BOYS’ BASKETBALL DIVISION I : No. 1 Sweetwater Wins Title, Puts Doubters, Mt. Carmel to Rest

There were doubters, no doubt, all year long about the Sweetwater High boys’ basketball team.

People wondered if the little team from National City--one that starts five players listed as guards--could win the San Diego Section Division I championship.

“I guess you could say we’re No. 1 now,” Sweetwater Coach David Ybarra shouted above the noise of a rambunctious crowd of 3,125 that witnessed Sweetwater’s 78-71 victory Friday over Mt. Carmel at Golden Hall.

Since Sweetwater was the No. 1 seeded team in the tournament and had lost just one game all year, it was not an upset, but there were many who felt Mt. Carmel had the better team because of its overwhelming size advantage.

“Height shouldn’t mean anything,” said Joe McDowell, Sweetwater’s 6-foot-2 senior.

It didn’t appear to.

Sweetwater rebounded well, shot well, it made free throws when it had to--11 of 12 in the fourth quarter--and had just a handful of turnovers.

Carlos Campbell, Sweetwater’s tallest player at 6-4, finished with a game-high 29 points. John Gilbert had 21, including three three-pointers, and McDowell added 17 points and 11 rebounds.

Mt. Carmel, behind 6-9 Shane Knight’s 29 points, still had a shot late, pulling to within 75-71 with 51 seconds left. But Sweetwater (29-1) kept its composure and knocked down some key free throws.

“What was the difference in the game? We made our free throws and got good pressure defense,” Ybarra said.

Sweetwater won its first section basketball title in 10 years. Mt. Carmel was in its first final in the 17-year history of the school. The Sundevils, co-champions of the Palomar League, will finish 23-6 unless it earns at at-large berth in the Southern California Regionals next week. Sweetwater, of the Metro Conference, advanced automatically.

Sweetwater led by two (18-16) at the end of the first quarter, and by 10 (41-31) at halftime. McDowell/Campbell/Gilbert and Co. were determined to see to it that the pace was rapid. And backed by a resounding crowd, they succeeded.

McDowell and Campbell each had six points in the first quarter. Then in the second quarter, Campbell was nearly unstoppable.

Despite playing with two fouls incurred early in the game, Campbell scored 11 points on five-of-five shooting, including a monster two-hand slam on a fast break pass from McDowell. He also ended the half with a nifty 12-foot jumper on which he ended up on his backside.

That Mt. Carmel stayed as close as it did is a credit to Knight, who had 14 points, four rebounds and two blocks in the half. With nine points in the third quarter, he was instrumental in bringing Mt. Carmel to within, 54-51, with 2:10 to play.

But then Campbell made a 12-footer, a three-pointer and a free throw and Gilbert a three-pointer to give Sweetwater a 9-2 run and a another 10-point lead, 63-53, to end the third quarter.