San Diego Section Playoffs : Mount Carmel Wants to Get Some Notice, Finally

The Mount Carmel High School boys’ basketball team has spent the last three seasons in the shadow of two-time defending San Diego Section 3-A champion Poway.

The Sundevils, ranked eighth in the county, finished second to the Titans in the Palomar League this season. Poway was ranked No. 1 throughout the season.

But Mount Carmel (17-7) could get some notice of its own tonight in first round of the section playoffs at Serra High (21-3) at 7:30. “I know that Serra has a very fine team but what a lot of people don’t know is that we have a good team also,” Mount Carmel Coach John Marincovich said. “We’re going to try and use our size to our advantage and give it a go.”

The Sundevils are imposing. Center Tim Coleman is 6-7 and forwards Scott Boggins (14.5 points per game), Jim Tejcek (11.0) and Brendan Keeney are 6-5. Keeney scored 20 points and had 13 rebounds in Thursday’s 71-67 loss at Poway.

Serra beat Morse twice last week to win the City Eastern League championship. The Conquistadors are led by Steve Smith, Deven Moran and Anthony Moore. Serra plays a tough zone defense and will have to deal with Mount Carmel’s height advantage.

“They’re a very big and tough ballclub,” Serra Coach Tom Williams said. “We’ve worked on some new things for them but for the most part we’re going to stay with what’s been successful for us.”

Both Marincovich and Williams were surprised at the seedings, which saw Mount Carmel draw the No. 7 spot behind Mount Miguel (16-7). Mount Miguel will play third-seeded Sweetwater in the first round Wednesday night.

“I had already penciled in Mount Miguel as the No. 7 team but it was very close between the two teams,” Williams said.

Said Marincovich: “It annoys me. There’s nothing you can do about it since the decision has already been made, but I do feel that it was a mistake to do that. We’ve been rated in CIF all year long and suddenly we’re the No. 7 team in the 3-A playoffs.”

Here’s a look at tonight’s other first-round games (all at 7:30 p.m.):

Montgomery (13-8) at Poway (21-3)--The Titans, seeded No. 1 in the 3-A playoffs, will try to win their seventh straight playoff game in the last three seasons. Jud Buechler, the county’s leading scorer, and Dominick Johnson are Poway’s top threats. Montgomery, which finished second behind Sweetwater in the Metro-Mesa League, is led by guard Rudy Rodgriguez.

In the 2-A playoffs:

Mar Vista (6-17) at El Camino (22-3)-- El Camino was seeded first in the 2-A playoffs last year but lost to Mission Bay in the semifinals. The Wildcats, seeded No. 1 again, hope the same thing won’t happen this season. Mar Vista beat Marian in overtime Saturday to finish second in the Metro-South Bay League and qualify for the playoffs.

St. Augustine (13-10) at Castle Park (22-1)--Castle Park is seeded second behind El Camino. Many feel the Trojans, playing in the weak Metro Conference, have yet to be tested. St. Augustine, which beat Hoover in a playoff to qualify as the City Central League’s second representative, could provide Castle Park with a challenge tonight.

In girls’ first-round action tonight:

The top two seeds in both the 3-A and 2-A playoffs will open play in the playoffs tonight. Point Loma (24-1), the top 3-A seed and two-time defending state champion, will open at home against Hilltop at 7 p.m. Monte Vista (23-2), seeded second, will host last year’s 3-A runner-up Fallbrook (16-7) at 7:30. In the 2-A playoffs, top-seeded Southwest (21-2) will host Mission Bay at 7:30 and second-seeded San Marcos (23-3) will be at home to face Mar Vista.