El
Capitan's Jarrod Boswell (50) is hit on a shot attempt as teammate
Noelle Noy (14) watches against El Dorado at the Mt. Carmel Invitational
Thursday (12-26-02).(photo by Travis Downs)
|
PREP BOYS BASKETBALL
|
EastCountySports.com staff report
(Updated 1-2-03) CHULA VISTA - For the first
time in three years, the Helix
Highlanders failed to win the Spartan Classic championship on
Tuesday (Dec.
31) at Chula Vista High.
Helix (7-6) blew a 6-point lead in the final
19 seconds of regulation and
wound up dropping the title game to Eastlake 66-60 in overtime.
The Titans,
who led 44-41 after three quarters, outscored the Highlanders
10-4 in the
extra four-minute stanza.
The Titans' victory snapped Helix's 11-game
winning streak at Chula Vista's
O'Donnell Gym. It was the first classic title in the event's 14
seasons for
Eastlake (9-3), while denying Helix a record fifth championship
in the event.
RAPHAEL BELL clicked on 7 of 12 shots from
the floor en route to a team-high
15 points, and also led the Highlanders with 12 rebounds.
CHARLES SMITH hit 6 of 10 shots from the
floor for 12 points, and added 5
steals and 3 assists to his totals. MARLON PIERCE, who was named
to the
all-tournament team, chipped in with 10 points and 6 assists.
After LANCE HURDLE hit a pair of free throws
to give Helix a 56-50 advantage,
it looked like the Highlanders had the tournament title in the
bag. But
Eastlake sandwiched a pair of 3-pointers around a missed front
end of a
one-and-one by the Highlanders to force overtime.
"We heard that this was 'their' event,"
said Eastlake's Jesse Spencer - the
tournament MVP who scored 24 points and grabbed 18 rebounds against
the
Highlanders. "So it was big for us to comeback to win it
over a team such as
them."
Helix led by as much as 35-26, early in
the second half, when Bell scored 11
of his team-best 15 points in the second half. But key misses
at the foul
line would doom Helix. The Highlanders made just 3-of-10 foul
shots after the
intermission.
Eastlake scored the first 8 points in the
overtime and the Highlanders were
finished.
Other Helix scoring: Ray Toilolo 9, Hurdle
7, Cliff Johnson 4, Quannell
Newton 2, Tim Bland 1.
CHULA VISTA 64, MOUNT MIGUEL 62 - GREG MONROE scored 23 points and JAY
BARBER added 16, but it wasn't enough as the Matadors blew a 17-point
lead in
Tuesday's (Dec. 31) third place game of the Spartan Classic.
Center Nathan Flowers (28 points, 12 rebounds)
scored the game-winner on a
rebound-basket with 0:03 left.
Mount Miguel held a 48-31 advantage with
4:16 left in the third period before
Flowers keyed the Chula Vista comeback by hitting 8 of his final
9 shots from
the field.
Mount Miguel (8-5) built a 20-10 lead after
one period behind a trio of treys
by J.R. GRIFFIN (11 points). Then Monroe - named to the all-tournament
team -
sliced through the Spartans defense in the third quarter, connecting
on seven
consecutive shots for 14 points in the third period.
Barber scored seven of his points in the
fourth quarter, including a 3-point
play for a 57-54 Mount Miguel lead with 4:57 remaining. He also
added a free
throw for a 60-58 Matadors' advantage with 2:55 left.
After Chula Vista forged in front, the Matadors
made it exciting as a Griffin
layup on a pass from Barber tied it 62-all with 31 seconds left.
Other Mount Miguel scoring: Dewayne Ary
4, Gary Harris 4, Michael Mays 4,
James Roberts 1.
(Updated 1-2-03/12-31-02)
EastCountySports.com staff report
CHULA VISTA - It's becoming a New Year's
Eve tradition for the Helix
Highlanders, playing in the championship game of the Chula Vista
Spartan
Classic. So is winning at Chula Vista High's O'Donnell Gym where
the
Highlanders go for their 12th consecutive victory and third straight
Spartan
Classic crown Tuesday night (Dec. 31) against Eastlake at 8 o'clock.
The Highlanders (7-5) parlayed the scoring
punch of junior MARLON PIERCE and
the defensive tenacity of senior CLIFF JOHNSON to clip host Chula
Vista 63-48
in Monday's (Dec. 30) semifinals.
Pierce scored a career-high 22 points, including
4-for-6 shooting from
3-point distance, and TIM BLAND scored all 8 of his points as
Helix swamped
the Spartans 24-10 during the final eight minutes.
"Bland came off the bench and made
some big shots," noted senior guard RAY
TOILOLO, who tallied 11 points, 4 assists and was an important
factor to the
Helix defense. "He missed the first two games of this tournament
(with ankle
sprain), but he was still able to get open and knock his shots
down."
Meanwhile, Johnson directed a stout defensive
effort that effectively shut
down Chula Vista scoring leader Mark Burns in the final period.
Burns was fouled on a drive to the basket
late in the third quarter, and his
free throw completed a 3-point-play that gave Chula Vista a 38-36
advantage
with 1:53 left. Burns, however, would not score again until sinking
a pair of
foul shots in the final seconds, as the Highlanders utilized a
13-0 run to
take a 49-38 lead with 5:16 left.
Pierce launched the Helix scoring spree
with his 4th trey to close the third
quarter with Helix on top 39-38. He then nailed four straight
free throws in
the final 1:10 to deny any hopes the Spartans (6-6) had to come
back.
Helix's XAVIER WEATHERSBY (11 points, 4
rebounds, 3 steals) sliced down the
middle and connected on a pair of 6-foot jumpers to open the fourth
quarter.
Despite his big offensive night, Pierce
credited the Helix defense for the
win - the Highlanders' third in succession.
"We played defense and worked hard,"
Pierce said. "And we all helped Cliff
guard Burns because he can't do it all by himself. All of us helped
him out."
With at least two defenders on him, Burns
missed all six of his shots from
the floor in the
fourth, finishing a meager 6-for-17 overall and committing six
turnovers.
The Highlanders should have a little larger
rooting section than usual for
the championship game as Pierce's mother, Jonita, is celebrating
her birthday
Tuesday.
"Marlon suggested that I bring the party to (O'Donnell) gym," Jonita said.
If the Highlanders play like they did on
Monday, there should be plenty to
cheer about.
Other Helix scoring: Lance Hurdle 6, Johnson
2, Charles Smith 2, Raphael Bell
2.
EASTLAKE 72, MOUNT MIGUEL 63 - Thoughts of an All-Grossmont South League
finale in the 14th annual Spartan Classic were dashed in somewhat
rapid
fashion by the Titans (8-3) in Monday's (Dec. 30) semifinals.
The Matadors (8-4) fell behind 32-13 in
the second quarter and played
catch-up the remainder of the night. Mount Miguel crept to within
61-58 with
2:40 remaining before the Titans sealed the Matadors' pending
doom with an
11-3 run, including a 7-of-8 free throw shooting.
GREG MOORE paced the Matadors with 22 points,
swishing 8 of 11 shots from the
floor and connecting on all five foul shots,
J.R. GRIFFIN served up 17 points for the
Matadors, who were once again
inconsistent at the defensive end. Eastlake was permitted easy
access inside
and the Titans took advantage.
For the contest, Eastlake shot 55 percent
(28-for-51) from the floor, while
Mount Miguel connected on just 20-of-49 shots (41 percent) and
was
out-boarded, 35-24.
"It's not about winning, it's about
improving," Mount Miguel coach JIMMY
HURST said. "Right now, we're not playing hard and not playing
together. We
have no heart."
The Matadors meet host Chula Vista in Tuesday's
(Dec. 31) third-place game at
6:30.
Other Mount Miguel scoring: Jay Barber 6,
Joey Street 6, Gary Harris 4, Ralph
Johnson 3, Lyle Woodward 3, James Roberts 2.
GROSSMONT 53, MONTGOMERY 38 - Not many teams play better defense than coach
FRANK FOGGIANO's Foothillers, who claimed the third place trophy
in the
20th Aztec Holiday Invitational at Montgomery High by virtue of
Monday's
(Dec. 30) conquest of the tournament's host team.
Foggiano's Foothillers (8-5), who have won
8 of their last 11 starts, are
rationing opponents to 51 points per game. Seven times they've
held their
foes to 49 points or fewer.
In their four Aztec tournament games, they
limited their rivals to 46 points
per game, while winning 3 of 4.
"We played our defensive positions
very well," Foggiano said. "We didn't
allow them to penetrate very much."
TYLER VICKERS (14 points) and TYLER COOK
(13 points) paced the Foothillers'
offensive interests in the victory over Montgomery. Vickers was
selected to
the all-tournament team as was CASEY YOUNG, who finished with
8 points
against the Aztecs. Young sank the Hillers' lone 3-pointer, while
Cook
converted 7 of 8 free throws.
Other Grossmont scoring: Blake Brands 3,
Jesse Gerber 4, Dalton Griffith 4,
James Crooks 3, Tyler Barbour 2, Taylor McDonald 2.
WEST HILLS 63, HOOVER 34 - Those who plan to key on one particular player
in
the Wolf Pack lineup better think again. These guys introduce
a different
"star" every game.
Sophomore RYAN SHUMAKER re-entered the starting
lineup and basked in the
limelight with a 16-point effort Monday (Dec. 30) as West Hills
captured the
5th place medal in the 20th Aztec Holiday Invitational at Montgomery
High.
"'Shu' was very dominating out there,"
West Hills coach JEFF ARMSTRONG said.
"Not only did he score, he was strong on the boards."
Junior BLAKE SUTTON, who was named to the
all-tournament team, turned in
another strong performance with 13 points and 10 rebounds.
"The STABACK brothers (ROSS and RYNE)
played well on both ends of the floor
with 4 steals and 8 points apiece," Armstrong said.
"It was a good effort as a team. We
reversed the ball well and that led to
open looks. And defensively, we rotated out of our trap better."
Other West Hills scoring: Matthew Gilson
7, Bo Hart 3, Sam Miller 3, John
Doherty 3, Jeremy Hill 2.
ARROYO GRANDE 74, MONTE VISTA 68 - The Monarchs regained their offensive
footing, displayed plenty of balance, and still came up short
in Monday's
(Dec. 30) Mt. Carmel Holiday Hoops Classic.
"We fell behind by 9 and were always
having to come back," said Monte Vista
coach ZACH PECK. "We never got closer than 5 after the first
quarter."
Senior guard CARLOS RAMER, who carries a
team-leading 15.9 scoring average,
rammed in 24 points to pace Monte Vista (6-7). Included in his
totals were a
trio of 3-pointers.
ERIK HOSKINS hammered down 12 points and
ALEX GUINTO tossed in 10 for the
Monarchs.
AL Hogoboom thundered in 23 points - most
coming on 7 three-pointers - for
Arroyo Grande.
Other Monte Vista scoring: Clinton Snyder
9, Mark Davis 6, Robert Yousif 3,
D'Andre Overstreet 2.
El
Capitan's Jarrod Boswell (50) is hit on a shot attempt as teammate
Noelle Noy (14) watches against El Dorado at the Mt. Carmel Invitational
Thursday (12-26-02).
(photo by Travis Downs)
POWAY 39, EL CAPITAN 29 - All-tournament pick JARROD BOSWELL had another big night on the boards with 16 rebounds, but was limited to 15 points as El Capitan bowed to Poway in Monday's (Dec. 30) consolation championship of the Mt. Carmel Holiday Hoops Classic.
The Titans (9-4) sealed off the inside to El Capitan, daring the Vaqueros to shoot from the outside. The 7-foot Boswell actually scored the majority of his points away from the basket, hitting a pair of 3-pointers and 3 of 4 free throws.
JUSTIN GALLOWAY collected 8 points and 10 rebounds for the Vaqueros (6-7), who finished with their meekest offensive outing of the season. SCOTT FISHER recorded 4 steals and 6 rebounds.
Other El Capitan scoring: Fisher 4, Jesse
Leatherman 2.
(12-30-02)
EastCountySports.com staff report
(Updated 12-29-02)
EL CAJON - Steele Canyon High School is so new that folks over
there probably
haven't thought about building any trophy cases just yet. Somebody
call a
carpenter. The Cougars' boys basketball team is bringing home
some hardware.
The fast-breaking Cougars of coach BRAD
LEAF used a 27-point second quarter
as a springboard and continued on to capture the championship
of the Granite
Hills Sportland Festival Saturday (Dec. 28) by dunking Valhalla,
81-62.
CAMILLO MARTINEZ nailed 7-of-8 shots from
the floor in the second quarter,
when he scored 17 of his game-high 22 points to lift the Cougars
(8-5) into a
17-point halftime advantage.
"Martinez really picked it up,"
Leaf said. "He just lit them up - he was on
fire. He's been struggling the last three games, but he shined
tonight."
A key play for Steele Canyon came in the
middle of the third quarter when
Valhalla was called for a couple of technical fouls. Sophomore
point guard
RICHIE WILLIAMS, who share the tournament MVP honors with freshman
KEITH
WILLIAMS, made the Norsemen pay.
"Richie made 5-of-6 free throws and
also scored on the in-bounds pass for a
7-point play," Leaf recalled. "It was over then."
Richie Williams finished with 19 points,
including 9-for-11 shooting from the
foul line. He also nailed a pair of 3-pointers.
Steele Canyon, which has won five in a row,
relied on its zone press to force
numerous turnovers and easy scoring chances, keyed by the Williamses,
who
are not related.
Richie Williams did a superb job of distributing
the ball, finishing with 8
assists.
DREW STINNETT led the Norsemen with 20 points
and three blocked shots. But 21
Valhalla turnovers thwarted any comeback hopes.
Other Steele Canyon scoring: Walter Hall
11, Ricky Bailey 8, Keith Williams
8, Raymond Williams 5, Terrance Davis 4, George Cunningham 3,
Adam Tortosa 1.
Other Valhalla scoring: Devon Jones 8, Manny
Gonzales 8, Brandon Gross 7,
Travis Rothlisberger 6, Alvin Habib 5, Raymond Hanna 2, Tommy
Miles 1, Andrew
Bazzi 1.
EL CAPITAN 57, MONTE VISTA 44 - JARROD BOSWELL enjoyed a mammoth outing in
Saturday's (Dec. 28) Mt. Carmel Holiday Hoops Classic, drilling
in 34 points,
clearing 16 rebounds and blocking 2 shots.
"If you can't make us turn the ball
over, you're going to have trouble with
Boswell," El Capitan coach ROSS FURROW said. "He is
obviously dominant inside."
It's what the Vaqueros (6-6) have been unable
to do outside that has kept El
Capitan's record hovering below .500 mark most of the season.
El Capitan turned in a strong second half
against Monte Vista (6-6) after the
Monarchs had claimed a 23-22 halftime edge.
"We played about as well as we have
at any point this season," Furrow said.
"We did a decent job of taking care of the ball on offense,
and our defense
was effective."
Without divulging every detail of his master
plan, Furrow was pleased to
admit that his newly designed defense began to generate results
against the
Monarchs. Fact is, El Capitan outscored Monte Vista 16-4 in the
fourth
quarter to nail down a victory.
"We've created some things with our
zone slides," Furrow said. "I think we're
going to bother people with it."
JESSE LEATHERMAN added 10 points, and JUSTIN
GALLOWAY chipped in 6 assists, 5
rebounds and 7 points for the Vaqueros (6-6).
CARLOS RAMER scored 20 points and dished
out 5 assists for Monte Vista (6-6).
Ramer made his first five shots from the floor to give the Monarchs
the early
lead, then he canned a pair of three-balls in the third period
to mount a
34-27 edge.
However, El Capitan made its own changes,
holding Ramer scoreless in the
fourth quarter until the final minute. But by then, the Vaqueros
raced off to
14-2 scoring run to earn a berth in Monday's (Dec. 30) consolation
final
against Poway.
Other El Capitan scoring: Scott Fisher 2, Noelle Noy 2, Johnny Curo 2.
Other Monte Vista scoring: Erik Hoskins
8, Mark Davis 6, Nick Childs 5,
Robert Yousif 3, Clinton Snyder 2.
GRANITE HILLS 76, FOOTHILLS COMPOSITE
44 - The Eagles put together a 28-0
scoring run over a seven-minute stretch between the second and
third quarters
to post an easy victory in Saturday's (Dec. 28) final day of the
Granite
Hills Sportand Festival.
TYRONE ARAYA notched a career-high 17 points,
while MARK HALL added 16
points, 11 rebounds and 6 blocks for the Eagles (7-6). GREG CHASE
cashed in
for 15 points and 6 steals for Granite Hills, which converted
31 of 60 shots
from the field.
Other Granite Hills scoring: J.P. Powell
7, Rony Nasser 5, Nick Taylor 4,
Robert Fine 4, Tyler Ricci 2, Ryan Snyder 2.
MOUNT MIGUEL 69, SWEETWATER 55 - The Matadors who cover the court are not
unlike a gang-tackling defense in football. It's sort of like
they believe
in the old adage, "the more, the merrier."
Forget about the superstars, Mount Miguel
coach JIMMY HURST says. He's
looking for balance, team unity.
RALPH JOHNSON (20 points), J. R. GRIFFIN
(12 points), JOEY STREET (11 points)
and DEWAYNE ARY (10 points) paced the Matadors (8-3) who rolled
over
Sweetwater in Saturday's (Dec. 28) quarterfinal game in the 14th
annual
Spartan Classic at Chula Vista High.
The Matadors, who took a 25-16 first-quarter
lead over Sweetwater, are one
victory shy of qualifying for a berth in Tuesday's (Dec. 31) championship
game. It could be an All-Grossmont South League title affair if
the
Highlanders don't stumble in Monday's semifinals.
Other Mount Miguel scoring: Greg Monroe
7, James Roberts 5, Eugene Pujida 2,
Jay Barber 2.
HELIX 62, MIRA MESA 38 - Football star CHARLES SMITH led the Highlanders
(6-5) with 12 points and 3 steals as Helix mauled Mira Mesa in
Saturday's
(Dec. 28) Spartan Classic contest at Chula Vista.
Six Highlanders scored 8 or more points.
QUANNELL NEWTON captured a team high
11 rebounds, while RAPHAEL BELL came down with 9 rebounds and
9 points.
LANCE HURDLE hustled his way to 5 rebounds
and 7 assists for Helix, which
canned a season-high five 3-pointers in this lopsided win. RAY
TOILOLO and
MARLON PIERCE canned two treys apiece. ERIC ROBINSON accounted
for the other
3-pointer.
Other Helix scoring: Pierce 9, Toilolo 9,
Newton 8, Robinson 7, Hurdle 2,
Xavier Weathersby 4, David Jones 2.
CENTRAL UNION 72, EL CAJON VALLEY 68
(OT) - TREMAINE FOSTER scored a
career
high 29 points and collected 13 rebounds, but the Braves (5-7)
fell short in
overtime in Saturday's (Dec. 28) Granite Hills Sportland Festival
contest.
Foster's scoring fling was nearly three
times his 10.3 scoring average and 13
clicks above his previous high.
El Cajon Valley's top two point-producers
- NATE REED and DERON TAYLOR -
combined for 31 points.
"We were up the whole game, and lost
it in the last minute," lamented El
Cajon coach DARNELL CHERRY. "As a team we took it really
hard - woulda,
coulda, shoulda"
Other El Cajon Valley scoring: Reed 17,
Taylor 14, Josh Roys 5, Paul Brodner
2, Deandre Jackson 1.
BRAWLEY 68, GROSSMONT 53 - When it comes to physical basketball, coach FRANK
FOGGIANO's Foothillers seem to want no part of it.
"We need to learn how to deal with
that part of the game," admitted Foggiano,
whose Foothillers folded against the body-banging Wildcats from
the Imperial
Valley League. "(Brawley) was blocking shots from behind,
going over our
backs and not getting called for fouls.
"I don't like it. But we can sit here
and complain or change and adjust our
strategy."
TYLER VICKERS led the Foothillers with 15
points. CASEY YOUNG (14 points) and
BLAKE BRANDS (10) also reached double figures in Saturday's (Dec.
28) Aztec
Holiday Invitational contest.
Other Grossmont scoring: Jesse Gerber 7, Tyler Barbour 5, James Crooks 2.
MONTGOMERY 53, WEST HILLS 47 - The Wolf Pack managed only 2 field goals in
the fourth quarter and that proved costly against the host team
of the 29th
annual Aztec Holiday Invitational.
"They smothered our inside game,"
said West Hills coach JEFF ARMSTRONG, who
watched as the Aztecs gained an 18-8 fourth quarter scoring edge.
West Hills held a five-point lead with 2:30
remaining in the game, but the
Aztecs' Robert Whaley and Sergio Imperial zeroed in on a couple
of clutch
3-pointers to curtail any plans the Pack entertained for a comeback
bid.
MATTHEW GILSON was West Hills' only player
to reach double figures with 12
points. But Armstrong was pleased to credit JEREMY HILL (7 points)
and JOHN
DOHERTY (2 treys) for their efforts coming off the bench. Gilson
scored 5 of
his points in the fateful fourth quarter, but received little
offensive help
from his teammates.
Other West Hills scoring: Blake Sutton 9,
Doherty 6, Zack Perkins 6, Sam
Miller 4, Ryan Shumaker 2, Ross Staback 1.
STRATHCONA 69, CHRISTIAN 33 - This was only a "meaningless" consolation
game
in Saturday's (Dec. 28) Granite Hills Sportland Festival, and
the Patriots
(6-7) did little more than go through the motions in their most
lopsided loss
of the season.
Christian's hard-nosed junior guard JESSE
LeBEAU, who seems to never have an
"off" game, reeled in a trio of 3-pointers to raise
his East County-leading
total to 33 in 13 games. His 12 points against the Canadians was
the most any
of the Patriots could muster in an overall lackluster team effort.
Reserve SHANE STANOVIC of Christian enjoyed
his finest outing of the season,
casting in a pair of treys to finish with 8 points.
Other Christian scoring: Ryan Cady 5, Mike
Singleton 3, Bryan Fuller 2,
Kevin Epps 2, Kenny Bell 1.
(12-28-02/UPDATED 12-29-02)
EastCountySports.com staff report
EL CAJON - The surging Valhalla Norsemen
take on the new kids on the block -
the Steele Canyon Cougars - for the Granite Hills Sportland Festival
championship Saturday (Dec. 28) at Granite Hills. Tip-off is set
for 6 p.m.
The senior-less Cougars (7-5) have a chance
to send a message to the rest of
East County if they can knock off the Norsemen in their first
official title
bout.
Steele Canyon won a physical semifinal over
Central Union 69-53 in Friday's
(Dec. 27) semifinals, as freshman KEVIN WILLIAMS registered a
career-high 28
points. He also tossed in a trey and went 4-4 at the line. Williams
has
produced 55 points in his last two games and tallied 73 over his
last three
starts.
Sophomore RICHIE WILLIAMS contributed 13 points and a 3-pointer for the Cats.
These Cougars are swift and aggressive.
They play an attacking zone defense,
using their quickness to pressure all over the court.
"That's our style," Steele Canyon coach BRAD LEAF said.
Other Steele Canyon scoring: Ricky Bailey
8, Camillo Martinez 8, Walter Hall
4, Terrance Davis 4, George Cunningham 2, Jason Beauchamp 2.
VALHALLA 63, EL CAJON VALLEY 60 - The Norsemen (6-6) held on to edge the
Braves in Friday's (Dec. 27) semifinals, nearly blowing an 11-point
lead in
the process.
DREW STINNETT and MANNY GONZALES each sank
a pair of free throws in the
waning moments to secure the victory for Valhalla.
DEVON JONES paced the Norsemen with 13 points,
while JARED JOHNSTON added a
dozen.
NATE REED scored a game-high 19 points -
including 5 three-pointers - to lead
El Cajon Valley. DERON TAYLOR and TREMAINE FOSTER added 15 points
apiece,
Other Valhalla scoring: Stinnett 9, Gonzales
8, Raymond Hanna 7, Travis
Rothlisberger 7, Alvin Habib 5, Tommy Miles 2.
Other El Cajon Valley scoring: Frank Collins 7, Deandre Jackson 4.
A Helix player goes in for a layup Friday night (12-27-02).
HELIX 78, H.J. CAMBIE (B.C.) 40 - Senior QUANNELL NEWTON of Helix had never played organized basketball before this year, but it might have been difficult to convince the Canadian crew of that fact.
Making a rare start, Newton grabbed a season-high 15 rebounds to help Helix (5-5) skate past H.J. Cambie High of Richmond, British Columbia in Friday's (Dec. 27) first round of the 14th annual Spartan Classic at Chula Vista High.
"He'll go after it," Helix coach JOHN SINGER said of Newton, a 6-foot-1 forward who also scored 8 points. "He can jump right out of the building. He's just a raw talent."
Newton's parents are in the military and moved the family west from Florida last summer.
"He's a solid, yes-sir, no-sir kid," Singer said. "A real solid type kid, kind of a throwback kid who really works hard out there on the court."
ERIC ROBINSON came off the bench to lead three Helix players scoring in double figures with 13 points. He sank 6 of 8 from the floor, while RAPHAEL BELL came off the pine to can 6 of 7 shots for a 12-point night. XAVIER WEATHERSBY and RAY TOILOLO collected 10 points each. LANCE HURDLE chipped in with 8 steals and 7 assists. MARLON PIERCE had 6 steals and 5 assists to go with 6 points.
Cambie's Crusaders, located just outside of Vancouver, fell to 6-4 overall.
Helix committed a season-low 15 turnovers,
then limited the Canadians to few
second chances in extending the lead through every quarter.
Leading 14-6 through one period, Helix spread
the margin to 37-13 at the
half, then to 56-22 after three.
Other Helix scoring: Cliff Johnson 5, David
Jones 4, Lance Hurdle 4, Charles
Smith 4, Michael Ortiz 3.
Mount Miguel's Ralph Johnson is trapped
by two Palmer players Friday night (12-27-02)
MOUNT MIGUEL 62, PALMER (Alaska) 49 - Following an opening half of soft defense, the Matadors (7-3) looked like a Grossmont South League contender in the second half, outscoring the Palmer (AK) Moose by a 41-21 margin to earn the first-round triumph at the Spartan Classic at Chula Vista High.
J.R. GRIFFIN shared scoring honors with RALPH JOHNSON with 20 points, including 16 in the second half to power Mount Miguel.
"We hustled and played hard in the second half," said Griffin, a junior shooting guard. "We needed to step up to play with some intensity on defense."
Mount Miguel allowed the previously undefeated Moose (3-1) to score uncontested breakaway baskets throughout most of the first half. Whenever the Matadors took an outside shot, a weak-side Palmer player would break downcourt, then catch a long lead pass for uncontested baskets.
Palmer, which is located about 10 miles from Anchorage, once enjoyed a 32-24 lead.
"We came out kind of soft," noted GREG MONROE, who was tabbed by Matadors coach JIMMY HURST for keying the turnaround. "But if we play like we did in the second half, we can win this tournament."
The about-face on defense led to numerous
scoring opportunities in
transition, including a series of buckets inside the paint. Included
were
three layins by Griffin during an 18-6 run to take the lead. The
streak was
capped on a smart inbounds pass by Johnson to Griffin for a layin,
then
Griffin drove the lane and was fouled during a basket. The foul
shot gave
Mount Miguel a 41-38 lead with exactly 1:00 remaining in the third.
The Matadors then opened the final quarter
on another spurt, outscoring
Palmer 17-4 over six minutes, including easy baskets by JAMES
ROBERTS,
DEWAYNE ARY, Johnson, and a highlight-quality inside move by Griffin
while
being fouled with 2:11 left, effectively ending any comeback hopes
of the
Moose.
Other Mount Miguel scoring: Dewayne Ary
6, Greg Monroe 6, James Roberts 5,
Joey Street 5.
GROSSMONT 64, HILLTOP 39 - Junior TYLER VICKERS rang up 20 points as the
Foothillers (7-4) flew past the Lancers Friday (Dec. 27) in the
20th annual
Aztec Holiday Invitational.
"Tyler is not real flashy, but he is
steady," Grossmont coach FRANK FOGGIANO
said of the 6-foot-5 post. "He is right out of the 1960s.
He has good
footwork, a left and right hook shot. He is fundamentally sound
down low, but
we'd like to bring his game out away from the basket some."
CASEY YOUNG (11 points) hit a trio of 3-pointers
for the Foothillers, while
BLAKE BRANDS popped in two treys.
This was no contest as the Foothillers outscored the Lancers in every quarter.
Other Grossmont scoring: Jesse Gerber 9,
Brands 8, Mark Nicholson 4, Dalton
Griffith 4, Tyler Barbour 2, James Crooks 2, Ryan Goldbarg 2,
Casey Williams
2.
SOUTHWEST (EC) 46, WEST HILLS 44 - BLAKE SUTTON scored 15 points for the
Wolf Pack, but nobody else on the West Hills squad produced more
than 5
points in a surprising loss to El Centro Southwest in Friday's
(Dec. 27) 20th
annual Aztec Holiday Invitational at Montgomery.
The highlight for West Hills was RYNE STABACK's
defensive work on Southwest's
Brad Goff, who once sank 20 three-pointers in a single game -
second most in
San Diego CIF history. Goff had to settle for just a trio of 3-pointers
against West Hills (5-5).
"We had one of our coldest shooting
games of the season," West Hills coach
JEFF ARMSTRONG said. "We couldn't buy a bucket. We missed
21 lay-ups or
interior shots, and that proved to be the difference."
Nevertheless, West Hills had a chance to
tie the game with :2.7 seconds
remaining. But, for one last time, the Pack missed a lay-up and
an ensuing
put-back attempt.
Other West Hills scoring: Ryan Shumaker
5, Ross Staback 4, Ryne Staback 4,
Matthew Gilson 4, Jeremy Hill 4, Bo Hart 3, Sam Miller 3, Zack
Perkins 2.
FOOTHILLS COMPOSITE 62, CHRISTIAN 56
CHRISTIAN 59, CALEXICO 54 - Since
MIKE SINGLETON took the point for the
Patriots, Christian has cranked off 6 victories in 9 starts. Talk
about a
natural talent, the All-SDCIF football standout has achieved double
scoring
digits in every game he's been on the court. He owns a 15.9 scoring
average
overall, and provides Christian with leadership and stability.
Singleton scored 41 points as the Patriots
split a Granite Hills Sportland
Festival doubleheader on Friday (Dec. 27). He was extremely effective
in
taking the ball to the basket as was evident by his 20 for 26
free throw
shooting in the two games.
But Singleton's 24 points and KEVIN EPPS'
four 3-pointers weren't enough to
offset Foothills Composite of Canada in game one.
Christian rode a more balanced attack led
by Singleton (17 points), JESSE
LeBEAU (15 points) and KENNY BELL (11) to defeat Calexico. The
Patriots used
a 25-12 scoring edge in the second quarter to overcome an early
9-point
deficit.
Other Christian scoring vs. Foothills Composite:
Bell 9, LeBeau 4, Trace
Faubel 3, Ryan Cady 2, Bryan Fuller 2.
Other Christian scoring vs. Calexico: Epps 6, Faubel 4, Cady 4, Fuller 2.
PACIFIC HILLS 45, GRANITE HILLS 44 - The Eagles shot a sub-par 32 percent
from the field (15 for 47), but still had a chance to pull out
a victory in
Friday's (Dec. 27) Granite Hills Sportland Festival game.
Trailing 45-40 with one minute remaining,
GREG CHASE cashed in one of two
free-throw shots to make it a 4-point game. A steal by sophomore
RYAN SNYDER
led to a 3-point basket by MARK HALL with 25 seconds left.
Suddenly, the Eagles (6-6) were on the crest
of stealing a victory. Chase
swiped a Pacific Hills pass with 12 seconds remaining. Granite
Hills,
however, would not get off a shot, as the Eagles too, were victimized
by a
costly turnover.
Hall finished with 12 points and 5 rebounds
as did Chase, who also recorded 4
steals. TYRONE ARAYA added 11 tallies for Granite Hills.
Other Granite Hills scoring: Snyder 5, Rony Nasser 4.
EL CAPITAN 53, WEST VIEW 26 - JARROD BOSWELL scored 17 points, grabbed 16
rebounds and blocked 6 shots, and SCOTT FISHER tossed in 10 points
as the
Vaqueros (5-6) breezed past first-year West View in Friday's (Dec.
27) Mt.
Carmel Holiday Hoops Classic contest.
JUSTIN GALLOWAY added 8 points and 7 rebounds for the Vaqueros.
Other El Capitan scoring: Justin Galloway
8, Jesse Leatherman 6, Sean Hogue
6, Johnny Curo 2, Noelle Noy 2, Chris Buchmiller 2.
MONTE VISTA 59, CENTENNIAL 51 - ERIK HOSKINS cast in 21 points to carry the
Monarchs (6-5) past Centennial in Friday's (Dec. 27) Mt. Carmel
Holiday Hoops
Classic.
Monte Vista took an 18-11 first-quarter lead and never looked back.
Other Monte Vista scoring: Carlos Ramer
9, Alex Guinto 8, Nick Childs 6, Mark
Davis 4, Clinton Synder 4, Robert Purvy 4, Robert Yousif 3.
(12-27-02)
El
Cajon Valley's Nate Reed passes the ball as Christian's Kenny
Bell (33) defends on Thursday (12-27-02).
EastCountySports.com staff report
EL CAJON - The El Cajon Valley Braves, who lost three of their first four games to begin the season, reached the .500 mark with of sweep of Thursday's (Dec. 26) Granite Hills Sportland Tournament opening day doubleheader. Coach DARNELL CHERRY's club crunched Christian 67-49 in the afternoon and then flattened Foothills Composite of Canada 79-47 in the evening.
DERON TAYLOR headed a list of three players
registering double-doubles by
pouring in a career-high 18 points and grabbing 10 rebounds, propelling
the Braves past Christian (5-5).
Taylor scored seven of his points in the
first period to jumpstart the Braves
to a 19-12 advantage. He was joined on the 'doubles' list by teammates
TREMAINE FOSTER (16 points, 10 boards) and NATE REED (12 points,
10 assists),
as the Braves outscored the Patriots in every quarter to slowly
pull away.
"Everyone played together on defense
to get this win," said Taylor, a junior
guard. "We know what adjustments we needed."
Taylor connected on his first three shots
from the field, including a
three-ball, in the early going to help El Cajon Valley mount a
19-7 lead.
"I made some better shot selections,"
added Taylor, who finished 8-for-13
from the floor. "And sometimes I just took it to the hole."
PAUL BRODNER added 11 points for El Cajon Valley.
"Deron is playing excellent basketball
right now," Cherry said. "It was good
to see him play defense for us. He's a scorer, but now played
with an
emphasis on defense."
Christian guard JESSE LEBEAU slipped inside
the Braves' defense to collect a
team-best 17 points. Included were a trio of 3-point baskets,
while RYAN CADY
hit four
long-distance shots for all of his 12 points.
The Patriots also received 13 points from
forward MIKE SINGLETON, including a
perfect 6-for-6 from the foul line.
Other El Cajon Valley scoring: Lamont Madyun
4, Josh Roys 2, Frank Collins
2, Deandre Jackson 2.
Other Christian scoring: Trace Faubel 5, Bryan Fuller 2.
EL CAJON VALLEY 79, FOOTHILLS COMPOSITE
47 - The Braves did a similar number
on the Canadians.
DERON TAYLOR pocketed his second 18-point effort of the day.
NATE REED knocked down 23 points, including
five 3-pointers, while JOSH ROYS
clicked on a trio of 3-point shots for 9 points for the Braves
(5-5).
Other El Cajon Valley scoring: Tremaine
Foster 10, Deandre Jackson 8, Paul
Brodner 7, Frank Collins 2, Lamont Madyun 2.
VALHALLA 85, CRAWFORD 70
VALHALLA 75, CALEXICO 42 - About
this time last season the Norsemen were
looking an 0-8 record. Following Thursday's (Dec. 26) doubleheader
sweep on
the opening day of the Granite Hills Sportland Festival, Valhalla
is just one
tick below the .500 mark at 5-6.
Things started out sweet for the Norsemen,
who chased the Crawford's Colts
back to the corral taking a 26-5 lead after one quarter of their
matinee
performance. It was 41-15 by halftime and 66-38 after three. Despite
a
32-point Crawford fourth quarter, the Norsemen cruised in with
their finest
offensive showing of the season.
DEVON JONES scored a career-high 26 points
to lead Valhalla's charge past
Crawford (1-6). MANNY GONZALES was equally as impressive, nailing
six
3-pointers en route to a 23-point finish.
RAYMOND HANNA rolled in 11 more points for the Norsemen.
Valhalla coach ERIC THOMAS went to a platoon
system against Calexico,
rotating in groups of five.
ALVIN HABIB registered a career best 14
points to pace the Norsemen, scoring
8 points on steals during Valhalla's 24-7 second quarter.
"Our 'second' platoon scored 15 points
in four minutes," Thomas said. "They
are the reason we got going in the second quarter. After that,
we never let
down."
DREW STINNETT (12), DEVON JONES (11) and
TRAVIS ROTHLISBERGER (10) also
scored in double figures. TOMMY MILES tallied his highest total
of the season
with 9 points.
Other Valhalla scoring vs. Crawford: Drew
Stinnett 7, Tommy Miles 7, Travis
Rothlisberger 5, Alvin Habib 2, Chris Marvin 2, Jared Johnston
2.
Other Valhalla scoring vs. Calexico: Raymond
Hanna 8, Jared Johnston 4,
Andrew Bazzi 4, Manny Gonzales 3.
CENTRAL UNION 62, @ GRANITE HILLS 61
(OT)
GRANITE HILLS 71, SULLIVAN HEIGHTS (CANADA) 35 - Granite Hills 6-foot-3
senior GREG CHASE scored 35 points, grabbed 12 rebounds and blocked
5 shots
as the Eagles (6-5) gained a split of the Thursday's (Dec. 26)
opening
doubleheader in the Granite Hills Sportland Festival.
Chase was blazing hot in the overtime loss
to El Centro's Central Union,
connecting on 10 of 12 shots from the floor.
The Eagles' sent the game into overtime
when RONY NASSER converted a steal
into a three-point-play.
In overtime, the Spartans scored the first
six points. But sophomore RYAN
SNYDER brought Eagles back with a bucket and a 3-pointer. Granite
Hills had a
chance to win it when the Spartans failed on the front end of
one-and-one,
and the Eagles cleared the rebound. But a last-second shot was
off the mark
and the Spartans (5-2) held on for the victory.
Luis Robles scored a game-high 27 points
- including five 3-pointers - for
Central Union.
Vancouver's Sullivan Heights proved to be
no match for host Granite Hills
(6-5) in the nightcap. A dozen Eagles contributed to the scoring
with Chase
(15 points) and MARK HALL (13 points, 5 rebounds, 3 blocks) leading
the way.
The Eagles nailed nine 3-pointers, including two by NICK TAYLOR.
Other Granite Hills scoring vs. Central:
Hall 10, Tyrone Araya 10, Snyder 8,
Nasser 3, Luis Gomez 2, Taylor 3, Robert Fine 2.
Other Granite Hills scoring vs. Sullivan
Heights: Taylor 8, Fine 8, Araya 6,
Snyder 5, Alfred Shammas 4, Brennan Hayes 3, Tyler Ricci 2, Matt
Howard 1,
Baxter 3.
WEST HILLS 70, CASTLE PARK 53 - Senior SAM MILLER scored 10 of his 12 points
on 5-for-5 shooting from the floor and sophomore MATT GILSON scored
7 of his
team-high 21 points in the decisive 4th quarter, as the Wolf Pack
(5-4)
opened the 20th annual Aztec Holiday Invitational with an hard-earned
victory
Thursday (Dec. 26) at Montgomery High.
West Hills used a 30-13 scoring spree over
the final eight minutes to snap a
40-40 tie.
Gilson netted 11 of 14 from the free throw
line, while the rest of his
teammates were a combined 14 of 26 from the charity stripe.
BLAKE SUTTON scored 16 of his 18 points
in the first three quarters to keep
the Pack in the game before being forced to the bench with 4 fouls
"Having 4 days off for the holidays
didn't help us early," West Hills coach
JEFF ARMSTRONG admitted. "But we maintained our composure
and got it done in
the last 10 minutes of the game."
Artmstrong praised RYNE STABACK, RYAN SHUMAKER
and ZACK PERKINS "for
providing quality minutes off the bench."
Other West Hills scoring: Bo Hart 4, Ryne
Staback 4, Perkins 4, Shumaker 3,
Ross Staback 2, John Doherty 2.
GROSSMONT 69, HOOVER 39 - No post-Christmas drag for the Foothillers as they
plowed under the Cardinals of Hoover in Thursday's (Dec. 26) opening
round of
the 20th annual Aztec Holiday Invitational at Montgomery High.
The victory - Grossmont's 6th in the last
8 starts - enabled the Foothillers
(6-4) to tie for most victories in East County.
TYLER VICKERS rattled in 22 points, BLAKE
BRANDS banged in 14 and CASEY YOUNG
notched 11 as the Hillers breezed to a 31-13 halftime lead.
"They (the Cardinals) couldn't handle
our press," Grossmont coach FRANK
FOGGIANO said. "All 16 of my players got into the game."
Other Grossmont scoring: Dalton Griffith
7, Brandon Avant 5, Taylor McDonald
4, Jesse Gerber 3, Tyler Barbour 1, Mark Nicholson 1, Scott Small
1.
EL DORADO 62, EL CAPITAN 44 - The Vaqueros' 7-foot center JARROD BOSWELL
collected 26 points, including a rare 3-pointer, but El Capitan
(4-6) blew a
32-23 halftime lead in Thursday's (Dec. 26) Mt. Carmel Holiday
Hoops Classic
opener.
The Vaqueros buckled under El Dorado's pressure
defense, scoring only 6
points in each of the final two quarters.
Boswell, who was rationed to 2 points in
the fourth period, totaled 13
rebounds and blocked 6 shots.
JUSTIN GALLOWAY generated 8 points and 4
assists, while JESSE LEATHERMAN
charted 6 points and 7 rebounds for El Capitan.
Other El Capitan scoring: Scott Fisher 4.
CERRITOS 56, MONTE VISTA 46 - The Monarchs displayed some solid
ball-handling (only 6 turnovers in the first half) to take a 23-19
lead at
intermission in Thursday's (Dec. 26) first round of the Mt. Carmel
Holiday
Hoops Classic.
A dozen turnovers in the final two quarters
caused the Monarchs to falter,
but Monte Vista was down only by 3 with 90 seconds remaining.
"We got a defensive stop, but did not
get the rebound," Monarchs coach ZACH
PECK said. "They kicked ball out to (Naud) Gharari and he
hits a three."
Game over.
CARLOS RAMER (15 points), ALEX GUINTO (10
points) and ERIK HOSKINS (10)
carried the torch on offense for Monte Vista (5-5).
The Monarchs, however, were only 2 for 8
from the free throw line and did not
net a single 3-pointer.
Other Monte Vista scoring: Mark Davis 4,
Robert Yousif 3, Clinton Snyder 2,
Nick Childs 2.
Granite Hills Sportland Festival
STEELE CANYON 66, PACIFIC HILLS 60
STEELE CANYON 89, STRATHCONA 65 -
The Cougars (6-5) clawed above the .500
mark for the first time in their brief varsity history Thursday
(Dec. 26)
with a sweep in the opening round of the Granite Hills Sportland
Festival.
Trailing by two with 5:30 remaining, Steele
Canyon steamed to a 12-0 run over
a two-minute stretch to subdue Pacific Hills in the afternoon
game.
KEITH WILLIAMS (18 points), RICHIE WILLIAMS
(14), WALTER HALL (12) and
CAMILLO MARTINEZ (10) all reached double figures for Steele Canyon.
Richie
Williams canned a trio of 3-pointers, while GEORGE CUNNINGHAM
collected 8
rebounds, 8 points and one trey. Keith Williams also netted a
trey.
In the nightcap, Keith Williams scored a
career-high 27 points against the
Canadian team, Strathcona, in a wide-open offensive affair. Williams
scored
11 of his school-record total in the third quarter as SC stormed
in front
74-47.
"We beat them like we were supposed to," Cougars coach BRAD LEAF said.
Other Steele Canyon scoring vs. Pacific
Hills: Jason Beauchamp 2, Ricky
Bailey 2.
Other Steele Canyon scoring against Strathacona:
Bailey 16, Hall 14, Richie
Williams 10, Beauchamp 2, Cunningham 4, Martinez 2, Chad Belledo
7, Terrance
Davis 4, Raymond Williams 3.
(12-26-02/Revised 12-27-02)
EastCountySports.com staff report
NATIONAL CITY - OK, so he wasn't perfect.
But Wyoming-bound center JARROD
BOSWELL hit 14 of 15 shots from the field for 31 points to go
along with 19
rebounds, as El Capitan rallied to orbit past the Kearny Komets
67-61, in the
fifth-place game of Monday's (Dec. 23) Sweetwater-Lions Club Holiday
Classic
contest at Sweetwater High.
Despite having the dominating 7-foot Boswell
in their lineup, the Vaqueros
(4-5) have struggled. But they held their poise when faced with
a 9-point
deficit early in the second half.
"Our coaches like to make it difficult
for us, so we'll be ready for league,"
said Vaqueros junior JUSTIN GALLOWAY, who tossed in a career-high
21 points
to lead Boswell's supporting cast. "So we knew we needed
to turn up the
defense and get the ball to the big man."
Galloway did his share, connecting on 10
of 13 shots while hauling down 10
rebounds and doling out 4 assists.
For nearly three periods, Kearny (3-6) did
everything right to collect the
victory against the bigger Vaqueros - taking care of the ball,
collecting a
reasonable share of rebounds, and shooting the 3-ball.
An assortment of eight treys in the first
half built a 36-28 halftime lead,
but El Capitan forced the ball into the middle of its defense,
where Boswell
was able to intimidate shooters.
"We were supposed to let them shoot
outside, but we really left them wide
open for a while," noted Galloway. "And some of their
shots were really long."
Kearny guard Mario Benson did most of the
aerials, bombing home four treys
among his team-high 21 points. But when the Vaqueros defense challenged
the
Komets to attempt traditional 2-point shots, the Komets converted
just 7 of
their final 21 shots.
"Our defense probably caused us to
win more than our offense did," said
Boswell. "We forced them to take shots they didn't want."
Meanwhile, Galloway scored 11 of his points
in the final period, while
Boswell netted a perfect 5-for-5 from the floor when the verdict
was in the
balance. Guards SCOTT FISHER (6 assists) and NOELLE NOY (5 assists)
were able
to stretch out the Komets.
Most startling of the team statistics was
Kearny turned the ball over a mere
4 times throughout the contest. But when the shots failed to fall,
the
Vaqueros' domination on the boards (41-to-24) was enough to offset
19
turnovers.
"We kept closing out on them,"
added Galloway. "And if someone got open, one
of us would slide in or the big guy came up to help."
Kearny enjoyed leads of 31-22 and 42-33
before El Capitan was able to take
away the open, long shots. The Vaqueros closed out the third quarter
with a
5-0 run, then the offense found ignition behind reserve JESSE
LEATHERMAN.
On consecutive possessions, Leatherman surprised
the Komets by taking the
ball and driving straight toward the basket. The result was a
layin and an
easy 4-footer as part of
Leatherman's six points, enabling El Capitan to tie the game for
the first
time since the opening minutes at 48-all.
Kearny answered with five straight points,
but the Vaqueros closed the
contest on a 19-6 scoring run over the final 5:07, including four
layins by
Boswell and 4-for-4 shooting from the foul line by Fisher, who
collected nine points.
Other El Capitan scoring: None.
SCRIPPS RANCH 72, MOUNT MIGUEL 67 - For more than half of Monday's (Dec.
23) San Diego Winter Classic championship game at Grossmont High,
the Mount
Miguel Matadors appeared well on their way to a major victory.
In the end, though, the Matadors (6-3) showed
why they are on the bubble for
cracking the county's top 10, but unable to push their way in.
To be blunt,
they are underachievers, who play hard but unexplainably loose
direction
during the course of a 32-minute game.
Mount Miguel enjoyed early leads of 21-13
and 28-17 and appeared capable and
in position to bump off No. 10-ranked Scripps Ranch (7-1). But
the Matadors
never could deliver the knock out punch to the hard-nosed Falcons,
who proved
they were the more physical team down the stretch.
Scripps Ranch's Ryan Young scored 9 of his
15 points off the bench in the
final quarter and the Falcons converted 7 of 9 free throws during
the last 8
minutes. Garrett Hetherington scored 14 of his 24 points after
intermission.
Mount Miguel, meanwhile, lost all rhythm
in its offense in the fourth quarter
when the Falcons baffled them with a 1-3-1 match-up zone defense.
"We've been winning games, but we're
dysfunctional," Mount Miguel coach JIMMY
HURST said. "Instead taking it upon ourselves to correct
or clean up the
mistakes we want to point the finger. We want to blame some one
for our
errors.
"We're playing hard, but not very smart.
We're not playing together. Until
that happens we'll have these struggles."
The Matadors were an unspectacular 4-for-10
from the free throw line in the
fourth quarter after netting 10 of 11 charity shots in the first
three
quarters.
J.R. GRIFFIN led the Matadors with 18 points,
hitting 7 of 13 shots from the
floor and 2 of 3 free throws while corralling 6 rebounds. RALPHIE
JOHNSON
added 15 points and 6 rebounds. DEWAYNE ARY and JAY BARBER popped
in 10
points apiece, while Ary flirted with a triple-double - finishing
with 9
rebounds and 5 assists - before fouling out.
Other Mount Miguel scoring: Greg Monroe
6, Joey Street 5, Lyle Woodward 2,
James Roberts 1.
STEELE CANYON 74, EL CAJON VALLEY 47
- This game was quick on quick.
Steele
Canyon, the new kids on the block, slapped a muzzle on El Cajon
Valley's
usually hot-handed NATE REED and recorded 18 steals to gain a
surprisingly
easy San Diego Winter Classic consolation victory Monday (Dec.
23) at
Grossmont High.
The Cougars (4-5), who were at low ebb after
three starters were benched for
arriving late to the previous game, leaped out of the starting
blocks and
chased the Braves (3-5) all over the court. They limited Reed
to 8 points -
less than half his season average - while the senior guard missed
18 shots
from the field under heavy surveillance.
"We keyed on Reed so he rarely got
any good looks," Steele Canyon coach BRAD
LEAF said. "We played a zone, but where ever he went we had
somebody on him."
WALTER HALL (15 points), RICHIE WILLIAMS
(13 points, 5 steals), and CAMILLO
MARTINEZ (12 points) led a balanced Steele Canyon attack. Hall
scored 13 of
his points in the first half as the Cougars clawed in front 41-23.
"I probably should have played Hall
more in the second half," Leaf said
afterward.
GRORGE CUNNINGHAM led the Cougars with 9
rebounds, one more than JASON
BEAUCHAMP. KEITH WILLIAMS was a couple of ticks shy of his scoring
average
with 9 points, but came up with 4 steals as did RICKY BAILEY.
Leaf heaped accolades upon sophomore point
guard Richie Williams, who hit a
pair of treys and recorded a game-high 5 steals.
"He's becoming a real court leader for us," the coach said.
DERON TAYLOR (13 points) was the only player
to finish in double scoring
figures for El Cajon Valley, which was reportedly whistled for
7 technical
fouls.
Other Steele Canyon scoring: Ricky Bailey
8, George Cunningham 4, Chad
Bellado 4, Jason Beauchamp 2, Adam Tortosa 2, Terrance Davis 2.
Other El Cajon Valley scoring: Tremaine
Foster 8, Josh Roys 5, Gribben 4,
Deandre Jackson 4, Lamont Madyon 2.
USDHS 65, VALHALLA 57 - The scrappy Norsemen (3-6) led the Dons 19-17 after
the first quarter, but then hit the skids in Monday's (Dec. 23)
consolation
wrap-up of the San Diego Winter Classic.
After falling behind by 10 points in the
third quarter, the Norsemen
scrambled back to take a 47-46 lead with 30 seconds left in that
period. But
their defense went soft in the final half minute, allowing USDHS
to hit a
couple of quick baskets to regain the lead.
"This was a frustrating loss,"
Valhalla coach ERIC THOMAS said. "We've only
been blown out one time. Honestly, we've been in most every game.
We could be
6-3 instead of the other way around."
Up until the final 1:50, the Norsemen had a shot at knocking off the Dons.
"We've been right there," said
Thomas, whose saw his club begin last season
with eight straight losses.
Thomas was pleased that his Norsemen were
able to hold USDHS' Enrico Tucker
to 18 points. That may not sound like a big deal, but the USD-bound
Tucker
had averaged 34 points per start in his previous three games.
DREW STINNETT nailed 19 points and DEVON JONES added 12 for the Norsemen.
Other Valhalla scoring: Manny Gonzales 9,
Travis Rothlisberger 6, Jared
Johnston 5, Raymond Hanna 4, Alvin Habib 2.
CARSON CITY (Nev.) 70, MONTE VISTA 66
- The visitors from Nevada were
a
paltry 11 for 26 from the free throw line, but more than made
up for that
shortcoming by burning the chords for 11 three-pointers in Monday's
(Dec. 23)
consolation finale at Santana High.
CARLOS RAMER led the Monarchs (5-4) with
14 points, while ROBERT YOUSIF
popped in a trio of 3-pointers en route to a 13-point finish.
Other Monte Vista scoring: Alex Guinto 11,
Erik Hoskins 8, Nick Childs 7,
Robert Purvy 5, Clinton Snyder 4, Mark Davis 6,
RAMONA 61, GROSSMONT 46 - TYLER VICKERS hoisted in 19 points, including
7-for-8 free throw shooting, but the host Foothillers (5-4) were
playing
catch-up from the get-go in Monday's (Dec. 23) San Diego Winter
Classic loss
to Ramona.
The Foothillers trailed 13-8 after the first quarter and never recovered.
Other Grossmont scoring: Jesse Gerber 8,
Ryan Goldbarg 5, Casey Young 4,
Dalton Griffith 4, Tyler Cook 2, Danny Roach 2, Matt Barbour 1,
Brandon Avant
1.
CLAIREMONT 39, SANTANA 35 - The cold-shooting Sultans allowed another
possible victory to slip through their fingers in Monday morning's
(Dec. 23)
consolation tussle against visiting Clairemont in a San Diego
Winter Classic
contest.
"It was a very sloppy game," Santana coach TIM BARRY said.
TIM HENSELMEIER led Santana with 12 points.
Other Santana scoring: Mike Lamoureaux 7,
Kellan Kemp 5, Kyle Reed 4, Zach
Shepard 4, Jordan Guzman 2, Corey Robinson 1.
VISTA 78, SANTANA 39 - A scheduling mixup caused Sultans coach TIM BARRY
to
put together a last-minute consolation game with a makeshift Santana
lineup
against powerful Vista in Monday's (Dec. 23) San Diego Winter
Classic. The
results weren't pretty, as MIKE LAMOUREAUX netted a team high
11 points in a
Santana (3-7) lineup that was missing a couple of key starters.
It was the fifth consecutive loss for the Sultans.
Other Santana scoring vs. Vista: Zach Shepard
8, Kyle Reed 6, Bryan Wickens
4, Kellan Kemp 3, Adam Vickery 3, Shane Chase 2, Corey Robinson
2.
(12-23-02)
EastCountySports.com staff report
EL CAJON - About two weeks ago Christian
High's first-year coach TOBIN
WILKINS was hoping his team could win a game. Bystanders, who
saw the
Patriots' early practices, were predicting a shutout. As in, no
chance
Wilkins' crew could avoid being blanked. So much for the nay-sayers.
After an
0-3 start, Christian has come on to win 5 of 6. The Patriots reached
an early
pinnacle in their season on Saturday night (Dec. 21) when they
rallied to
stun host San Dieguito Academy 44-41 to capture the Tri-City Tournament
championship.
MICHAEL SINGLETON, the tournament MVP, scored
16 points and hit a couple of
key threes to propel the Patriots to the come-from-behind victory
-
Christian's first in three starts against San Dieguito.
"I don't know how we did it, but we
did it," said Wilkins, who saw his squad
fall behind 28-15 after two quarters. "They were winning
the whole game, but
Singleton caught fire and we were able to come back. I think (the
Mustangs)
were stunned."
Singleton, an All-East County first-team
receiver in football, has had a
flair for the dramatic. In electrifying fashion, the 6-foot senior
guard took
over the game, scoring 14 of the Patriots' 16 points during the
final period.
He canned a pair of 3-pointers in the final two minutes to complete
Christian's comeback.
"No question he's our leader," Wilkins said of Singleton.
JESSE LeBEAU, who also was named to the
all-tournament team, finished with 9
points. He did most of his scoring from the free throw line where
he hit 6 of
7 chances.
Other Christian scoring: Kenny Bell 6, Ryan
Cady 5, C.J. Schroeder 5, Bryan
Fuller 2, Luke Munson 1.
VALHALLA 59, ST. AUGUSTINE 54 - Some would call this an upset of significant
proportion. Among those surprised by the outcome of Saturday's
(Dec. 21) San
Diego Winter Classic contest at Grossmont was USDHS coach Demetrius
Laffitte.
He and his Dons expected to play their parochial rival in Monday's
consolation finale.
Given that the Saints did lead 27-16 in
the second quarter would lend merit
to Laffitte's feelings. But the Norsemen used a 13-2 scoring run
to close the
quarter. It enabled them to tie the game at 29-all by the break.
Valhalla (3-5) carried that momentum into
the third quarter. JARED JOHNSTON,
known more for his long distance shooting, had a one-handed tip-in
to give
the Norsemen a 3-point lead. Then TRAVIS ROTHLISBERGER scrambled
for a
rebound and scored to give Valhalla a 5-point lead.
Then, it was that man ALVIN HABIB's turn
to record his second save in as many
games. Habib sank a pair of free throws to seal the victory.
DREW STINNETT led the Norsemen with 19 points
and one 3-pointer. Johnston
finished with 12 points.
Other Valhalla scoring: Rothlisberger 8,
Devon Jones 8, Habib 6, Manny
Gonzales 4, Tommy Miles 2.
MOUNT MIGUEL 79, RAMONA 61 - RALPHIE JOHNSON and JR GRIFFIN must have loved
this offensive battle, as they combined to guide the Matadors
to their East
County-high 6th victory in Saturday's (Dec. 21) San Diego Winter
Classic
semifinal romp over Ramona at Grossmont.
Mount Miguel, which meets Scripps Ranch
for the tournament championship at
7:30 pm on Monday (Dec. 23) at Grossmont, put together three 20-plus
scoring
quarters against the Bulldogs, who were foolish enough to join
the track meet.
Johnson finished with a game-high 25 points,
connecting for a pair of
3-pointers and 7 of 10 free throws. Griffin produced all of his
points from
the field, including one connection from above the circle.
Unlike the majority of East County teams,
the Matadors have proven to be a
sound free- throw shooting team. They were 19 for 25 against Ramona.
Other Mount Miguel scoring: Joey Street
9, Robert James 8, Greg Monroe 6,
Jameral King 5, Jay Barber 4, Dewayne Ary 2, Shawn Mays 1.
SCRIPPS RANCH 59, GROSSMONT 54 - The Foothillers lost a physical battle to
the Falcons in Saturday's (Dec. 21) semifinals of the San Diego
Winter
Classic, but that's not what upset Grossmont coach FRANK FOGGIANO
most.
"Vick (TYLER VICKERS) was getting pounded
inside and they wouldn't call
anything," Foggiano fumed.
What further frustrated Foggiano is the
officials did blow the whistle for
even the slightest contact outside. And that's where Scripps Ranch
won the
game - at the free throw line. Point guard GARRETT HETHERINGTON
sank 13 of 16
free throws in the game and 7 of 8 in the final two minutes when
the game was
on the line.
"Those were hand-check fouls,"
Foggiano said. "If you're going to, then call
those. But don't miss what's going on under the basket.
"It's up to me, I guess, to adjust
my offense and defense (to fit the
officiating style of whoever is working a particular game)."
Scripps Ranch (6-1) outscored the Foothillers
11-4 in the final quarter to
secure a berth in Monday's (Dec. 23) tournament championship game
opposite
Mount Miguel.
Vickers scored 19 points (including 5-for-9
free throw shooting) to pace the
Foothillers (5-3), who saw their five-game winning streak come
to an end.
Other Grossmont scoring: Blake Brands 8,
Dalton Griffith 7, Matt Barbour 6,
Jesse Gerber 4, Casey Young 4, James Crooks 2, Tyler Cook 2, Brandon
Avant 2.
PLEASANT VALLEY 66, HELIX 40 - Helix coach JOHN SINGER isn't a happy man
these days. He probably can't remember the last time one of his
teams lost
five of their first nine games.
The trip to Red Bluff (northeast of Sacramento)
was not kind to the Scotties.
Sure, the Highlanders no doubt had fun off the court, but their
trials on the
hardwood did not reap many positive results. Helix went 1-3 in
the tourney,
posting its only win over the host team by a two-point margin.
"We have an awful lot of work to do
to get ready for our (Grossmont South)
League," Singer said. "We're just a pretty dysfunctional
team right now. It's
a struggle right now - we're not ready to play."
Nobody finished in double figures for the
Highlanders in Saturday's (Dec. 21)
loss to Pleasant Valley (10-1), the No. 2-ranked team in Northern
California.
A day earlier, the Highlanders were manhandled by Enterprise (10-1)
of
Reading.
Helix scoring: Raphael Bell 8, Eric Robinson
7, Xavier Weathersby 5,
Quannell Newton 4, Lance Hurdle 4, Marlon Pierce 4, Charles Smith
4, Tim
Bland 2, Cliff Johnson 1.
EL CAPITAN 62, WEST VIEW 37 - JARROD BOSWELL scored 21 points, grabbed 16
rebounds and blocked 2 shots to lead El Capitan (3-5) to an easy
victory in
Saturday's (Dec. 21) Sweetwater-Lions Club Holiday Classic.
Junior JUSTIN GALLOWAY scored 17 points,
including a trio of 3s, snared 8
rebounds and handed out 2 assists to lead the Vaqueros' supporting
cast.
JESSE LEATHERMAN also knocked in a trio of 3-pointers to finish
with 9.
The Vaqueros took an 18-4 first quarter
lead, then breezed the rest of the
way.
Other El Capitan scoring: Scott Fisher 4,
Noelle Noy 3, Sean Hogue 2, Chris
Buckmiller 2, Andrew Hoffmaster 2, Billy Lieberknecht 2.
MONTE VISTA 59, CLAIREMONT 57 - For the second game in a row 6-foot-5 NICK
CHILDS was a dominating performer for the Monarchs (5-3), who
nonetheless
managed to keep their veteran coach ZACH PECK on the edge of his
seat
throughout Saturday's (Dec. 21) San Diego Winter Classic contest
at Grossmont.
Childs, who left the football field just
two weeks ago, canned a season-high
21 points, giving him 38 points in his last two starts.
"The Monarchs cannot hold a lead if
their lives or that of their coach
depended on it," sighed Peck, whose saw his team rally from
an early 10-point
deficit to lead by nine only to end hanging on by a toenail. "It's
amazing."
D'ANDRE OVERSTREET drained three treys for
the Monarchs, while ERIK HOSKINS
added 8 points and football player CLINTON SNYDER netted 7.
Other Monte Vista scoring: Overstreet 9,
Robert Purvy 6, Mark Davis 4, Alex
Guinto 4.
GRANITE HILLS 52, SOUTHWEST (SD) 42 -
GREG CHASE cast in 22 points, captured
10 rebounds and recorded 3 steals as the Eagles subdued Southwest
in
Saturday's (Dec. 21) final round of the San Diego Kiwanis Tournament
at La
Jolla.
Chase, a 6-foot-3 senior, clicked on 9 of
12 floor shots and 4 of 5 free
throws to help the Eagles (5-4) remain above the .500 mark.
"Chase had a great game all-around," Granite Hills coach JIM GLEBOFF said.
MARK HALL led the Granite Hills supporting
cast with 11 points, 4 rebounds
and one block. Hall dropped in a 3-pointer as did teammates RONY
NASSER,
J.P. POWELL, and RYAN SNYDER. Nasser also contributed 3 steals
and 3 assists.
TYRONE ARAYA totaled 10 points for the Eagles.
Other Granite Hills scoring: Nasser 3, Powell 3, Snyder 3.
EL CAJON VALLEY 73, HOLY CROSS 49 - The Braves (3-4) put the pressure on
Holy Cross of Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, sprinting to a 43-20 halftime
lead in
Saturday's (Dec. 21) San Diego Winter Classic contest at Grossmont.
"Our press took them out of their game,"
El Cajon Valley coach DARNELL CHERRY
said. "We played better, but we're still inconsistent. We're
still trying to
put it all together."
DERON TAYLOR and TREMAINE FOSTER were the
keys to El Cajon Valley's offensive
surge, rolling in 16 points apiece against the 9-3 Canadians.
NATE REED
added13 and JOSH ROYS hit a trio of treys en route to an 11-point
finish.
Foster and Taylor sparked a 25-9 second
quarter, scoring 7 and 5 points
apiece.
Other El Cajon Valley scoring: Paul Brodner
7, Jaque Howell 4, Travantia
Hector 2, Deandre Jackson 2, Gribben 2.
CASTLE PARK 61, STEELE CANYON 51 - The Cougars started out short-handed when
coach BRAD LEAF benched three Steele Canyon starters for the first
half of
Saturday's (Dec. 21) San Diego Winter Classic game at Santana.
Leaf took the
disciplinary action because the trio was tardy in arriving at
the game.
Thus, the Cougars (3-5) found themselves
on the short end of a 36-23 halftime
score.
"Without those guys, we got blown away
from the beginning," Leaf said.
Nevertheless, it was a courageous stand by Leaf, who is a teacher
first and
foremost.
Steele Canyon rallied in the second half,
but the Trojans had the momentum
and refused to fold.
Freshman KEITH WILLIAMS popped in a trio
of 3-pointers on his way to a team
high 15 points for the Cougars. CAMILLO MARTINEZ added 10 points
for SC.
Other Steele Canyon scoring: Ricky Bailey
7, Walter Hall 6, Jason Beauchamp
5, Richie Williams 4, George Cunningham 2, Chad Belledo 2.
SAN DIEGO 77, WEST HILLS 53 - The Wolf Pack (4-4) made a game of it for a
half before the fleet-footed Cavers turned up the heat and ran
away with the
San Diego Kiwanis Tournament consolation game victory Saturday
(Dec. 21) at
Mission Bay.
San Diego outscored the Pack 24-9 in the third quarter to break the game open.
BLAKE SUTTON tossed in 17 points and MATTHEW
GILSON added 16 to lead West
Hills. Senior SAM MILLER was named to the All-Kiwanis Tournament
team.
Other West Hills scoring: Ryne Staback 7,
Jeremy Hill 5, Bo Hart 5, Ryan
Shumaker 2, Zack Perkins 1.
CARSON CITY (Nev.) 55, SANTANA 42 - The Sultans fell behind visiting Carson
City 15-4 in the first quarter in Saturday's (Dec. 21) San Diego
Winter
Classic game and never recovered.
KELLAN KEMP scored 12 points to pace Santana
(3-5), which dropped its third
straight.
Other Santana scoring: Corey Robinson 8,
Tim Henselmeier 5, Shane Chase 5,
Kyle Reed 3, Mike Lamoureaux 3, Adam Vickery 3, Jordan Guzman
2, Bryan
Wickens 1.
(12-21-02)
EastCountySports.com staff report
SPRING VALLEY - There's a new kid on the
block in the Grossmont South League
this year. BRAD LEAF's Steele Canyon Cougars. Albeit this is a
youthful crew,
these Cougars plan to sink their teeth into the 2003 league season.
Mount
Miguel coach JIMMY HURST believes "SC is for real."
RALPHIE JOHNSON hit a jump shot from the
corner with 0:07 to give Mount
Miguel a 52-51 San Diego Winter Classic victory over the visiting
Cougars.
"We were fortunate to get out of there with a win," Hurst admitted.
That's because Steele Canyon (3-4) had two
golden opportunities to steal the
victory away from the Matadors (5-2).
The Cougars missed a lay-up with 0:05 remaining
and then failed to convert a
put-back from 4 feet out, thus submitting to the one-point loss.
"Steele Canyon is a good team that
will make our league a lot stronger,"
Hurst said. "They're not bashful. They like to put the ball
up. But they are
very quick and attack you on defense."
Mount Miguel's experience prevailed over
Steele Canyon's youth. The Cougars,
in fact, were 0-for-13 from 3-point range.
"We didn't shoot very well," admitted
Leaf, who was drafted by the Indiana
Pacers but elected to play in Israel's professional basketball
league where
he earned MVP honors one year. "But a lot of our shooting
difficulties were
the result of their excellent defense."
JOEY STREET canned four 3-pointers en route
to a game-high 16 points for
Mount Miguel. J.R. GIRFFIN added 15 points and Johnson totaled
a dozen for
the winners.
RICKY BAILEY paced Steele Canyon with 15
points and 8 rebounds. KEITH
WILLIAMS added 11 points and RICHIE WILLIAMS funneled in 9.
"Plain and simple, we were fortunate
to win," Hurst said. "We missed seven
wide open lay-ups. Our kids got to the rim, but couldn't finish.
We were up
by 8 points three different occasions, but turned the ball over
and gave up
some glass in the second quarter (when Steele Canyon gained a
11-7 scoring
edge to create a 27-all tie by the break)."
Other Mount Miguel scoring: Dewayne Ary 5, Greg Monroe 2, Jameral King 2.
Other Steele Canyon scoring: Terrance Davis
6, Walter Hall 5, George
Cunningham 3, Jason Beauchamp 2.
VALHALLA 61, MONTE VISTA 56 - Making a point - both on and off the court -
to break into the Valhalla starting lineup, guard ALVIN HABIB
had a hand in
all five baskets in a late 10-4 run to reclaim the lead, as the
Norsemen
rallied past Monte Vista, in Friday's (Dec. 20) San Diego Winter
Classic game
at Santana.
Habib scored all 7 of his points in the
fourth quarter, then added a pair of
assists in the closing minutes to balloon Valhalla's advantage
to 57-50.
DEVON JONES then ended any Monarchs comeback hopes by draining
a three-point
shot with 34 seconds remaining.
"Alvin has incredibly quick hands,"
Valhalla coach ERIC THOMAS said. "He just
disrupts things out there. He's one of those guys who could be
a candidate
for defensive player of the year."
Habib started the Valhalla comeback by collecting
a long feed from Jones for
a breakaway lay-up, giving the Norsemen their first lead of the
second half,
47-46, with 4:01 left.
Monte Vista answered back to again take
a 1-point lead, but Habib scored the
next pair of Valhalla baskets, then made key passes for assists
on the next
two buckets to mount a 57-50 lead.
"Devon made a great pass to me and
I just finished the play," noted Habib, a
key reserve who is pressing for a starting berth. "We started
running our
plays and executed, getting the open man the ball."
Valhalla claimed an early 14-6 lead through
a quarter, but Monte Vista's NICK
CHILDS scored 10 of his game-high 17 points in the second period
for a 26-24
Monarchs lead at the intermission. Monte Vista opened the lead
to as many as 10 points in
the third before the Norsemen made their run in the game's final
five minutes.
"It was a good game, and it's always
good to beat a rival, because it comes
down to the team that wants it more," added Habib.
MANNY GONZALES paced Valhalla (2-4) with
17 points, including four 3-point
connections, while JARED JOHNSTON (12 points) and DREW STINNETT
(10) also
reached double figures.
CARLOS RAMER collected 13 points for Monte
Vista (4-3), while ERIK HOSKINS
netted 11.
"It's pretty hard to win when you give
up 26 points in one quarter," said
Monte Vista coach ZACH PECK.
Other Monte Vista scoring: Robert Purvy 6, Alex Guinto 4, Clinton
Snyder 3,
Robert Yousif 2.
Other Valhalla scoring: Travis Rothlisberger 6.
ENTERPRISE 68, HELIX 51 - The Highlanders were introduced to Enterprise
superstar BRODY ANGLEY in the Friday's (Dec. 20) third round of
the Red Bluff
Daily News Holiday Classic.
Angley, a point guard who was an area All-CIF
running back in football,
smoked the defensive-minded Highlanders (4-4) for 29 points, including
a pair
of 3-pointers.
RAPHAEL BELL was a force for Helix, ringing
up 19 points and 13 rebounds,
while TIM BLAND banged in 18 points and secured 11 rebounds.
The Highlanders fell behind early and never
recovered as Enterprise breezed
to the victory.
"Anytime you beat a Division I school,
we're a Division III school, it's good,"
Enterprise Coach Mike Worley said. "Nobody's going to out-hustle
us."
Enterprise's Brody Angley scored thirty points.
After the first period, the junior had five
points, as Enterprise held a lead of 16-12.
In the second, Helix upped their offensive efforts. Angley started
a tag game with Bland.
Angley would make a basket only to be countered by Bland with
one of his own until the
score inched up to 22-18 in Enterprise's favor.
Angley, however, took over the quarter, scoring 15 points to help build a solid lead of 42-22.
In the third, the play of Bland, along with
Bell and MARLON PIERCE, brought
the Highlanders to within 46-37.
"They just wanted it more than we did,"
Helix coach Singer said. "They had it a
little more together."
Other Helix scoring: Xavier Weathersby 5,
Cliff Johnson 3, Ray Toilolo 2,
Quannell Newton 2, David Jones 2.
CHRISTIAN 59, TRI-CITY CHRISTIAN 56 - Coach TOBIN WILKINS' Patriots stunned
previously undefeated Tri-City Christian behind the leadership
and 18 points
of MICHAEL SINGLETON in Friday's (Dec. 20) Tri-City Tournament
in Vista.
"This was a big one for us," said
Wilkins, whose Patriots won for the fourth
time in five starts following an 0-3 start.
Senior forward KENNY BELL scored a career-high
15 points and RYAN CADY canned
a trio of 3-pointers en route to an 11-point finish.
"We moved Bell to the high post and
he was able to take the pass at the free
throw line, turn and hit a jumper with consistency," Wilkins
said.
Bell rang up 7 points in the first quarter
as Christian claimed a 22-17 lead
over Tri-City Christian (10-1).
Wilkins credited Singleton for his leadership.
"Michael even told me to calm down
at times," Wilkins said. "He is definitely
a calming influence."
Other Christian scoring: Jesse LeBeau 7, C.J. Schroeder 6, Trace Faubel 2.
GROSSMONT 53, HOLY CROSS 49 - Veteran coach FRANK FOGGIANO was impressed.
"I've been coaching for a long time
and this is the best Canadian team I've
ever seen," he said of the team from Saskatoon, Saskatchewan,
which lost for
only the second time in 11 decisions. "We played man-to-man
as we always do,
and I think we were effective."
TYLER VICKERS led Grossmont with 18 points and 12 rebounds.
Grossmont scoring: Casey Young 8, Tyler
Cook 7, Tyler Barbour 6, James
Crooks 4, Jesse Gerber 3, Blake Brands 3, Matt Barbour 2.
SCRIPPS RANCH 53, EL CAJON VALLEY 51
- NATE REED ripped off 27 points
and
TREMAINE FOSTER added 15, but the Braves (2-4) lost Friday's (Dec.
20)
see-saw battle in the San Diego Winter Classic game at Grossmont
High.
Reed included a trio of 3-pointers in his
totals. One of his treys tied the
game at 46-all, before the Falcons took control.
Other El Cajon Valley scoring: Deron Taylor
3, Jaque Howell 2, Deandre
Jackson 2, Josh Roys 1.
USDHS 53, SANTANA 42 - The Sultans (3-4) fell behind USDHS 22-9 in the
first
quarter of Friday's (Dec. 20) San Diego Winter Classic and played
catch-up
the rest of the way before falling short.
Hot-handed MIKE LAMOUREAUX paced Santana
with 18 points, while Enrico Tucker
tagged the Sultans for 32 points, including 10 in the opening
period.
Other Santana scoring: Kyle Reed 8, Zach
Shepard 4,Corey Robinson 4, Tim
Henselmeir 2, Jordan Guzman 2, Kellan Kemp 2, Shane Chase 2.
SAN MARCOS 45, GRANITE HILLS 40 - J.P.POWELL punched in 14 points and GREG
CHASE cashed in 11 points, 9 rebounds and 4 steals as the Eagles
(4-4) came
up short against the Knights in Friday's (Dec. 20) San Diego Kiwanis
Tournament at Serra.
The Eagles, who trailed 32-31 after three
quarters, shot a paltry 32 percent
(12-for-38) from the field.
Other Granite Hills scoring: Tyrone Araya
4, Ryan Snyder 3, Mark Hall 3,
Rony Nasser 2.
MARIAN CATHOLIC 72, EL CAPITAN 62 - Somehow the Vaqueros managed to blow a
22-10 first quarter lead in Friday's (Dec. 20) Sweetwater-Lions
Club Holiday
Classic. The Crusaders of Marian Catholic used a 25-11 second
quarter
uprising to scuttle the Vaqueros' (2-5) victory plans.
JARROD BOSWELL netted 20 points and grabbed
15 rebounds in El Capitan's
frustrating loss. JUSTIN GALLOWAY added 20 points, while SCOTT
FISHER
furnished 14 points and 6 rebounds.
Other El Capitan scoring: Noelle Noy 4, Sean Hogue 2, Billy Lieberknecht 2.
TORREY PINES 61, WEST HILLS 41 - SAM MILLER tallied 11 points, but the Wolf
Pack (4-3) was no match for Torrey Pines in Friday's (Dec. 20)
San Diego
Kiwanis Tournament game at Mission Bay.
Other West Hills scoring: Matthew Gilson
8, Jeremy Hill 7, Blake Sutton 6,
Bo Hart 6, Ryan Shumaker 3.
(12-20-02)
EastCountySports.com staff report
EL CAJON - West Hills sophomore guard MATTHEW
GILSON has been touted as one
of the aspiring stars in East County basketball. The 6-foot-2
Gilson scored a
career-high 26 points - 22 in the second half - as the Wolf Pack
smothered
Southwest 66-50 in Thursday's (Dec. 19) San Diego Kiwanis Tournament
encounter at Mission Bay High.
Gilson, who scored 45 points in the Wolf
Pack's first five games, was
9-for-11 from the floor (including three 3-pointers) and 5-for-6
from the
free throw line in West Hills' romp over the Raiders.
"Matt attacked the basket, got into
the gaps and seams of their defense,"
West Hills coach JEFF ARMSTRONG said. "He really worked hard
over the summer
to improve his perimeter game. He's been one of the keys to our
early success
this season."
This was no cruise on the beach for the
Wolf Pack, which fell behind by 12 in
the second quarter.
"The thing that is so great about this
team is we have tremendous depth,"
Armstrong said. "We were able to wear Southwest down because
of our depth."
West Hills had a regular picket line of
scorers in its latest conquest.
BLAKE SUTTON netted 13 points and freshman BO HART added 10, including
a pair
of treys.
"We have a lot of unsung heroes,"
Armstrong said. "Guys like RYAN SHUMAKER (a
6-foot-5, 280-pound sophomore), who came into the game and gave
Sutton and
Gilson a blow."
Other West Hills scoring: Sam Miller 8,
Zack Perkins 5, Ross Staback 2, Ryne
Staback 2.
MIRAMONTE 57, HELIX 51
HELIX 62, RED BLUFF 60 - Good thing
basketball is played indoors because the
weather outside's been frightening in the Northern California
community of
Red Bluff these days.
This is frontier town. First settled in
the 1840s and incorporated in 1876,
Red Bluff served an important role in the early history of the
north state at
the "head of navigation" on the Sacramento River.
While the inclement weather turned to snow
a few miles to the north - which
left a pair of teams from Oregon snowbound - coach JOHN SINGER's
Highlanders
(4-3) earned a split of a doubleheader in Thursday's (Dec. 19)
opening round
of the Red Bluff Daily News Classic.
The Highlanders blew a 41-36 lead to Miramonte
in the final quarter of the
opener, but bounced back from an 18-point deficit to defeat the
host Red
Bluff Spartans in the nightcap in what was supposed to be an exhibition
game.
RAPHAEL BELL was the Highlanders' top point
producer, tallying 32 points in
the twinbill. It was his 22-point burst that keyed the Helix comeback
against
Red Bluff.
"We were down by 10 points with five
minutes left and Raphael took over the
offensive boards," Helix assistant coach JOE HERNANDEZ said.
"He was cleaning
up our misses and turning them into points."
Helix never led until RAY TOILOLO made a
pinpoint pass to CLIFF JOHNSON, who
scored the game-winning lay-up with 10 seconds left.
"Ray's pass was unbelievable,"
Hernandez said. "It was a 30-foot bounce pass
between two defenders. Just a great effort on Ray's part."
TIM BLAND banged in 12 points in the Helix
victory as did CLIFF JOHNSON.
Red Bluff shunned the Highlanders with eight quick and unanswered
points to start the game.
Bell scored nearly half of Helix's points in the third quarter
with seven. He also pulled
down three rebounds in the period.
The Highlanders cut Red Bluff's lead to five in the third quarter
with a 19-point charge.
Red Bluff was only able to muster 12 in the third, and the performance
would repeat for both teams
in the fourth, giving Helix the advantage by just one basket.
Bell was again the main culprit of Helix's offense in the last
quarter, accounting for six of his
22 total points in the period. He finished just short of a double-double
with nine rebounds.
The Highlanders' athleticism was a key to their success. Though
they were about equal to the
Spartans overall in height, they managed to outrebound RB, 25-18.
The Spartans finished 17-for-30 at the line, while Helix was just
8-for-20.
The Highlanders (4-3) narrowly missed an opening day victory over
Miramonte,
as they trailed by 3 points with 1:30 remaining.
"They had a 6-7 post guy that we just
couldn't handle," Singer said. "CHARLES
(SMITH) played an exceptional game in that he did not practice
even one day,
and walked out there on the court and scored 10 points."
Despite being outrebounded 30-24, the Matadors
found a way to preserve their
undefeated record so far this season.
The score was knotted up at 23 at the half
and it was Helix's game going into the
fourth as they had built a five-point lead, but Miramonte battled
its way back.
The Highlanders fared well at the free throw line, shooting 12-for-16.
"We're very athletic, but we're not
known for our shooting," Singer said.
We didn't convert enough buckets."
Helix started out ahead in the first quarter,
17-11, but a six-point turnaround for
Miramonte tied the game at the half.
The Highlanders got some help from their bench to regain the lead in the third.
MARLON PIERCE and XAVIER WEATHERSBY came
in sunk a pair of free throws,
combining for a total of 10 of Helix's points in the third.
Blackwood's 11 in the fourth turned the
tables once again for the final time to ensure
Miramonte a semifinal berth.
"Everyone really contributed to this win," Blackwood said. "I'm very excited."
Other Helix scoring vs. Miramonte: Xavier
Weathersby 8, Marlon
Pierce 6, Lance Hurdle 4, Cliff Johnson 4, Tim Bland 4.
Other Helix scoring vs. Red Bluff: Xavier
Weathersby 7, Ray Toilolo 3,
Marlon Pierce 3, Charles Smith 3.
GROSSMONT 81, CLAIREMONT 41 - Junior TYLER VICKERS scored a career-high 30
points on 13 field goals and 4-for-4 free throw shooting as Grossmont
(4-2)
crushed visiting Clairemont in Thursday's (Dec. 19) opening round
of the San
Diego Winter Classic.
Vickers opened the game with 15 first-half
points, including 11 in the second quarter.
His inside basket from underneath on a pass from BRANDON AVANT
drew a foul with
33 second left before halftime. He finished the three-point play,
putting GHS up 29-19.
Avant comverted a pair of free throws with
four seconds left before intermission,
drawing the contact while going up from underneath, as the Foothillers
led 31-21 at the half.
Vickers did a little bit of everything in
the third, helping the Hillers open up a 49-31 lead after three
with seven points in the period, along with four rebounds and
a pair of assists inthe eight-minute span.
First, Vickers scored an easy hoop on a
pass from CASEY YOUNG to build Grossmont's lead back
up to nine. Then, his rebound of his own miss and bucket, lifted
the Foothillers' lead to 15.
He later put GHS ahead by 20 with his easy layup off an inbounds
pass from Young with 2:54 to go in the third.
While Vickers was shredding the Chieftains
defense, the Hillers received 12
points of support from DALTON GRIFFITH and 10 from RYAN GOLDBARG.
Young
canned a pair of 3-pointers as did Goldbarg. Griffith and SCOTT
SMALL
contributed one trey apiece.
The Foothillers turned the game into a rout
with a 32-10 scoring run in the
fourth quarter.
Other Grossmont scoring: Young 8, Jesse
Gerber 6, Tyler Cook 3, Small 3,
Tyler Barbour 2, Blake Brands 2, Brandon Avant 2, Taylor McDonald
2.
STEELE CANYON 70, VISTA 58 - The fleet-footed Cougars used a 21-13
third-quarter rush to snap a 28-28 halftime deadlock Thursday
(Dec. 19) and
continued on for a San Diego Winter Classic victory over Vista
at Mount
Miguel.
RICHIE WILLIAMS (19 points), JASON BEAUCHAMP
(15), CAMILLO MARTINEZ (10) and
WALTER HALL (10) steered a balanced attack for Steele Canyon (3-3).
Beauchamp also crashed the boards for 15
rebounds, while Richie Williams
handed out 7 assists and made 6 steals. Freshman KEITH WILLIAMS
was limited
to 8 points, but delivered 4 of his 6 assists in the fourth quarter.
Other Steele Canyon scoring: Ricky Bailey 8.
MOUNT MIGUEL 72, CARSON CITY (Nev.) 51
- J.R. GRIFFIN scored 17 points
and
corralled 13 rebounds to lead the host Matadors to an easy victory
over
Carson City in Thursday's (Dec. 19) first round of the San Diego
Winter
Classic.
Griffin accounted for half of the Matadors
six 3-pointers. GREG MONROE
chipped in 15 points and JOEY STREET added 13, each hitting one
3-point
bucket.
"We played extremely well, great defense
for about the first 12 minutes of
the opening half," Mount Miguel coach JIMMY HURST said. "In
the second half,
though, we slacked off. I wasn't pleased by our effort on defense.
We need to
be more consistent."
Mount Miguel got out like gangbusters, building
a 32-6 lead at the end of one, as
DEWAYNE ARY and Monroe combined for 13 first-quarter points. The
scarlet and
black side nailed four threes in their first quarter run, including
a pair by LYLE
WOODWARD.
However, the well would run dry, as Carson
City actually outscored the Matadors
in the second quarter, 8-4, as the visitors would score the only
basket over the first
six minutes of the period.
Griffin scored 10 points in the second half.
Other Mount Miguel scoring: James Roberts
8, Dewayne Ary 7, Jameral King 6,
Lyle Woodward 5, Jay Barber 4.
LA JOLLA 61, GRANITE HILLS 43 - Two former East County standouts played a key
role in the Vikings San Diego Kiwanis Tournament victory over
visiting
Granite Hills Thursday night (Dec. 19). Christian High transfers
Wai John Wai
and Jake Wohlfeil combined for 35 points and 22 rebounds to lead
La Jolla.
Wai, a 6-foot-4 senior, canned 8 of 12 floor
shots for 19 points, and 6 of
his 14 rebounds came on the offensive end. Wohlfeil was off the
mark from the
field, nailing just 4 of 13 shots. But the 6-foot-3 senior made
up for it
down the stretch, hitting 8 of 10 shots from the free throw line.
GREG CHASE shoveled in 16 points to pace
Granite Hills (4-3). MARK HALL
hammered in 10 points and cleared 7 rebounds. J.P POWELL popped
in a pair of
3-pointers for the Eagles.
La Jolla claimed a 22-7 scoring advantage from the free throw line.
Other Granite Hills scoring: Powell 6, Tyrone Araya 6, Ryan Snyder 5.
SCRIPPS RANCH 48, VALHALLA 47 - The Norsemen rallied from an 11-point first
quarter deficit, but faltered in the final seconds as they fell
to the
Falcons in Thursday's (Dec. 19) opening round of the San Diego
Winter Classic
at Grossmont.
Valhalla guard JARED JOHNSTON turned a steal
into a basket as the Norsemen
(1-6) closed to within one point of the Falcons. With 20 seconds
left on the
shot clock, Valhalla trapped a Scripps ball-handler in the corner
and the
Falcons called time out.
The Norsemen and Falcons scrambled for the
ball with 10 seconds left, and the
shot clock appeared to have expired. Not so, ruled the officials.
According
to Valhalla coach ERIC THOMAS, the shot clock was re-wound to
17 seconds and
Scripps Ranch was awarded the ball. The Falcons missed a shot
and Valhalla
claimed the defensive rebound with 14 seconds left. The Norsemen
took the
ball down court and missed a 3-point shot.
Thomas lamented that Valhalla missed five free throws in the opening quarter.
"If we make those, we win the game," he said.
DREW STINNETT led Valhalla with 19 points, while DEVON JONES tossed in 11.
Other Valhalla scoring: Raymond Hanna 8, Johnston 5, Tommy Miles 4.
SAN DIEGUITO ACADEMY 45, CHRISTIAN 44
- It was a major improvement,
considering the Patriots lost to the Mustangs by 30 points earlier
this
month. But it was equally as frustrating as Christian (3-4) was
15 feet away
from a last-second victory in Thursday's (Dec. 19) Tri-City Tournament
encounter in Vista.
"Everything that could have gone our
way, didn't," Christian coach TOBIN
WILKINS said.
A tough loss indeed, as the Patriots saw
their three-game winning streak come
to an end.
JESSE LeBEAU led Christian with 14 points.
MIKE SINGELTON cast in 11 points
and RYAN CADY nailed a trio of 3-pointers for the Patriots.
Other Christian scoring: Cady 9, Trace Faubel
5, C.J. Schroeder 3, Kenny
Bell 2.
MT. CARMEL 56, EL CAPITAN 38 - SCOTT FISHER enjoyed a career scoring night
of 24 points, which included hitting a trio of 3-pointers, but
El Capitan
(2-4) didn't generate much of anything else in losing Thursday's
(Dec. 19)
Sweetwater-Lions Club Holiday Classic opener at Sweetwater High.
Even 7-foot senior center JARROD BOSWELL
had a lackluster performance,
finishing with a season-low 10 points, 5 rebounds and 3 blocked
shots.
Other El Capitan scoring: Noelle Noy 2,
Sean Hogue 2.
(12-19-02)
Santana's
Tim Henselmeir (32) goes up for a jumper against Castle Park in
a San Diego Winter Classic game (12-18-02). (Photo by Travis
Downs)
EastCountySports.com staff report
EL CAJON - A year ago JESSE LEBEAU sat at the end of the Christian High bench and watched his teammates blow out the majority of their opponents. Entering this season LeBeau, a 5-foot-2 sophomore, was the most experienced member of young squad. A challenge? You bet. But LeBeau has shown that size isn't everything. The Patriots' pint-size points producer is averaging 20.0 and ranks among the East County 3-point leaders with 18.
After LeBeau cast in a career-high 27 points in Christian's 78-25 non-league romp over San Diego Academy on Tuesday (Dec. 17), the sharp-shooting guard poured in 19 more as the Patriots defeated Tri-City Christian 60-41 Wednesday night (Dec. 18) in the second round of the Tri-City Tournament in Vista.
It was the third straight win for the Patriots (3-3).
LeBeau has canned nine 3-pointers the last two nights, which includes burying 5 of 6 shots from above the arc on Tuesday. KEVIN EPPS sank a pair of 3-pointers, giving him six treys in the last three games.
Steady MIKE SINGLETON shoveled in 14 points, giving him 44 in his three games since leaving the football field.
"Having Mike on the court helps us run the break," Christian coach TOBIN WILKINS said. "He's so fluid. He has the ability to find the open man. Without him, we're lost."
Christian scored 17 unanswered points during
the final six minutes of the
first quarter after falling behind TCC 8-0. The Patriots led 28-14
at
halftime.
TRACE FAUBEL canned a career-high 14 points
and hauled down 5 rebounds in
Christian's win over San Diego Academy. KENNY BELL picked off
7 rebounds and
C.J. SCHROEDER pilfered 6 passes.
Schroeder scored 8 points against Tri-City
Christian as did Epps (all in the
fourth quarter).
Other Christian scoring vs. Tri-City Christian:
Bryan Fuller 7, Faubel 2,
Bell 2,
Other Christian scoring vs. San Diego Academy:
Ryan Cady 6, Ronald Harris 2,
Luke Munson 2, Fuller 2.
El Cajon Valley's Nate Reed (20) celebrates a bucket,
as the Braves upset Monte Vista for their second win of the season
in a San Diego Winter Classic game (12-18-02).
(Photo by Travis Downs)
EL CAJON VALLEY 44, MONTE VISTA 41 - Using a three-pronged attack, the Braves (2-4) gave head coach DARNELL CHERRY his second El Cajon Valley victory in Wednesday's (Dec. 18) opening round of the San Diego Winter Classic at Santana.
The Monarchs (4-2), who had lost only one of their previous five games - a one-point decision in triple-overtime to Helix - held a 13-6 lead over the Braves after the first quarter. The lead see-sawed back and forth before El Cajon Valley earned a 17-10 scoring edge and the victory in the final quarter.
TREMAINE FOSTER, a 6-foot-5 senior, scored 4 points, blocked 2 shots and grabbed a pair of key rebounds in the Braves' fourth-quarter surge.
"We played good defense and rebounded well in the second half," Cherry said.
Senior guard NATE REED paced the Braves with 16 points, while Foster finished with 14 and DERON TAYLOR tallied 11. Reed nailed a pair of 3-pointers, and Taylor hit one.
CARLOS RAMER led Monte Vista with 11 points. ALEX GUINTO added 8.
Other El Cajon Valley scoring: Deandre Jackson 1.
Other Monte Vista scoring: Erik Hoskins
7, Robert Yousif 5, Clinton Snyder
2, Nick Childs 4, Mark Davis 4.
GRANITE HILLS 74, MIRA MESA 66 - Senior GREG CHASE scored 12 of his
season-high 21 points during the Eagles' 34-point second quarter
as Granite
Hills opened the San Diego Kiwanis Tournament with an impressive
victory at
Mira Mesa.
"We had eight guys score in that second
quarter," Granite Hills assistant
coach RANDY ANDERSON said. "MARK HALL got a couple of fast-break
dunks off
alley-oop passes from (guard) RONY NASSER. We scored a lot of
those points
off our defense, so it was a great all-around quarter for us."
The 34-point quarter is the third highest
in Granite Hills history - topped
only by a 38-point effort against Killearney, Canada and a 37-point
burst
against El Cajon Valley in 1988.
Granite Hills (4-2) shot 55 percent (24
of 44) from the field and 84 percent
(21 for 25) from the free throw line against Mira Mesa. Chase
was 7-for-7
from the free throw line, while Hall, who totaled 17 points, netted
5 of 6
charity shots.
J.P. POWELL drilled in three of the Eagles
seven 3-pointers. But it was
TYRONE ARAYA's trey from the corner with a minute to play that
sealed the
victory.
Chase and the 5-foot-7 Nasser shared top
rebounding honors for the Eagles at
7 apiece. Nasser also dished off 5 assists. Araya made 3 steals
and handed
out 3 scoring passes.
Other Granite Hills scoring: Nasser 2, Nick
Taylor 3, Ryan Snyder 5, Robert
Fine 4.
CASTLE PARK 59, SANTANA 58 - After fighting back from an 11-point
third-quarter deficit, the Sultans (3-3) watched victory ricochet
off the
backboard as they missed 4 free throws in the final 19 seconds
of Wednesday's
(Dec. 18) San Diego Winter Classic loss to visiting Castle Park.
"This game was ours to win," Santana
coach TIM BARRY sighed. "But it was more
of the same problem we've been having all year. Too many missed
free throws."
The Sultans connected on only 10 of 19 free
throws against the Trojans,
missing 7 of 13 in the final quarter.
Santana led 58-57, but failed to extend
its advantage when it missed two free
throws with 19 seconds left. Castle Park cleared the defensive
rebound and
set up what proved to be the game-winning 12-foot jumper by Antonio
Bratford
with 0:07 remaining.
Even then, the Sultans weren't done.
"There were 5 seconds left by the time
we inbounded the ball," Barry said.
"No way were we going to get off a decent shot before the
buzzer."
A Castle Park defender gave the Sultans
a break when he committed a foul in
the backcourt with 0:01 left.
It didn't matter, though, as the Sultans
missed two more free throws to get
hung with the defeat.
Junior guard MIKE LAMOUREAUX rang up a game-high
25 points - 18 in the second
half - to lead the Sultans. He hit a pair of 3-pointers.
Six-foot-5 senior TIM HENSELMEIR pumped
in 15 points and grabbed 9 rebounds,
while KYLE REED chipped in with 10 points and 8 rebounds.
Other Santana scoring: Bryan Wickens 2,
Corey Robinson 2, Kellan Kemp 3,
Adam Vickery 1.
WEST HILLS 66, VALLEY CENTER 50 - Freshman BO HART continued to come up big
for the Wolf Pack (3-2), scoring 11 of West Hills' 18 points in
the pivotal
third quarter of a San Diego Kiwanis Tournament victory over Valley
Center at
Serra.
The score was knotted at 28-all heading
into the third quarter when Hart cut
loose, scoring eight unanswered points (a pair of treys and a
deuce) as West
Hills powered in front 46-41 by the quarter's end.
Hart finished with 15 points, one fewer
than team leader BLAKE SUTTON.
MATTHEW GILSON joined the double-digit scoring parade with 10
points. Hart
pocketed all three of West Hills' 3-pointers.
"Offensively, it was the Blake and
Gilson show in the fourth quarter," West
Hills coach JEFF ARMSTRONG said. "They provided the scoring
punch (as the
Pack gained a 20-9 edge). Gilson led our fast break and scored
7 points in
that last quarter. "
All 10 West Hills players contributed to
the scoring column. ROSS STABACK
chalked up 8 points, and directed the offense.
"Ross was instrumental in our running
game," Armstrong said. "We were kind of
slow getting started, but he got us going. And he did a good job
on defense
(along with JOHN DOHERTY) against (the Jaguars') A.J. Reilly.
They held
Reilly to one field goal, and Reilly had been scoring 20-plus
points per
game."
Other West Hills scoring: Sam Miller 6,
Jeremy Hill 4, Ryan Shumaker 3, Zack
Perkins 2, Doherty 1, Ryne Staback 1.
(12-18-02)
EastCountySports.com staff report
VISTA - Reinforcements arrived for the Christian
High Patriots in time for
Monday's (Dec. 16) Tri City Christian Tournament opener. It made
a difference
as the Patriots pounded Guajome Park Academy Frogs 65-31.
Football players MIKE SINGLETON (17 points),
C. J. SCHROEDER (10 points) and
KEVIN EPPS (6 points) helped Christian post its first victory
of the season
after opening with three losses.
Not to be overlooked was the 19-point effort
of sophomore JESSE LEBEAU, who
nailed 4 of the Patriots' nine 3-pointers in the rout.
Singleton played only 15 minutes, hitting
a trio of 3-pointers. Epps fired in
a pair of threes, while BRYAN FULLER hauled down a team-high 10
rebounds.
The Patriots outscored the Frogs in every
quarter, beginning with an 18-9
start in the opening period.
Other Christian scoring: Ryan Cady 2, Fuller
4, Faubel 4, Harris 1, Bell 2.
(12-16-02)
EastCountySports.com staff report
SAN DIEGO - DEWAYNE ARY is proving he can
do more than play football. The
senior 5-foot-11, 185-pound senior wing, who is a hard-nosed running
back in
the fall as well as bone-rattling linebacker, scored 14 points
Saturday (Dec.
14) to help Mount Miguel clip Kearny 70-47 in the third place
game of the 2nd
annual Sportland/Titan Tip-Off Classic at Eastlake.
JR GRIFFIN led the Matadors (3-2) with 15
points and 7 rebounds, while
all-tournament pick RALPH JOHNSON added 13 points, 8 rebounds,
7 assists and
4 steals. JAMERAL KING contributed 8 points and 5 assists.
Mount Miguel jumped out to a 16-4 first-quarter lead and never looked back.
Other Mount Miguel scoring: Greg Monroe
6, James Roberts 5, Jay Barber 4,
Lyle Woodward 2, Joey Street 3.
EL CAPITAN 78, VISTA 61 - The Vaqueros (2-3) are finding more help for
7-foot center JARROD BOSWELL these days. Junior JUSTIN GALLOWAY
scored 18
points, snagged 7 rebounds, logged 5 assists and made 3 steals
in Saturday's
(Dec. 14) Eagle-Vaquero Classic contest against visiting Vista
(2-3).
Boswell had his usual big night, pounding
in 27 points, corralling 17
rebounds, blocking 5 shots and dealing a pair of assists.
SCOTT FISHER enjoyed his second straight
19-point spread while JESSE
LEATHERMAN turned in 9 points and 9 rebounds for El Capitan.
It was physical game that featured two bloody
noses for the Vaqueros, who
could not put the game in the win column until outscoring the
Panthers 23-14
in the final eight minutes. Boswell led the way with 8 points,
while Fisher
and Leatherman chipped in with 5 apiece.
Other El Capitan scoring: Johnny Curo 3, Sean Hogue 2,
GROSSMONT 42, UNIVERSITY CITY 22 - BLAKE BRANDS scored 9 of his team-high 14
points in the second quarter Saturday (Dec. 14) as the Foothillers
(3-2) won
the consolation championship of the Sportland/Titan Tipoff Classic
at
Eastlake.
Brands buried two of the Foothillers' five
3-pointers as Grossmont enjoyed
leads of 12-2 after one period and 24-10 by halftime
"Blake did a good job coming off the
bench," Foothillers coach FRANK FOGGIANO
said.
Junior TYLER VICKERS scored only 9 points
against the Centurions, but was
named to the all-tournament team.
"It helped us that they played a pretty
good zone against us," Foggiano said.
"And we got to run some offense against a zone. Our defense
shut them down
completely. They had trouble with our press defense."
Other Grossmont scoring: Tyler Barbour 5,
Jesse Gerber 5, Tyler Cook 4,
James Crooks 3, Mark Nicholson 2.
(12-14-02)
EastCountySports.com staff report
SPRING VALLEY - One of first things you
notice about the youthful Steele
Canyon Cougars is their quickness. Endless energy. Those who enter
the
Cougars' country had better be in tip-top condition. Coach BRAD
LEAF's
senior-less club virtually ran the visiting Madison Warhawks out
of the gym
Friday night (Dec. 13) as Steele Canyon christened its brand new
home court
with a 58-39 victory.
Steele Canyon (2-3) swamped Madison like
a tsunami, race-horsing to a 14-0
lead in the opening four minutes of the Eagle-Vaquero Classic
contest. The
Cougars' advantage swelled to 19-2, 24-4 and 35-7.
"Our pressure really hurt them,"
said Cougars sophomore guard RICHIE
WILLIAMS, who scored 15 points, recorded 8 steals and handed out
3 assists.
"They turned the ball over and we were hitting on our transition
game."
Steele Canyon forced 10 turnovers in the
first quarter alone. The Warhawks'
give-aways reached 17 by halftime as the Cougars left the floor
with a
comfortable 35-13 cushion at the break.
"Our game is fast breaks and scoring
off our defense," Leaf said. "We were
aggressive and moved the ball very well in the first half. We
were a very
good team in the first half, but we have to learn to keep up our
intensity
for a full 32 minutes. We are still a young team and you could
see that in
the second half tonight."
Fouls had disqualified Steele Canyon's top
two rebounders by early in the
fourth quarter, as Madison (0-5) sliced the Cougars advantage
to 49-35 with
3:19 left. But freshman KEITH WILLIAMS scored 4 of his game-high
18 points in
the final three minutes, while junior RICKY BAILEY came off the
bench to
contribute 5 points to protect the lead.
"We are a young team, so we still need
to work hard to get better," reminded
Richie Williams, who is scoring 14.6 points per game.
Keith Williams and JASON BEAUCHAMP grabbed
9 rebounds apiece to lead the
Steele Canyon board brigade.
"This was a nice one to win because
its our first at home." Richie Williams
said. "I think we're going to surprise a few teams."
Other Steele Canyon scoring: Walter Hall
9, Beauchamp 7, George Cunningham
2, Adam Tortosa 2.
MONTE VISTA 46, POINT LOMA 44 - Granted, it's still early in the game, but
Monte Vista veteran coach ZACH PECK has already performed a bit
of magic this
season. His Monarchs (4-1) are only two points away from being
undefeated
after pulling out a narrow victory over winless Point Loma in
Friday's (Dec.
13) Hilltop Invitational game in Chula Vista.
The overtime-prone Monarchs won this one
at the buzzer as ERIK HOSKINS broke
a 44-44 tie with a lay-up off a pass from CARLOS RAMER.
Things started out normally enough for the
Monarchs - a paltry 6-19 a year
ago - as Monte Vista marched to a 16-9 first-quarter lead over
the Pointers.
But the Monarchs were a bit anemic in this
go-around as season scoring leader
Ramer was held to a season-low 9 points. Hoskins, Monte Vista's
No. 2, was
limited to 10 points - well below his average.
Junior ALEX QUINTO hit 6 of 8 free throws
on his way to a 12-point finish,
while MARK DAVIS included a pair of treys in his 10 points as
the Monarchs
denied the Pointers the upset.
It was a decent performance all around for
Quinto, who also had 4 assists, 4
steals and 4 rebounds.
Other Monte Vista scoring: Clinton Snyder 3, Nick Childs 2.
GROSSMONT 73, CRAWFORD 59 - TYLER VICKERS registered a game-high 27 points
while helping control the paint on defense, as Grossmont built
a 20-point
lead in the first half en route to an easy triumph over winless
Crawford
(0-4) in Friday's (Dec. 13) consolation semifinals of the Titan
Tip-Off
Classic.
The Foothillers (2-2) will meet University
City in Saturday's consolation
final.
"We'll try to get an advantage on them,"
said Vickers regarding Saturday's 6
p.m. meeting with University City, a potential CIF Division II
playoff
opponent. "Because we may need to play them again somewhere
down the line."
Vickers scored 6 points in each of the opening
two periods, as Grossmont
mounted a 42-23 halftime lead. The Colts cut the margin to 51-42
at the close
of three periods, but Vickers added 10 points in the final quarter
to end any
Colts comeback thoughts.
"We ran our offense well," noted
Vickers. "In our High-Low offense, we passed
the ball real well. We worked hard all week in practice and it
paid off."
TYLER COOK added a career-high 16 points
for the Hillers, including a trio of
3-point goals, while CASEY YOUNG added 10.
Grossmont scoring: Tyler Barbour 6, James
Crooks 6, Jesse Gerber 6, Blake
Brands 2.
GRANITE HILLS 52, BONITA VISTA 39 - When MARK HALL turned the lights out on
Bonita Vista sharp-shooter Dwight Gooding in the second half of
Friday's
(Dec. 13) Eagle-Vaquero Classic game, Granite Hills pushed its
record to 3-2
for the season.
Gooding, who had scored 32 points in his
previous game against Steele Canyon,
burned the Eagles for 18 points in the first half of a game that
was knotted
at 23-all at the break.
Enter the 6-foot-7, 195-pound Hall. Gooding
shriveled up in the second half,
scoring a mere 2 points as the Eagles took control.
Hall hit 7 of 10 field goals to finish with
16 points. He also blocked 6
shots, grabbed 7 rebounds and canned two 3-pointers in a fourth
quarter where
Granite Hills earned a 15-9 scoring edge.
GREG CHASE chipped in with 14 points on
7-for-9 shooting. He also secured 8
rebounds, while RYAN SNYDER and TYRONE ARAYA added 8 points apiece.
Other Granite Hills scoring: J.P. Powell 4, Robert Fine 2.
CHULA VISTA 53, HELIX 51 - On the court, Helix High rightfully earned a berth
in the Hilltop Tournament championship game. But in early season
play,
sometimes changes are made.
Completing pool play on in a three-way tie
for second place with Monte Vista
and La Jolla with 3-1 records, Helix owned the tiebreaker with
wins over the
other two teams. However, the Highlanders were asked to switch
opponents to
prevent other teams from playing each other more than once within
a week.
Relegated to Friday's (Dec. 13) third place
game, however, Helix found the
going
rough, eventually falling to host Chula Vista.
Helix had three chances to force overtime
in the final seconds, but could
never find the bucket.
Down 51-47, XAVIER WEATHERSBY found a cutting
TIM BLAND (19 points, 14
rebounds, 5 steals) with a crisp cross-court pass for a lay-in
with 33 second
left. CLIFF JOHNSON then followed by stealing the inbounds pass,
giving the
Scotties an opportunity to tie the ballgame.
However, three shots from inside the paint
wouldn't fall, as Spartans center
Nathan Flowers eventually grabbed the rebound and was fouled.
Flowers nailed a pair of free throws with
:07.5 seconds remaining to seal the
verdict, as Bland capped his game-high 19-point outing with a
concession
lay-in at the buzzer.
ERIC ROBINSON and QUANNELL NEWTON added
8 points each in the Highlanders'
balanced attack.
Weathersby charted 5 assists and Bland earned
a berth on the all-tournament
team.
Helix mounted a 22-17 lead in the second
quarter, only to see Chula Vista
score the final six points of the half to take a 23-22 intermission
lead. The
Spartans then opened the second quarter with eight more points
to complete a
run of 14 consecutive points for a 31-22 lead.
But Helix, which was held scoreless for
more than four minutes, answered with
a 13-2 run to catch the Spartans at 35-all. Included were 11 straight
points
- capped by a three-point play -- by Newton, who scored and was
fouled off an
offensive rebound. Robinson then hit a six-footer after he beat
his defender
and drove down the lane to knot the game.
Other Helix scoring: Marlon Pierce 6, Raphael
Bell 6, Weathersby 2, Johnson
2.
EASTLAKE 67, MOUNT MIGUEL 61 - Eastlake has noticed little difference in its
jump to CIF Division I classification over the summer.
After claiming the Division II section championship
two seasons ago, the
Titans ran their record to 4-0 on Friday (Dec. 13) after outlasting
Mount
Miguel in the semifinals of the 2nd Annual Sportland / Titan Tip-Off
Classic.
The loss relegated the Matadors (2-2) to
face Kearny in the third-place
contest at 1:30 p.m.
Junior guard Craig Jackson took over for
Eastlake down the stretch after
teammate 6-foot-6 Keith Spencer, last year's Mesa League Player
of the Year,
fouled out with 1:47 to play.
"We had some big plays from a lot of
people, including some by players from
off the bench," said Jackson, who scored the Titans' final
five points after
Spencer exited. "We had some big steals, including one by
Devon Cosby."
The Matadors (2-2) stayed close throughout
the second half, yet could never
take the lead, moving to within 50-49 early in the fourth quarter,
then 62-61
on a JAY BARBER lay-in with 1:47 remaining.
Mount Miguel then turned up the pressure
defensively, as JOEY STREET took a
charge after Titans guard Justin Omalev pushed off, then a trap
by RALPH
JOHNSON and JAY BARBER resulted in a five-second violation.
However, the Matadors, who struggled with
their outside shooting throughout
the contest, failed on several 3-point attempts. But Johnson turned
a steal
into a breakaway lay-in. He later dropped in 3-of-4 free throws
in the final
10 seconds to seal the Titans' bid to the tournament championship
game.
Johnson paced Mount Miguel with 20 points, while JR GRIFFIN added 13.
Other Mount Miguel scoring: Barber 8, Joey
Street 6, Lyle Woodward 3,
Dewayne Ary 2, Greg Monroe 2, Jordan Wilson 2.
(12-13-02)
West Hills' Matthew Gilson (22) takes aim from
three-point range Thursday night (12-12-02) during the Wolf Pack's
win over San Marcos.
EastCountySports.com staff report
SANTEE - Of the Grossmont Conference's two
intra-leagues, the Grossmont North
offers the most mystery. Not one of that league's five entries
is any more
of a favorite than the Wolf Pack of West Hills. Coach JEFF ARMSTRONG's
Pack
is without a doubt a primary contender. West Hills knocked off
San Marcos
73-67 in Thursday's (Dec. 12) Horsman/Barona Tournament to level
its record
at 2-2.
ZACK PERKINS scored the decisive points
late in the fourth quarter as West
Hills erased a 6-point deficit with 2:47 remaining to crack the
Knights.
Perkins scored all five of his points in
a 43-second span in the final
quarter, getting an assist from SAM MILLER and scoring a bucket
off the glass
with 1:58 remaining. His free throw tied the game at 67-67.
On the Pack's next possession down the floor,
Perkins picked up a loose ball
in the paint and converted an inside hoop with 1:15 to go, giving
West Hills
the two-point lead.
"We haven't played to our potential
yet, but we're going to as the season
progresses," Perkins said. "We've had these close ones
and its pretty
intense, but we're going to battle until the very end. That's
the way we
play."
It seemed as if the Knights repeatedly had
the answer to West Hills' smart
and effective execution on the offensive end in the final stanza.
After the Wolf Pack would work the set offense
into points, San Marcos would
quickly transition and convert, a couple of times connecting from
beyond
three-point range.
Miller stole the ball to set up the Wolf
Pack's go-ahead possession. The
hard-nosed defender, who played with gauze stuffed in his nostrils
after
receiving a blow to the face earlier in the game, pulled down
the board on
the Knights' miss at tying the game in the final minute. Miller
also added
the insurance bucket for a 4-point lead to finish with 14
in the second half, including eight in the fourth, and took a
game-ending
charge for good measure.
Miller, who scored 64 points in the four
games, was named to the
all-tournament team.
MATTHEW GILSON scored six of his 13 points
in the fourth quarter, including a
game-tying three with 3:40 to go. From there, the Knights went
on a 6-0 run
to take their biggest lead since early in the second quarter.
But, Gilson hit a short deuce, and BLAKE
SUTTON, who had five of his 11
points in the fourth, picked up an offensive rebound and was fouled
going up.
Sutton then converted one of two from the line.
Gilson, Perkins, Sutton and Miller scored
all of the Wolf Pack's 24 points in
the fourth, as they outscored the Knights by eight in the final
eight minutes.
ROSS STABACK had two nice assists early
in the fourth quarter, setting up
teammates for baskets that kept the Wolf Pack within two.
"Ross has been playing very well for
us," said Wolf Pack coach JEFF
ARMSTRONG. "He's our leading rebounder and also leads in
steals and assists.
He is doing all the small things that make a team click, he provides
us with
a lot of leadership."
West Hills' BO HART was sharp from downtown,
hitting threes in each of the
first three quarters, and finishing with a total of 8 points.
His trey late
in the third after Miller picked up a defensive rebound and sent
the ball
quickly in transition, kept West Hills to within 49-48.
"Hart is getting some quality minutes
in the middle of the game," Armstrong
noted. "It's a lot of pressure for a youngster."
JEREMY HILL had all of his seven points
in the third quarter for West Hills,
including a trifecta at the five-minute mark to cut the Knights'
advantage to
43-41.
West Hills' Blake Sutton
looks for an open teammate in the offensive end Thursday night
(12-12-02) against San Marcos
HELIX 73, LA JOLLA 67 - The Highlanders (3-1) turned up their offense to
run
down the all-star recruits of coach Arle Nichols in Thursday's
(Dec. 12)
Hilltop Tournament game at Hilltop High.
"It was an interesting night,"
Helix coach JOHN SINGER said. "We have 10 guys
who can really play. The key is trying to find enough minutes
for everybody."
TIM BLAND (16 points, 5 rebounds, 3 steals)
and CLIFF JOHNSON (13 points)
were the Highlanders leaders. But it was the superb play they
received off
the bench from CHAD CHAMBERS (6 points, 7 rebounds) and QUANNELL
NEWTON (7
rebounds, 3 points) that provided Helix with the winning lift.
Helix shot a solid 52 percent (30-for-58)
from the field, with Bland's
blistering 8-for-11 pace leading the way. Johnson, known more
for his
defensive prowess, knocked down 6 of 9 shots from the floor. RAPHAEL
BELL
contributed 10 points and 3 rebounds, while MARLON PIERCE chalked
up 8 points
and 6 assists.
For La Jolla, former Christian High stand-outs
WAI JOHN WAI scored 19 points
and JAKE WOHLFEIL scored 13 points.
Other Helix scoring: Lance Hurdle 8, Eric Robinson 7, Michael Ortiz 2.
MONTE VISTA 63, CHULA VISTA 56 (OT) - The Monarchs (3-1) seem willing to go
overtime any time. Or is that every time. After falling a point
short in a
triple-overtime loss to Helix earlier this week, Monte Vista rallied
from a
15-point deficit to spike the Spartans in a mere one overtime
in Thursday's
(Dec. 12) Hilltop Invitational.
Monte Vista relied on East County's newest
1-2 punch -- ERIK HOSKINS and
CARLOS RAMER - for 40 points in the victory over the Spartans
at Hilltop.
The Monarchs used a 12-5 scoring run in
the four-minute overtime to secure
the victory.
Monte Vista scoring: Alex Guinto 7, Nick
Childs 7, Clinton Snyder 4, Robert
Yousif 3, Robert Purvy 2.
Non-League
SANTANA 48, CLAIREMONT 45 - The
Sultans overcame a 20-8 second-quarter
deficit to short-circuit the Chieftains Thursday (Dec.12) in a
non-league
game at Clairemont.
Despite not having a single player finish
in double scoring digits, Santana
(3-2) received the emotional lift from 6th man KYLE REED to reach
the victory
circle. For the second game in a row, Reed rolled in 9 points
and grabbed 4
rebounds, causing coach TIM BARRY to consider him for a starting
role.
TIM HENSELMEIER grabbed 13 rebounds and tallied 8 points for Santana.
Other Santana scoring: Zach Shepard 7, Kellan
Kemp 7, Bryan Wickens 5, Corey
Robinson 4, Mike Lamoureaux 3, Tai Purpero 4.
EL CAJON VALLEY 56, ORANGE GLEN 42 - Senior guard NATE REED enjoyed another
big scoring night, carving out 24 points in Thursday's (Dec. 12)
Horsman/Barona Tournament game at West Hills.
DERON TAYLOR added 10 points and 7 rebounds
for the Braves (0-4). DEANDRE
JACKSON also pulled down 7 boards for El Cajon Valley, which needs
more
support for Reed and Taylor to become a contender in the Grossmont
North.
Other El Cajon Valley scoring: Jaque Howell
6, Jackson 5, Foster 5, Josh Roys 4, Singer 2.
(12-12-02)
EastCountySports.com staff report
VISTA - Valhalla's JARED JOHNSTON made like
Trevor Hoffman in Wednesday
night's (Dec. 11) Eagle-Vaquero Classic contest at Vista. That
is, he saved
the Norsemen with some clutch free throw shooting as Valhalla
vanquished
Vista, 61-56, for its first victory of the season.
Johnston, a 6-foot senior known more for
his long range shooting, nailed 12
of 16 free throws on his way to a team-high 20 points. He saved
his best
charity work for last, hitting 8 of 10 in the final period. Talk
about
pressure, Johnston sank 5 of 6 in the final 30 seconds.
"Between Jared's free throws and some
timely baskets by (DREW) STINNETT, we
were able to get out of there with a win," Valhalla coach
ERIC THOMAS said.
Stinnett scored all of his 8 points in the second half.
It looked as though it was going to be an
easy night for the Norsemen (1-4),
who stormed to a 34-18 halftime lead in what is arguably their
best half of
the season.
"We were overpowering," Thomas
said. "RAYMOND HANNA was just dominating for
us."
Things began to fall apart in the third
quarter as the Panthers pounced on
the visitors 18-7, thinning the Valhalla bulge to 41-36.
"We were horrible in the third quarter,"
Thomas said. "The third quarter has
been a nightmare for us all year."
Then, the light went back on as the Norsemen
regained their poise to push
their advantage back to 10 points in the early part of the fourth
period.
Vista made several more challenges, pulling to within 3 points
on a couple of
occasions.
But the Panthers had no answer for Johnston.
DEVON JONES added 11 points for Valhalla, while Hanna finished with 8.
Other Valhalla scoring: Travis Rothlisberger
6, Manny Gonzalez 5, Tommy Miles
3.
EL CAPITAN 69, RAMONA 59 - Seven-foot center JARROD BOSWELL had his usual
solid game, rolling in 25 points, confiscating 17 rebounds and
blocking 2
shots. But it was the 19 points by senior SCOTT FISHER and the
12 points of
JUSTIN GALLOWAY that helped Boswell lead the Vaqueros to their
first victory
of the season Wednesday (Dec. 11) in an Eagle-Vaqueros Classic
game at
Ramona.
The 6-foot-2 Fisher jump-started the Vaqueros
(1-3) with a pair of 3-pointers
in the opening period as El Capitan forged in front 14-11. But
the Vaqueros
were unable to tuck away the victory until the final moments.
Fisher's totals included a trio of 3-pointers,
4 rebounds, 3 assists and 3
steals. Galloway, a 6-foot-1 junior, added 6 rebounds and 3 assists
to his
night's work.
Although he didn't score, JOHNNY CURO contributed
8 assists, 6 rebounds and 3
steals to El Capitan's winning formula.
Other El Capitan scoring: Sean Hogue 6, Jesse Leatherman 5, Noelle Noy 2.
BONITA VISTA 68, STEELE CANYON 63 - For the first time in four starts, BRAD
LEAF was not happy with the play of his youthful Cougars in Wednesday
night's
(Dec. 11) Eagle-Vaquero Classic contest at Bonita Vista.
"For some reason we were flat,"
Leaf said. "We weren't ready to play. This
was our poorest game of the four."
Things started out OK, as Steele Canyon
(1-3) jumped out to a 13-2 lead in
the opening minutes. Gradually, the Cougars watched their lead
evaporate. And
yet, with 20 seconds remaining, they still had a chance to win
as they
trailed only 64-63.
"We made a nice run at the end, because
we were down 12 in the fourth
quarter," Leaf added. "But we had to foul and Bonita
Vista made free throws."
CAMILLO MARTINEZ led the Cougars with 17
points, while RICHIE WILLIAMS tossed
in 14 and WALTER HALL had 12 in the Eagles-Vaquero contest.
Dwight Gooding netted a game-high 32 points for Bonita Vista.
Other Steele Canyon scoring: George Cunningham
9, Keith Williams 9, Terrance
Davis 2.
SAN MARCOS 65, GRANITE HILLS 48 - The visiting Knights put Granite Hills in
checkmate early in Wednesday's (Dec. 11) Eagle-Vaquero Classic
game,
streaking to a 17-2 lead.
San Marcos was sitting on a 17-point lead
by halftime, and the Eagles (2-2)
never got closer than 11 points the remainder of the night.
It wasn't a bad night statistically speaking,
as the Eagles shot 46 percent
from the floor and netted 13 of 17 free throws. San Marcos, on
the other
hand, shot a blistering 64 percent from the floor.
NICK TAYLOR, GREG CHASE and MARK HALL shared
Granite Hills' high-point honors
with 10 apiece. The freshman Taylor drilled in a trio of 3-pointers.
Hall also collected 7 caroms and blocked
a pair of shots. Chase notched 5
rebounds and RONY NASSER dished off 3 assists.
Other Granite Hills scoring: Nasser 7, Tyrone
Araya 5, J.P. Powell 4, Robert
Fine 2.
(12-11-02)
EastCountySports.com staff report
CHULA VISTA - Ah, those memories. In days
gone by, basketball games between
Monte Vista and Helix usually had championship connotations. When
these
long-time rivals tipped off in the Hilltop Invitational Tournament
on Tuesday
(Dec. 10), an almost eerie shroud of deju vu was present at Hilltop
High. In
a so-called meaningless pre-season exercise between the Grossmont
South
League members, it took three overtimes before the Highlanders
could pull out
a 76-75 victory.
While Helix coach JOHN SINGER was probably
stunned by the Monarchs newfound
stamina, he did not allow his troops to throw in the towel.
The Highlanders (2-1) overcame a 19-9 deficit
to force the extra stanzas when
regulation ended in a 55-all deadlock.
After the first two four-minute sets failed
to determine a winner, the
Highlanders appeared to have the outcome in hand when senior QUANNELL
NEWTON
turned a pair of steals into baskets in the third OT.
Monte Vista (2-1) refused to fold. The upstart
Monarchs (2-1) actually
regained the lead when CARLOS RAMER hit a 3-pointer with 8 seconds
left to
give the Monarchs a 75-74 edge.
Helix came right back, however, but junior
MARLON PIERCE failed to connect on
a 15-foot jumper with 3 seconds unplayed.
"We did a good job of defending against
Pierce," Monte Vista coach ZACH PECK
said.
But the Monarchs did not block out. Thus,
when Pierce's shot missed its mark,
Helix's 6-foot-4 senior center RAPHAEL BELL was in prime position
to score
the game-winning bucket on a put-back with 01.5 remaining.
Helix hammered the Monarchs on the boards.
TIM BLAND bagged 15 caroms, Bell
nabbed 13 rebounds and Pierce cleared 8 misses.
Bland led Helix's scoring with 22 points,
while Bell banged in 16 points and
notched 7 steals. CLIFF JOHNSON added 8 points, 6 steals, 3 assists
and 3
blocks for the Highlanders.
Senior ERIK HOSKINS enjoyed a banner night
for Monte Vista (2-1) with 21
points, 13 rebounds and 6 assists. Junior ALEX GUINTO hit 8 of
17 shots from
the floor to finish with 20 points for the Monarchs.
Other Helix scoring: Newton 9, Xavier Weathersby
8, Pierce 8, Lance Hurdle 4,
Eric Robinson 2.
Other Monte Vista scoring: Ramer 8, Mark
Davis 8, Robert Yousif 8, D'Andre
Overstreet 5, Nick Childs 5.
SERRA 61, WEST HILLS 53 - With the potential for a four-way tie for first
place in their pool lying in the balance, West Hills held a late
lead over
visiting Serra, but the Conquistadors rallied late to spoil the
Wolf Pack
plans in Tuesday's (Dec. 10) Horsman/Barona Tournament contest.
The Conquistadors held a 47-41 advantage
with 6:11 to play, but the Wolf Pack
scored seven straight points for a 48-47 edge taking the lead
on a
rebound-basket by SAM MILLER with 4:09 left.
However, Ronnie Simpson, better known as
a force at defensive end for the
Serra football team, took over the game in the final minutes after
teammate
Desi Burt fouled out. Simpson made eight of his game-high 22 points
down the
stretch, then added a key steal of an inbounds pass with 23 seconds
left to
prevent West Hills from knotting the game and potentially playing
its third
straight overtime contest.
After Simpson scored with 3:49 left to regain
the lead for the Qs, BLAKE
SUTTON took a pass from MATTHEW GILSON, scoring while being fouled
on a
baseline drive for a lay-up. The three-point play with 2:45 left
tied the
game at 51-all, but Serra closed the contest on a 10-2 run, as
the Pack (1-2)
committed four turnovers in the final two minutes.
Other West Hills scoring: Miller 6, Jeremy
Hill 4, John Doherty 3, Ross
Staback 3, Dan Lamm 2, Ryan Shumaker 2, Zack Perkins 1.
GROSSMONT 63, MONTGOMERY 42 - The Foothillers (1-2) broke into the win column
on the strength of an overpowering first half Tuesday (Dec. 10),
as they
dismantled host Montgomery in the 2nd Annual Sportland / Titan
Tip-Off
Classic.
The hustling Hillers built a 41-17 lead
by halftime and then just toyed with
the outmanned Aztecs the rest of the way.
TYLER VICKERS, a 6-foot-5 junior center,
led Grossmont with 25 points, 15
rebounds and 5 blocked shots.
Sophomore point guard TYLER BARBOUR added
9 points and floor leadership
beyond his years, while junior TYLER COOK chipped in 9 points.
"Our defense really stifled them,"
Grossmont coach FRANK FOGGIANO said. "We
just kept stealing the ball. We ran well and had a good transition
game."
BLAKE BRANDS banged in 8 points, including
one of the club's two 3-pointers.
Cook hit the other trey.
Other Grossmont scoring: Casey Young 4,
James Crooks 2, Ryan Goldbarg 2,
Taylor McDonald 2, Dalton Griffith 2.
ESCONDIDO 75, MOUNT MIGUEL 60 - Senior RALPH JOHNSON enjoyed his finest
night of the season, scoring 24 points for the Matadors (2-1)
in Tuesday's
(Dec. 10) 2nd annual Sportland / Titan Tip-Off Classic contest
won by the
undefeated Cougars (3-0).
The 6-foot-2 Johnson did most of his damage
from the free throw line where he
converted 13 of 17 charity tosses.
Mount Miguel, however, could not recover
from a 25-11 Escondido barrage in
the third quarter and the Cougars carved their lead to 59-40.
Sophomore point guard GREG MONROE added 13 points in the losing effort.
Escondido's Lorenzo Keeler bullied the Matadors for a game-high 29 points.
Other Mount Miguel scoring: J.R. Griffin
6, Jay Barber 5, Jameral King 5,
James Roberts 4, Dwayne Ary 3.
CARLSBAD 65, EL CAJON VALLEY 40 - Senior guard NATE REED rolled in 16
points in Tuesday's (Dec. 10) Horsman/Barona Tournament game,
but the Braves'
other four starters fouled out. Fact is, El Cajon Valley (0-3)
was whistled
for 29 fouls, which permitted the Lancers (4-0) to have a feast
from the free
throw line.
No other information reported.
(12-10-02)
EastCountySports.com staff report
EL CAJON - It was not too long ago that
Ramona boasted one of the better
basketball programs in the county. The Bulldogs of today don't
have the same
bite, but a victory over Ramona always looks good on the record.
Six-foot-7
junior MARK HALL hammered in 17 points, grabbed 9 rebounds and
blocked 3
shots to help the host Granite Hills Eagles to a 58-49 victory
over Ramona in
Monday's (Dec. 9) Eagle-Vaquero Tournament.
The Eagles (2-1) stated their intentions
early, rolling to a 23-8 lead after
the first eight minutes. Then, it was a matter of maintaining
that edge.
"Things got a little sloppy in the
second half," admitted Granite Hills
assistant coach RANDY ANDERSON.
Ramona (0-2) roared back to within four
points in the fourth quarter, but
J.P. POWELL made five straight free throws over the final three
minutes to
enable the Eagles to deny the Bulldogs' bid for a comeback.
Powell finished with 10 points, including a 3-pointer.
GREG CHASE collected 14 points and 8 rebounds,
while RONY NASSER made 5
steals and dished off 4 assists for Granite Hills.
Other Granite Hills scoring: Tyrone Araya
8, Nasser 4, Ryan Snyder 3, Nick
Taylor 2.
RANCHO BUENA VISTA 62, VALHALLA 49 - You couldn't blame Valhalla coach ERIC
THOMAS for being a little cross-eyed after Monday's (Dec. 9) game
against the
visiting Longhorns. Having to watch RBV's JEREMY CROSS score 30
points was
more than he wanted to see.
Cross, a 6-foot-3 senior, cashed in 10 points
in the opening quarter as the
'Horns hustled in front 19-9. After Valhalla cut the deficit to
six late in
the first half, Cross went on a scoring binge again in the third
quarter,
drilling in 16 points to vault RBV into a 48-28 lead.
"They are a very athletic team,"
Thomas acknowledged. "They overpowered us,
beat us to the rim. I don't know how many of their points came
inside the
paint on second chances. They just went over the top and tipped
the ball
until it went in."
DREW STINNETT led the Norsemen with 15 points,
while RAYMOND HANNA added 9
and DEVON JONES 8. BRANDON GROSS and JARED JOHNSTON each nailed
3-pointers
for the Norsemen.
Facing a rather distinguished list of foes
thus far, Valhalla is off to an
0-4 start in the Eagle-Vaquero Classic.
"It can only get better," Thomas said.
Other Valhalla scoring: Gross 5, Tommy Miles
5, Travis Rothlisberger 4,
Johnston 3.
BRAWLEY 78, SANTANA 58 - TIM HENSELMEIR turned in a solid performance for
the Sultans (2-2), pouring in 17 points, snaring 9 rebounds and
making 2
steals in Monday's (Dec. 9) non-league loss to the Imperial Valley
League
powerhouse.
"Where do they find these guys out
there in the desert," Santana coach TIM
BARRY wondered after 6-foot-5, 235-pound LAFAYETTE LOFTON pounded
the Sultans
for 21 points, 12 rebounds and 10 blocked shots. "That guy
is the real deal.
We couldn't do anything with him."
The Sultans closed the gap to 41-38 in the
third quarter before Brawley broke
things open with a 12-0 run and never looked back.
"One thing we did do a lot better was
cut our turnovers in half (from 29 vs.
Parker to 15 Monday night)," Barry said. "But we still
missed 7 free throws
in the fourth quarter."
Barry handed out special praise to junior
forward KYLE REED, who finished
with 9 points for the Sultans.
Other Santana scoring: Mike Lamoureaux 8,
Shane Chase 6, Kellan Kemp 5, Zach
Shepard 5, Bryan Wickens 4, Tai Purpero 2, Corey Robinson 2.
(12-09-02)
EastCountySports.com staff report
(Revised 12-08-02) SANTEE - For those looking
for their money's worth of basketball
entertainment, check out the West Hills Wolf Pack. For the second
time in as
many games, the Pack strolled into overtime Saturday (Dec.7).
The results
were better the second time as West Hills pulled out a 53-47 overtime
victory
over Mar Vista in the Horsman/Baron Tournament.
BLAKE SUTTON tallied nine of his 10 points
in the fourth quarter and
overtime, including a rebound basket to force the extra session
with 0:04
remaining.
The Wolf Pack came back from a four-point
deficit in the final minute of
regulation, as the lead exchanged hands eight times in the second
half, then
ROSS STABACK nailed a key 3-point goal with 1:34 left in the extra
session to
thwart the final Mariners attempt to rally.
"Sure, we're playing to the level of
our opponents," said West Hills forward
SAM MILLER, who led his team with 14 points. "But we finished
it off tonight,
which is a sign of an improving club."
Miller scored on an offensive rebound for
a 45-44 West Hills lead in the
overtime. After Mar Vista (0-2) reclaimed the advantage, Miller
took a feed
from JOHN DOHERTY for another lay-in to grab the lead for keeps
with 2:02
left.
Staback then nailed his bomb with 1:34 to
play to match the biggest lead of
either team in the entire ballgame.
"Ross' 3-pointer really put a dagger in them," added Miller.
Sutton added 3 steals in the overtime. Staback
posted 3 consecutive assists
early in the fourth to keep West Hills close after the Mariners
twice took
leads of four points.
Other West Hills scoring: Zack Perkins 6,
Ryne Staback 2, Matt Gilson 4,
Jeremy Hill 4, Dan Lamm 2, Bo Hart 3, Ryan Shumaker 2.
MONTE VISTA 56, SWEETWATER 53 - CARLOS RAMER converted a 3-point play
with1:10 left to secure the Monarchs' lead for keeps, then added
a pair of
foul shots with one second remaining, as Monte Vista held off
Sweetwater in
the second round of the Hilltop Invitational on Saturday (Dec.
7).
Ramer took a feed from MARK DAVIS, who matched
teammate ALEX GUINTO with a
team-high 5 assists, for the go-ahead lay-in. Ramer, who recorded
a game-high
21 points, and CLINTON SNYDER then added steals in the final minute
to
prevent Sweetwater an opportunity to re-take the lead.
"We finally saw the post open up and
got the ball inside," said Snyder, a
defensive stalwart just out from football who added 9 points and
5 boards.
"It took us awhile to figure out it was open, but we finally
got the job
done."
Monte Vista opened a 31-21 lead early in
the second half, but the Red Devils
geared a 10-0 run to tie, then it was a dogfight over the final
11 minutes of
play.
Tied at 51-all, Red Devils guard Louis Trujillo
(20 points) got the assist on
a lay-in for a 53-51 Sweetwater lead with 1:20 left, but the Monarchs
prevented any more shots by forcing three turnovers down the stretch.
Snyder and Davis added 9 points for Monte
Vista, while ERIK HOSKINS tallied 8
and Guinto totaled 6.
Other Monte Vista scoring: Guinto 6, Overstreet 3, Yousif 2.
Helix senior forward Tim Bland drives against
Point Loma Saturday night, but Jimmy Wilson, a junior guard, takes
the charge. (12-7-02)
HELIX 59, POINT LOMA 36 - The Highlanders placed the defensive clamps on
the Pointers, limiting their opponents to just 7 baskets through
three quarters
en route to an easy 59-36 triumph at the Hilltop Tournament Saturday
(Dec. 7).
Helix (1-1) mounted a 30-12 halftime lead, then notched the advantage to 46-20 through three periods before calling off the dogs.
"We just played team defense and got
up the line and played hard," said Helix
senior CLIFF JOHNSON, who was noted by the Scotties' coaching
staff for
leading the defensive effort. "We scrambled and played hard."
Center RAPHAEL BELL paced Helix with 16
points, Johnson added 13, while TIM
BLAND added 11 in the balanced attack. Bland also added three
steals in the
first four minutes of the second half, as Helix ran off eight
straight points
to quickly eliminate any comeback hopes of Point Loma.
Bland also grabbed 11 rebounds, while matching Bell and MARLON PIERCE with five steals each. Pierce also registered five assists. Bell added eight boards.
Other Helix scoring: Chad Chambers 2, Michael
Ortiz 1, Pierce 6, Xavier
Weathersby 4, Eric Robinson 4, Lance Hurdle 2.
MOUNT MIGUEL 64, GROSSMONT 46 - RALPH JOHNSON scored 18 points and J.R.
GRIFFIN hit a quartet of 3-pointers on his way to a 16-point night
in
Saturday's (Dec. 7) Eastlake Tip-Off Classic victory for the Matadors
(2-0).
The Matadors broke open a 31-26 halftime
lead with five three-pointers in the
second half.
TYLER VICKERS paced Grossmont (0-2) with 18 points, and CASEY YOUNG added 11.
Other Mount Miguel scoring: Greg Monroe
9, Lyle Woodward 3, Eugene Pujida 2,
Jay Barber 7, James Roberts 2, Joey Street 3, Dwayne Ary 4.
Other Grossmont scoring: Tyler Barbour 3,
Tyler Cook 6, Jesse Gerber 2, James
Crooks 6.
POWAY 71, VALHALLA 62 - MANNY GONZALES scored a career-high 22 points in
a
losing cause for the Norsemen (0-3). The junior forward canned
9 of 10 free
throws and a trio of three-pointers in Saturday's (Dec. 7) Horsman/Barona
Tournament game.
Other Valhalla scoring: Andrew Stinnett
13, Alvin Habib 10, Jared Johnston 7,
Devon Jones 6, Travis Rothlisberger 2, Ray Hanna 2.
VISTA 64, GRANITE HILLS 55 - TYRONE ARAYA scored a career-high 21 points
and made 3 steals while GREG CHASE canned 14 points and grabbed
5 rebounds
for Granite Hills (1-1), which dropped the Eagle-Vaquero Tournament
decision
to visiting Vista.
Other Granite Hills scoring: Mark Hall 6,
Nick Taylor 5, Robert Fine 4, Ryan
Snyder 2, J.P. Powell 2, Rony Nasser 1.
SCRIPPS RANCH 57, EL CAJON VALLEY 53
- The Braves (0-2) got 24 points
from
NATE REED and 17 from DERON TAYLOR, but it wasn't enough as El
Cajon Valley
lost a hard-fought Horsman/Baron Tournament contest to Scripps
Ranch Saturday
(Dec. 7).
The Braves made a bid for a comeback, as
they outscored the Falcons 19-9 in
the final period as Reed ripped off 11 points and Taylor netted
6.
Reed has scored 54 points in the Braves' first two games.
Other El Cajon Valley scoring: Deandre Jackson
5, Jaque Howell 8, Eric
Rosales 6.
EL CAMINO 115, EL CAPITAN 52 - JARROD BOSWELL rolled in 24 points and snared
12 rebounds, SCOTT FISHER canned 12 points and JUSTIN GALLOWAY
dished out 6
passes and scored 7 points, but El Capitan proved to be no match
for
top-ranked El Camino in Saturday's (Dec. 7) Vaquero-Eagle Tournament
game.
Other El Capitan scoring: Sean Hogue 3,
Andrew Hoffmaster 3, Chris Buchmiller
3.
(12-07-02)
LATE REPORTS
FRANCIS PARKER 54, SANTANA 50 - The Sultans' MIKE LAMOUREAUX scored 15
points and grabbed 5 rebounds in Saturday's (Dec. 7) Francis Parker
Invitational, but Santana missed 17 free throws - 10 in the fourth
quarter.
Lamoureaux was named to the all-tournament
team. KELLAN KEMP canned 12 points
and TIM HENSELMEIR added 11 points and 11 rebounds for Santana
(2-1).
Other Santana scoring: Zach Shepard 5, Bryan
Wickens 3, Corey Robinson 3,
Kyle Reed 1.
STEELE CANYON 59, MORSE 52 - The Cougars won their first varsity basketball
game in school history Friday night (Dec. 6), as CAMILLO MARTINEZ
scored 24
points, 15 coming in the second half. Martinez came up huge in
the third
quarter, scoring 11 points as the Cougars (1-2) outscored the
Tigers 23-11 to
take a 50-38 lead.
Other Steele Canyon scoring: Richie Williams
5, A.C. Minnifield 3, Jason
Beauchamp 1, Ricky Baily 6, Walter Hall 10, George Cunningham
2, Keith
Williams 6, Terrance Davis 2.
Francis Parker 30th Basketball Tournament
CHRISTIAN vs. SAN DIEGUITO - No
report.
(Rev. 12-8-02/12-07-02)
Grossmont's Brandon Avant lets a shot go against
Escondido Friday night (12-6-02).
EastCountySports.com staff report
LA MESA - Escondido coach PAUL BALDWIN penciled
four members of the Over
The Top club team into the Cougars' new starting line-up this
season. And the
quartet of juniors, who had played together as a unit since the
fourth grade,
looked like it never lost a step in an 81-69 victory over host
Grossmont in
Friday's (Dec. 6) opener of the 2nd Annual Sportland / Titan Tip-Off
Classic.
Cougars guard LORENZO KEELER had a game-high
33 points, while Grossmont
received 25 points from forward TYLER VICKERS to stay close, but
the Hillers
never overcame a 14-0 Escondido run early in the second half after
leading by
as many as nine in the early going.
The Foothillers were impressive in extending
Escondido in the first quarter,
forcing a shot clock violation, then getting a bucket by BLAKE
BRANDS to go
up 17-9.
Vickers had five defensive rebounds in the
first half and scored eight points
before intermission.
"They got deep on us and we didn't
rotate well to the ball," said Grossmont
coach FRANK FOGGIANO. "It wasn't a very good day for our
defense."
Early in the third quarter, Vickers stood
his ground on defense and took a
charge to force a turnover. CASEY YOUNG (13 points) then followed
with a
three-point shot for a 37-33 Grossmont lead.
However, Escondido rattled off 14 consecutive
points, including a pair of
Keeler treys, then BRANDON BURGESS (16 points, 10 rebounds) capped
the play
with a slam dunk for a 48-37 advantage.
Young scored nine of his points in the first
half, as his 3-pointer early in
the second quarter gave the hosts a 23-14 edge.
Grossmont switched defenses to a press,
but was beat numerous times on long
passes, including three lay-ins from Cougars swingman RANDY BOSTON,
who
scored 12 of his 16 points in the final period, as Escondido scored
50
second-half points.
The Hillers cut the margin to 71-67 late,
as Young registered four steals,
three of which led to baskets. However, Keeler arched home a rainbow
three
from the corner with 2:01 to end the final threat.
Grossmont also received seven first-quarter
points from TYLER COOK, including
a pair of threes, en route to a 27-20 lead.
Other Grossmont scoring: Jesse Gerber 7,
Matt Barbour 6, Blake Brands 4,
James Crooks 4, Tyler Barbour 2, Brandon Avant 1.
Valhalla's Andrew Stinnett (32) backs
down the Fallbrook defense Friday night (12-6-02).
FALLBROOK 56, VALHALLA 50 - Valhalla senior ANDREW STINNETT scored 19
points, including 10 in the game's final 12 minutes, but the Norsemen
couldn't overtake the Warriors down the stretch in Friday's (Dec.
6)
Eagle-Vaquero Classic game.
The game was tied 38-38 at the end of three
periods, but Fallbrook's 6-foot-9
MARLON HOWE, scored 8 of his 17 points in the final stanza, and
combined with
6-3 senior TIM MANNING (28 points) for 45 of the team's points.
The visitors connected on 6-of-8 from the
foul stripe in the final 1:45 to
end any hope for the Norsemen (0-2).
Valhalla's DEVON JONES threw in a short
right-handed shot to pull the hosts
to within 50-49 with 1:30 remaining, but Howe converted on transition
with a
dunk. Jones had given Valhalla its only lead (47-46) down the
stretch with a
short jumper with 2:37 left, but another dunk by Howe quickly
gave the
advantage back to Fallbrook.
Valhalla actually tied the game 45-45 midway
through the fourth quarter, as
Stinnett converted a three-point-play.
JARED JOHNSTON added 7 points for Valhalla,
while Jones, MANNY GONZALES and
ALVIN HABIB each had 6 points.
Stinnett also had a turn-around inside bucket
with two seconds left in the
third quarter to tie the game with four points in the final minute
of the
third.
MONTE VISTA 69, HILLTOP 60 - Guard CARLOS RAMER scored a career-high 31
points as the visiting Monarchs marched past the host team in
Friday night's
(Dec. 6) opening round of the Hilltop Tournament.
Ramer canned 9 of 15 shots from the floor,
including a trio of
three-pointers. The 6-foot-1 senior also cleared 6 rebounds.
Senior center ERIK HOSKINS hammered in 19
points and yanked down 10 rebounds
in his varsity debut for the Monarchs. The 6-2 Hoskins clicked
on 5 of 6
field goals and netted nine free throws.
Senior MARK DAVIS scored only 5 points for
Monte Vista but dished off 9
assists.
Monte Vista trailed 41-33 at halftime, but
broke out of the gates for a 20-10
scoring edged in the third period to move in front.
Other Monte Vista scoring: Alex Guinto 7,
D'Andre Overstreet 3, Robert Yousif
2, Robert Purvy 2.
MOUNT MIGUEL 52, MONTGOMERY 33 - Coach JIMMY HURST's Matadors have a couple
of Division I college prospects in junior J.R. GRIFFIN and senior
RALPH
JOHNSON, but it was sophomore point guard GREG MONROE - a transfer
from USDHS
- that caught the coach's eye in Friday night's (Dec. 6) season-opening
victory in the 2nd Annual Sportland / Titan Tip-Off Classic.
"Monroe is one of our own local kids
who left for year, but decided to come
back home," Hurst said. "We're glad he did. He gives
us a calming effect. He
played like a senior tonight."
Monroe scored 11 points, including a pair
of treys, while Griffin and Johnson
tossed in a dozen points apiece.
Hurst says Griffin, a 6-foot-5 guard, is
being heavily recruited by USF,
Oregon, Santa Clara and Davidson.
"He made a couple of monster dunks
tonight," said Hurst, noting that Griffin,
like most of the Matadors, played little more than a half.
Interest in the 6-2 Johnson is just beginning to heat up.
"I don't know how many games we'll win, but these guys are legit," Hurst said.
Regarded by some to be East County's finest
team, Mount Miguel led by 30
points in the first half before Hurst emptied his bench.
Other Mount Miguel scoring: Joey Street 9, Jameral King 6, Jordan Wilson 2.
MT. CARMEL 57, EL CAPITAN 47 - Host El Capitan trailed by nine at halftime
and couldn't rally in the fourth quarter in Friday's (Dec. 6)
Eagle-Vaquero
Classic game despite 25 points and 12 rebounds from senior JARROD
BOSWELL.
The 7-foot Boswell, who was 10-of-17 from
the field and blocked four shots,
has scored 62 points and garnered 29 rebounds in his first two
starts this
season.
What's killing the Vaqueros (0-2) is the
3-point game. El Capitan failed to
make a 3-pointer, while the Sundevils had 13 treys. In two games,
El
Capitan's opponents have connected for 28 three-pointers.
Senior SCOTT FISHER added 8 points, while
El Capitan teammate JUSTIN
GALLOWAY grabbed seven rebounds, had three assists and two steals
to go with
4 points.
Vaqueros junior guard JOHNNY CURO had three
points, five rebounds and two
assists.
El Capitan made just 56 percent of its free throws.
Other El Capitan scoring: Sean Hogue 5, Jesse Leatherman 2.
SANTANA 56, CALVIN CHRISTIAN 52 - The Sultans used a balanced offense and
some pinpoint passing by junior guard COREY ROBINSON (11 assists)
to down the
Crusaders in Friday's (Dec. 6) second round game of the 30th annual
Francis
Parker Tournament at Parker. MIKE LAMOUREAUX and TIM HENSELMEIR
scored 14
points apiece and BRYAN WICKENS chimed in with 13 as Santana improved
to 2-0.
Lamoureaux collected 6 steals and netted
one 3-pointer. Wickens also canned a
trey while Henselmeir led the Santana board brigade with 6 rebounds.
Other Santana scoring: Shane Chase 5, Tai
Purpero 4, Zach Shepard 3, Adam
Vickery 2, Kellan Kemp 1.
TORREY PINES 53, HELIX 46 - The Highlanders trailed just 29-28 at
intermission, but were as outscored 11-4 in the third quarter
in Friday's
(Dec. 6) season opener at the Hilltop Invitational.
RAPHAEL BELL led the Highlanders with 10
points and seven rebounds, while TIM
BLAND added 9 points and HARLON PIERCE contributed 8 points, including
a pair
of treys, and three assists.
QUINNELL NEWTON hauled in 5 caroms for Helix.
Other Helix scoring: Michael Ortiz 5, Xavier
Weatherby 4, Cliff Johnson 4,
Lance Hurdle 2, David Jones 2.
STEELE CANYON 59, MORSE 52 - The victory was the first varsity conquest in
Steele Canyon history. CAMILLO MARTINEZ scored 24 points to lead
the Cougars
(1-2). No further details were reported.
CENTRAL UNION 89, EL CAJON VALLEY 71 - The Braves led early, but couldn't keep the lead in a West Hills Tournament game.
CLAIREMONT 63, CHRISTIAN 47 - No details reported.
(12-06-02)
EastCountySports.com staff report
SAN DIEGO - The youthful Santana Sultans
overcame a sluggish start to run
down the Julian Eagles 50-43 in Thursday's (Dec. 5) opening round
of the 30th
annual Francis Parker Basketball Tournament.
Nine Sultans contributed to the scoring
column led by senior guard KELLAN
KEMP's 11 points. Kemp, who also grabbed 5 rebounds and 3 steals,
nailed one
of the Sultans' three 3-pointers. COREY ROBINSON and MIKE LAMOUREAUX
also
landed a 3-point bucket.
"We're a young team with only two players
coming back," Santana coach TIM
BARRY said. I think we just nervous, this being our first game
and all. We
missed four break-away layups. But our kids came through at the
end when the
game was on the line."
Trailing 35-32 entering the final quarter,
the Sultans took command and
outscored the mountain men 18-8 for the victory. The key bucket
belonged to
KYLE REED, who hit a 5-foot hook shot to give the Sultans a 45-41
advantage
with 2:30 left.
"We spread the floor after that and
they had to foul," Barry said. "We were
only 15 for 25 from the line overall, but made 5 of 6 in the last
two
minutes."
Other Santana scoring: Robinson 8, Tim Henselmeir
6, Bryan Wickens 6, Zach
Shepard 5, Lamoureaux 5, Tai Purpero 4, Reed 3, Shane Chase 2.
CALIPATRIA 62, CHRISTIAN 44 - Coach TOBIN WILKINS' debut was taxed in several
ways. Two of his key returning players were mysteriously recruited
away from
the El Cajon campus by La Jolla first-year coach ARLE NICHOLS,
who makes his
living coaching travel teams during the summer.
Three others were singing with the high
school choir when Wilkins' crew took
to the court for the first time in Thursday's (Dec. 5) opening
round of the
Francis Parker Tournament.
After falling behind 19-8 in the first quarter,
the Patriots pecked away to
keep the game from becoming a blowout. Christian's lone returnee,
JESSE
LEBEAU, scored 18 points, including a trio of 3-pointers and 4
assists.
BRYAN FULLER added 11 points and 19 rebounds for the Patriots.
Other Christian scoring: Ryan Cady 5, Shane
Stanovic 4, Derek Larsen 4,
Steve Cesena 1.
(12-05-02)
EastCountySports.com staff report
SANTEE - Four of the key players on the
West Hills basketball team also play
football. Considering the success of the school's football program,
basketball mentor JEFF ARMSTRONG has grown accustomed to late
arrivals.
"It's all part of what it takes to
get going," Armstrong lamented after
visiting San Pasqual edged the Wolf Pack 60-58 in overtime in
Wednesday
night's (Dec. 4) opening game of the Horsman-Barona Tournament.
"We know it's
going to take our football kids a few days to catch up."
Nevertheless, West Hills was sitting on
a 6-point lead with two minutes
remaining in overtime.
"We gave it away," Armstrong said.
"We mishandled the ball too much, and
missed too many shots. We let (San Pasqual) take the game away
from us."
With six seconds left, the Golden Eagles
turned a steal into a game-winning
basket by MIKE MONELL. But it was KYLE ADAMS who actually put
the game into
the San Pasqual win column as he scored nine of the Golden Eagles'
11
overtime points.
Senior SAM MILLER, a first-year free safety
in football, led West Hills with
24 points. His totals included a pair of 3-pointers and 6-for-8
free throw
shooting.
MATT GILSON added 9 points and one trey for the Wolf Pack.
Other West Hills scoring: Bo Hart 7, Ryan
Shumaker 4, Ross Staback 3, Jeremy
Hill 3, Blake Sutton 2, John Doherty 2, Zack Perkins 2.
GRANITE HILLS 60, MADISON 22 - It wasn't a thing of beauty, but a victory on
opening night any year is always an encouraging sign. Coach JIM
GLEBOFF's
Eagles will take Wednesday's (Dec. 4) Eagles-Vaqueros rout of
Madison in
stride.
"We did play good, aggressive defense,"
Granite Hills assistant coach RANDY
ANDERSON said. "There was a lot of hustle on the court."
The Eagles used an 11-0 scoring run to close
the first quarter with a 22-9
lead. They outscored the Warhawks 21-6 in the middle two quarters
to all but
seal the victory.
Ten Eagles contributed to the scoring with
TYRONE ARAYA setting the pace with
11 points. GREG CHASE added 10 and turned in 4 steals.
Sophomore guard RYAN SNYDER, who averaged
18 points as a JV freshman last
year, dished off 9 assists while rolling in 8 points. Snyder also
netted two
3-pointers, as did Araya. J.P. POWELL, who had 7 points and 5
steals, also
knocked down a 3-point bucket, as did TYLER RICCI.
RONY NASSER logged 6 points and a team-high 6 assists for Granite Hills.
In a second-quarter collision with a Madison
player, Granite Hills' 6-foot-7
junior forward MARK HALL suffered a laceration to his chin and
left the game
to go to the hospital for stitches.
Other Granite Hills scoring: Robert Fine
7, Hall 4, Matt Howard 2, Alfred
Shammas 2.
(12-04-02)
EastCountySports.com staff report
LAKESIDE - El Capitan's JARROD BOSWELL was
virtually unstoppable in Tuesday's
(Dec. 3) season-opener of the Eagles-Vaquero Classic. The 7-foot
center, who
will attend the University of Wyoming on a scholarship next year,
poured in
37 points, grabbed 17 rebounds and blocked 2 shots. But it still
wasn't
enough, as visiting La Jolla Country Day shredded the Vaqueros
with 15-for-28
shooting from 3-point range to claim a come-from-behind 71-63
victory.
The Torres, who connected for five 3-pointers
in the fourth quarter,
outscored the Vaqueros 23-7 over the final eight minutes to secure
the victory
Boswell propelled the Vaqueros to a fast
start, nailing 16 points in the
opening quarter as El Capitan stormed in front 27-18. The Vaqueros
maintained
that lead for three quarters. But Boswell, who had 33 points tucked
away
after three periods, seemed to tire as did his teammates down
the stretch.
Senior SCOTT FISHER, the only other returning
starter from last year's 16-12
Grossmont North League championship squad, led Boswell's supporting
cast with
10 points and 8 rebounds. The 6-foot-2 forward netted a pair of
3-pointers as
did junior guard JOHNNY CURO. JESSE LEATHERMAN also hit a 3-pointer,
while
JUSTIN GALLOWAY nabbed 5 rebounds.
Thomas Golia and Daniel Bastine combined
for 10 treys and 38 points between
them to lead LJCD.
Other El Capitan scoring: Curo 7, Leatherman 5, Galloway 2.
RANCHO BERNARDO 66, STEELE CANYON 61
- Maybe the Steele Canyon Cougars
are
just too young to realize that they're making life tough on more
experienced
teams that might like to think of themselves as overwhelming favorites.
For the second time in as many nights, BRAD
LEAF's young Cougars gave a
heavily favored opponent a scare Tuesday (Dec. 3). They trailed
the
4th-ranked Broncos only 59-58 with 4:30 remaining, and had the
ball. But a
Steele Canyon turnover followed by Mark Strong's three-point-play
provided
Rancho Bernardo with a 62-58 advantage.
"We're just too inexperienced,"
said Leaf, whose team does not have a single
senior. "I thought we played an excellent ball game against
a team with a lot
of size and talent."
Six-foot-10 Mohammed Abukar led Rancho Bernardo
with 32 points in the
Eagles-Vaquero Classic contest.
CARMILLO MARTINEZ paced Steele Canyon (0-2)
with 20 points, including a pair
of 3-balls. RICHIE WILLIAMS added 13 points and KEITH WILLIAMS
knocked down
12. Each of the Williams' hit two 3-pointers.
TERRANCE DAVIS, a 6-foot, 200-pound junior,
grabbed a team-high 11 rebounds
for the Cougars.
Other Steele Canyon scoring: Walter Hall
4, Ricky Bailey 4, Jason Beauchamp
4, Davis 4.
LA COSTA CANYON 69, VALHALLA 49 - The Norsemen took a season-opening walk
through a maze of giants Tuesday (Dec. 3) as they dropped an Eagles-Vaquero
Classic decision to the visiting Mavericks.
"For a little more than three quarters
I thought we played these guys tough,"
said Valhalla coach ERIC THOMAS. "We were down by only three
(41-38) going
into the fourth quarter. We were down only five points with six
minutes left.
But their size just wore us down."
Not having 6-foot-5 senior ANDREW STINNETT
for nearly half the game due to
early foul troubles, didn't help the Norsemen. An All-Grossmont
South League
performer a year ago, Stinnett contributed only a pair of first-quarter
free
throws.
"Andrew had his 4th foul one minute
into the third quarter," Thomas lamented.
"He's our biggest guy."
DEVON JONES led the Norsemen with 15 points,
while JARED JOHNSTON connected
for a trio of 3-pointers on his way to a 12-point night. RAYMOND
HANNA and
MANNY GONZALES added 7 points apiece for Valhalla.
Other Valhalla scoring: Travis Rothlisberger
4, Alvin Habib 2.
(12-03-02)
EastCountySports.com staff report
EL CAJON - Although the final score doesn't
reflect it, Steele Canyon's
varsity basketball debut was a success Monday night (Dec. 2).
Coach BRAD
LEAF's senior-less Cougars gave visiting powerhouse Temecula Valley
all it
could handle before the more experienced Bears escaped with a
72-65 victory
in the opening round of the Eagle-Vaquero Classic.
Steele Canyon, which went undefeated at
the junior varsity level a year ago,
maneuvered to a 32-29 halftime lead over the taller, more physical
Bears. But
6-foot-7 BRIAN BOMAR took over after intermission and powered
Temecula Valley
to a 43-point second half.
"They destroyed us on the boards,"
Leaf said. "That was the difference in the
game."
Bomar finished with game highs of 31 points and 16 rebounds.
"We beat them in every facet of the
game except for on the boards," Leaf
said. "They had 16 offensive rebounds and they had to score
on at least half
of them."
Nevertheless, Steele Canyon trailed only 65-61 with 2:30 remaining.
"We were right there with them except
we couldn't stop their big guy," Leaf
admitted. "Even when he missed, it seemed like he got his
own rebound. Our
tallest guy is 6-feet-4."
Steele Canyon, which travels to No. 4 Rancho
Bernardo Tuesday night (Dec. 3)
at 7:30, was not without its share of opening night standouts.
Sophomore point guard RICHIE WILLIAMS popped
in 26 points, including 10 field
goals - two of which were 3-pointers. He was 4-for-5 from the
free throw line.
Freshman KEITH WILLIAMS (no relation to
Richie) netted 9 of 11 free throws on
his way to a 15-point night. Junior guard CAMILLO MARTINEZ added
11 points
for the Cougars.
"We're starting out against some pretty
tough competition," Leaf admitted.
"But I think that will help us in the long run. What we need
is experience."
It would appear that the talent is there.
Other Steele Canyon scoring: Walter Hall
4, Jason Beauchamp 4, George
Cunningham 3, Ricky Bailey 2.
(12-02-02)