State High School Basketball Championship Games : Only Bishop O’Dowd Standing Between Manual Arts and Title

OAKLAND — Saturday night, live, it’s the best local show in high school basketball, Manual Arts, which, having completed a triumphant run on Southern California stages, now plays the North.

Tonight at the Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum Arena, the improbable script that the Toilers have followed to the Division I title game in the Reebok state tournament--consecutive wins over Bishop Amat of La Puente, Simi Valley and Crenshaw--will come to its dramatic conclusion.

Triumph or tragedy?

The Toilers could get by with a little help from their friends. Or at least a couple of scouting reports.

Manual Arts (26-3) will play longtime Northern California power Bishop O’Dowd of Oakland, which went 32-2 this season. One of those losses was inflicted by Westchester in the Las Vegas tournament in December. Manual Arts beat Westchester twice this season, including a win in the City 4-A semifinals last month.

Crenshaw, a three-time Manual Arts opponent this season, could also lend some insight.

The Cougars, No. 1 in the state before losing to Manual Arts last Saturday in overtime in the Southern California Regional final, have seen Bishop O’Dowd, too. It was two years ago, true, but this Bishop O’Dowd team is almost a carbon copy of the group of well-coached over-achievers that lost to Stephen Thompson, Ronald Caldwell and Dion Brown by one point in the ’86 state title game.

“This season, we have Kason Jackson, who has signed with UC Santa Barbara, at point guard, and Steve Smith, a 6-2 perimeter shooter, will play somewhere,” Bishop O’Dowd Coach Mike Phelps said. “But, other than that, we’re not a team with a lot of good jumpers or shooters. It’s a smart, disciplined group.

“This team finds a way to win. A lot of our games haven’t been pretty. We’re getting beat, and suddenly someone picks it up and has an outstanding quarter. We’ll be losing by eight points in the third and go on a 22-4 run or something. The kids will dig down deep and not want to be denied.”

These are both guard-oriented teams. Manual Arts is led by Chris Small and Wayne Williams, who have both proven deadly as streak shooters in the playoffs. Bishop O’Dowd has Jackson and Smith.

Manual Arts is making its first trip to the championship game. This is the third trip for Bishop O’Dowd since the state playoff system was revived in 1982. Bishop O’Dowd lost to Crenshaw in 1983 and again in ’86.

It’s also the first try at a state championship for the Inglewood Morningside girls’ team, dominant in Southern California all season. The Monarchs are 33-1, having lost only to Lynwood, 64-60. Morningside will play Oakland Fremont for the Division I title.

“They are very, very talented, they have good height, and they do what it takes to win,” Lynwood Coach Van Girard said of Morningside. “What can I say? They’re a great team.”

Shaunda Greene, who has averaged 24 points a game, is the leader. The supporting cast includes sophomore center Lisa Leslie, an excellent shot blocker who also scored 21 points a game; Carla Gladden, one of the Southern Section’s top guards, and forward Althea Moses, a strong rebounder.

“It’s my idea that Shaunda Greene is the MVP of this team and the CIF,” Morningside Coach Frank Scott said.

Fremont is 16-11, but all the losses were forfeits caused by the use of two ineligible players.

In the Division II girls’ game, Palos Verdes (27-7), a team with four players 6 feet or taller, will play Grant of Sacramento (26-7).

The two tallest--and best--players on one of the biggest teams in the Southern Section are the Burge twins, Heather and Heidi, both 6-4. Forward Mary Maloney continues to impress coming off the bench.

The three other games at the Coliseum Arena: Bakersfield Foothill (27-4) against Menlo Atherton (29-5) in the boys’ Division II game; San Diego Lincoln (26-2) against Daly City Jefferson (30-1) in boys’ Division III, and Lemoore (22-8) against Burlingame (35-2) in girls’ Division III.

In the first year of the five-division setup, expanded from three, four games will be played at College of the Canyons in Santa Clarita.

Ripon Christian is the only school sending both boys’ and girls’ teams to the state finals. The Knights’ girls team (28-1) will open with a Division V game against Avenal (27-3) at 2:45 p.m., and the boys (25-8) follow at 4:30 against Calipatria (24-5).

At 6:15, Willows (24-4) faces Chowchilla (28-2) in the Division IV girls’ game, and San Rafael Terra Linda (24-9) takes on Fresno Washington Union (30-2) in the boys’ Division IV game at 8.