From the sports archives: Marquis Johnson is South City's meal ticket

So when talking about South City guard Marquis Johnson, Warriors head coach Jorge Chevez is quick to point out that, in No. 30’s absence, his team was missing something.

"He’s our bread and butter,” Chevez said. "We played a tough preseason schedule and then he got hurt. And it (the injury) was worst than we thought, so we held him out the last two weeks of preseason. But ever since then, he’s come back and just flourished.”

Perhaps saying that Johnson is the bread and butter isn’t fair — on a South City team that has won five of their last six games, Johnson is more like the main course.

Over the last four league contests, Johnson has averaged 24 points a game, including a monster 28-point, 6-rebound, 5-assist and 3-steal game against a previously undefeated Aragon team.

"It’s his senior year,” Chevez said, "so I think he senses some urgency. He’s our floor general, he does everything for us — he can play the 1, the 2, if we asked him, he could probably play center. I mean, he does a really good job overall.”

Last week, Johnson put up 20 points against Menlo- Atherton in a game where he scored 10 points in the fourth quarter alone. And last Friday against Westmoor he went off for 28 points to go with five rebounds and 10 assists. He also hit several clutch shots including a late overtime 3-pointer to send the game into double-OT.

For his efforts, Johnson is the Daily Journal Athlete of the Week.

"That’s what makes him special,” Chevez said of Johnson’s versatility. "He does it all for us and makes everyone else’s job easier. I don’t know where we’d be without him.”

Johnson’s recent streak has the Warriors in third place in the Peninsula Athletic League Ocean Division, two games behind Half Moon Bay in the standings.

If the Cougars beat Westmoor Wednesday night, they would eliminate South City from title contention. But if they were to lose and the Warriors handle Carlmont, then it would set up an intriguing matchup on the last game of the regular season, with a potential three-team tangle atop the standings.

While South City needs helps for that to happen, it’s safe to say they wouldn’t be sniffing this opportunity if it wasn’t for Johnson’s recent run of play.

"Everyone has found their way around him,” Chevez said of his team adjusting to Johnson upon his return from an ankle injury. "That’s why we’ve been playing better. It took us a couple of games to get going, but we’ve been playing solid basketball since (Johnson’s return).”

Johnson proved he was all-the-way back from his injury following his clutch play against Westmoor. With the game on the line, there was no doubt which Warriors would handle the rock and take that key shot.

"I think everyone in the building knew the ball was going to him,” Chevez said. "And he got just a slight opening, pulled up and nailed it — top of the key jumper. And it was a just a slight opening because (Westmoor) defended him well. It was unbelievable. He had three hands in his face. He’s been hitting clutch shots for two years now.”

The Warriors appear to be peaking at the right time. With two games left, they have a sliver of hope in the division. And come next week, Johnson will lead South City into the PAL tournament. Last year, the Warriors made it all the way to the finals, taking down Capuchino and El Camino before falling to Burlingame in the championship.

For the Warriors to repeat that feat, No. 30 must stay hot.

"He’s going to have to be his spectacular self,” Chevez said. "The rest of our team is going to have to fill in around him and follow his leadership — take their chances when given the opportunity.”