BOYS’ BASKETBALL ROUNDUP : San Fernando Forges 1st-Place Tie, 73-55

As a first-team all-league guard on the 1971-72 El Camino Real High varsity, Mike McNulty rarely had to suffer through a loss as one-sided as the Conquistadores’ 73-55 West Valley League defeat by San Fernando at El Camino Real on Friday night.

But as El Camino Real’s basketball coach, such embarrassments have been all too common.

The Conquistadores (7-9, 4-3 in league play) committed nine first-period turnovers, fell behind, 36-16, by halftime, and never got closer than 18 points the rest of the way as San Fernando (11-6, 4-3) moved into a first-place tie.

“They ran us out at the start,” said McNulty, who helped lead the 1971-72 El Camino Real team to a 17-2 record--the best record in the school’s 20-year history.

El Camino Real shot just 30% from the field, only 23% in the first half against San Fernando’s tight zone defense. Guard Todd Orlando, who scored 36 points Wednesday against Canoga Park, had just two points, converting one of 16 field-goal attempts.

San Fernando hit nine of 12 shots in the second period to double its 10-point first-period lead by halftime. The Tigers outrebounded El Camino Real in the game, 54-35.

“We’ve been playing poorly, but we let the greyhounds out tonight,” San Fernando Coach Dick Crowell said. “I think we were a little quicker and fresher.”

Russell Baldwin led San Fernando with 26 points and also had eight rebounds. Lance Whitaker (14 points, 13 rebounds), Marco Renteria (14 points) and Michael Wynn (15 rebounds) also had big games for the Tigers.

Allen Chenen (25 points) and Bert Mitchell (14 points, 13 rebounds) led El Camino Real.