San Diego High School Basketball : Morse Makes Easy Work of Poway

The power of San Diego County boys’ high school basketball changed hands at the Patrick Henry High gym Friday night as Morse defeated Poway, 71-39, in the Unlimited Division semifinals of the Kiwanis Tournament.

Poway, which has won three consecutive San Diego Section titles, is no longer the dominate team it once was. Morse, which has been involved in four section championship games in the 1980s, may be the county’s top team this season.

Morse (5-1) wasted little time Friday with the defending champions, putting the game out of reach with an early 19-6 spurt. Poway starting guard Gary Anderson made two early turnovers that resulted in easy Morse baskets. Morse led at the half, 37-12. Rey Parsons led Morse with 15 points.

Morse, which has only lost to Muir of Pasadena, 75-69, plays Mira Mesa (8-0) in the Unlimited Division championship game tonight at 8:15 at Serra High.

KIWANIS TOURNAMENT

In the unlimited division:

Mira Mesa 67, Madison 54--David Lee scored 14 points as Mira Mesa rallied in the second half to remain undefeated. Madison led 34-29 at the half, but Mira Mesa (8-0) outscored the Warhawks 20-9 in the third quarter. Madison (6-2) made only five shots in the second half and was 16 of 55 from the field for the game. Jeffrey Alexander paced Madison with 14 points.

Mt. Carmel 52, Mount Miguel 45--Tim Coleman scored 15 points to lead Mt. Carmel at Patrick Henry. John Krainock added 13 for Mt. Carmel (6-2). Haywood Mathis had 12 points to lead Mount Miguel (4-5). Anthony Rivera added 11.

Briefly: Henry 64, Monte Vista 62 (OT).

In the limited division:

La Jolla 78, Castle Park 63--Adam Kleid scored 25 points and Jerome Sherman added 17 to lead La Jolla (10-2) into today’s final at 4:30 at Serra. Castle Park did not score during the final five minutes of the first quarter as Castle Park jumped to a 23-10 lead. Vince Bucca led Castle Park (5-3) with 11 points.

Helix 52, USDHS 50--Chris Carlson scored from the top of the post with five seconds remaining to give Helix (3-7) the victory. James Wilson scored 22 points to lead the University of San Diego High School (1-4). Robbie Ledord paced Helix with 21 points.

Crawford 51, Bonita Vista 42--Crawford (2-4) hit on 14 of 21 free throws in the fourth quarter to overcome a 32-28 Bonita Vista lead. Randy Burk led Bonita Vista (2-5).

El Capitan 58, Chula Vista 54--Eric Lozoya led four El Capitan scorers in double figures at Serra. Lozoya had 14 points, Danny Curtis and Brian Palmer had 13 each and Mike Smith added 11. Tony Hyner had 18 points for Chula Vista (6-4) which missed five free throws in the fourth quarter and made only 16 of 28 for the game.

Grossmont 67, Serra 60--With a 31-30 halftime lead and starting center Greg Berman out of town, Grossmont Coach Frank Foggiano moved his guards into the middle and it paid off with a win at Hoover. Jason Foggiano led Grossmont (4-5) with 18 points. Serra (1-7) was led by Todd Knight with 22 points.

Valhalla 65, Granite Hills 43--Valhalla outscored Granite Hills 20-7 in the second quarter for a 34-16 halftime advantage at Hoover. Granite Hills, despite a full-court press throughout the game, couldn’t get close after the half. Rob Tubman scored 15 points to lead Valhalla (6-3) which had 10 players score and all its players play. Granite Hills (3-6) was led by Fred Cruse’s 12 points.

Briefly: Hoover 83, University City 68.

In the classified division:

Clairemont 78, Marian 44--Jason Deal led five Clairemont scorers in double figures with 17 points as the Chieftans advanced to tonight’s championship game against St. Augustine at 6:15 at Hoover. Ray McDavid and Mike Giordano scored 12 points apiece and Vic Baer and Zane Williams added 11 each for Clairemont (10-1). Paul Laudenslager and Chris Hazeltine paced Marian (4-2) with 10 points each.

St. Augustine 42, Mission Bay 33--Doug Carter scored 7 of his 11 points in the third quarter as St. Augustine won at San Diego High. Mission Bay led 20-18 at the half, but Carter and Charlie Applegate sparked a 15-4 third-quarter run that sealed the victory. St. Augustine made 12 of 25 free throws and Mission Bay (3-3) made only 5 of 8. Applegate had 14 points to lead St. Augustine (7-1).

Ramona 63, Lincoln 60 (OT)--Ramona’s Chad Nelson hit two free throws with 28 seconds left in regulation to tie the score at 58-58. Lincoln scored the first basket in overtime, but then Ramona rallied and a layup by John Schweitzer with 48 seconds left put the Bulldogs ahead for good. Nelson led all scorers with 19 points. Schweitzer scored 17 and John Liechty added 14 for Ramona (6-4).

San Pasqual 72, San Diego 61--Kevin Vannest scored 20 points to lead San Pasqual to its first win of the season. San Pasqual led 19-13 after the first period and outscored San Diego, 18-8, in the second. Roberto Salas scored 14 points and Read Fenner added 17 for San Pasqual (1-5).

EL CENTRO TOURNAMENT

El Camino 99, Palos Verdes 49--Edmond Johnson set a school single-game scoring record with 46 points to lead El Camino at Central High in El Centro. Johnson broke the record of 41 points set in 1982 by James Wilson. David Hill added 23 points and 15 rebounds for El Camino (8-2).

GIRLS

KIWANIS TOURNAMENT

In the unlimited division:

Point Loma 87, Helix 28--Terri Mann scored 26 and had 27 rebounds as Point Loma cruised to its 97th straight victory at home and 35th overall. Sophomore Monica Filer added 23 points for Point Loma (10-0), which led 52-12 at the half. Jamie Speidel paced Helix 10 points. Point Loma plays Fallbrook for the championship at 6:15 tonight at Serra.

Vista 52, San Marcos 23--Chris Enger led Vista (10-2), which plays Santana for third place today.

In the limited division:

Grossmont 51, San Pasqual 44--Kelly Hankins scored 13 points to lead Grossmont into the finals against Calexico today at 4:30 p.m. at Hoover. Nicole Rothy led San Pasqual with 16 points.

Briefly: Southwest 49, Morse 48.