City 3-A Boys : Simon Has 28 Points; Marshall Wins, 62-47

University High School Coach Jim Nakabara thought before the game that his team would have a good chance of beating top-ranked Marshall if it could use its big men to keep Marshall and scoring champion Jerry Simon shooting from outside.

The strategy failed, and it was Marshall that kept University outside to come away with an easy 62-47 victory in the City 3-A boys’ basketball final Friday night at the Sports Arena.

It was the 6-5 Simon, and the Marshall guards, notably 5-7 Luis Gonzales, who plagued the Warriors from inside and out, bewildering them into disarray.

After scoring just two points in the first quarter, Simon led the Barristers (22-3) to a comfortable lead as they utilized the quickness of their small guards and Simon.

Simon ended up with 28 points, on 8-of-13 shooting, and 17 rebounds. Gonzales had 16 points and 9 rebounds and made a key steal and pass at the end of the first half to help put the Barristers ahead, 26-20.

Marshall Coach Sandy Greentree did what Nakabara wanted to do.

“The key was on defense,” he said. “We played a match-up zone, and they couldn’t get inside.”

The Barristers didn’t have much trouble getting inside. They hit from all over and grabbed 45 rebounds to the Warriors’ 26. University (17-8) couldn’t hit from anywhere.

“If our outside shots would have fallen, the inside game would have opened up,” Nakabara said.

The game never opened up for the Warriors as they shot just 34.9% from the field, contrasted with 45.2% for the Barristers.

The first quarter was uneventful and ended with University leading, 10-9.

Then things started to pick up for Marshall. Midway through the quarter, Gonzales hit two consecutive baskets to build the lead to four points.

Simon was then fouled and gave the Barristers a 17-12 lead. But things weren’t out of hand yet.

The Warriors tied Marshall at 18-18 on three baskets by guard Peter Selleck, who led University with 12 points.

Marshall was able to take a six-point halftime lead on a basket by Simon, then a steal by Gonzales, who passed to guard David Lopez, who scored as time ran out.

By the end of the third quarter, Marshall had opened a 40-29 lead, as Simon pretty much had his way.

He had 17 points in the second half, nine in the fourth quarter, and University, plagued by fouls and poor shooting, wasn’t able to threaten.

Marshall meets Fresno Edison in the first round of the State Southern Regionals at a site yet to be determined.