Cal Lutheran’s Title Plans Hit a Bump in the Road

Coach Larry Lopez has devised a plan to help the Cal Lutheran men’s basketball team win the Golden State Athletic Conference.

Under Lopez’s plan, the Kingsmen had to win all 7 of their remaining home games and at least 4 of their 7 GSAC games on the road to stay in contention for the conference title.

Implementing his plan may not be as easy, however, which is something Lopez discovered in Tuesday night’s GSAC opener at Westmont College. Behind Noel Matthews’ game-high 28 points, the host Warriors rallied for a 91-77 victory.

Cal Lutheran (6-9) has lost 5 games in a row and has not won since Dec. 17.

Westmont (7-7) lost 5 consecutive games after forward Mike Kelly fractured his foot in early December, but the Warriors have turned that around and Tuesday’s win was their fourth in a row.

The Kingsmen, meanwhile, have had troubles of their own. Senior guard Steve deLaveaga, who averages 25.6 points a game to lead NAIA District 3 players in scoring, was held to 29 total points in the 2 games before Tuesday.

He snapped out of the brief slump against Westmont with a 28-point performance that tied Matthews for scoring honors. But despite his offensive revival, deLaveaga was frustrated with his play.

“I think all of us have to start looking in the mirror and asking ourselves what we want to have happen this season,” deLaveaga said. “It was just a lack of heart tonight, that’s why we lost.”

Lopez said Cal Lutheran’s defensive breakdown in the second half cost the Kingsmen the game.

“We did not go out and take charge in the second half and they did,” Lopez said. “They outplayed us and outcoached us.”

The Warriors outscored the Kingsmen, 54-38, in the second half after trailing at halftime, 39-37.

Guard Jeff Logsdon kept Cal Lutheran in front most of the first half. He scored 13 of his 20 points in the opening period and added Cal Lutheran’s final 6 points before halftime on a pair of 3-point shots.

The Warriors staged an 11-2 scoring run in the first 5 minutes of the second half to jump ahead, 48-41. While Westmont was establishing its commanding lead, deLaveaga’s 2 jump shots constituted Cal Lutheran’s entire offense for the first 6:13 of the second half.

Westmont assumed its biggest lead of the game, 62-48, midway through the second half. The Kingsmen cut the margin to 7 points at 77-70, with 2:37 left, but the consistent outside shooting of Matthews kept the Warriors in front.

For Westmont Coach Chet Kammerer, the Warriors’ defense in the second half was the key to their victory.

“We felt like we had to do a really good job on Steve, that was real important,” Kammerer said. “You don’t stop a player like him. All we did was try and control him.”

Four Westmont players scored in double figures. Beside Matthews, Brad Smidt had 18 points and Dan Swanner and Chad Kammerer had 12 and 10 points, respectively.

The Warriors have a 46-9 edge in the series against Cal Lutheran, but the teams split their 2 games last season.