Division II Boys’ Basketball Playoffs : By Any Name, Kearny Beats No. 1 Torrey Pines

The idea of upsetting Torrey Pines never occurred to the Kearny High School boys’ basketball team.

To think of an upset would be to imply that Torrey Pines was better, and the Komets didn’t see it that way.

“Last time, we played them close, and that was one of our worst games,” said John Williamson, the Kearny center. “We thought if we played hard, we could beat them. We weren’t thinking upset but that we could beat them.”

OK, so the Komets didn’t upset Torrey Pines. They beat the top-ranked Division II team in the county and state, 68-59, Tuesday night at San Dieguito High School.

Kearny, 23-4 and the state’s No. 8 team, will meet Madison at 4:30 p.m. Friday in the section championship game at the Sports Arena.

Senior forward Randy Robinson had 26 points to lead all scorers. Williamson added 19 and along with Chris Ortiz and Robinson provided tough defense and rebounding against the taller Falcons. Kevin Flanagan had 13 for Torrey Pines (28-2).

Neither team looked sharp in the first quarter, both scoring just 9 points.

But Robinson scored 16 in the second period, and when Mike Hutchinson nailed a 19-footer from the right wing at the buzzer, Kearny had a 31-24 lead at halftime.

The Komets, thanks mainly to Williamson’s 6 points, expanded their lead to 13 points after three quarters.

Early in the fourth, it looked as if Kearny would win with ease. Robinson scored 30 seconds into the quarter, and Ortiz made a steal and layed in another basket to give Kearny a 17-point lead, 49-32.

Though obviously rattled, Torrey Pines gradually mounted a comeback. Two quick steals resulted in five points, three on a long shot by Courtie Miller. He scored another from long range, and Flanagan hit two free throws to make it 52-42 and bring the Falcons to within striking distance.

Torrey Pines continued its aggressive defense and forced three more turnovers that led to seven points. When Kevin Friel scored at 3:42, it suddenly was a two-point game, 54-52.

“Late in the game, we spread the court, and they made a run,” said Bill Peterson, the Kearny coach. “We couldn’t get any fouls called. So we decided if we weren’t going to get any fouls, then we’d just go to the hoop.”

Robinson went inside twice to score, and Williamson made a nice turnaround jumper to give Kearny some breathing room at 62-57 with 1:45 to go. Williamson’s basket with 30 seconds remaining made it 66-59 and sealed the victory.

“I can’t even describe this,” Peterson said. “The kids were beautiful. They executed everything we worked on in practice. I feel great for all of them.”

For the record, Kearny lost that first game to Torrey Pines, 71-62, Dec. 30 in the Optimist Tournament championship game. So the teams split for the season.

But Kearny won the one that counted most.