PREP BASKETBALL : Southern Section 5-A Playoffs : Seahawks Advance to Semifinals With Win

Five years ago, relatively unknown Ocean View High School stunned the prep basketball world by advancing to the semifinals of the Southern Section 4-A division basketball playoffs in only its second year of existence.

The school had its humble beginnings at an abandoned Westminster elementary school where Coach Jim Harris foundly remembers tiny chairs and desks adorning the classrooms. Tradition? This school couldn’t even hold a homecoming game until its third year.

But it didn’t take Harris long to establish the Seahawks as a bonafide prep power alongside Compton, Long Beach Poly, Verbum Dei and Pasadena. The Seahawks had a player named Wayne Carlander who helped them reach the Long Beach Arena that year and a tradition was established. Harris’ teams have advanced to the postseason playoffs every year since the school opened seven years ago.

Friday night, Ocean View added another chapter to its illustrious basketball history with a 67-49 win over St. Bernard at Bishop Montgomery High in Torrance. The victory moves the Seahawks (23-3) into the Long Beach Arena next week for a semifinal matchup against Long Beach Poly.

“I’ve waited five years to get back to the arena,” Harris said. “That was my personal goal for the year. I don’t care who we play, I’m just happy to be there.”

Ocean View, second-seeded in the 5-A division playoffs this year, showed flashes of brilliance and the inconsistency of youth in what turned out to be a lopsided victory over the Vikings, who ended the season with a 17-8 record. The Seahawks made 11 of 15 free throw attempts in the final 3:34 to turn the game into a rout.

Ocean View was at its best in the first, third and fourth quarters. The second period was another story. The Seahawks raced to a 21-11 lead in the opening six minutes of play and then set their game on cruise control until midway through the third quarter.

St. Bernard took advantage of the Seahawks’ lapse to gain a 31-30 lead at halftime despite being at a distinct height disadvantage. The Vikings took the lead with 1:25 left in the first half after guard Thomas Lyle scored on a baseline jump shot and Viking Coach Jim McClune was thinking upset.

“If you follow St. Bernard basketball, you’ll know we’re the type of team that draws energy off a scoring spurt,” McClune said. “That spurt in the second quarter gave us vitality. We’ve gotten 10- or 12-point spurts all season to win games.”

St. Bernard’s comeback was sparked by point guard Reggie Howard and forward Kirkland Howling. The duo scored 8 of the Vikings’ 14 points in the second quarter when St. Bernard made 7 of 10 shots from the field.

While the Vikings’ offense came to life, Ocean View’s sputtered. Seahawk point guard Blaine DeBrouwer must have forgotten he had four teammates. He forced shots and made some bad passes in the second quarter after scoring 11 points in the first.

Harris replaced him with Tony Hocker and the 5-foot 11-inch senior got the Seahawks back on the right track. Hocker and Mike Labat triggered Ocean View’s comeback in the third quarter that saw the Seahawks erase a 33-32 deficit and go on to a 42-33 lead.

“Tony Hocker came in and settled us down,” Harris said.

Dave Straight’s jump shot with 1:48 left in the third quarter pushed the Seahawks ahead by nine points and then a flurry of free throws in the last quarter sealed the win. Afterward, Harris was asked what happened to his team in the second quarter.

“We have a history of playing aggressive and then letting up,” he said. “I reminded the players what happened in our game against Mission Viejo (a season-opening upset loss) where we got a big lead and played not to lose.

“We didn’t move offensively or defensively. I tried five different offenses to try and snap us out of it and finally a four-man passing game with (Ricky) Butler inside worked. You can chalk the tentativeness up to youth, that’s all.”

The passing game allowed Labat to get free outside and the 6-5 senior responded by making three jump shots after being shut out in the first half. He finished with 14 points and made 5 of 10 field goal attempts in the second half.

Ocean View also managed to put the wraps on St. Bernard’s offense by extending a cleverly disguised 1-2-2 zone defense that effectively contained Howard. Howard had 14 points at halftime, but managed only a last-second shot to finish with 16.

“It was like going one on five against their zone,” McClune said. “They put the big man (Butler) inside and then had real good pressure on the top. We have basically five guards and that zone was tough to penetrate.”

When St. Bernard found itself trailing, 51-45, with 2:35 left in the game, the Vikings had no alternative but to foul the Seahawks. Sometimes, this is the right strategy.

The Seahawks, with their unique, one-handed shooting technique at the foul line, have been sporadic all year. But this time, Ocean View was on the mark. Ocean View’s six-point lead quickly went to 10 when Labat made four straight free throws and the lead grew to 14 points when Harris cleared his bench with 31 seconds remaining to play.

The Seahawks had earned a trip back to the Long Beach Arena with their 12th straight victory. They’ll meet the team that last beat them--Long Beach Poly. The game date will be announced this morning at the Southern Section office in Artesia.