Morningside Boys Win, 53-46; Girls Defeat Washington : Brawl in Stands Last 10 Minutes

Washington High girls basketball Coach Phil Chase said his team was prepared for Thursday’s Southern California Division I Regional semifinals.

He said a different team from the one that lost to CIF 5-AA champion Morningside early in the season would show up and win.

However, neither Chase’s comments nor a brawl that cleared the stands in the second half and stopped the game for 10 minutes could prevent Morningside (31-1) from beating the City 4-AA champs by a 67-55 margin to advance to Saturday’s 7 p.m. final in the Sports Arena.

Washington ended its season with a 23-5 record. “The last time we played them,” said Morningside Coach Frank Scott, “half of our team had the flu. They (Washington) shouldn’t talk so much. They should really give us a little more respect then that.”

Scott has a right to demand respect after all. His team is ranked No. 1 in the state and No. 2 in the nation by USA Today. The Monarchs also hold a 20-game winning streak.

Morningside proved to Washington’s Generals why they are so dominant as senior guard JoJo Witherspoon led the way with 27 points, 11 rebounds, eight assists and seven steals.

Junior center Lisa Leslie (6-5) had 23 points, 10 rebounds and six blocked shots, and freshmen forward Janet Davis had 10 rebounds, four blocked shots and four points.

But Chase still claims to have the better team. “I don’t think they are that good,” he said after the game. “I mean, they’ve got two good players, but that’s about it.”

Morningside’s domination started at the end of the first quarter when the Monarchs, minus Leslie, who was sitting out with two fouls, went on a 6-0 run ending with Davis’ jumper. That gave the Monarchs a nine-point lead.

They maintained that lead throughout the second quarter despite a tight Washington defense and the 10-minute interruption.

Witherspoon intercepted a wild Washington inbound pass and scored a layup to give her team a 33-23 halftime lead.

Morningside will play the winner of the San Diego Point Loma-Hart game.