Football Powers Dorsey and Loyola Have Been Impressive in Basketball

As the high school basketball playoffs move into the quarterfinal round this week, two schools unaccustomed to being favorites remain in contention.

In the City 4-A Division, Dorsey (19-6) stepped forward as a strong title contender when it defeated Pacific League rival and defending State champion Crenshaw, 91-67, to close the regular season and then opened the playoffs with a 66-50 victory over Woodland Hills Taft last Friday night.

In the Southern Section 5-A Division, second-seeded Loyola (20-3) has reeled off impressive playoff victories over Thousand Oaks, 102-73, and Victor Valley, 83-60.

Dorsey and Loyola, which are less than two miles apart, are each known more for football success.

Dorsey, which won the City 4-A Division football title last fall, has only reached the City basketball finals once. It has made it to the semifinals twice in the past 10 years.

In football, Loyola has won three Southern Section titles and is always seeded in the playoffs, but in basketball the Cubs have never advanced beyond the quarterfinals.

Still, both Dorsey and Loyola had high expectations for this basketball season because each had several key players back from a year ago.

Dorsey, which finished 13-9 last season, began the season strong, reaching two tournament finals before losing to host schools Manual Arts and Artesia.

With an all-senior starting lineup, the Dons feature a balanced attack led by 6-foot-8 center James Bacon, who will attend Fresno State this fall. Bacon leads the team in rebounding (8.6 per game) and is second in scoring (12.1).

The Dons have a solid backcourt in 6-1 Tim Cage, who leads the team with a 15.7 scoring average, and Kareen Sconiers, who averages 11.3 points and 6.6 assists per game. Joining Bacon in the frontcourt is 6-6 Tony Booten and 6-4 Wayne Currie, who combine to average 20 points and 15 rebounds per game.

With its full-court trapping defense, Dorsey’s strong bench plays a major role. Among the reserves is junior Lamont Warren, the City football 4-A Division player of the year last fall. Others off the bench include guards Lynell Wiggins, Albert Almani and swingmen Shande Fritz and Kirone Sims.

“We have good experience in that everyone of our starters played last year,” said Dorsey Coach Dave Gordan, who is in his 14th year as coach. “A key for us that we are bigger than most teams we play, and we have better depth.”

Another key reason for the Dons’ basketball success has been the work of their assistants Kevin Gibson, Chris Butler, Edmond Fluornoy and Don Muepo.

“They (assistants) are responsible for getting the program started again,” Gordan said. “The attitude of the whole team has been great with everyone working hard in practices and in the games.”

Dorsey, which won its only City title in 1976, has won several big games this season, including victories over City rivals Washington and Fremont, but its biggest win was its rout of Crenshaw.

Can Dorsey become the first school ever to win major division City titles in both football and basketball in the same school year?

“This is the year it can be done,” Gordan said, whose Dons play at Carson Wednesday. “There is a lot of balance in the City this year and we matchup well with everybody.”

Like Dorsey, Loyola also has an experienced team headed by 6-11 center Ryan Jamison, who signed with California last November.

Loyola, which features an offense similar to the one used by Loyola Marymount, starts five seniors who average double figures in scoring. Jamison leads the team in scoring (19.5), rebounding (10.9) and blocked shots (3.5).

Against Victor Valley, Jamison, who is shooting 67% from the field, scored 18 points and set a school-record with 28 rebounds.

At forwards, the Cubs start 6-6 Jamal Adams, who averages 15.7 points, 10.1 rebounds and 3 blocks per game, and 6-6 Joe Burghardt, who averages 12 points and 4.5 rebounds per game.

In the backcourt, the Cubs start 6-2 Eric Jones, a nifty point guard who averages seven assists and less than two turnovers a game, and 6-3 Okwi Anuluoha, who averages 10 points per game.

After losing two early round games in the Ocean View Tournament of Champions and the championship final of the Beach Ball Classic in Myrtle Beach, S.C., the Cubs went on to win the Del Rey League title and have won 13 consecutive games.

“We like to play a fast-pace tempo game,” Loyola Coach Bill Thomason said.

Loyola plays Huntington Beach Ocean View at Fountain Valley High tonight.

Prep Notes

The National Football Foundation and Hall of Fame will have George Allen as keynote speaker at its 27th annual banquet March 3, honoring top high school football scholar-athletes in Los Angeles County. Players to be honored include Chris Afarain of Sherman Oaks Notre Dame, Todd Kusserow and John Aylsworth of Santa Monica, Adam Barlow of Newhall Hart, Clint Beauer of Canyon Country Canyon, Lucas Freeman and Abel Jimenez of Sylmar First Lutheran, Jae Kim of West Torrance, Mark Kortenhover of Cerritos Valley Christian, Ra’Daniel McCoy of Fremont, Tamecus Peoples of Dorsey, Fabrice Perzik of Beverly Hills, Jesse Rojas of Garfield, David Swayne of La Canada Flintridge Prep, Derrick Williams of Crenshaw.