ROUNDUP : Hawthorne High Rallies but Morningside Triumphs, 70-67

Hawthorne High basketball Coach Richard Wells was braced for a long night Thursday after his team fell behind, 18-4, to powerful Morningside.

By the end of the game, though, Wells was in better spirits.

The Cougars rallied from their early deficit to pull within one point with 1:30 to play, but Morningside held on for a 70-67 victory in the quarterfinals of the Viking Classic at Valley High School in Las Vegas.

“We had a chance to win the ballgame,” Wells said. “We just couldn’t make our free throws and baskets at the end.

“We played more aggressively in the second half. We pressed them and forced them to turn the ball over quite a bit. I was really surprised. I guess they’re not used to being pressed like that.”

Despite Hawthorne’s tight defense, Morningside (9-1) was able to hit the key shots down the stretch and advance to the semifinals at 2:30 p.m. today against Bonanza High of Las Vegas.

Guard Martel Bland led five Morningside players in double figures with 14 points. Forward Tyrone Paul added 11 and center Jeff Crowe, point guard Donald Sanders and freshman forward Stacis Boseman each scored 10.

For Hawthorne (6-4), the game represented a confidence builder heading into Bay League play next week. Morningside is ranked No. 1 in the Southern Section 3-AA Division.

“This game did a lot for us,” Wells said. “If we didn’t dig a hole for ourselves in the first quarter, the outcome might have been different.

“We just got off to a poor start. We must have missed 11 straight shots in the first quarter. I think we were too nervous. The kids were talking all day about playing (Morningside).”

Senior center Andre Tolliver sparked the Cougars’ comeback by scoring 12 of his 14 points in the second half. Guard Tremaine Gauthier led Hawthorne with 20, followed by forward Anthony King with 12 and guard Waymon Powell with 10.

“We settled down after the first quarter,” Wells said. “We played even in the second quarter and dominated the second half.”

Carson 68, St. Bernard 61--Michael Ross, the all-time leading receiver in Carson football history, is also becoming a star in basketball. The senior guard scored a game-high 21 points to lead the Colts in the quarterfinals of the Viking Classic.

Carson (9-4) will play the host school, Valley of Las Vegas, at 4:15 p.m. today in the semifinals.

St. Bernard (5-4) was led by sophomore forward Chris Keldorf with 16 points.

Palos Verdes 70, Garey 57--Senior guard Chris Castello led all scorers with 24 points, including five three-point shots, to spark the Sea Kings in the consolation quarterfinals of the Chino Tournament.

Guards Andy Jacobson and Julius Coleman added 15 and 12 points for Palos Verdes (4-5), which meets Temple City today in the semifinals. Forward Scott Wilson, recovering from off-season knee surgery, came through with his best game of the year, according to Coach John Mihaljevich, with eight points and eight rebounds.

Sophomore forward Art Shell did not play for the Sea Kings because of a sprained ankle.

Redondo 61, San Gabriel 50--The Sea Hawks jumped to a 10-0 lead and never trailed in the consolation quarterfinals of the Nogales Tournament. Guard Emmett Richardson paced Redondo (2-8) with 15 points, followed by sophomore forward Dave Cottey with 13 and junior Jason Correa with 10.

Redondo plays Torrey Pines of San Diego today in the semifinals.