Southern Section 3-A Boys : Ganesha May Have to Do More Than Stop Williams

Appearances may be deceiving in today’s 2 o’clock Southern Section boys’ 3-A basketball final at the Sports Arena between Hacienda Heights Wilson and Pomona Ganesha High Schools.

On the surface, Wilson would seem to be a one-dimensional team led by its 6-10 center, Scott Williams, playing against a balanced Ganesha team.

Each team would seem to have clear-cut methods to achieve victory: Wilson getting the ball to Williams; Ganesha stopping Williams. Or so it would seem.

“I think people come in and think they can stop Scott and win,” Wilson Coach Mike Lowe said. “But then another guy will step in and have a big night.

“Both teams have such a variety of weapons that most likely this game will be decided by the third or fourth guy who has a big game for each team.”

Although Ganesha and Wilson appear to be vastly different, they are very much alike. Both are experienced teams, Ganesha with four senior starters and Wilson with three. Both have centers with impressive statistics, yet both are surprisingly balanced. And both teams like to run.

“I think we match up with them pretty well,” Lowe said. “They know what we’re gonna do, and I think we know what they’re going to do.”

The teams do match up well, even at center where Williams has most of the press, but his statistics of 19 points and 12 rebounds a game are similar to those of Ganesha’s center, Kevin Cutler (19 points and 13 rebounds per game).

“I know Scotty Williams has a reputation for being completely dominant in a lot of his games,” Ganesha Coach Larry Armstrong said. “But I don’t think that will come into focus as much.”

Joining Cutler up front are Donald English and sophomore Shane Palmer. Donald’s brother Ronald is the off-guard, and Oliver Cunningham is the point guard. Ganesha (28-1) has had a fairly easy time in the playoffs, its smallest winning margin being 13 points.

Wilson (27-3) uses a three-guard offense, with 6-3 forward Neil Weingarten playing up front with Williams. Weingarten has been playing exceptionally well of late. His defensive play on 6-8 Bob Erbst and 6-8 Dan McGwire keyed playoff wins over Anaheim Katella and Claremont.