Orange County Prep Boys’ Basketball Preview : Burns, Corona del Mar Get Tough Assignment

Chris Burns, Corona del Mar High School forward, has guarded some of the Southern Section’s best players this season, but the forward gets his toughest assignment when the Sea Kings play host to No. 1-seeded Rolling Hills at 7:30 tonight in the 3-A division semifinals at Orange Coast College.

Burns, a 6-foot 3-inch senior, must defend against Doug Gehr, a returning All-Southern Section forward who averages 21 points and 8 rebounds per game. Gehr is averaging 25 points per game in the playoffs.

Gehr scored six of his game-high 21 points that led a Rolling Hills’ comeback in last Friday’s 57-55 victory over Centennial. Centennial held a five-point lead with four minutes remaining, but the Titans scored 10 straight points to gain the victory.

Rolling Hills (25-3) is ranked No. 1 in the State Division II poll by Cal-Hi Sports of Sacramento, but Titans have had two close games in the playoffs and have beaten three opponents by an average margin of 6.7 points.

Corona del Mar (24-6) has been winning with a strong defense, limiting three playoff opponents to an average of 52 points. Burns limited Etiwanda’s Barry Howard to only five points through three quarters in the Sea Kings’ 60-59 victory in the quarterfinals.

Earlier, he held Valencia’s Dennis Burbank to nine points, Woodbridge’s Vince Bryan to six points and Marina’s Steve Guild to eight points.

“I’ve said all year long that Chris is the best defensive player in the county,” said Paul Orris, Corona del Mar coach. “I think the team that makes the fewest mistakes will win. Both teams are very good defensively and both like to control the tempo.

“Rolling Hills is an excellent team that won’t beat itself. I think we can do it, but it will take a strong effort. We have a slight advantage playing the game here (OCC).”

Rolling Hills also features guard Cameron Terry, who averages 17 points per game. Sea King guard Darren Morris will guard Terry.

“We can’t let Terry penetrate, we have to keep him under control,” Orris said. “He has great vision and is a great passer.”

Forward Markus Muller-Stach is the Sea Kings’ leading scorer, averaging 21 points per game. He scored 29 points against Etiwanda; Orris said he could have easily scored 40 points.

“It was a great spectator game, but to be honest, we can play better than we did against Etiwanda,” Orris said. “We’re going to have to play better if we hope to beat Rolling Hills.”

In the 1-A division:

Chadwick (17-7) vs. Whittier Christian (25-1) at Sonora High School: Whittier Christian has won 25 consecutive games since losing its season opener to Lynwood. A victory will likely set up a rematch of last year’s 1-A title game against Crossroads. Junior forward Erik Martin has averaged 20 points per game in the playoffs, and the Heralds have won their playoff games by an average of 20 points.