All of a Sudden, Hart Was Defenseless

The defense rested.

And Hart High was bounced from the playoffs.

The Indians, known for their defense, allowed 20 points in the final 2:36 and lost to Riverside Poly, 60-53, in a first-round girls’ basketball playoff game Saturday.

Defensive lapses and nine fourth-quarter turnovers wiped out a 46-40 Hart lead in the Southern Section Division I-A playoffs.

“Talk about bizarre,” Hart Coach Dave Munroe said. “I haven’t seen anything like it in all the years I’ve been coaching. [Scoring that many points in that little time] is tough for an NBA team to do, but we made it possible by not taking care of the ball.”

Munroe, who just completed his ninth season, laid to rest recent speculation he might retire.

“We’ve got a lot of good basketball ahead of us,” said Munroe, who loses Foothill League player of the year Melissa Harrison, but will have four starters back. “I’m hanging.”