SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA REGIONAL PREP BASKETBALL TOURNAMENT : Crenshaw Is Spread Thin, but Slows Down to Stop Hoover

Imagine the contrast in basketball that Hoover High School of Fresno had seen in a three-day stretch.

The Patriots had gone from defeating the patient and structured approach of Southern Section 5-A champion Mater Dei of Santa Ana Tuesday to facing the high-flying running game of Crenshaw, the City 4-A champion, Thursday.

Despite the contrast, Hoover did adjust, but so did Crenshaw.

The Cougars, who led by 11 points heading into the fourth quarter, had to play slow-down to beat Hoover, 71-65, at Cal State Dominguez Hills and advance to the title game of the Division I Southern California Regional final Saturday at the Sports Arena.

The Cougars (28-0) will get there despite scoring only four points in the last 3:03 of the game--all on free throws. Their 61-50 lead had been chipped down to 67-60, before the final six-point margin, Crenshaw’s third-closest victory of the season.

“They didn’t crack,” Crenshaw Coach Willie West said of Hoover, the Central Section champion, which finished 27-2. “They were under control the whole time. I was very impressed.”

And the uncharacteristic spread offense at the end?

“You have to do what you have to do,” West said. “Obviously, we didn’t get the offensive rotation we wanted to, so we started to use the clock.”

Forward Doug Meekins scored 21 for Crenshaw and center Cornelius Holden, again a force inside, had 18 and 8 blocked shots.

Senior forward Pat Riddlesprigger, who scored 19 in the first-round win over Mater Dei, scored 22 points for Hoover, which had its 18-game winning streak snapped. Fourteen of those points came in the second half.

Fresno-area champions from the major division are never pushovers for Southern California teams--Edison of Fresno extended eventual state titlist Mater Dei last season before falling by one point in the semifinals--and Hoover was no different. Though the Patriots couldn’t match Crenshaw for depth or sheer talent, the teams were tied with five minutes to play in the first half, 27-27.

From there, Crenshaw went on a 17-6 run to end the half and led, 44-33, at halftime. Holden, 6-foot 7-inch, 200-pounder bound for Louisville, was the key in the first two quarters for Crenshaw, as he had been in the City 4-A title win last Friday. He had 14 points and 4 blocked shots in the first half. Doug Meekins had 15 points on 7-of-8 shooting from the floor.

Hoover made another run to open the second half, but Crenshaw held that off, too. The Cougars led, 61-50, after three quarters.