HIGH SCHOOL BASKETBALL FINALS : Division IV Boys : Christian, Mt. Empire Glad to Have Title Shot

SAN DIEGO — The Christian and Mt. Empire high school boys’ basketball teams are definitely thrilled about the inaugural five-division format.

Both coaches say that without the new format, their teams would not be playing for a section championship at the Sports Arena and a berth in the state playoffs.

But that’s exactly the position Christian and Mt. Empire will be in this morning when they meet for the Division IV title at 11:15.

Christian, a 2-A school with an enrollment of 454, finished fourth in the Central League--out of playoff contention under the old format--behind champion Lincoln, Crawford and San Diego.

Mt. Empire, with an enrollment of 452, finished second in the 1-A Mountain-Desert League and would have made the playoffs but probably would not have been around for the final.

Top-seeded Christian (12-12) is led by guard David Jeremiah, who was fifth in the county in scoring with 22.2 points per game.

Second-seeded Mt. Empire (17-6 and winner of 13 of its last 14 games) is making its first playoff appearance since 1976 and first appearance in a title game.

Mt. Empire is led by 6-foot 3-inch center Tim Johnson, who was also recruited as an NCAA Division I quarterback, and point guard John Lelevier.