Morningside Forced Into Overtime for 76-68 Win

Having squandered a 10-point lead in the fourth quarter, Morningside High’s basketball team wasn’t about to give Rolling Hills a second chance in overtime Thursday night.

Quick learners, these Monarchs.

They found something that worked and stayed with it, taking the ball inside to 6-foot-7 center Jeff Crowe. He scored eight of his 20 points in overtime to spark Morningside to a 76-68 semifinal win in the Pacific Shores Tournament at Redondo High.

The top-seeded Monarchs (3-0) will play second-seeded Lakewood in the title game at 7 p.m. Saturday at Redondo. Lakewood advanced to the finals by beating Carson, 65-60.

“We always emphasize that you try to score first in the overtime period to build confidence,” Co-Coach Carl Franklin said.

Morningside’s confidence appeared to be shaken after Rolling Hills tied the game, 64-64, with nine seconds left in regulation on a three-point shot by Steve Clover, whose 22-foot rainbow from beyond the top of the key bounced three times on the rim before dropping in.

But if the Monarchs were discouraged, they regrouped in the three-minute overtime period, outscoring Rolling Hills, 12-4.

Forward Tyrone Paul, who led Morningside with 25 points, put his team ahead to stay, 66-64, with two free throws before Crowe took over. The bulky senior, a somewhat menacing figure with his clean-shaven head and goatee, hit a short jumper from the base line and followed it with two layups on passes from point guard Donald Sanders.

That boosted the Monarchs’ lead to 72-66 with less than a minute left in overtime, and Rolling Hills failed to come up with any last-second miracles.

“We had a little chance there, but (Morningside) put a little burst of energy in the overtime and got us,” Rolling Hills Coach Cliff Warren said. “I thought we were pretty courageous at the end. We didn’t give up.”

Actually, Rolling Hills (2-1) was fortunate to have taken Morningside into overtime. The Titans fell behind, 52-42, early in the fourth quarter, and their top player, Clover, was held to eight points after averaging 24.5 in the first two games.

Guard Martel Bland, who guarded Clover, was the only Morningside player who never came out of the game.

Two juniors--guard Chad Heitzler and center Roger Hendrix--picked up the slack for Rolling Hills. Heitzler scored a game-high 26 points, including six three-point shots, and Hendrix added 22.

Heitzler, Hendrix and forward Shoran Shoraka sparked the Titans’ comeback in the fourth quarter. Heitzler hit two big three-pointers midway through the period, Hendrix converted a three-point play with 1:38 left and Shoraka scored four points on offensive rebounds and made two key steals.

Shoraka, a 6-2 senior who plays well inside, fouled out with 23 seconds left in the fourth quarter, and his absence seemed to hurt Rolling Hills in overtime against Morningside’s taller front court.