LOS ANGELES 7 Joe Tilley and Stewart Kussler were the last to be called out for the post-game ceremony, and when it was time, the senior duo gave each other a warm embrace, grinning like little kids on Christmas Day.

Only instead of presents under the tree and a season of good cheer, a different present was waiting for Tilley, Kussler and the rest of the St. Joseph High boys/ basketball team on Thursday night 7 a CIF title.

The Knights, in their toughest test in months, held off a second-half rally by St. Bernard of Playa Del Rey to claim a 73-60 victory in the CIF Southern Section Division IV-AA in front of a packed crowd at Loyola Marymount/s Gersten Pavilion.

The victory marked Torres/ second CIF Southern Section title as boys/ coach for the Knights, with the 2004 title moving alongside his 1998 crown. Torres also won a CIF and state title as the Knights/ girls coach in 1991.

The dynamic duo were up to the challenge, with Tilley scoring a game-high 26 points to go along with the 22 points and 10 rebounds of Kussler, leading the way into the title and a home date at Hancock College on Tuesday night for the opening round of the CIF state playoffs.

"It feels incredible right now," said Tilley, who added six rebounds, three assists and three steals in the victory. "This is a great way to go out, with a CIF title."

The game featured an old standby for the Knights (27-3); a full-court defensive presence that gave the Knights a healthy early lead. What was different than most of their other playoff games this year is that the opponent fought back. St. Bernard clawed back from deficits that reached as high as 14 points to get within two (54-52) with 6 1/2 minutes to go.

"This was probably the toughest team we/ve had to face in a long time, maybe back to the Mission Prep Tournament at Christmas," Kussler said. "They were quick, they could shoot, they had leapers Š I give them all the respect in the world."

But the Knights showed their mettle by outscoring the Vikings 19-8 after that point. "We definitely stepped up and made some big plays in the second half, especially in the final three to four minutes," Knights coach Ed Torres said. "They showed that they were in the finals for a very good reason. They/re a very well-coached team, they play hard, and they never gave up."

The senior duo were leading the way, with Kussler scoring seven points in the fourth quarter to Tilley/s six.

"You can/t say enough about the job they did," Torres said. "That/s the way it should be. Those are our two seniors, our leaders. I/m very happy for them."

Dynamic forward Nonso Nibo led the way for the Vikings (20-11) with 18 points and six rebounds, scoring 14 of those points in the second half to lead the comeback. The 6-foot-4 senior caused plenty of problems down low, forcing Torres to make changes.

"We had to put more pressure on the ball, make it more difficult for them to get it down low," Torres said. "We also did a good job of taking away their driving lanes, of tightening up on the block."

The Knights got out to a big early lead with a 14-2 run in the middle stretch of the first quarter, turning a one-point deficit (6-5 St. Bernard) into an 11-point lead, 19-8, with 2:57 left in the quarter. But the Vikings were able to whittle that lead down at times, getting as close as six (33-27) in the second quarter before a late spurt made it a 40-28 Knights lead at the intermission.

"They were easily the most athletic team we/d faced in a while, definitely since league started," Tilley said of St. Bernard. "They were pretty quick."

One area where the Kngihts definitely earned their keep was at the free-throw line, where St. Joseph/s 13-for-15 mark (86.7 percent) outshone the 7-for-14 mark (50 percent) of St. Bernard. St. Joseph shot 53.8 percent (28 of 52) from the field to 43.9 percent (25-for-57). from the Vikings.

St. Joseph only had two other players in double figures: Ryan Adlesh finished with 11 points and Andrew Schmalbach had 10. Anthony Copes added 11 points in the defeat for the Vikings, while Winsor Williams had 10.

The win givea the Knights a home date in the CIF State Division IV playoffs as a likely No. 1 seed, with the possibility of playing at home until the state semifinals in Fullerton.

Assistant Sports Editor Mike McKean can be reached at 739-2236 or by e-mail at mmckean@pulitzer.net

March 06, 2004