PREP BASKETBALL ROUNDUP : Goat Becomes a Hero at Buzzer as Redondo Nips Centennial, 64-63

Senior forward Mike Houck, replacing a forgettable start with a memorable finish, scored Redondo’s last 11 points Wednesday night, including a three-point basket at the buzzer, to lift the Sea Hawks over visiting Centennial, 64-63.

The decision pulled Redondo (12-5 overall, 5-1 in league action) into a second-place tie with Centennial (7-7, 5-1) in the Pioneer League race, knocking the Apaches out of first.

Houck’s late spurt came after Redondo had fallen behind by as much as 11 points in the fourth quarter. The team rallied but still had its back to the wall after Centennial’s Zachary Allison hit a jump shot with 11 seconds left to put the Apaches up, 63-61.

Until the final two minutes, however, Houck put on an exhibition in futility. The Sea Hawks’ leading scorer, frustrated offensively, had only four points before starting his streak with a layup that pulled Redondo to within 56-55 with 2:05 remaining.

“That tells you something about his character,” said Redondo Coach Steve Shaw. “He was struggling tonight, but he came back and hit the big shots.”

The 6-3 Houck saved his biggest shot for last.

Trailing by two points after Allison’s basket, Redondo called a timeout with nine seconds left to set up the last play. Guard Kevin O’Brien dribbled up-court and looked to pass to either Houck or forward David Dinnel.

“That’s when it’s nice to have two guys to go to,” Shaw said. “(Centennial) did a nice job of keeping the ball away from Dinnel, and Houck did a nice job of getting open.”

O’Brien passed to Houck, who caught the ball at the top of the key, turned to his left and nailed the 20-footer as the buzzer sounded. Several Centennial players protested that Houck’s foot was on the three-point line, but the basket stood without question from the officials.

The loss negated a fine performance by Centennial’s Allison. The left-handed guard scored a game-high 26 points, including his team’s last two baskets in the final 33 seconds.

Dinnel led Redondo with 17 points, followed by Houck with 15 and O’Brien, making his first varsity start, with 14.

It was Redondo’s first game since starting center Steve Cottey was lost for the season with a broken leg. The Sea Hawks also played without starting forward Scott Denhart, who is out for two weeks with a knee injury.

St. Bernard 83, St. Monica 81--Center Ed Stokes hit a short baseline jumper with 45 seconds left and forward Terrel Steen came up with two key defensive plays in the waning moments of the second overtime as the Vikings prevailed in a key Camino Real League game at St. Monica.

After Stokes’ shot put St. Bernard ahead, 83-81, Steen stole the ball on two straight St. Monica possessions. St. Bernard stayed atop the Camino Real League standings with a 6-0 record and improved to 17-2 overall. St. Monica fell to 4-1 and 13-3.

Stokes, a 6-11 senior headed for Arizona, finished with 27 points, 15 rebounds and five blocked shots.

St. Monica guard Chris Cotton had tied the game at 79 with a three-pointer at the end of the first overtime after St. Bernard’s Terence Sullivan missed a dunk that would have given the Vikings a five-point lead with 18 seconds left.

Bishop Amat 64, Bishop Montgomery 61--The Knights remained winless in the Angelus League as Amat broke away from a 33-33 halftime tie. Amat, now 1-2 in league play, built a 46-39 lead after three quarters, and expanded that to 59-50 midway through the fourth. Montgomery, 9-8 overall, fell to 0-4 in the league despite 14 points from Darrell Daniels and 12 by Shelton Hill. The Knights play host to St. Bernard on Friday.

West Torrance 58, North Torrance 45--In an Ocean League game at North High, West improved to 9-7 overall and 3-3 in the league with a 16-6 third quarter spurt that proved decisive. Guard Dock Kim hit two three-pointers during West’s run as the Warriors pulled away from a 36-29 halftime lead. West’s Jude Donahue led all scorers with 15 points. Sophomore Brian Jurado scored 12 for North (4-12, 1-5).

Crenshaw 81, Carson 73--In a Southern Pacific Conference game at Crenshaw, Carson rallied in the fourth quarter to pull to within six points but couldn’t catch the Cougars. Carson (8-7, 2-2) trailed by 10 after one quarter and 14 at the half but pulled to within nine after three quarters and made a late charge behind Raymond Bennett’s 23 points and 22 from Vincent Washington. Carson plays host to Banning on Friday.

Westchester 106, Hamilton 75--The Comets improved to 4-0 in the Coastal Conference and 10-3 overall in the runaway at Westchester. Hamilton fell to 1-3 in the conference. The Comets led, 26-18, after one quarter and exploded for 31 points in the second quarter to take a 57-38 lead. Zan Mason had 28 points and 16 rebounds for Westchester while Sam Crawford added 17 points and 11 assists. The Comets continue conference play at Palisades on Friday.

Washington 83, Banning 60--In a Southern Pacific Conference game, Washington (3-1 in conference) pulled away early in the first half and never looked back. Banning (8-9, 1-3) made a run in the second half but Washington withstood it and pulled away again. Point guard Chris Waller scored 20 points for Banning and hit four three-pointers.