SOUTHERN SECTION BOYS’ BASKETBALL ROUNDUP : Rancho Alamitos Can’t Slow Down Morningside

Rancho Alamitos entered Tuesday’s Southern Section Division III-A playoff game against Inglewood Morningside with the idea of reclaiming some respect and showing that the Vaqueros’ basketball team was much better than its 11-15 record.

“We felt we should have been (Garden Grove) league champions,” Coach Eric Hamamoto said. “We beat (champion) Pacifica twice, but gave at least three other games away by not playing smart.”

The Vaqueros could have played like Einstein Tuesday and it would not have mattered. The Monarchs were simply too big, too quick and too good for Rancho Alamitos, running away with a 73-57 victory at Morningside High.

Morningside (16-9) advanced to play San Dimas in the second round.

The Vaqueros did not go out on a happy note. They were bombarded on the boards, 36-14, and seemed to have no defensive answer to cramp the inside game of the Monarchs. Both teams had turnover problems (21-19 in favor of Morningside), but the Monarchs were far more successful than Rancho Alamitos in converting mistakes into points.

What really galled Hamamoto, however, was the ease in which Morningside took his team completely out of its game plan. With neither team having the benefit of game film on the other, Hamamoto wanted the Vaqueros to run their offense with patience, not only to keep the tempo slow but to also get a sense of how Morningside would defend.

But the Monarchs--making their first six shots--bolted to a 14-0 lead in the first two minutes of the game and were never headed, leading by as much as 23 before the game was turned over to the reserves.

“(On Monday) we had practiced taking 30 seconds to 40 seconds before we took a shot,” Hamamoto said. “And I think our first five possessions only took 30 to 40 seconds.

“I wanted them to come out and see what kind of things Morningside would do, but our seniors--and it was their game to win or lose--went in a different direction. Morningside is a very good team with a lot of weapons. It’s no fluke they beat (Redondo Beach) Redondo Union twice, and they are very good.”

Randy Parrish, 21 points, and Aaron Triggs (13) did their best to keep Rancho Alamitos close but didn’t get much help.

Eleven Morningside players scored, led by Otis Williams’ 14 points.

Whether the victory returns Morningside--which missed last year’s playoffs--back to the prominence it has historically enjoyed, Coach Carl Franklin said it was too soon to tell.

“If we can get past the next round it will better answer that question,” he said.

In other III-A games:

La Quinta 51, La Puente Bassett 48--Greg Greenfield had 19 points, seven rebounds and five assists, Scott Ogilvie had 20 rebounds for host La Quinta (15-11). The Aztecs will face top-seeded North Hollywood Harvard-Westlake Friday.

Pacifica 72, Covina Northview 58--Shane Miller scored 28 for Pacifica (16-11), which plays at fourth-seeded Santa Paula Friday.

In Division V-AA:

Capistrano Valley Christian 67, Avalon 57--Andrew Jennings and Tamer Ghosheh had 24 points each for Capistrano Valley Christian (15-9), which plays Inglewood South Bay Lutheran Friday.

In Division V-A:

Orangewood Academy 76, Gethsemane Baptist 63--Brent Slagle had 24 points, including eight three-pointers, and 10 rebounds, for host Orangewood Academy (15-6), which won its first playoff game. The Spartans will play California Lutheran in the second round.

Wildomar California Lutheran 64, Liberty Christian 61--Greg Rule scored 23 points, Bob McClung added 18 for visiting Liberty Christian (10-14).