SOUTHERN SECTION BASKETBALL TOURNAMENT PREVIEWS : Lyon-Goff Dogfight Gives Magnolia Its New Bite

The Magnolia High School basketball team has gone to the dogs.

The Sentinels’ gym is now known as “The Dog House.” A sign above the basketball-office door reads: “We Will Not Lose in the Dog House.”

For last Friday night’s game against Brea-Olinda, students made over a traffic sign to read: “You Can’t STOP The Dogs.” Barking and howling are considered acceptable social behaviors at Magnolia home games.

What started as a nickname players gave themselves to describe their defense--the Dog Defense--has become the rage in the Sentinels’ gym.

Of course, none of this would have happened had the Sentinels played like dogs this season.

But, thanks largely to the efforts of center Mark Lyon and forward Mike Goff, Magnolia (18-5) finished in a three-way tie for first in the Orange League and will play host to University Friday night in the opening round of the Southern Section 3-A playoffs.

Magnolia has received solid outside shooting from Victor Banuelos (13.1 points per game) and strong defense from Pat Gorrien and Bill Czech, but the heart of this team has been the frontline combination of Lyon and Goff.

Lyon, a 6-foot 7-inch senior, averages 19.0 points and 8.5 rebounds, and Goff, a 6-6 junior, averages 18.5 points and 12.3 rebounds.

Both can play inside or outside, but Lyon is a stronger, more physical player who prefers to be close to the basket; Goff is more of a finesse player and outside shooter who will probably develop into a swingman in college.

They complement each other well during the game, and they’re good friends away from the game.

But it wasn’t always that way. The very game that provided the foundation for their friendship last fall nearly turned Lyon and Goff into enemies.

Their problems evolved from a preseason struggle to determine who would be Top Dog on the team. Lyon and Goff were varsity starters last season, but each began this season with the intention of proving he was the better player.

Such a plot made for some fierce open-gym battles. Lyon and Goff were always matched against each other on opposing teams, and they attacked each other with a fervor normally reserved for rival Brea-Olinda players.

One day in November, their conflict came to a head. Words and elbows were being exchanged more than baskets and, inevitably, a fight broke out.

The two didn’t talk for a few days but finally apologized and settled their differences. Today, they laugh about the altercation.

“Looking back, I think that helped us,” Goff said. “It made us realize that we shouldn’t be jealous of each other.”

Added Lyon: “I thought I was a better player, but I learned that he (Goff) can do a lot of things, and the team wouldn’t have to rely on me for scoring as much as it did last year. Now, it doesn’t matter who the high scorer is, we just go to the guy who’s hot.”

Goff and Lyon joined forces to help the Sentinels win their second league championship since the school opened in 1960 and create an unprecedented level of basketball interest at the Anaheim school.

Excitement reached a peak Friday night when an estimated 1,500 fans packed the Dog House for the season finale against Brea. It was the largest crowd Coach Al Walin had seen in his 19 seasons at the school. About 100 were turned away at the door.

Fans filled both sides of the gym and lined the baselines. Some students painted their faces, half black and half gold. They formed a human tunnel the length of the floor for introductions.

The outpouring of emotion was foreign to the Magnolia players--remember, the Sentinels were 8-15 last season and 0-20 the season before--and they weren’t quite sure how to react.

Throw in the pressure of possibly becoming the first basketball team in Magnolia history to win a league title outright (the Sentinels were Irvine League co-champions in 1969), and what you had was a bunch of dumbfounded mutts.

Magnolia appeared sluggish in the first half, fell behind, 39-31, at halftime and lost, 66-62. Goff had only one point in the first half but finished with 18; Lyon managed only 11.

“We weren’t used to the crowd, and we were really nervous coming out,” Lyon said. “It didn’t seem to affect Brea much. It was weird. It was like I just stood there and watched Brea score. I guess the crowd got to me.”

Magnolia lost the game but won a coin flip afterward to gain the league’s No. 1 playoff berth and the right to play at home Friday. Goff and Lyon vow that they’ll be ready for the crowd this week.

“In my freshman year, when the varsity was 0-20, there would be about 10 people at the games,” Goff said. “Eight were parents, and two were really good friends of the players. You’d walk around campus and say you played basketball, and everyone would just laugh at you.

“But this year, people have been behind us. Now, when people hear you play basketball, they say, ‘Good job, you guys played awesome, we read about you in the paper.’ Now, you enjoy saying you play basketball.”

Lyon, who transferred to Magnolia from Woodbridge after his sophomore year, has never seen such spirit at Magnolia.

“All people are talking about is basketball,” he said. “More people want to go out for the team. Students respect you a lot more. People I don’t even know say, ‘Hi,’ to me at school. They really admire the team because we’re winning this year. I love it.”