HIGH SCHOOL BASKETBALL ROUNDUP : San Diego Dominates Meeting Between Nos. 1, 2

What was supposed to be a showcase of the county’s No. 1- and No. 2-ranked high school boys’ basketball teams was half that.

With power and finesse, No. 2 San Diego High did not just defeat No. 1 El Camino in a nonleague game Thursday in San Diego’s gym. The Cavers overwhelmed.

Final score: San Diego 74, El Camino 59.

El Camino (3-2) is without the services of 6-foot-9 center Dee Bower, who is out until at least January with a broken kneecap. But San Diego (5-0) has had to overcome a few setbacks of its own.

Over the past few months, San Diego Coach Dennis Kane has lost Raynard Wells--the team’s leading scorer last season with a 19.4-point average--who dropped out of school in September. He has lost talented junior J.R. Greer, who quit the team in November.

One of his starting forwards, Mike Watson, suffered a strained back in November and has to wear a brace while playing. And one of his starting guards, Jerome Allen, broke his right (shooting) wrist in football and wore a cast for six weeks before it was removed two weeks ago.

“The way we played today,” Allen pointed out, “I think we could have beaten any team in the county.”

Allen certainly did his part, proving his wrist is completely healed. Allen, a 5-11 senior, scored a career-high 27 points, 17 in the second half as San Diego took its biggest lead, 65-41, with 5:20 left. “The second half, I felt like I was on fire,” Allen said.

Clark James, a Times All-County selection last season (leading the Cavers to the Division I title game and a 20-5 record), had 21 points and 12 rebounds. Watson, a 6-4 junior, had a game-high 15 rebounds to go with his 10 points.

But for all the offense generated by the Cavers, it was their defense that made the difference. San Diego led in rebounds, 36-21, had eight steals and four blocks and forced 18 turnovers.

El Camino’s Travis Gilley had 19 points, but just two in the second quarter and zero in the third as San Diego outscored the Wildcats, 44-26.

“They did a good job of taking us out of our offense,” said Ray Johnson, El Camino’s coach. “They hurt us with their quickness, and we didn’t rebound well either.”