Patient Hart Keeps Game From Becoming a Circus

Hart High Coach Mike May knew if his basketball team failed to execute its half-court offense Saturday, he’d be buying a ticket to the circus.

Loyola, led by UCLA-bound forward Toby Bailey and his sharpshooting brother, Ryan, was a potential high-wire act on a basketball court.

Hart wanted to keep the ball out of the hands of this slam-dunking bunch and it did just that in beating the Cubs, 58-53, and winning the championship of the Beverly Hills tournament.

“Loyola likes to play an up-tempo game,” May said. “But I knew if we made them play half-court basketball, we’d be more effective.”

So the Indians (7-1) lined up around the perimeter and passed and passed and passed while the game clock ticked and ticked and ticked. While the ball was tossed around, sometimes 15 times on a possession, Hart players took turns darting at the basket until one got open then--bingo--two points.

Hart center Cody Patterson was the recipient of many of those passes. He finished with a game-high 23 points. Randy Roa finished with 19. But more important, he took a charge with 24 seconds left that debited Toby Bailey (22 points) with his fifth foul.

Hart led by as many as 15 points in the second half, but Loyola went on a 17-2 run and reclaimed the lead, 53-52, with 3:21 left. But Toby Bailey finished with more airballs (three) than dunks (two), thanks to Hart’s nagging defense. And after Roa followed Toby Bailey’s fifth foul with two free throws to make it 56-53, Ryan Bailey (18 points) tossed an airball to seal Loyola’s loss.

As far as Toby Bailey was concerned, the referees were his nemesis--not Hart. “(Hart) executed and they were patient,” he said. “But I think the referees were anticipating fouls and it took me off my game. I was tentative on defense because of it.”

In the consolation championship game:

Glendale 61, Venice 60--Ramon Jose pumped in 29 points to lead the Dynamiters (6-2).

Jose scored 12 points in the third quarter to put Glendale on top, 43-40, after the Dynamiters went into the locker room at halftime trailing by three points, 29-26.