Backcourt Play Sparks Morningside : Basketball: Sophomores Boseman and Curry lift Monarchs to 97-90 victory over Lakewood.

The Morningside High boys’ basketball team captured its second consecutive Pacific Shores tournament title Saturday night by defeating Lakewood, 97-90, in the final at Mira Costa High.

And the way it looks, the championship trophy might not change hands in the next two years either.

Not as long as Stais Boseman and Dwight Curry are around.

Boseman and Curry, Morningside’s talented sophomore guards, scored 22 and 18 points, respectively, and combined for 14 points in the fourth quarter to help the Monarchs pull away from Lakewood, which led most of the game.

Morningside forward Arthur Savage, who scored 10 points, was named most valuable player, but it was clearly a concession to a senior on the part of Coach Carl Franklin.

“The press talks a lot about Boseman, but Arthur Savage is a three-year (varsity) senior,” Franklin said. “We have to keep things in perspective. Boseman will get his.”

Morningside (6-0), which trailed after each of the first three quarters, made its move at the start of the fourth quarter. Outscoring Lakewood, 12-4, the Monarchs built a 76-69 lead.

Lakewood (3-2) managed to get as close as three points after that, but succumbed to Morningside’s relentless inside attack. The Monarchs scored 61 points in the second half, most on close-range baskets.

“We felt we had to hit the offensive boards,” Franklin said.

Curry led the Monarchs with eight points in the fourth quarter, when they outscored Lakewood, 33-25. Boseman and 6-8 center Pauliasi Taulava each scored six in the period.

In all, five players scored in double figures for Morningside. Forward Emil Moorehead had 18 points off the bench, and junior forward Keenan Jourdan added 10. Boseman and Jourdan were named to the all-tournament team.

Lakewood stayed close down the stretch behind the shooting of all-tournament guard Mike Fields, who scored 20 of his game-high 26 points in the second half. He had two three-point shots in the fourth quarter.

Carson 73, St. Bernard 72--Junior forward Rudy Washington scored a game-high 25 points and hit a free throw with 29 seconds left to lift the Colts (3-2) to victory in the third-place game.

St. Bernard (3-3) almost pulled out a victory, but Sean Balthazar’s three-point shot at the buzzer rattled out of the basket.