SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA REGIONAL PREP BASKETBALL CHAMPIONSHIP GAMES : Boys’ Roundup : Manual Arts Surprises Crenshaw in Overtime

We interrupt this rerun to bring you some new developments in the Crenshaw-Manual Arts basketball rivalry of 1988, already two games old heading into Saturday night’s game at the Sports Arena to decide Southern California’s Division I representative in the State basketball final:

--A roller-coast ride, thrilling to the end, before a crowd of only 7,254, about 5,000 fewer than when the teams played for the City 4-A title last Friday.

--A game built on improbability and emotion as much as talent.

Sometime around 11:20 p.m., Manual Arts of Los Angeles, shaking off two previous defeats by Crenshaw, beat the No. 1 team in the state, 89-82, in overtime to earn its first spot ever in the California title game. The Toilers celebrated with a pileup near midcourt, while the Cougars were left in a heap, their season over after 28 straight wins.

“It was just like Coach (Reggie) Morris told us,” Manual Arts guard Chris Small said. “In the City, we lost and died and went to heaven. And we came back to haunt Crenshaw.”

Manual Arts (26-3) led, 82-79, with 42 seconds left, when Crenshaw’s John Staggers tied it with a three-point shot from the top of the key. It stayed that way until only two seconds remained, when Crenshaw’s Marcus Williams called a timeout.

But the Cougars didn’t have any left.

Small went to the line to shoot a pair of technical fouls for Manual Arts . . . and missed both.

Into overtime they went.

Manual Arts scored seven points in the extra three-minute period, five on free throws.

Crenshaw, the team that had averaged 100 points a game in its first 25, was shut out.

Manual Arts, which had been ahead by six after two quarters when the City title was at stake, had a seven-point lead at Saturday night’s halftime, 47-40.

Wayne Williams led Manual Arts after two quarters with 13 points, hitting 5 of 8 shots. Staggers, coming off a 3-of-12 shooting performance in Thursday’s semifinal win over Hoover of Fresno, led Crenshaw at the break with 14 points.

Early in the third quarter, the Manual Arts lead went to 10 points, 51-41. But again following the form of last Friday’s game, Crenshaw made a move to regain the lead.

The Cougars drew within three, 57-54, on Staggers’ two free throws with 2:14 to play in the third quarter. By the start of the final eight minutes, they were down by only a point, 64-63.

Bakersfield Foothill 62, San Diego Madison 60--Foothill led from the start and held on to win the Division II final.

Top-seeded Foothill is 27-4. Madison, the San Diego Section champion, finished 28-3.

San Diego Lincoln 80, Lemoore 68--Carl Gaines connected on 10 of 18 shots from the field to finish with 20 points, Joe Temple added 16 points and Roger Johnson 14 as the top-seeded Hornets (26-2) won the Division III game at the Sports Arena.

Tommy Jones led second-seeded Lemoore (17-9), the Central Section champion, with 20 points. Easton Washington 69, Bakersfield Garces 62--Garces had a 10-point lead halfway through the third quarter, but Washington rallied to win the Division IV final at Cerritos College.

Calipatria 56, La Jolla Bishop’s 47--Robert Romero scored 28 points, including 12 in the first quarter, to lead the Hornets to the Division V title at Cerritos College.

Calipatria (24-5) took a 16-14 lead at the end of the first quarter and didn’t trail again.

Bishop’s finished 24-2.