CLU Finds Respite in Conference Schedule

Cal Lutheran received its biggest break of the season from a most unlikely source Tuesday night--the Golden State Athletic Conference schedule.

Just when the Kingsmen needed a couple of wins to earn an NAIA District III playoff berth, along comes lowly Fresno Pacific. The Sunbirds accommodated the Kingsmen by succumbing, 98-85, at Cal Lutheran.

The win keeps the Kingsmen atop the GSAC standings with just three games remaining. If CLU can finish among the top four teams in conference, it would be one of the host teams for the district playoffs.

For now, however, CLU Coach Larry Lopez will be glad just to make the playoffs.

“We’re playing real well right now,” Lopez said. “It’s nice to have a break because we’ve had the meat of our schedule the last two weeks.”

Lopez expected a tougher game against Fresno Pacific, winner of 3 of its past 5 games, despite the Sunbirds’ 5-19 overall record.

“They’re a good team and I think their record is deceiving,” Lopez said. “We just had one of our best first halves of the season tonight, from following our game plan and executing.”

Forward Steve deLaveaga helped CLU jump ahead early and led the Kingsmen in scoring with 28 points. DeLaveaga also had one of his best rebounding nights with 12. Jeff Logsdon added 21 points and Mike Demeter scored 17 for the Kingsmen.

DeLaveaga credited Logsdon, who dished out a game-high nine assists, as the reason for his high-scoring night.

“I keep telling everybody that the reason we’re having the success we are is because of guys like Jeff Logsdon,” deLaveaga said. “If I asked for the ball tonight, he got it to me.”

Lopez credits the CLU bench for making up for the loss of James Faulk, CLU’s leading rebounder, and Loren Rodrick, who were declared academically ineligible last week.

“I just think the guys are picking up for the departure of James and Loren really well,” Lopez said. “It has really been a team effort.”

Five CLU players scored in double figures, including Darren Ranck, who scored 10 points and pulled down 10 rebounds.

Fresno Pacific forward Brian Falls led all scorers with 39 points. Donnie Johnson added 10 points for the Sunbirds.

DeLaveaga, who scored 17 points in the first half, has scored more points in the first half of his past two games than he did in 40 minutes against Westmont last week. His 15-point performance against the Warriors was a season-low for the 6-4 forward.

DeLaveaga, who is not known for his rebounding, also pulled down eight rebounds in the initial 20 minutes. Demeter, a 6-7 sophomore center, added 15 points in the first half.

The Kingsmen led throughout the first period. CLU had a comfortable 31-19 lead with 8:50 to play in the first half before the Sunbirds closed the gap to 34-27. The Kingsmen pulled ahead in the final six minutes to go ahead, 54-34, at halftime.

The win was CLU’s second in a row and it helped the Kingsmen to regain momentum going into the last two weeks of play.

After a series of games against the top contenders in the GSAC, CLU got a breather against the struggling Sunbirds. Fresno is near the bottom of the GSAC standings after dropping to 4-7 in conference play.

The Kingsmen, however, bolstered their chances of advancing to the playoffs. The win kept the Kingsmen (13-12 overall) atop the GSAC standings with an 8-3 conference record.

Westmont, Southern California and CLU were tied for the GSAC lead going into Tuesday’s game while Cal Baptist and Azusa Pacific were both one game out with 6-4 records. The Kingsmen need to finish among the top six teams in the conference to advance to the playoffs.

CLU faces two of the conference’s worst teams, Point Loma Nazarene and Christ College, in two of its final three games. Lopez expects the Kingsmen to finish strongly against the weaker teams.

“It helps us most inside,” Lopez said. “We can substitute and rotate some other guys because they’re not as tough inside.”

The Kingsmen play their regular-season finale at Cal Baptist on Feb. 27. CLU plays host to Point Loma on Friday in its last home game.

Fresno Pacific 92, Cal Lutheran 48--Guard Marguerite Horn came off the bench to score a game-high 17 points to lead the Sunbirds at Cal Lutheran. Five Fresno Pacific players scored in double figures.

Sophomore forwards Brenda Lee (15) and Heidi Griffith (12) scored in double figures for Cal Lutheran, which dropped to 5-17, 3-6 in Golden State Athletic Conference play. The Sunbirds improved to 18-6, 8-2.

Freshman forward Kellie Fry scored 15 points and Irene Robles added 14 for Fresno, which jumped out to a 45-23 lead. Robin Turner added 12 points and pulled down a game-high 10 rebounds and Trish Taplac scored 10.

For CLU Coach Norm Chung, the loss was the latest in a season of disappointments.

“They’re a fine club and we just didn’t have what it took to play with them,” Chung said. “I expected the score to be a little more credible, but we just couldn’t handle their quickness.”