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.