Glendora Reloads for Another Title Run : Basketball: Tartans, who won 1990 4-AA title, are 22-0. They should earn the top seeding in the Division II playoffs.

High school basketball teams will be playing their final regular-season games next week in preparation for the Southern Section playoffs, which for the second consecutive year will be open to all teams, regardless of their records or finish in league play.

The usual grumbling is expected from some coaches when the pairings are announced next weekend.

This season, however, no one will question which team deserves the top seeding in Division II.

Glendora, under sixth-year Coach Mike LeDuc, has a 22-0 record entering Friday night’s Baseline League game against Etiwanda. They are favored to finish the regular season 26-0.

The Tartans, who finished 24-5 last season, are led by sophomore guard Cameron Murray and junior guard Adam Jacobsen, both of whom average 20 points a game. Senior Brandon Lee, who was academically ineligible for much of last season at Bishop Amat, has given the Tartans a presence inside and 16 points a game.

In addition, Glendora has its usual array of role players.

“We’ve had an awful lot of really good execution in the past, really fundamental,” said LeDuc, who guided the Tartans to the 4-AA title in 1990. “This year, we’re a little bit more athletic and we allow them a little bit more freedom and style.”

For all of its success, Glendora has not been without setbacks.

Forward Tracey Thompson, a three-year starter, suffered a knee injury during football season and missed the Tartans’ first 18 games. LeDuc said the 6-foot-5 Thompson is only now beginning to feel comfortable on the court.

Murray, the Baseline League’s most valuable player last season, missed four games because of an ankle injury.

Two weeks ago, senior forward Scott Jacobsen suffered a season-ending knee injury.

“He’s an important part of our team as a leader and defensive player,” LeDuc said. “He never got a whole lot of points but his intangibles were uncountable. We don’t know how much that’s going to affect us.”

Glendora opened its season by winning two of its own tournaments and another at Covina.

The Tartans dispatched Don Lugo in the Baseline League opener and then defeated Claremont, Chino, Damien, Etiwanda, Alta Loma and Upland.

Glendora beat Don Lugo to start the second round of league play, setting up last Friday’s showdown and third meeting of the season between the Tartans and Claremont. With five seconds left and the score tied, 49-49, Murray made two free throws to give Glendora the victory.

The Tartans retained their perfect record with an 83-47 victory over Chino on Monday.

“I felt that we were going to be pretty competitive,” LeDuc said. “But with all the injuries and adversity we’ve gone through this year, I think we’ve been better than I would have expected.

“If you had told me during the summer that, ‘These are the things that are going to happen. What do you think your record is going to be?’ I wouldn’t have thought it would have been as good as it is.”

Some coaches and observers have questioned the strength of Glendora’s schedule, which included highly regarded Claremont and Gahr, but was otherwise void of teams the caliber of Artesia, Woodbridge, Tustin or Muir.

Those same critics, however, are quick to agree that Glendora is capable of traversing its way through those same teams en route to the Division II championship and a perfect record.

“We’re not the kind of team that starts yelling and screaming in the locker room or goes nuts after the game when we win,” LeDuc said. “The players just take a lot of pride in what they’re doing and go about their business.

“Winning never comes up. What comes up is, ‘Play hard, play hard all the time, play smart, concentrate and focus. If you do that, we’ll be successful.’ That comes up all the time.”