Morningside Girls Have Chance for Repeat State Title : Prep basketball: Saturday’s championship game will be the third for star center Lisa Leslie.

Even second chances are often hard to get. But Morningside High School’s Lisa Leslie, who has already played in two state championship games, will get her third chance Saturday, thanks to a 61-45 win over Los Angeles Washington at the Sports Arena last Friday night.

As a sophomore in 1988, Leslie missed a potential game-winning shot in a loss to Oakland Fremont in the state Division I title game.

That defeat, she said, was a turning point her career--a career that has included recognition as California Player of the Year as a junior and national Player of the Year this year as a senior.

“That summer, that game stayed with us,” Leslie said after scoring 37 points Friday. “It made us hungry, and that definitely made me a better player.

“We didn’t forget (the loss). It carried a long way.”

Leslie earned redemption by scoring 21 points to lead the Monarchs to a 60-50 win over Fremont in last March’s championship game.

Now she has a chance to lead Morningside to back-to-back state crowns. The disappointment of two years ago is just a distant memory.

Last year, the challenge was to exorcise demons; now the challenge is to establish the Monarchs’ place in history as a great team. In that respect, the Monarchs’ quest to repeat as champions is like that of the Los Angeles Lakers in 1988 or the San Francisco 49ers this past season.

Leslie’s foul trouble has been the biggest obstacle the Monarchs have had to overcome in the playoffs so far.

“It’s hard to repeat because everyone is out to beat you, including the referees,” the 6-5 Leslie said with a laugh. “Maybe (the referees) don’t like me because I’m taller than them.”

She added that the coming week of school and practice won’t be easy.

“It’s tough mentally,” said Leslie, who is averaging more than 25 points and 10 rebounds per game. “It’s tough knowing what’s in store for you at the end of the week.”

Morningside Coach Frank Scott said that no matter what happens Saturday in the 4:45 p.m. game at the Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum Arena, Leslie has established herself as an important person in the sports world.

“She’s a spokesperson for high school basketball, for girls’ basketball,” said Scott, who has led the Monarchs to a 31-3 record. “And when she goes to college, whatever program she goes to, she’ll be a spokesperson for women’s basketball.”

If that’s true, Leslie said, she accepts that role.

“Everything has a purpose,” she said. “Maybe that’s one of the reasons I’m here on Earth: to be on the basketball court and to represent the game.”

Although Leslie has the mark of a once-in-a-lifetime player, Scott said 6-4 sophomore Janet Davis will be a more-than-adequate replacement at center next season. Davis, a two-year starter at forward, has played well recently, scoring a total of 31 points in the last two games.

“The only difference between these two is mental toughness,” Scott said. “Janet isn’t lacking any skills.”

Davis said she has a different approach heading into this season’s trip to Oakland.

“Last year, it was a learning experience, and I was kind of nervous,” she said. “This year, I’m just concentrating on being aggressive, rebounding and trying my best.”

Davis said she has enjoyed being Leslie’s understudy but will be ready to move into the spotlight next season.

“I’ll miss her,” she said of Leslie. “She’s tried to teach me everything she knows. She taught me to never put my head down.

“I’ll be playing her position, which puts pressure on me. But I think I can handle it.”

Likewise, Leslie said she is ready to step up to new things next season.

“It seems like the end, but it’s only the beginning,” Leslie said. “It may be the end of my time at Morningside High School, but it’s just the beginning of my career.”

Morningside, Cal-Hi Sports Weekly’s top-ranked Division I team, is a strong favorite to win Saturday. And the team is brimming with confidence.

“We like it up there,” Scott said with a smile. “We try to go whenever we can. We’re young, but we’re an experienced team. We’ve been through the wringer.”

Two of the Monarchs’ losses this season came in a tournament in Tennessee before the start of league play, and Scott said things might be different if his team played the same opponents now.

“I wish I’d never even seen or heard of Tennessee,” he said. “But we learned a lot from that experience and are a better team now. And I’d like to get them in a neutral setting now.”

Of course, Morningside won’t get a chance to do that. But Scott and Leslie are satisfied with the opportunity presented to them in Oakland. “I’d like to win it for Lisa and Denesha Carnell, our two seniors,” Scott said. “And I’d like to win it for myself. You never know when you’ll get another chance.”