Ugly Win Looks Nice to Verbum Dei

David Greenwood never got the opportunity to win a state championship when he played center for Verbum Dei High in the 1970s because the tournament did not start until 1982.

But in his first year as coach at his alma mater, Greenwood has tried to instill the principles of teamwork that made the talented teams he played on into a recognized national power.

Despite a less-than-perfect performance on Friday, Verbum Dei defeated stubborn Pacific Grove, 59-50, for the Division IV state title at Arco Arena.

“That might have been the worst game we played all year,” said Greenwood, who played at UCLA and completed his NBA career in 1991 with the San Antonio Spurs. “But winning ugly is cool. I don’t mind.”

Verbum Dei (23-5), making its first state final appearance since winning the championship in 1995, won the game behind the play of junior guard Marlon Parmer, who scored eight points of his game-high 21 points in the final 3:13 after Pacific Grove tied the score, 46-46, with 4:08 left.

Parmer launched a personal 6-1 run against the Breakers with both individual efforts and teamwork. He started the surge by beating three defenders for a basket off a drive. Thirty seconds later, Verbum Dei’s Eric Moses knocked a pass away, dived along the sideline to retrieve the ball and passed to Parmer streaking down the right side of the court for a lay-up. After a free throw by Pacific Grove’s Eddie Banaszek pulled the Breakers to within, 50-47, Parmer scored off a back-door pass from Washun Dashiell to put the Eagles ahead by five.

“I’ve never guarded a point guard that was as quick as (Parmer),” said Pacific Grove’s Michael Lazzari, a foreign-exchange student from Australia who scored a team-high 16 points. “He was an awesome penetrator.”

Pacific Grove (27-3) got as close as 52-50 on a three-point basket by Brandon Francis with 1:55 left, but Verbum Dei held the Breakers scoreless the rest of the way and made seven of nine free throws in the final 1:20 for the victory.

Robert Watkins scored 16 points and Dalron Johnson added 13 points and 15 rebounds for Verbum Dei.