SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA BASKETBALL REGIONALS : Division III Boys : Trabuco Hills Teams Up, Tops Lemoore : Mustangs’ 86-79 Victory Puts Them in the Final Against Morningside

Playing with an extra dose of intensity, teamwork and smarts, Trabuco Hills High School found its groove and defeated Lemoore, 86-79, in a Southern California Regional Division III semifinal game Thursday night at El Toro High School.

The victory sends Trabuco Hills (24-6) into the Southern California Regional final against Morningside, a 53-46 winner over Corona del Mar.

Trabuco Hills, which defeated San Diego Clairemont, 87-60, in Tuesday’s first round, found an even higher level of play against Lemoore.

“It was an exciting game and fun too,” Trabuco Hills Coach Rainer Wulf said. “I think we gave the crowd something exciting to watch tonight.”

Rick Swanwick, who Tuesday overcame a frightful first-half shooting slump before scoring a career-high 32 points, had another good game, scoring 22 points and grabbing 15 rebounds before being taken out midway through the fourth quarter.

But Trabuco Hills’ biggest source of entertainment might have been its overall teamwork. The Mustangs, guided by guards Randy Kriech (14 points), Tim Manning (12 points) and reserve Louis Arenado (five steals, eight points), continually frustrated Lemoore with pinpoint passing and tricky dribbling.

Lemoore’s main weapon, 5-foot-9 guard Tommy Jones, scored a game-high 28 points including four three-pointers and had five steals. But even he had high praise for the Mustangs.

“They are hot , definitely hot,” he said.

Trabuco Hills opened up the game with a Swanwick bank shot in the key and a three-pointer by Poulos to take a 5-0 lead. The Tigers, pressed by Trabuco Hills’ man-to-man defense, missed their first six shots.

From the start, it was apparent Lemoore was going to have trouble with Trabuco Hills’ well-balanced team.

When Lemoore tried to double-team Swanwick, Swanwick passed to the perimeter where any of several Mustangs were ready to shoot. Kriech scored 10 points, including two back-to-back three-pointers to give Trabuco Hills a 28-16 first-quarter lead.

The balance--from Swanwick’s inside game to the sharp perimeter shooting of Kriech and Manning--hounded Lemoore as it has many Mustang opponents this season.

“It’s so hard to defend this team,” Lemoore Coach Jim Gordon said. “The big guy bangs inside, and they got those outside shooters.”

All of whom shot especially well--10 of 15 as a team--in the first quarter. Lemoore was held to 7-of-21 shooting in the same period.

Although Lemoore managed to find its running game in the second quarter, and outscored Trabuco Hills, 23-17, to cut its deficit to six (45-39), the Tigers couldn’t handle Trabuco Hills’ firepower late in the third quarter.

After two layups by Clarence Scott and a eight-foot jumper in the key by Jones, Lemoore had cut the lead to 47-45 just 3 minutes into the third quarter. Lemoore looked even more impressive as it held the Mustangs scoreless for 2 minutes.

But, with 2:39 left in the period, the Mustangs had had enough. Keyed by Poulos, who hit two three-pointers, and reserve John Goodman (eight points from within the key), the Mustangs broke open a 15-2 run to take a 63-47 lead into the fourth quarter.