PREP NOTES : Morningside Shreds Ocean Foes, Hones Playoff Skills

Of all the boys basketball races in the South Bay this season, the Ocean League has offered the least in terms of suspense and surprises.

As expected, Morningside has dominated the other seven teams and appears a cinch to capture its second consecutive Ocean title and sixth league crown in seven years.

The Monarchs, ranked No. 1 in the state among Division III teams by Cal-Hi Sports, are simply too deep and talented for the rest of the league. Their average margin of victory entering Wednesday’s game with last-place West Torrance was 29 points, and they had eclipsed 100 points twice.

But is there a down side to this abundance of prosperity? Will the lack of league competition soften Morningside when it faces tougher foes in the Southern Section 3-AA playoffs?

Co-Coach Ron Randle doesn’t think so. He says the Monarchs are maintaining their competitive edge by working on different skills in every game.

“It’s a situation where we have to challenge ourselves,” he said. “We have to set high goals and reach those goals during a game. We set up a game within a game. We don’t care who our opponent is.”

For example, Randle said Morningside set a goal of holding West under 50 points Wednesday. Last Friday, the goal was to shut down Redondo’s perimeter shooting. In other games, the Monarchs have tried to shoot a high free-throw percentage and improve turnover and assist ratios. Other times, the defense takes center stage, with the team working on man-to-man and zone traps.

“We monitor certain aspects of the game to see if we’re on target,” said Randle, who shares coaching duties with Carl Franklin.

So far, Randle says he’s been pleased with the team’s progress.

“We’ve been fairly consistent,” he said. “We’ve scored in the 80s and 90s most of the season, and the defense has held teams under 50% shooting in most games.”

Randle says Morningside’s goal for the final two weeks of league play (the playoffs start Feb. 13) is to increase its average margin of victory.

“We haven’t been pressing as much as we can,” he said. “We’re getting prepared for the playoffs.”

As if Morningside didn’t have enough depth already, the Monarchs welcomed back guard Daniel Taylor this week.

Taylor was a starter until he suffered a broken left index finger a week before the season in a scrimmage against Torrance. He practiced Monday for the first time since the injury and is expected to be in uniform by Friday.

“He was going to start, so that gives you an idea how he’s going to help us,” Randle said. “He gives us another strong supporter.”

Taylor, who has playoff experience from last year, will back up starting guards Donald Sanders and Martell Bland. The 5-foot-11 senior can play both point and off guard positions and carries a 3.3 grade-point average.

“He doesn’t make mistakes,” Randle said.

With the Southern Section intent on filling 32-team brackets in nearly all of its 10 divisions, the boys and girls basketball playoffs are each expected to surpass 300 teams for the first time this season.

That’s an increase of approximately 100 teams from last season, when the section set playoff records with 215 boys teams and 214 girls teams in nine divisions.

In 1988, there were 177 boys teams and 176 girls teams competing in six playoff divisions.

Obviously, earning a postseason berth isn’t the achievement it once was.

Carson football Coach Gene Vollnogle is lonelier than usual this winter.

Vollnogle, whose team normally sends between six and 10 players to major colleges,

reports only four seniors are being seriously recruited as the Feb. 14 signing date nears.

One of the reasons for the low number is that the Colts have 11 starters returning. Another is that several of the team’s most talented players, most notably wide receivers Michael Ross and Tydus Winans, haven’t met NCAA grade requirements.

Vollnogle says Carson’s most sought-after seniors are linebacker Nkosi Littleton, quarterback Armin Youngblood, running back Michael Jefferson and defensive back Bobby Perkins.

Leuzinger junior Marvin Johnson, a standout football and baseball player, has been suspended from school and will not play for the baseball team this spring, Athletic Director Steve Carnes said.

Johnson, a starting outfielder last season and one of the area’s promising talents, is attending R. K. Lloyde Continuation High School in Lawndale, Carnes said.

“He was involved in some fights and disturbances on campus,” Carnes said. “He’ll be out (of Leuzinger) until at least September.”

Johnson was a starting tailback and defensive back for Leuzinger’s football team but missed most of last season because of a knee injury.

Former El Segundo standout Dana Pagett became the winningest basketball coach in Rancho Santiago College history Saturday night when the Dons beat Riverside City College, 90-71, in an Orange Empire Conference game.

It was Pagett’s 156th coaching victory in eight seasons at the Santa Ana school, moving him ahead of Rolland Todd’s 155 victories in seven seasons.

Pagett was the CIF Southern Section 3-A Player of the Year in 1967 at El Segundo and also played at USC.

PREP NOTES--Palos Verdes’ soccer team had its 35-game Bay League unbeaten streak snapped Tuesday in a 2-0 loss to Leuzinger. The Sea Kings, ranked No. 2 in the Southern Section 4-A Division, dropped to 9-1-1 in the league, a half-game ahead of Hawthorne (8-1-2). Miguel Diaz and Ivan Polic scored the goals for Leuzinger (5-6) . . . Chadwick’s basketball team avenged both of its Prep League losses by beating first-place Pasadena Poly, 58-56, Saturday and Rio Hondo Prep, 69-63, Tuesday to move into second place with a 4-2 record. Senior forward Larry Williams had 46 points and 22 rebounds in both games as the Dolphins improved to 14-6 overall