Alemany Overcomes Bosco Tech and Its Fans

Alemany High ventured into the hostile confines of Bosco Tech’s sold-out gymnasium Friday night for a showdown for the Del Rey League title. And in the end, it was the screaming crowd--and Bosco Tech--which went quietly into the night as Alemany celebrated a last-second 60-59 win.

It looked as though the Indians might be snake-bitten when they let a seven-point lead dwindle to one in the last minute and Bosco Tech had the ball with 16 seconds left. But Dustin Palma’s jump shot hung on the rim and fell off as the clock ran out during an ensuing scramble for the ball.

“I would have preferred a real dull game,” Alemany Coach Joe Anlauf said. “Alemany hasn’t won a league title in a lot of years. These kids went out and won it.”

The victory actually left Alemany tied with Bosco Tech in the league standings at 11-1. But the league held a tie-breaking coin toss the day before the game. Alemany won, so the Indians knew beforehand that if they beat Bosco Tech, they’d go into the playoffs as a first-place team.

“That’s motivation,” Anlauf said.

As if a league championship wasn’t enough incentive for Bosco Tech, the Tigers found themselves playing before a homecoming crowd of 1,300 packed into a gym that holds only 1,100.

Spectators lined the court. School officials had to turn away a number of people at the front door. Other students were left to try to sneak in through side doors.

Anlauf insisted his players wouldn’t be intimidated by the crowd, but the referees obviously were. They asked school officials to announce before the game that technical fouls would be handed out for vocal abuse of players or referees.

After such an auspicious beginning, the game itself got off to a slow start. Both teams looked ragged in the first quarter. Bosco Tech’s Tom Takeshita hit a pair of long jumpers late in the period and his team led, 15-10.

Alemany got on track in the second quarter. The Indians’ leading scorer Dave Swanson hit two jump shots and guard Dave Berganio scored eight straight points as the Indians went on a 10-1 run.

Bosco Tech center Carlos Carillo kept his team in the game against streaking Alemany, hitting several key buckets.

The Indians led at halftime, 32-27.

In the first game the teams had played this season, in January at Alemany, it was Bosco Tech that jumped out to a lead in the first half. The Tigers held on to win by three. But Swanson missed that game with the flu. Both coaches expected his presence would make a difference in the season-ending rematch.