PREP BASKETBALL ROUNDUP : Even Rolling Hills Coach Shocked as His Titans Stun Palos Verdes in Hilltop Classic

As a jubilant Rolling Hills basketball team filed out of Miraleste High’s gymnasium Thursday night, one player posed an interesting question for Coach Cliff Warren:

“Are we No. 1 in CIF?”

Warren wouldn’t answer, but Rolling Hills seems to have a legitimate claim to the top spot in the CIF 3-A Division after it dismantled No. 1-rated Palos Verdes, 63-54, in the semifinals of the Hilltop Classic.

The Titans, who spent most of last season at the top of the polls, led by as many as 20 points in the fourth quarter, a development that caught Warren by surprise.

“We obviously played the best game of our young careers,” he said. “I don’t think I’ve ever had a more startling win. Actually, I’m shocked.”

Maybe he shouldn’t be. Warren now owns a 6-1 record against Palos Verdes since he became Rolling Hills’ coach two years ago. The Titans’ only loss to their rivals during that time came in last year’s Hilltop semifinals.

Rolling Hills (5-1) will meet Mary Star (3-2) at 7:30 tonight in what could turn out to be an anticlimactic championship game. Most people consider Rolling Hills and Palos Verdes the best teams in the tournament.

There were several factors instrumental in the upset:

- Rolling Hills’ man-to-man defense shut down Palos Verdes for long stretches. The Sea Kings shot 3-for-12 from the field in the second quarter and went more than four minutes without a basket in the fourth period.

- Junior guard Mark Tesar kept Palos Verdes’ zone defense honest with strong outside shooting. He led Rolling Hills with 27 points, including four three-point shots.

- With Tesar shooting well from long range, things gradually opened up inside for 6-3 forward John Hardy, who played a strong game on the boards. He led Rolling Hills with nine rebounds and scored 11 points.

“Their defense was better than our defense the whole game,” said Palos Verdes Coach John Mihaljevich, whose team dropped to 4-2. “That was the key to the game.

Rolling Hills, unranked in the CIF 3-A preseason ratings, never trailed after scoring 11 unanswered points late in the second quarter to take a 26-21 half-time lead. Tesar scored five points during the stretch.

Mary Star 55, Miraleste 53--Center John Glavan, a 6-9 senior, hit an 18-foot shot from the base line at the buzzer in overtime to lift the Stars in the Hilltop Classic semifinals.

Mary Star rallied from a 42-36 deficit after the third quarter behind the play of senior guard Dewey Dominguez, who led all scorers with 17 points. The Stars missed two shots at the end of regulation, which ended at 49-49.

Miraleste (1-4) tied the game, 53-53, with eights second left in overtime on a shot by sophomore David Terrell. Mary Star immediately brought the ball down court and set up Glavan’s game-winner. Glavan finished with 9 points.

Junior center Scott Klein led Miraleste with 14 points.

Chadwick 50, Mira Costa 47--In a consolation semifinal, guard Mike Fowler scored 11 of his 13 points in the fourth quarter to lead the Dolphins. Charlton Jackson also scored 13 for the winners. Chadwick (2-3) will meet Bishop Montgomery at 4:30 p.m. today for the consolation championship.

Bishop Montgomery 54, South Torrance 46--In the other consolation semifinal, Andy Zimmerman scored 16 points to lead Bishop Montgomery. His total included 8-for-8 from the foul line. The Knights improved to 2-3 on the season.

Girls

Mary Star 54, San Pedro 50--A semifinal match-up in the St. Anthony Tournament provided the first official meeting of the neighboring schools as Mary Star built a 32-11 lead, then withstood a San Pedro comeback that saw the Pirates close to within a basket at 52-50. Anne Ibarra had 20 points to lead Mary Star, which plays host St. Anthony for the tourney championship at 5 p.m. Saturday. San Pedro was led by Maria Louros’ 17 points and 16 by Brenda Bryan. The Pirates play Connelly of Anaheim for third place.