HART TOURNAMENT : Hart Enjoys Its Own Party for a Change

For 19 years, Hart High has played host to a tournament. And for 19 years, Hart has watched someone else pick up the championship trophy.

With eight second-place finishes, the Indians had more reason to claim No. 2 than Avis.

That all changed Saturday when Hart beat East Bakersfield, 55-54, to win the title.

“Between my teammates and coaches, we’d heard it too much,” Hart forward Ali Peek said of Hart’s inability to win the tournament.

Coach Greg Herrick had a different point of view.

“It’s no monkey off my back,” he said. “I won this tournament twice while I was at Cleveland (1983, 1984). But it is unusual that a school doesn’t win its own tournament.”

And the Indians (9-5) have Marty Downen to thank. Downen stole an inbounds pass under his own basket with three seconds left to preserve the win.

Downen, who scored 10 points, was named the tournament’s most valuable player.

Teammate Peek added 12 points and five blocked shots, and Tony Valenzuela contributed 11 points.

In other games:

Saugus 61, Antelope Valley 42--Saugus went almost seven minutes without scoring in the first quarter, and fell behind, 9-1, in the third-place game.

But the Centurions (10-4) went on a 22-9 spree in the second period to take a lead they did not relinquish.

Beverly Hills 60, Rio Mesa 55--Jonah Naulls scored 23 points to pace the Normans in the consolation championship. Rio Mesa (3-7) got 16 points from Greg Bellman and 10 from David Halvorsen.

Glendale 70, Calabasas 57--Jerry Armen scored 22 points in leading the Dynamiters (9-5) in the fifth-place game. Greg Waugh had 13 points for the Coyotes.

Palmdale 68, Cabrillo 42--Jason Grimes scored 18 points for the Falcons in a consolation-bracket game.