Hart Falls in Final to Beverly Hills, 75-55

Watching Chris Plummer of Beverly Hills High shoot from the perimeter is like viewing basketball from a bygone era when the set shot was dominant and the slam dunk was rarely seen.

“His shots outside of 15 feet are a little unorthodox but he makes them,” Beverly Hills Coach Jack Dyck said of Plummer. “We tried to get him to change his style but it didn’t work. Now we just let him play his own game.”

Plummer’s own game worked just fine in the final of the Hart tournament Wednesday night. The 5-10, 175-pound guard scored a game-high 32 points to lead Beverly Hills to a 75-55 victory over Hart and was named tournament MVP.

Plummer scored 12 points in the third period when Beverly Hills outscored Hart, 24-6, to break open a close contest. With 5:20 left in the third quarter, Hart trailed, 33-27, but a 22-1 run gave Beverly Hills a commanding 55-28 lead after three periods.

The key for Beverly Hills (14-1) was the defense, which limited Hart guard Steve Valenzuela to two points in the period and held forward Brian Allen scoreless.

Valenzuela scored 11 of his 13 points in the first half to keep Hart close at intermission, 31-22. Allen scored all eight of his points in the first half. Valenzuela and Allen were selected to the all-tournament team.

“Shutting down those two was the key for us,” Dyck said. “They’re both very good ballplayers who can really hurt if you give them the chance.”

Hart (7-5) was led by reserve forward Rusty Fotheringham, who scored 14 points, 13 in the final quarter when the outcome was no longer in doubt.

Plummer was the only Beverly Hills player to score in double figures. Forward Mike Moore, who scored four points, and guard Derek Patton, who had seven points, were all-tournament selections.

San Fernando 83, Saugus 62--The Tigers used a 2-2-1 full-court zone press to break open a close contest in the third quarter of the third-place game.

San Fernando led, 39-32, with 4:50 left in the third quarter before embarking on an 18-8 run. Senior guard Joe Mauldin and reserve guard Sean Williams keyed the Tiger surge, forcing Saugus turnovers that led to easy baskets.

Mauldin scored 25 points and was selected to the all-tournament team with guard Tory Stephens, who scored a game-high 30 points, including five three-pointers. Williams and Russell Baldwin each scored nine points for San Fernando (5-4).

Saugus (4-8), the defending Southern Section 3-A Division champion, trailed throughout the game. Rick Bilek’s three-point shot with 3:15 left in the second quarter pulled the Centurions to within two points at 23-21, but Williams answered with another three-pointer 10 seconds later and Saugus never drew closer.

Bilek, a 5-11 guard, led Saugus with 23 points, including seven three-pointers. Forward Jason Harrison scored 12 points and was selected to the all-tournament team.

Notre Dame 60, Marshall 40--Bruce Heicke scored 16 points and teammates Kenny Hicks and Brian Jones added 14 and 12 points, respectively, in the consolation championship.

Notre Dame, which led, 42-31, after three quarters, outscored Marshall by nine points in the fourth quarter to win going away.