Agoura Needs Points From Other Sources

Agoura High guard Sean Martin is averaging 32.6 points a game, partly because of a school-record 49 in the semifinals of the Thousand Oaks tournament last week, but his coach would not mind seeing his average dip a bit.

“If he has to score more than 25, then we have too many guys standing around and watching,” Kevin Pasky said. “We went from bad to worse in terms of offensive production as a team. (Sean) handles and shoots the ball real well, but everybody starts standing around and watching.”

This problem should sound familiar to those in nearby Camarillo. Last season, the Scorpions became spectators as teammate David Harbour averaged 27 points and hit for 50 in one game.

This season, Camarillo has focused on a more balanced attack, which has led to a 3-1 start. Harbour is averaging 18 points.

Immediate success: Thousand Oaks’ new up-tempo style of offense paid dividends in the Lancers’ first championship in 19 years of hosting the Thousand Oaks tournament.

The Lancers, who have changed from a patient half-court set to the ever-popular, run-and-gun style, set a school record with 97 points in their opener and came back with 96 in their next game.

“Despite its simplicity, it’s very difficult to stop,” Coach Ed Chevalier said. “If you stop one direction, it comes from another direction. And, if you stop that, it’ll come from a third direction.”

And so on. Chevalier uses his entire roster of 13, bringing in two or three substitutes every few minutes. Twelve players scored in the Lancers’ opener.

Still, 6-foot-6 forward Chris Loll (28 points a game) and 6-4 guard Brian Capella (17) have carried much of the load.

Pump up the volume: Saugus Coach John Clark’s voice is back and so are the Centurions.

Saugus, which has struggled since winning a Southern Section 3-A Division title in 1986-87, is back on the winning track. In last week’s Beverly Hills tournament, the Centurions (6-3) advanced to the consolation final.

And Clark is back in top sideline form . . . barking, cajoling, working the officials and timers. Clark even chewed the ear of a particularly vocal fan during Saugus’ 75-69 defeat of Crespi.

“We’ve got a great group of kids this year, and that gets me motivated too,” Clark said. “We’re thinking now that we’re a pretty good team.”

Temper, temper: Alemany’s Doug Tait learned a hard lesson last week when he broke both wrists by punching a brick wall during a shoot-around practice.

Tait a sophomore forward who is averaging 14 points a game, got upset when a ball shot by a teammate hit him in the face as he was attempting a slam dunk. In frustration, he attacked a nearby wall twice, resulting in a pair of casts that he will wear for the next four weeks.

Tait had emerged as Alemany’s third-highest scorer behind Will Burr (21 points a game) and Richard Dice (20.5) through the first five games.

Alemany (4-5) is 1-2 without Tate.

“We’ve almost been forced into a two-man game,” Coach Kurt Keller said. “The defense just collapses on Dice. . . . and it makes it really tough.”

Add temper: A tantrum also sidelined Notre Dame’s Bob DaCorsi, a 6-foot-4 senior guard who broke his foot when he kicked something near the bench after fouling out against Marshall nearly two weeks ago.

DaCorsi, who averaged 21 points a game last year, is expected to return after Christmas.

Raider believers: The Channel Islands basketball team, 1-19 just two seasons ago, has earned school-wide support with its 6-1 start. Among the victories was an upset of City Section power Crenshaw and the Raiders’ first win over Simi Valley in six years.

“The school went kind of nuts,” Coach Don Salado said. “It’s real enjoyable to have that excitement after the years we’ve had lately.”

Cabezas ineligible: Simi Valley’s Diego Cabezas, a fifth-year senior from Ecuador, has abandoned efforts to become eligible to play basketball, according to Fred Ward, the uncle with whom Cabezas lives.

Proud Parrots: Don’t think for a minute that Poly High is going to let anyone forget that its football team defeated Lincoln, 28-8, for the City Section 3-A Division championship Friday night.

A phone call to the Sun Valley campus begins with this introduction: “Polytechnic High School, home of the 3-A football champions. How may I help you?”

Staff writers Paige A. Leech, Brian Murphy and Jeff Riley contributed to this notebook.