BOYS' BASKETBALL; OVERCOMING POINTLESS LOSS SCORING MISTAKE HAS HART WONDERING WHAT IF.

Byline: Scott Magoloff Staff Writer

SANTA CLARITA - One missed free throw could make or break the Hart High of Newhall boys' basketball season. What's most frustrating for coach David Montgomery is that it had nothing to do with a player making or missing it.

It happened in the 50-49 loss to Burbank on Jan. 21. Evan Allen hit a shot and was fouled, setting up the single free throw in question. During the shot on which he was fouled, a double-technical foul was called away from the ball.

While the official scorekeepers were trying to sort out the technicals, Montgomery said, Allen made his free throw and it was added to Hart's total on the scoreboard. The problem was that the official scorekeepers were conferring with one of the officials and did not see Allen hit the shot and thus never recorded it.

The game continued with the correct score on the scoreboard for a few minutes before the scorekeepers told the officials that Hart had one point too many. They took a point away from the Indians (8-13, 2-3), who eventually lost by that margin on a game-winning shot with six seconds left.

``The score is still 50-50 in our minds,'' Montgomery said. ``That's why we feel like we're playing for first place (tonight against Burroughs). That's the psychological advantage I'm trying to use. If we win (tonight), then every game we play from that moment on is for first place.''

A key for Hart against Burroughs might be turnovers. Hart committed 19 in the Foothill League opener against Burroughs. Alarmed, Montgomery has stressed ball control to his players and they have responded.

Since the first Burroughs game, Hart limited itself to five turnovers against Canyon of Canyon Country, 11 against Valencia, nine against Saugus and 12 in the disappointing loss to Burbank.

``It's a combination of everybody understanding what your goals are on the court,'' Montgomery said. ``You have turnovers when one or two guys are trying to force things. With a team concept, we're not forcing as much one-on-one. That's the understanding of the players how to play together.

``A lot of times when they first set up the offense, they think they only have one option. What we're working on is options one through five. That's the maturity this team is going through.''

--Still hurting: This season has been so nightmarish for Canyon coach David Humphreys and it continues to steal sleep from him. Seven of Canyon's 10 players have missed playing time because of injuries and two - John Divon and Brian Standing - are out for the year.

It's been so bad for Humphreys, he hasn't been able to put his entire starting five on the floor once this season.

``The last six years (of my career) don't even add up to what I'm dealing with this year,'' Humphreys said. ``For us to still be 10-10, I'm not happy about our league record, but there's been a lot of things going on and you can't control injuries.''

Something the Cowboys (10-10, 1-4) can control is the type of shots they get for themselves and especially junior guard Matt Nelsen, who has seen his scoring output decrease by nearly half in league games since he averaged 18 points per game during the preseason.

``We've been trying to incorporate more things in to get him better looks,'' Humphreys said. ``He's the type of kid who doesn't care how many points he has if we're winning. That's why he's frustrated.''

The frustration came to a head during Canyon's loss to Burroughs on Jan. 21. Nelsen had played just seven minutes before taking an elbow to the mouth. He was forced to leave the game for the hospital, where he received stitches to repair a gash on the inside of his lip.

The outlook for the future doesn't get much brighter for Canyon, which is without forward Thomas Kemp (ankle). Already out for four games, his playing status tonight is uncertain. If he can't play, it will be yet another game in which Humphreys is without a legitimate forward on the bench to substitute for starters Brian Waite and Jeremy Haggerty.

To help the guard rotation, Humphreys brought Chad Eichten up from junior varsity. The sophomore guard has played in the Cowboys' last two games.

--Positive loss: For the first time in Valencia coach Gary Spindt's coaching career, he scheduled a nonleague game during the league season. Notre Dame defeated the Vikings 73-59 on Jan. 22, resulting in back-to-back losses on back-to-back nights, including Valencia's 63-52 loss to Saugus on Jan. 21.

``It was a positive experience for us,'' Spindt said. ``There were smiles on the court I haven't seen for a while. The kids were having fun playing. Hopefully we can build on that. I'd love to see some more smiles on our kids' faces.''

--Gift of giving: Saugus point guard Marc Holmquist has not been playing like a sophomore. He has averaged 5.5 assists per game this season to lead the league. It is also the fourth-highest total in the region.

Holmquist's smart play for the Centurions (14-7, 3-2) stems from the experience of playing on varsity as a freshman last year.

``That was really big for him,'' coach Jeff Hallman said. ``He's grown; he's gotten stronger, he's got more confidence - he never lacked in confidence. But he has more of a position of authority this year. He realized he has a lot more control over what happens of the floor.''

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Photo: Canyon's Matt Nelsen has seen his scoring output drop by nearly half from the 18 points he averaged in the preseason.

Hans Gutknecht/Staff Photographer