 61-48 first-round win over Warren. Center Tim Knowles averages 15 points, 10.6 rebounds and 4.8 assists for Mission Viejo.

Corona del Mar (23-4) vs. Dominguez (20-5) at Compton College--Dominguez’s best player, forward Ronnie Coleman, is out with a broken right wrist but his replacement, Cedric Ceballos, has scored 17 and 22 points in the two games since he replaced Coleman. Corona del Mar’s Jeff Fryer scored 26 points in a 74-48 loss to Dominguez in the championship game of the Estancia Tournament.