THE HIGH SCHOOLS : Abrams Did Not Disguise Feelings About Playoff Ban

He said he did his level best to remain incognito. Avoided eye contact. Kept to himself.

Nonetheless, soon after he walked into the gym where the Southern Section Division V-AA semifinal playoff basketball game was being played, people learned the identity of Montclair Prep High co-Coach Howard Abrams.

Curses, foiled again.

“I wore a hat and a trench coat,” Abrams cracked. “But they found me out.”

Must have forgotten the dark sunglasses, something he wished he was wearing after the game started.

Montclair Prep, which finished 24-1, is banned from the playoffs in 1991-92 because of recruiting infractions committed in 1985. The Mounties compete at the Division V-AA level, which is why Abrams dropped by Tuesday’s semifinal matchup between Campbell Hall and top-seeded Brethren Christian.

Abrams did not want to be pestered with questions about his presence there, what he thought about the ban or the caliber of the teams on the floor. Once he was recognized, though, his opinion was sought.

“People asked me who I was rooting for,” Abrams said. “I told them I was rooting for Brethren to be good so I could say, ‘They would have given us some trouble.’ ”

Trouble was not a word that jumped to mind. The first shot by the Brethren Christian center caromed off the backboard without drawing iron. Abrams winced.

Campbell Hall, a team Montclair Prep had beaten in its finale, defeated Brethren Christian, 44-36. For Abrams, watching the game was like pulling teeth with pliers.

“I needed a shot of Novocain,” he said.

In short, had Montclair Prep been allowed to compete, the team might have waltzed to the divisional title. The Mounties ended the season with a 22-game winning streak.

Montclair Prep twice defeated Ribet Academy, a finalist in Division V-A. The Mounties also beat Crossroads, a finalist in Division IV-A. Ditto Campbell Hall, a V-AA finalist. And they also knocked off Bel-Air Prep, Ribet Academy’s opponent in the V-A final. The margin of victory in each game was more than 10 points.

Abrams left before the semifinal ended. Curiosity darn near killed this cat.

“I’d seen enough,” he said.

High five: Chatsworth basketball Coach Sandy Greentree bought five lottery tickets Tuesday, the day the Chancellors faced top-seeded Fremont in the semifinals of the City Section 3-A Division playoffs.

“I told my wife we were either going to win the game or win the lottery,” Greentree said. “I went 0 for 2.”

Perhaps, but not by much. Chatsworth gave eventual 3-A champion Fremont a big spin before falling, 59-56.

Greentree was hardly downcast. “If you’re going to lose, lose to the best,” he said.

Chatsworth shared the West Valley League title and finished 18-7. The Chancellors played 10 games against 4-A teams, lost to 3-A power North Hollywood by two points, Fremont by three and defeated 3-A finalist South Gate in a tournament game.

What’s in a name?: Plenty, at least for a mitt-full of area baseball players. Some guys, it seems, were destined to play ball--or sit on the bench--and the proof is spelled out on their birth certificates:

* Infielders--Third baseman Chris Mace of Ventura is tough on all spray hitters. . . . Shortstop Max Sank of Harvard-Westlake can play deep in the hole. . . . Aron Miyata of Hart is convertible: He can play second base or shortstop.

* Catchers--Buzzy Ketchum of Thousand Oaks rarely doesn’t. . . . Nobody has softer hands than Dave Supple of Notre Dame.

* Pitchers--Will Simi Valley control specialist Trevor Leppard be able to hit his spots?. . . . Ken Ditto was 7-1 last year on the Moorpark junior varsity, but can he duplicate that success?. . . . John Workman is the staff mainstay at St. Francis.

* Outfielders--Jason Vines of St. Bonaventure should be playing at ivy-covered Wrigley Field. . . . Dan Comando of Rio Mesa can really charge a ground ball. . . . Maybe Antelope Valley sophomore James Juneau can play in the Alaskan League someday.

* Reserves--Steve Bench of Canyon has unseated all other candidates at third base, but his name indicates he broke long odds in the process. . . . Ted Keister of Hart has plenty of splinters left from 1991, when he was a reserve.