Boys baseketball: Sea Kings back in action
Barry Faulkner
SAN DIEGO - Wars have been won in the time the Corona del Mar High
boys basketball team has spent preparing for tonight’s CIF State Division
III first-round playoff game, which tips off at 7:30 at University of San
Diego High.
The Sea Kings (22-7), however, had only one practice to prepare for the
San Diego Section Division III champion Dons (24-6), whom they were
paired with only Sunday.
So, CdM spent its five-practice purgatory freshening up its man-to-man
offense, altering its starting lineup, and getting used to the idea of
extending its season even further.
“I knew the guys didn’t want to keep going over the same things and
neither did I,” CdM Coach Paul Orris said. “So we made a few changes. I
think we have better balance and more scoring potential, but we won’t
know how the layoff affected us until we play.”
CdM last played Feb. 26, a 68-46 loss to Centennial of Compton in the
Southern Section III-AA semifinals.
University, on the other hand, enters with the momentum generated by
winning its section championship game Friday (64-49 over league rival St.
Augustine).
The Dons are paced by 6-foot-8 senior Chris Walton, the youngest of four
sons of former NBA Most Valuable Player Bill Walton. The San Diego
State-bound center is averaging 17 points per game.
Kam Walton, also 6-8 and Chris’ cousin, is another senior starter for the
Dons, who also feature 6-5 senior power forward Nate Staggs and 5-10
senior point guard Chris Ganan.
The Sea Kings, champions of the Pacific Coast League, are paced by senior
Kevin Hansen, who averages 21.2 points and seven rebounds per game.
Senior guard Alec Hanson (11.6 ppg) will be joined in the backcourt by
fellow senior Brooks Morris, who makes his first start since breaking his
wrist the seventh game of the season.
Morris, who returned to action nine games ago, is averaging 9.5 points.
Joel Templeton (6.3 points and six rebounds per game), a 6-7 center, and
Judd Hietbrink (5.5 ppg), a 6-3 forward, round out the all-senior
starting five for CdM, which has lost four straight state playoff games.
CdM last defeated a state playoff foe in 1990, a 67-65 verdict against
Lincoln of San Diego.
“University has played some big-time teams (losses to Division I powers
Mater Dei (twice) and Crenshaw), but we have a chance,” Orris said.
“It’s a tall order, but we need to handle them on the boards. They’re
big, which poses a problem. But I think we’re athletic enough to counter
that, at least offensively.”
Tonight’s winner advances to Thursday’s Southern California Regional
semifinal against either Washington Union of Fresno or Morningside.
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