Dow Sharpens Game to Beat Servite

Ocean View guard Tony Dow wasn’t as sharp as he wanted to be the first time the Seahawks squeaked out a Golden West League victory over Servite.

On Friday night, he wanted to make amends.

Dow scored 22 points, including four free throws in the final minute, to lead the top-ranked Seahawks over the third-ranked Friars, 56-50. It was Servite’s first home loss this season and the second consecutive year that Ocean View (21-4, 10-0) has won at Servite (20-6, 8-2). Both teams await Sunday’s release of the Southern Section playoff brackets.

Off-guard David Hatch had 10 points and center Kevin Hanson blocked seven shots for Ocean View, but it was Dow’s slashing drives to the basket and leadership that helped the Seahawks win their first league title since 1988.

“That’s the best I’ve seen him play,” Servite Coach Scott Hamilton said of Dow. “They did a tremendous job on us. Dow was very poised, tremendous.”

Thanks to Ocean View’s suffocating defense, Servite lost its poise early in the game. The Friars missed their first 14 field-goal attempts in a 12-minute span, committed six turnovers and found themselves trailing, 18-3.

Steve Shea, who finished with 11 points, didn’t get his first basket--a three-pointer--until a little more than 3 1/2 minutes remained in the first half. Forward Rafael Zielonka, who also scored 11 points, missed his first seven shots and had only two free throws in the first half. Servite was six of 24 from the floor in the first half.

The Friars cut Ocean View’s lead to four points early in the third quarter. But Dow’s three-pointer and driving layup enabled the Seahawks to regroup before taking a 36-23 lead.

“I don’t think we were together as much on defense in the first game,” Dow said of the Seahawks’ 48-44 victory over the Friars 2 1/2 weeks ago. “But now we’re playing together and good defense leads to good offense.”