THE HIGH SCHOOLS : Roy, Tutor Making Sizable Contributions

When they practice together, they redefine the term “filling the lane.” In fact, these two could overload the fast lane of a typical freeway. If the gymnasium at Montclair Prep seems to list from time to time, it probably means that these guys are standing under the same basket again.

Donovan Roy, who stands 6-foot-6 1/2 and weighs 260 pounds, was a starting tackle on the football team. Roy, a reserve center on the basketball team, is so big that he reminds some at the school of another redwood-sized player who often planted himself in the key. Todd Bowser, a 1986 graduate of Montclair Prep who played for three seasons at Cal State Northridge, stands 6-7 1/2 and weighs 300 pounds.

The pair squared off in an alumni game Wednesday night. Twigs they are not.

“It looked like a big tree covering a bigger tree,” Montclair Prep co-Coach Howard Abrams said.

How close are the two in size? It’s a tough call. Not that there are many scales that could discern the difference.

“Donovan wears the same uniform Todd did,” Abrams said. “The same uniform.”

Don’t be surprised if Roy and Bowser soon have more in common than their physical similarities. Bowser, who in the preseason quit the CSUN basketball team with a year of eligibility remaining, is now an assistant at his high school alma mater and has been tutoring Roy in the subtleties and nuances of playing the low post. Well, perhaps subtleties is understating things a tad. “It’s their own creation of the universe when they collide,” Abrams said.

Bowser’s presence seems to be paying off. In only his second game, Roy came off the bench to score six points and grab eight rebounds in Tuesday’s 90-48 win over Camp Kilpatrick. In Thursday’s 90-36 win over Villanova Prep, Roy had eight points and four rebounds.

Reaching new heights: Rio Mesa, translated to English, means river plain. Eric Thomas of Rio Mesa High is a four-year starter who, almost from his first varsity game, reached a watershed plateau.

As a 14-year-old, Thomas scored 31 points in his first game and scored 35 points on two other occasions during his freshman season. Then, to his chagrin, Thomas hit a real mesa--and inexplicably leveled off.

Over the next two seasons, Thomas--a first-team Times All-Ventura County selection the past three seasons--never surpassed the 35-point mark.

Until last week.

Thomas scored 36 points in a Beverly Hills tournament game last Friday and 37 against Agoura on Tuesday. The 6-6 1/2, 185-pound forward attributes his recent success to improved consistency. Maturity doesn’t hurt, either.

“When I was younger, I’d score 35 and would turn right around and score nine,” Thomas said. “Lately, I’ve been more consistent. And I’m a larger part of the offense now than I was over the last three years.”

Thomas’ 37-point effort was two shy of the school record set in 1968 by Greg Gawthorpe.

Cry uncle: Anybody who thinks that Orange County is the end-all of high school football ought to attend a game in Bakersfield, Kennedy Coach Bob Francola says.

Francola’s nephew, Chad Davis, was the quarterback on the Bakersfield High team that won the Central Section title. Francola says that 14,000 attended the Drillers’ championship game against Mt. Whitney and that crowds of 5,000 for regular-season games are the norm. The level of play might have something to do with the turnout.

“In his four years in the program, the teams he was on lost one game,” Francola said of Davis, a 6-3, 190-pound senior.

The Drillers (14-0) finished the season ranked No. 2 in the state by Cal-Hi Sports, behind only Fontana, the Southern Section Division I champion.

Francola breathes easy when he thinks of what might have been. Kennedy almost scheduled Bakersfield for a nonleague game in September, but it never materialized; the Drillers’ previously scheduled opponent decided to honor its commitment, Francola said.

Triple shot: At first, it must have seemed like a myopic nightmare, as though somebody’s bifocals had become trifocals.

The Martin sisters of Faith Baptist aren’t triplets, you see, but they didn’t miss by much. Kim and Lori, who are twins, are seniors.

“You can’t tell them apart at all,” said Stuart Mason, the Faith Baptist boys’ coach. “Even when you stand right next to them.”

Their sister, Erica, is a year younger and also plays on the team. More than one opposing coach has suggested that the Martins tend to come at you in waves.

If this sounds confusing for Faith Baptist opponents, there’s not much of a home-court advantage, either: There are seven Martin sisters in all.

Have bat, will travel: Aaron Weiss of Chaminade, David Skeels of Thousand Oaks and Joe Gordon of Simi Valley are members of a high school-age baseball team that will tour Australia beginning Thursday and lasting until Jan. 6.

The team, composed of players from across the country, will play 10 games in 11 days, beginning in Sydney and moving up the east coast to Brisbane and Cairns.

Jack Hodges, coach of the Saddleback College team and an assistant with the U. S. Junior National team, will coach the group.

Weiss, an infielder, and Skeels, a catcher, are juniors. Gordon, an infielder and outfielder, is a senior.