Division V final a dual between best and the best Division V final a dual between best and the best (March 05, 2004)

by Keith Peters

Keith Garner and Tyler Holland have much in common. Both are seniors and play the same position for small private schools in the same Central Coast Section division. They have helped lead their basketball teams to impressive achievements during their four-year careers.

Moreover, they are as indispensable as they are multi-talented. They are Swiss army knives, able to slice up the opposition with their scoring, rebounding, unselfishness and leadership.

It's appropriate, then, that Garner plays for Eastside Prep and Holland for Sacred Heart Prep. Their teams are seeded No. 1 and 2, respectively, in the CCS Division V playoffs and will meet Saturday for the section championship at West Valley College in Saratoga at 3:30 p.m.

Thus, it will be No. 1 vs. No. 2. Garner vs. Holland. The best against the best.

Garner has led the Panthers to a 23-game winning streak and gaudy 26-1 record this season, and an impressive 110-10 record during his four years as a starter. Holland has led the Gators to a 24-game win streak and 25-2 mark in 2004, plus a not-too-shabby 84-22 ledger since 2001.

Without Garner and Holland, Eastside Prep and Sacred Heart Prep are good teams. With the two seniors, they are championship squads.

"He's been kind of the backbone, that's for sure," Eastside Prep coach Chris Bischof said of Garner. "He just plays so hard. He's been so consistent over four years. He has worked hard on his skills. More important, he comes to play every night."

During Garner's four years, the Panthers went 45-0 in the Christian Private Schools Athletic League and won three of four titles. They weren't eligible this season when the Panthers decided to play only half the league schedule in order to face better competition.

Eastside Prep has won three CCS titles and finished second once during the past three seasons, advancing to the NorCal playoffs three times and finishing second twice.

During Holland's four years, the Gators went 55-7 in the Private Schools Athletic League and captured three titles. The team has a current winning streak of 33 consecutive victories in the PSAL, which the Gators will take into next season.

The only statistical difference between the 6-foot-1 Garner and the 6-4 Holland, aside from their height, is that Holland is still looking for his first CCS championship to celebrate.

What better way to do that than by knocking off the defending champion.

SHP coach Lamont Quattlebaum believes his team is up to the challenge.

"I think we match up with them real well," Quattlebaum said. "They're really good on the boards and good at going after the ball and putting it back in. They're real active in their zone. A lot depends on the intensity level Saturday."

Eastside Prep didn't have much intensity in Tuesday's 41-32 semifinal victory over CPSAL rival Mid-Peninsula (20-7). The Panthers jumped out to a 22-5 lead in the first half and then went flat in the second. While it appeared that Eastside was content in playing a slow, halfcourt game, Bischof said that wasn't the case.

"It wasn't planned that way," said Bischof, almost embarrassed as what he'd just witnessed. "For the first time this season, I would have to say that we lacked intensity. We were sloppy."

Mid-Peninsula's zone defense had something to do with that in the second half, in addition to Garner and junior Gio Connor sitting out much of the third quarter after Eastside Prep had built a sizable lead. Once the two returned, the Panthers' offense had difficulty restarting - like a car running out of gas.

Mid-Peninsula got within 10 points on a couple occasions but Eastside countered both times. Connor's back-to-back hoops, the second with 2:20 left to play, gave the Panthers breathing room at 40-26. Stephen Waller, a 6-3 senior center, led Eastside with 15 points.

Mid-Pen senior Da'Ron Maxie scored seven of his 15 points in the fourth quarter to spark the Dragons' comeback attempt. Mid-Peninsula's win total (20) set a school record for most single-season victories.

Eastside Prep still has a ways to go to match the school-record 30 wins the 2001-02 team achieved. The Panthers would have to win Saturday's CCS finale and all three NorCal games. That, of course, would earn Eastside its first-ever trip to the state finals.

The Panthers came close the past two seasons, but Bischof isn't looking that far ahead with Sacred Heart Prep up next.

"It will be one of our toughest games, because Sacred Heart Prep is good," Bischof said.

Quattlebaum acknowledged that after watching his team dismantle Redwood Christian, 68-48, in the second of two semifinals Tuesday at Sacred Heart Prep.

"This was like the end of our league season," Quattlebaum said. "We're playing really well right now."

Holland has a lot to do with that. He scored a career-high 35 points against RC, just missing the school record of 39 held by Dane Holderman. Quattlebaum had thoughts of leaving Holland in the game for the final minutes.

"Then I thought, he'd go up for a basket and come down and break an ankle," Quattlebaum said. So, Holland enjoyed the final moments on the bench.

"He's not too worried about records," Quattlebaum said. "All he cares about is winning. He just wants to look at the score sheet afterwards and see us with one more point."

Holland, of course, does a lot more than just average 20.5 points a game.

"The great thing about Tyler is if he's not playing well, he'll get others involved," Quattlebaum said. Against Redwood Christian, however, Holland was playing well. He added six rebounds and six assists brought the ball upcourt whenever the visitors pressed fullcourt. Once Holland had the ball, the press was taken off. Double-teaming Holland would have been a bad idea.

"He's a quarterback," Quattlebaum said. "He'll find the open guy."

Quattlebaum also singled out the play of senior guard Spencer Lucian, who contributed everywhere with his aggressive play. Lucian scored nine points, had four assits and three rebounds in addition to helping force 23 RC turnovers.

"Offensively, he took the right shots and defensively he was everywhere," Quattlebaum said of Lucian.

The Gators received other key contributions from seniors Samer Sayigh and Jamie Greene, both of whom scored 10 points.

If there is a key in Saturday's game, it will be staying out of foul trouble. Neither team is exceptionally deep. Eastside Prep may have an edge in offense off the bench. The other is that intangible - big-game experience. The Panthers have played in three straight CCS finals while the Gators have played in none.

And then there's Garner versus Holland.

Eastside will need its senior to bounce back from Tuesday's season low of just one point - the first time in his career that he failed to make a field goal -- in addition to helping limit Holland from going off on another 35-point spree.

Sacred Heart Prep will need contributions from any number of players - especially shooters on the perimeter -- to help counter the Panthers' strength on the boards and its potentially suffocating zone defense.

It's a championship matchup and it's as good as it gets - No. 1 versus No. 2. The best against the best.

E-mail a friend a link to this story.