PREP GOLF: LA SALLE THE LION OF EASTER TOURNEY 71 FOR LANCERS' MOORE PACES 29-SHOT VICTORY.

Byline: Dave Shelburne Staff Writer

BURBANK - La Salle High of Pasadena golf coach Ed O'Connor, who has been bringing his teams to the Burbank Men's Club Easter Invitational for years, finally got to see a trophy presentation.

``We haven't stuck around,'' he said. ``That's how bad it's been.''

Those days are gone for the Lancers. They won the 40th annual high school competition at De Bell GC by 29 strokes Wednesday, Blake Moore shooting a tournament-best 71 to lead a 308 team total that ranks as one of the best since this event started in 1961.

Defending co-champion Glendora (337), Peninsula (338), Burroughs (339) and Valencia (344) provided La Salle's closest competition in a field of 16 teams on the hilly, par-71 course.

``I'll have to check the history, but 308 is fantastic,'' said tournament director Jim Lloyd.

It didn't come easily, even for Moore, a two-time Prep League individual champion who has led the Lancers to the last two Prep League team titles and, last year, to the school's first appearance in the Southern Section postseason.

He bogeyed his first two holes before rallying with birdies on the 475-yard, par-5 fourth and the 218-yard, par-3 eighth, then added birdies on De Bell's two back-nine par-5s to finish five strokes better than the next closest individual - teammate Evan Sales at 76.

Sophomore Sales, sophomore Jeff White at 77 and freshman C.R. Mark at 84 completed the La Salle scoring on a day the Lancers posted the best team total since Hart of Newhall shot 293 in 1999 for what is believed to be the tournament record.

No team apart from that '99 Hart squad has come close in recent year's to La Salle's 308. Hart and Glendora shared the title last year at 316, Hart won at 314 in 2000 and Flintridge Prep - which La Salle has replaced recently as the Prep League's team to beat - was champion at De Bell in 1998 with a 318.

``We've been a little up and down,'' Moore said of the Lancers (7-3), ``but I think we'll do fine in (Southern Section postseason play). That's what we're looking forward to and I think we'll be right on track.''

Moore, who won last year's AJGA Kroger Junior Invitational in Ohio and has accepted a college golf scholarship from Colorado, also thinks he is getting back on track after a brief fade from a sensational start to this season.

``In the beginning, I was really playing good - 11 under through the first six or seven matches,'' he said. ``Then I had a couple of bad matches. But I've been playing more consistent and working hard.''

O'Connor has no doubt the best is yet to come for his senior captain, who is No. 148 in this week's national junior golf rankings.

``I keep telling him this is his year,'' the La Salle coach said. ``He can do everything well.''

La Salle's Moore, Sales and White accounted for nearly half of the scores in the 70s on a day De Bell's deceptively sloped hillside greens made for some difficult downhill putting. Andrew Bernal of Glendora, Josh Croosen of Rubideaux (both 77), Joe Agnone of Crescenta Valley and Robert Enriquez of Burroughs (both 79) were the only others to break 80.

In other boys' golf:

--Oak Park Invitational: With four birdies, Oak Park's Brandon Beck shot an even-par round of 71 to earn a second-place finish in the individual competition at Sterling Hills GC.

Greg Moss shot a 2-under 69 to earn medalist honors and lead Brentwood to the team title with a combined round of 221. Thousand Oaks shot 227 to earn second place followed by Mira Costa (229), Westlake (230) and Estancia (231).

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Photo:

Blake Moore led La Salle of Pasadena to the Burbank Men's Club Easter Invitational title.

Tina Burch/Staff Photographer