Special to the Mirror

   Santa Monica High played against Palisades High in the final game of the Tuesday Night Summer League for what can be considered the "Championship" of the league, even though there were no trophies handed out or medals hung around necks or tiered podiums on which to stand.

   Santa Monica won the game, 41 to 40, on a last second lay-up that beat the buzzer and rival Palisades High. The buzzer-beater was the culmination of an exciting, hard-fought basketball game that was host to full court presses, fast breaks, high-flying dunks, and a barrage of three-point shots.

   The game started out slowly with Santa Monica failing to score in the first three minutes of play until a free throw broke the drought. Palisades led 5-to-1 after those few short minutes. A tenacious 2-2-1 full court press employed by both teams typified the first half, against which only Palisades was effective. It was obvious that Palisades Coach James Bellina taught his team how to break the 2-2-1: his players recognized the press, passed the ball to the middle of the court, and attacked the often sole Santa Monica defender left to guard the basket.

   Santa Monica seemed to have trouble recognizing what type of press Pali was using, often dribbling into the trap zones of the full court press. In the first half, a SaMo guard would cross half court along the sideline and pick up his dribble. Trapped by the half-court line, the sideline and by two Pali defenders, the result was inevitable: turnover. The first half ended with Palisades leading 20 to 9.

   The first half demonstrated play typical of both teams. Santa Monica, while far from crisp, nevertheless ran a motion-style offense with down-screens, baseline crosses, and picket fences. But Palisades' high-octane talent and well-executed press break gave it the advantage. Both teams were equally penalized for over-aggressiveness and physical play by an effective referee duo. The second half began like the first.

   But a single event completely changed the game. At about the 14-minute mark in the second half, Palisades again easily broke Santa Monica's press and, along with a mistake by the last defender, got a two-on-none fast break opportunity. The lead man passed the ball off the backboard to the trailer for a spectacular two-handed, tomahawk dunk that brought the crowd to its feet. But this one dunk, which gave Pali its largest lead of the game at 15 points, led directly to the loss of the game.

   The Palisades players stopped playing fundamental basketball and started playing flashy one-on-one playground ball. This led to poor shot selection, lackadaisical or too ambitious passes, missed dunks, and whiney lamentations to the referees. Even Bellina stopped coaching for a play to complain, "Ten yards is a first down, right?"

   Poor play by Palisades rejuvenated a previously tired-looking Santa Monica squad. Santa Monica intensified its defense, which led to more physical play, more fouls, and greater referee intervention. They also switched to a 1-2-2 full court press. It was this switch that really turned the game around. Intensity gave them the defensive stops, the press gave them the turnovers, and their three-point barrage gave them the points to pull back into contention.

   Santa Monica buried three after three, pulling to within seven three minutes after the aforementioned dunk. The two teams went back and forth for nearly ten minutes with Santa Monica executing its offense, which often resulted in made threes. Palisades' great athletes and strong defense were able to maintain a small lead until only a minute remained in the game and Santa Monica was able to knot the score at 39. After a single made free throw gave Palisades a one-point lead, Santa Monica called a time-out with 17 seconds left. With about nine seconds left, a shot was taken and missed from just inside the lane. The weak-side rebounder collected the ball, pumped once, and shot. The ball caromed home as time expired, giving Santa Monica an exciting 41 to 40 victory.