Crescenta Valley Withers Under Muir’s Muscular Assault, 71-56

Crescenta Valley High’s basketball team is many things.

Physical is not one of them.

The more physical the games, the less chance the Falcons have to win. That’s what happened Friday night.

And Muir, whose coach, Rocky Moore, was reinstated Thursday after being suspended on Tuesday for allegedly abusing his players, beat visiting Crescenta Valley, 71-56, to win the Pacific League championship in the regular-season finale.

Moore’s presence probably didn’t matter, though. It was the host Mustangs’ muscle that made the difference.

The Falcons’ three league losses came against Muir and Pasadena (twice). All were physical games.

Asked why the Falcons have so much trouble in physical games, Crescenta Valley center Kevin Jakel paused for a moment, then shook his head.

“I don’t know,” he said.

Jakel knows why Muir is so good inside: Michael O’Quinn.

O’Quinn, who will play his college ball for Loyola Marymount, scored a game-high 26 points, nearly all of them inside.

He keyed the spurt that put the game away in the third quarter.

Muir led, 45-34, when O’Quinn scored eight of the Mustangs’ points in a 10-0 run. The final three came dramatically.

Point guard Jacque Vaughn heaved a half-court alley-oop--one of his 14 assists--to O’Quinn, who dunked the ball and was fouled. O’Quinn added the free throw.

That foul was one of 50 in the game, 29 against Muir.

Crescenta Valley finished the regular season 19-4, 7-3. Muir (20-5, 9-1) avenged an earlier loss to Crescenta Valley, its only league defeat in three seasons.

The Falcons’ problems Friday were myriad:

* Adam Jacobsen, the team’s leading scorer, was particularly bothered by the physical play. He scored 23 points, but most came from the free-throw line. He hit only four field goals and fouled out with 3 minutes 13 seconds remaining.

* Glenn Granz, the team’s second-leading scorer, got his third foul early in the second quarter and his fourth early in the third. He finished with four points.

* MOORE CLEARED: C9