Tonight’s Boys’ Games : Gregory Plans to Make Trabuco Hills’ Swanwick Work for Points Against Savanna

Tom Gregory, Savanna High School basketball coach, has conceded as much before his team meets Trabuco Hills at 7:30 tonight in the second round of the Southern Section 3-A division basketball playoffs: Opposing center Rick Swanwick will score his share of points.

Swanwick, 6-feet-10, averages 20.3 points and 13.5 rebounds per game. An estimated two dozen college coaches and scouts watched him score 23 points and grab 11 rebounds in Wednesday’s opening-round 84-58 victory over Rancho Alamitos.

Savanna (23-2) will rely on 6-6, 220-pound center Tim Tillman and 6-8, 210-pound reserve Eric Preuss to contain Swanwick, who is considered by many to be the top collegiate center prospect in Southern California who is still unsigned.

Trabuco Hills (18-6), which has won 13 of its past 14 games, uses Swanwick inside and sharp-shooting guards Tim Manning, Chad Poulos and Randy Kriech outside to keep opposing defenses honest.

Savanna, seeded third in the division, is coming off a 91-point outburst against Azusa, the highest point production since the Rebels’ 104-77 victory over Sunny Hills in 1976.

Sophomore Mustaphi Abdi made his opening 11 shots and finished with 35 points, hitting 15 of 18 shots.

In other 3-A division games, all starting at 7:30:

Laguna Hills (16-9) at Corona del Mar (16-9): Laguna Hills is coming off its first playoff win in the school’s history, a 72-67 victory over La Quinta. Guard Chris Sheff, a four-year starter, is the school’s career scoring leader. Corona del Mar ended El Dorado’s 14-game winning streak with a fine defensive effort in a 61-43 victory.

Brea-Olinda (20-7) vs. San Dimas (18-6) at Charter Oak HS: San Dimas’ tallest starter is 6-2 Chris Young, who averages 11 points and 5 rebounds per game. Junior Keith Walker, who scored 37 points in Brea’s 29-point victory over La Sierra, figures to have another big game against smaller opponents.

Estancia (20-5) at Norte Vista (15-10): Estancia guard Mike Curtis was limited to 10 points, his lowest output of the season, but the Eagles gained a 55-49 victory over Foothill Wednesday. Estancia’s reward? It gets to travel to Riverside. Norte Vista’s top scorer is 6-2 forward Mario Nava, who averages 23.1 points.

In the 5-AA division:

Chaffey (18-6) at Saddleback (24-1): Chaffey is making its first playoff appearance in 13 years. Saddleback, the county’s top-ranked team, has won 19 consecutive games behind the play of center Malru Dottin and guard Craig Marshall.

L.B. Jordan (17-8) at Fountain Valley (19-6): Jordan was the only team to defeat fourth-seeded Lakewood in Moore League play and has also defeated Loyola and El Dorado. Guard Tom Weaver, despite playing with a sprained ankle, made two free throws with 16 seconds remaining to seal Fountain Valley’s 82-76 victory over Montebello.

Huntington Beach (13-11) at Lakewood (21-6): The teams have a common opponent in Santa Ana. Lakewood defeated Santa Ana, 55-48, in the championship game of the Santa Ana Elks tournament. Huntington Beach eliminated Santa Ana, 89-62, in the first round of the playoffs.

Upland (18-9) vs. Mater Dei (24-2) at Rancho Santiago College: Upland has qualified for the playoffs for the first time in 11 years but it figures to be a short stay. Guard Rick Brodbeck averages 19.3 points and has made 58 three-point shots. Guard Crispin Alapag averages 15.3 points and has made 52 three-point shots. Mater Dei is trying to become the first school to win five consecutive large-school titles.

In the 5-A division:

Los Alamitos (12-14) vs. Edison (14-12) at Marina: Junior center Robert Conlisk scored 30 points, had 15 rebounds, blocked 7 shots and scored the winning basket with 25 seconds remaining in a 72-71 victory over El Toro Wednesday. Edison, the only school to defeat 2-A division powerhouse Santa Clara, plays on a neutral court after administrators scheduled a wrestling tournament in the school’s gymnasium.

Gahr (17-8) at Irvine (21-5): Gahr’s potent offense erupted for 111 points against Santa Fe in its second game of the season. Irvine counters with a ball-control passing offense in an effort to dictate the tempo. Guard Bryan Allred averages 16.5 points and has made 59 three-point shots for Irvine.

Ocean View (18-8) at Etiwanda (15-9): Etiwanda lost three of its opening four league games and rebounded to win the Hacienda League title. Center Todd Norman averages 18.5 points and 9.5 rebounds for Ocean View.

Diamond Bar (12-11) vs. Capistrano Valley (20-4) at Saddleback College: This is a rematch of last year’s 4-A division quarterfinal game which Capistrano Valley won, 76-65. Forward Troy Clark leads Diamond Bar with a 15-point average. Forward Scott McCorkle averages 24.1 points and guard Chris Kostoff averages 15 points for Capistrano Valley, which has advanced to the semifinals in five of the past eight years.

In the 4-AA division:

Torrance (15-10) at Sunny Hills (17-8): Richard Robison averages 27.7 points for Torrance and scored 26 points in an opening-round 59-52 victory over Servite. Guard Jeff White averages 13 points and 7.3 assists for Sunny Hills.

El Modena (20-5) at Cajon (15-9): Cajon upset defending 3-A division champion Kennedy, 52-50, in the first round, meaning fourth-seeded El Modena travels to San Bernardino for its first playoff game in eight years. El Modena also has a potent offense, averaging 74 points per game.

Mission Viejo (12-12) at Inglewood (15-8): Inglewood has three players--forward Harold Miner (USC), guard Johnny Terrell (Colorado) and center Cory Johnson (New Mexico State)--who have signed with Division I colleges.

In the 4-A division:

Dominguez (20-4) at Cypress (12-13): Top-seeded Dominguez has won 14 consecutive games since losing to El Toro, 60-42, in the Orange Holiday tournament. Forward Xavier Edison averages 14 points and 10.1 rebounds, and guard Dijon Bernard averages 13.5 points for Dominguez.

Fullerton (17-6) at Artesia (18-5): Artesia’s Ed O’Bannon, generally considered the best underclassman in the state, averages 27.7 points and 14.7 rebounds per game. O’Bannon, a junior, has a high-game of 50 points. Guard Pete Bach leads Fullerton with a 19.6-point average.

In the 2-AA division:

Whittier Christian (19-6) vs. Bell-Jeff (20-4) at Burbank: Whittier Christian, seeded fourth, is led by forward Paul McKinley (17 points, 5.1 rebounds) and center Scott Ferguson (13.7 points, 9.1 rebounds).

In the 2-A division:

Orange Lutheran (21-3) vs. Notre Dame (12-12) at Corona HS: Guard Jack Kavanagh averages 14.1 points and center Bill Hillyard averages 13.7 points in Notre Dame’s balanced attack. Orange Lutheran has won 14 consecutive games.