San Diego High School Basketball Playoff Preview : Castle Park Casts a Wary Eye Toward Oceanside Game

Castle Park High School’s basketball players have had their eyes on Oceanside. They remember a year ago, when they were 23-1 going into the San Diego Section 2-A semifinals. They remember that Oceanside won, 45-39.

Thus, Castle Park’s finest season was ended.

The memory of that loss lingers. About six weeks ago, when the playoff picture was still unclear, a group of Castle Park’s players went to Oceanside to watch a game.

“They were already wanting to play Oceanside,” Castle Park Coach Forrest Partch said. “I was trying to make sure they didn’t forget about the rest of the season.”

Now, they can forget everyone but Oceanside. Castle Park’s season again has come down to a 2-A semifinal game against its nemesis. The game will be played at 8 tonight at Mira Mesa High School.

Last season’s game between the teams also was played at Mira Mesa. The similarities don’t end there.

For the second straight year, Castle Park will bring a running, offensive-minded team into the semifinals. The Trojans (21-4 overall) won the Metro-South Bay League with a 13-0 record.

Oceanside, again, comes into the semifinal hoping to control the game’s tempo. The Pirates (19-7) have won 18 of their last 19 games with a stingy defense and a patient offense.

“If the score gets into the 70s (tonight), it will probably be their game,” said Don Montamble, in his first season as Oceanside coach. “If it’s in the 60s or 50s, it could go either way. If it’s in the 40s, it should be our game.”

Oceanside is led by San Diego County’s second-leading scorer, Junior Seau.

Castle Park will counter with an outside shooting attack led by Javier Nunez and an inside game paced by Vince Bucca. Castle Park defeated Christian, 75-63, in a quarterfinal game Saturday night.

Oceanside’s quarterfinal opponent, Lincoln, also was looking to run Friday night at Lincoln, but the Pirates maintained control and won, 59-52. Seau scored 24 points and center Morey Paul added 17.

In the other 2-A semifinal:

Kearny (19-6) vs. El Camino (22-3), 8 p.m. Wednesday, at Mira Mesa High--Kearny, the City Western League champion, got 15 points from Randy Robinson in a 60-58 victory over St. Augustine in the quarterfinals. Top-seeded El Camino, defending 2-A champion, was pushed to overtime before beating La Jolla, 79-76, in the quarterfinals. Lee Cobb (39) and Edmond Johnson (36) scored 75 of El Camino’s 79 points.

In the 3-A semifinals:

Monte Vista (18-5) vs. Mount Carmel (21-3), tonight at 8 at Serra High--Monte Vista, the Grossmont League champion, is coming off a 59-38 victory over Madison in the quarterfinals.

Mount Carmel, which won the Palomar League title, was equally impressive in its quarterfinal victory, defeating Mira Mesa, 56-39.

Mount Miguel (17-8) vs. Morse (20-2), Wednesday at 8 p.m., at Serra High--Mount Miguel is the surprise team in this year’s semifinals, having upended Torrey Pines and Sweetwater--both on the road--in the first two rounds. One of the big reasons for the Matadors’ turnaround has been the play of 6-foot 11-inch center Mike Flores, who scored 26 points in the quarterfinal victory over Sweetwater. Morse, ranked No. 1 in San Diego County, routed San Dieguito, 66-39, in the quarterfinals.

In the girls’ 3-A semifinals:

Mount Carmel (22-4) vs. Point Loma (29-0), tonight at 6, at Serra High--Mount Carmel has defeated Mount Miguel and Bonita Vista. Lynda Jones scored 29 points in the Sundevils’ quarterfinal victory over Bonita Vista. Point Loma is looking for its fourth-straight section title. The Pointers, led by Terri Mann, have won three straight state championships. Point Loma beat Fallbrook, 81-49, in its first-round game.

Santana (20-4) vs. Vista (25-2), Wednesday at 6 p.m. at Serra High--Santana beat Madison, 59-53, in the first round, led by Barbara Bennett’s 20 points. Vista, the No. 2 seed, defeated Helix, 56-29, in the quarterfinals. The Panthers’ defense limited Helix to two points in the first quarter and no points in the fourth.

In the girls’ 2-A semifinals:

Crawford (17-7) vs. San Pasqual (19-5), tonight at 6 at Mira Mesa High--Crawford defeated Southwest in the quarterfinals, 53-52, on a free throw by Karla Salmi with three seconds left. Salmi, the co-athlete of the year in the City Central League, scored 20 points in the Colts’ victory. San Pasqual, seeded No. 2, beat Oceanside, 37-28, in its quarterfinal game.

Lincoln (14-10) vs. La Jolla (16-5), Wednesday at 6 p.m. at Mira Mesa High--Lincoln, the City Central League champion, defeated Ramona, 61-54, in the quarterfinals. La Jolla, seeded No. 1, defeated San Marcos, 57-37, in the quarterfinals. Nicole Anderson scored 24 points to lead the Vikings, the City Western League champions.