DIVISION II BASKETBALL PREVIEWS : El Camino, Point Loma Face Challenges

Just two weeks ago, an arrogant University City team blew a 12-point third-quarter lead and lost to Point Loma, which it had trampled earlier in the season.

But unseeded University City has bounced back to make it to the boys’ Division II championship game against El Camino at 3:30 today at Golden Hall.

“Maybe it’s just maturity,” University City guard Anthony Hill said. “We were just too cocky before that (Point Loma) game. That game woke us up.”

University City was wide awake for a 75-58 victory over Torrey Pines in the semifinals Wednesday, and Coach Tom Medigovich is hoping his team can stay awake for one more game.

“I’ve said all along that when we play at our ability level, we can play with anyone in the county,” he said. “I just told the kids before the Torrey Pines game they had to play with intensity for four quarters.”

Medigovich said it will take that same kind of effort to beat the third-seeded El Camino Wildcats (21-6). Like Torrey Pines, El Camino has excellent outside shooting and a large body in the middle.

The Wildcats’ shooters are Travis Gilley (four three-pointers and 21 points a game) and Glen Ankton (18 points a game). In the post for El Camino is Dee Boyer, 6-feet-9, 250 pounds.

In El Camino’s last two playoff victories, Boyer has neutralized Monte Vista’s Joe McNaull and San Pasqual’s Erik Meek, maybe the best two big men in the county. Boyer held McNaull to 17 points and Meek to 21.

“Dee didn’t have any monster stats against Meek,” El Camino Coach Ray Johnson said, “but he played a lot smarter than he did the last time.”

But Boyer also received some assistance from forward Sean Scurry, who at 6-5, 230 is not exactly a little guy either.

University City (23-4), seeded third, will match Boyer and Scurry with Joel Mitchell, a 6-9 reserve who scored six key points against Torrey Pines, and Ray Hooper, a 6-5 forward who had 14 points Wednesday.

But if University City is going to win its first section basketball title, it will probably have to get another big game from Hill, who scored 22 points Wednesday on eight-for-15 shooting and held Torrey Pines guard Kyle Armstrong (12 points a game) to three points.

El Camino will be looking for its second section title. It won it in 1986.