SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA REGIONALS : Tustin Starts, Finishes Slowly in 75-50 Loss : Madison Jumps to Early Lead, Adjusts Defense to Pull Away for Victory

It took San Diego Madison High School’s basketball team just three minutes to show Tustin--and a crowd of 800--what it had to offer Tuesday night in a first-round game of the Southern California Regional Division II playoffs.

Madison opened the game with a spectacular 15-point run.

It finished much the same, defeating Tustin, 75-50, at Torrey Pines High School in Del Mar.

“They were the better team, no question about it,” Tustin Coach Tom McCluskey said. “Our kids showed a lot of character not giving up, but (Madison players) were better on the boards, better on the bench, better athletes all around.”

Madison (27-2), the second-seeded team, will play Woodbridge Thursday night in the second round.

Tustin, the Southern Section 3-A runner-up, finished 24-7. The Tillers, who shot only 33% from the field in last Saturday’s loss to Kennedy, shot 35% Tuesday.

Madison made its presence known early in the game, but Tustin managed to stay close. After Madison gained a 17-7 lead on the Tillers, Tustin answered with a nine-point run to end the first quarter with a one-point deficit (17-16).

The second quarter was much the same, with Madison keeping a two- or three-point advantage through the early minutes.

Tustin tied it at 25-25 and gained its first lead (29-27) when Leo Parker scored on a fast-break layup and then a turn-around jumper with 1:29 remaining in the half. Madison tied the score, though, at 31-31, to end the first half.

In the second half, Tustin appeared ready to take control. Parker swung out for a bank shot over Madison center Jeff Alexander, and, 20 seconds later, made an off-balance layup.

But when Madison switched from its man defense to a 3-2 zone, it left Tustin behind for good.

The Warhawks outscored Tustin, 20-11, in the third quarter.

“We had our ups and downs in the first half,” Madison Coach Jim Thompson said. “But when we went to that 3-2 zone, it seemed to help contain them. I think we had worn them down too.”

Thrown off by Madison’s zone defense, Tustin tried to score from the outside. But three consecutive three-point attempts ended in Madison rebounding and scoring off a fast-break.

The zone threw off Tustin inside as well. The Tillers had a tough time getting the ball to Parker, who was well-guarded by Alexander.

Tustin was also plagued by poor ballhandling. In the space of five minutes, the Tillers were called for traveling four times and made four turnovers. They left the third quarter with a 51-42 deficit.

But Madison played even better in the final quarter, outscoring Tustin, 24-8. The Warhawks outrebounded the Tillers, 14-7, in the quarter, 34-19 for the game.

Parker, who finished with a game-high 25 points, left his heavily guarded inside position for the outside, and made a three-pointer just before he left the game with 1:49 to play.

Alexander, who averaged 11.4 points, led Madison with 21 points. Robby Robinson added 17, Wesley Bertelsen 14 and Jeff Harper 13 to lead the Warhawks.

“Their zone just killed us,” McCluskey said, then added: “Good luck to the next team.”