Ocean View Tournament of Champions : Norman Helps Muscle Ocean View Into the Final With 72-62 Victory

When push came to shove, Todd Norman, Ocean View High School’s 245-pound center, threw his weight around Friday night in the semifinals of the 17th Tournament of Champions in Huntington Beach.

Norman scored 23 points, including two key baskets early in the fourth quarter, to lead Ocean View to a 72-62 victory over Capistrano Valley. The victory moved Ocean View (6-0) into the championship game at 8:30 tonight against Mater Dei (8-1).

Ocean View took a 5-point lead, 47-42, when guard Mike Frohn scored on a baseline jumper with 2 seconds remaining in the third quarter. The momentum carried into decisive final quarter.

Norman muscled his way around Steve McCaughey, Capistrano Valley’s 6-foot 10-inch center, for consecutive baskets to give Ocean View a 56-47 lead with 5:27 remaining, and Capistrano Valley (3-3) never recovered.

Ocean View sealed the victory by making 11 of 15 free throws down the stretch. The victory offset another outstanding performance by Capistrano Valley’s Scott McCorkle.

McCorkle scored 35 points, giving him 98 in 3 tournament games. He’s averaging 32.6 points per game in the tournament, but he’ll be playing in the third-place game against Fresno Edison at 7 tonight for all his efforts.

Greg Evans, Ocean View’s 6-3 junior guard, was given the assignment of trying to guard McCorkle in Ocean View’s man-to-man defense. Evans did all he could, but it’s tough to contain a guy who’s built like Charles Atlas and shoots like Jerry West.

While McCorkle sparkled, it was Norman who did the job in a blue-collar manner. Norman made 9 of 15 shots and had 7 rebounds.

“For about 2 minutes in the fourth quarter, he absolutely killed us,” said Mark Thornton, Capistrano Valley coach. “He dominated inside, and it was all over.”

Capistrano Valley did a good job of containing Norman in the first half by using a collapsing 2-3 zone. Norman had only 7 points at halftime, but he scored 16 points in the second half.

“We had to find a way of getting him one-on-one,” said Jim Harris, Ocean View coach. “We got a lead, then he was one-on-one, and you saw what he did.”

Harris predicted a close, down-to-the-wire game against Mater Dei for the title. The teams met in the 1984 championship game, with Mater Dei winning the second of 3 consecutive tournament titles.

“It’s going to be a very physical game, and I think the team that stays under control has the best chance of winning,” Harris said. “You couldn’t get a better game for a tournament championship.”