It’ll Be a Real Scuffle Figuring All This Out

It might take Southern and City section officials a while to sort through the mess that ensued Saturday after a scuffle broke out in the third quarter of an intersectional game between Dorsey and Gardena Serra at King-Drew High in Los Angeles.

The game was called at the end of the third quarter with Serra leading, 54-45, but there were no real winners. Serra’s Loren Wade had to be taken to a hospital and required eight stitches for a cut above his eyebrow.

Dorsey Coach Kevin Gibson said he would file a report with Southern and City section officials as well as Serra Athletic Director Robert Simmons.

“It was intense,” Gibson said. “I’d have to say it was physical on both [sides]. I felt the refs didn’t really take the game by the horns.

“That was a very unsafe environment for our kids.”

Said Serra Coach Dwan Hurt: “It’s unfortunate that two teams had to play under these conditions. We got spit on, we got elbowed, we got everything.”

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On a path to success: If Geoffrey Clayton has found a home at Fremont, then why would the senior guard make one more stop before heading to college?

It’s because the Anaheim Magnolia transfer hopes to follow in the footsteps of Kenton Paulino and attend Maine Central Institute next year, Pathfinder Coach Sam Sullivan said.

Paulino, last season’s City Section co-player of the year, currently attends the New England prep school.

“[Prep school] matures you, it lets you work on your game,” Sullivan said. “It also improves your study habits. You’re isolated, so you’re away from distractions.”

Clayton’s grades were the primary reason he transferred from Magnolia, where he was lagging academically.

But he has thrived in the classroom and on the hardwood at Fremont, Sullivan said. Clayton, named most valuable player of the Inner City Classic a week ago, is averaging 18 points, eight rebounds and eight assists in a star-studded lineup that also includes Glenn Bullard, Terrell Powell and Daron Brown.

“I call [Clayton] an old-school ballplayer because he can’t jump and he’s not a great shooter, but he gets you 17 to 20 points every game,” Sullivan said.

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Too many Monarchs: Santa Ana Mater Dei converted only 37.5% of its field-goal attempts in the first half of a 65-63 loss to Corona Centennial on Saturday. Part of it was attributable to good defense by the Huskies, but another factor was the Monarchs’ numerous lineup changes.

In the first quarter alone, Mater Dei used nine players, and each played as if he were executing a different game plan. Ill-advised shots were taken and passes were made to no one in particular, but those early-season mistakes are to be expected from a team with eight newcomers.

Monarch Coach Gary McKnight settled on a relatively firm second-half lineup of Wesley Washington, Marcel Jones, cousins D.J. and Mike Strawberry and freshman point guard Mike Gerrity. The stability yielded a mild improvement--Mater Dei shot 42.4% from the field after halftime--but the Monarchs have a long way to go before thinking about another Southern Section title.

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Interstate 210, Saxons 0: North Torrance dropped its opening-round game Tuesday at the Glendora tournament--in absentia. The Saxons’ bus made a wrong turn, and the team found itself in Pasadena as its scheduled 3:30 p.m. tip-off neared.

North Coach Gary Duperron called tournament officials to inform them his team was running late, but the situation was complicated by rush-hour traffic. San Gorgonio waited for the Saxons, who didn’t arrive until after 5, but the game was called.

“We even left school early,” Duperron said. “It was a miserable four hours.”

North bounced back to win the consolation title with a 77-68 victory over El Monte Arroyo.

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Twenty-second timeouts: Temecula Valley was the busiest team in Southern California over the first two weeks of the season, playing 11 games between Nov. 26 and Dec. 8. The breakneck pace paid dividends as the Golden Bears (7-4) equaled their win total of last season. Temecula Valley next plays North Las Vegas Cheyenne Dec. 26 in the opening round of the Las Vegas Prep Classic.... La Verne Calvary Baptist endured a snowy trek to Lake Arrowhead Christian on Friday only to find that the Eagles had canceled the game because of the weather. The game has not been rescheduled.

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Staff writer Lauren Peterson and correspondent Eric Maddy contributed to this report.