CHAMINADE USES TEAMWORK FOR HISTORY-MAKING VICTORY : CHAMINADE 80, BISHOP MONTGOMERY 66.

Byline: Vincent Bonsignore Daily News Staff Writer

One by one, Chaminade High's core players made their procession to the sideline, to be met by the energetic coach who asked them to sacrifice personal glory for the sake of the team.

The payoff for their compliance was a Southern Section Division III-A championship, the first divisional title in school history, and as the final minutes ticked away in the Eagles' 80-66 win over Bishop Montgomery in the championship final Saturday, Jeff Young welcomed each in front of the Chaminade bench to thank them for their efforts.

First up was Scott Long, the senior forward who will play next year at the Naval Academy. Long was there four years ago when Young took over the struggling program. In the biggest game of the year, all Long did was have the game of his life. He finished with 35 points and 11 rebounds, scoring 15 consecutive points for Chaminade during one memorable stretch covering the third and fourth quarters.

Next to greet Young was Scott Borchart, the freshman sensation who had 16 points, including the first five to start the second half. He was followed by point guard Cayce Cook, whose floor leadership, penetration and defense helped keep the game's pace in Chaminade's favor. Then came Justin Beach, the senior transfer from Camarillo who carried the Eagles in many games this year.

Finally, Justin Stewart made his way over. A senior forward who often gets overlooked, Stewart chose to concentrate on defense and rebounding this year, even if it came at the expense of his offense.

Young greeted each with a hug and a few words. The message was a mixture of congratulations and thanks.

``This (championship) is a testament to the type of kids we have in this program and how hard they've worked,'' Young said. ``I've always been taught that if you work hard, then good things will happen. These guys deserve this.''

None more so than Long, at least on this day. All year, the Eagles (27-1) had different players step up at different times. On Saturday, that player turned out to be Long.

His 15 straight points from the midway point of the third period to the early minutes of the fourth helped the Eagles keep the pesky Knights at arm's length. Chaminade never put Bishop Montgomery away, but thanks to Long, the Eagles were never in danger.

``We have a bunch of guys who can have a game like this,'' Long said. ``I'm just lucky that today it was me. I never go into a game thinking about points, especially this one. All I wanted to do was win the game.''

Cook was also sensational. His 14 points, 11 assists and three steals were indicative of his impact, but those numbers don't tell the full story.

Most impressive was his court sense, the ability to penetrate the middle of the Knights' defense with dribble-drives or pound the ball inside to Long and Borchart.

``Controlling (Cook) was at the top of our list,'' Bishop Montgomery coach Doug Mitchell said. ``We wanted to contain him and make him beat us with his jumper, but his presence out there dominated the game.''

Chaminade led 35-27 at the end of the second quarter, the result of a 7-0 run late in the half after Bishop Montgomery (23-6) closed to within 28-25.

The Eagles built a 20-8 advantage at the end of the first period, but sloppy play through the second quarter let the Knights back in.

Chaminade took control by scoring the first five points of the third quarter to take a 42-27 lead.

Bishop Montgomery stayed within 8 to 14 points the rest of the way, but they never got the one big spurt to really close the gap.

``Every time I looked up they were right there within 10 points or so,'' Long said. ``We never really got that knockout punch against them like we have against most teams. They hung in there.''