Taylor headed to Rocky Mountains

East County Sports.com
COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (5-3-06) -- NICK TAYLOR of Granite Hills High, the East County Boys Basketball Player of the Year, recently signed a letter of intent to play at Colorado-Colorado Springs of the NCAA Div. II Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference.

Taylor will play for new head coach Russ Caton, hoping to turn around a program which went 5-22 (4-15 RMAC) during the 2005-06 campaign.Taylor hopes to follow a similar pattern for the Mountain Lions like he did in high school.

Following nearly five decades at a school where basketball did not reign supreme, Taylor paced the Eagles to their best record in school history at 21-9, capturing the school's first league title in 47 years topping the Grossmont South League at 9-1 and advancing to the quarterfinals of the San Diego CIF Division I playoffs.

The 6-foot-1 guard paced the East County in scoring at 27.2 points per game, which ranked second in the section. Taylor led the state with 132 three-pointers and netted a career-high 53 points. He was tabbed as the coaches' league player of the year, and then received an endorsement by the media as a first-team, all-section performer by the San Diego Hall of Champions.

The RMAC has featured several top East County players over the years, including former Santana High standout guard BARNEY HINKLE.

Granite Hills' Nick Taylor leads the fastbreak,with Eagles teammate Clark Gordon following close behind (over shoulder), at the Southern Cal Classic. (Photo by Adolfo Villanueva)

East County Sports.com
SAN DIEGO (4-9-06) -- El Capitan High School senior standouts ALLISON DUFFY and CORY BROWN each blocked a record eight shots in their respective games Saturday (Apr. 8), leading all-star basketball teams from San Diego to a sweep of Los Angeles based stars at the Southern California Classic held at San Diego State's Peterson Gym.

Duffy, joined by East County's JERICA WILLIAMS of Mount Miguel and DIANA LEASAU of Helix, were part of a 6-player local contingent which still breezed to an easy 54-34 decision in the girls contest.

Meanwhile, Brown, joined by three players from Granite Hills -- BRANDEN PRIDE, NICK TAYLOR and Occidental bound CLARK GORDON -- also posted eight points and 13 rebounds to sink L.A., 101-74, in the boys ballgame.

Taylor also captured the 3-point shooting contest, despite being placed in the most-difficult spot in the rotation. Competing last among five different pairs of shooters, Taylor registered the best score in the prelims with 15 baskets. However, without a rest period like the shooters before him, the Eagles senior since managed 11 treys in the final to capture the event.

The competition was sponsored by Dream Vision (http://www.dreamvisionsd.com/), a Chula Vista based organization founded in 2001 to expand opportunities for success to at-risk youth and enhance life skills through a variety of youth development services and programs.

The number of players filling roster spots was limited because of an NCAA rule limiting seniors to just two all-star game appearances, plus the influx of new contests in recent years, including the inaugural CIFSDS sponsored game at Point Loma Nazarene University, the McDonald's Classic coming to San Diego, a new Riverside County-North San Diego County game at Palomar College Friday (Apr. 7), along with annual local contests, such as the East County All-Star Game which was held at Cuyamaca College.

East County Sports.com
SAN DIEGO (4-5-06) -- The second annual Southern California Classic -- showcasing the top senior high school boys and girls basketball in Southern California -- all-star games will be held on Saturday (Apr 8) at San Diego State's Peterson Gym. All-star girls 3-point contest is at 5:20 with the girls game beginning at 5:30. All-star boys 3-point and slam-dunk contests will be at 7:00; boys' tip-off is at 7:30.

The teams will be comprised of seniors representing Los Angeles vs. San Diego counties. The San Diego County boys team will be coached by Granite Hills boys basketball coach RANDY ANDERSON.

Halftime in the Girls game will feature Youth Outstanding Scholar/Athlete Achievements Awards presentation, Kids All-Star Exhibition and MVP award presentation. Halftime of the Boys game will present Believe & Achieve Award (Honoree: REGGIE BUSH), Youth Outstanding Scholar/Athlete Achievement Awards presentation and Kids All-Star Exhibition, along with MVP award presentation.

There will be celebrity judges and a live DJ along with giveaways and prizes.

The event was created by Dream Vision, Inc. to provide exposure opportunities for high school students from Southern California excelling in their academic and athletic accomplishments.

East County senior girls participating and playing for the San Diego All-Stars are JERICA WILLIAMS (Mount Miguel) and ALLISON DUFFY (El Capitan).

East County senior boys slatedto participate for the San Diego All-Stars are NICK TAYLOR (Granite Hills), CORY BROWN (El Capitan) and BRANDEN PRIDE (Granite Hills).

Tickets are $10 at the door. Passes are not permitted. Parking, which is strictly enforced, is $1/hour and the yellow self-serve machines take only bills (no coins). Parking is available in Structure IV near Peterson Gym. For more information, see the website www.dreamvisionsd.com.

East County Sports.com
POINT LOMA (3-25-06) -- Moments after Eastlake's Stephen Carr scored on a putback to tie Friday's (Mar. 24) San Diego Section Senior All-Star Basketball Game at 103-all with 38 seconds to play, all that NICK TAYLOR of Granite Hills could do was run back on defense and try to do something to force overtime.

"Then all of the sudden the ball popped out," said Taylor, as a half-court trap by Carr and Horizon's Raymond Williams produced a turnover with the final seconds ticking away. "It rolled right to me."

Despite some apprehension, Taylor converted his breakaway layin with 10 seconds to play, as the South survived a last-second shot by three-time CIF-San Diego Section player of the year Chase Budinger of La Costa Canyon to give the South a stunning 105-103 come-from-behind victory at Point Loma Nazarene's Golden Gymnasium.

"I was nervous the whole time," Taylor repeated more than once to reporters. "I thought they were going to block my shot, just like they just did."

A minute earlier, Taylor saw his 3-point shot rejected by Vista's Kenny Lawson, who will play for Creighton next season. So Taylor kept thinking someone might be on his back -- yet no one was there.

The North had one last chance to win, but with El Capitan center CORY BROWN defending the inbounds pass from under the South basket with 2.2 seconds to play, Brown got a piece of the ball but it deflected to the Arizona-bound Budinger. However, his shot in heavy traffic didn't have a chance to give the underdog South the victory after trailing by as many as 10 points with 10 minutes to play.

"It was a fun game and it was great to see the guys come together in the short time we have," said Brown. "That's why we still thought we had a chance to win."

Carr was tabbed the South player of the game for his game-high 22-point performance. However, the difference maker was actually Williams. The Panthers point guard passed for nine assists and scored six points in the first half alone, as the South lead by 10 points, 56-46, at the half.

By the time Williams returned, the North stormed back to take a 9-point lead -- a 19-point swing -- behind 18 points by James Givens of Carlsbad, who was the North player of the game.

Taylor finished with 14 points, Brown tallied 12, while Christian's PAUL IVANAUSKAS earned a start at small forward, although he did not score.

Budinger collected 13 for the North. He will also partcipate in next Wednesday's (Mar. 29) McDonald's All-America Classic, slated for Cox Arena.

East County Sports.com
BALBOA PARK (3-21-06) -- The San Diego Hall of Champions has released the results for the All-CIF San Diego Section basketball teams for 2005-06, headed by Santana High senior JORDAN FRANEY as the player of the year in girls basketball.

Meanwhile, on the boys side, the East County landed.just two berths, as East County player of the year NICK TAYLOR of Granite Hills gained the 10th and final first-team berth, while El Capitan center CORY BROWN was a second-team honoree.

Chase Budinger, the new career scoring leader in the CIFSDS, was the unanimous player of the year selection. He powered La Costa Canyon to the boys Division I crown and will play for Arizona next season.

The Usual Suspects

Senior All-Stars from the Grossmont North League and Christian High (above) and the Grossmont South League. (Photos by Val Bass)

East County Sports.com
RANCHO SAN DIEGO (3-19-06) -- It definitely makes sense.

The most experienced of all East County seniors earned player of the game laurels, as Christian High's PAUL IVANAUSKAS scored eights points, 7 rebounds, 7 assists, 2 steals and one block Saturday (Mar. 18), leading the South to a 100-94 decision over the North in the annual East County All-Star basketball game, held at Cuyamaca College.

Helix' Jericho Toilolo (21) gains the inside track to a loose ball over Josh Ziegler of El Capitan during Saturday's East County Senior All-Star Game. Toilolo and the South Stars prevailed, 100-94. (Photo by Adolfo Villanueva) FOR ADDITIONAL PHOTOS, CLICK HERE

Ivanauskas, one of three players from Lithuania to play for the Patriots this past season, marveled the crowd -- one of the largest in event history -- with an array of behind-the-back passes for easy layins by his teammates, helping the South build a 16-point lead.

"I sure would like to play for a Division I school," said Ivanauskas, who is being looked at (but no offers yet) by nationally-ranked Gonzaga, among other schools. "I'm also thinking about staying and becoming an American citizen, but I would also like to go home, too."

KEITH WILLIAMS of Valhalla led the South Stars with 15 points, including nine in the first half to mount a 57-48 lead at the intermission.

However, the North charged back in the final minutes to close within 98-94 with 1:04 remaining on a 3-ball by RICKY MICHELMORE of Santana, who was tabbed his team's player of the game by the media. Michelmore finished with 23 points, 7 rebounds, 5 assists and 4 steals.

"It was a lot of fun playing with guys who were on the other team for the last 5-or-6 years," noted Michelmore, who announced he will play for Chapman University next season. "They're not enemies anymore."

Luis Gonzales of Grossmont (bottom) hits the floor to recovery the ball, while Granite Hills' Branden Pride high-steps to avoid a collision in Saturday's East County Senior All-Star Game. (Photo by Adolfo Villanueva) FOR ADDITIONAL PHOTOS, CLICK HERE

Sat., Mar. 18 East County Senior All-Star Game (At Cuyamaca College) GROSSMONT SOUTH 100, GROSSMONT NORTH 94 Grossmont South All-Stars 36 21 22 21 100 Grossmont North All-Stars 25 23 19 27 94 Grossmont South scoring: Paul Ivanauskas (Chr) 8, Branden Pride (GH) 6, Clark Gordon (GH) 4, Aaron Tinsley (Hel) 11, Ryan Slade (MV) 7, Warren Thodile (MM) 3 (5 reb., 4 stl.), Keith Williams (Val) 15, Lionel Ball (SC) 7 (8 reb.), Emory Mitchell (SC) 6 (8 reb.), Paul Martins (Val) 7, Jeremiah Browning (Val) 6, Luke Simpson (GH) 3, Colin McDonald (Chr) 12, Derek Larsen (Chr) 5. Grossmont North scoring: Nate Schad (ECV) 8 (4 ast., 4 stl.), Wasam Patros (ECV) 4, Chris Reynalds (ECV) 8, Jon Hernandez (Sant) 15, Ricky Michelmore (Sant) 23, Jon Corbisez (Sant) 3, Brooks Bass 8 (Sant), Kyle Hamann (WH) 10, Jason Ziegler (EC) 5, Dominic Elder (Gro) 1, Tim Widjaja (ECV) 9.

Michelmore scored seven points over the ballgame's final six minutes. However, EMORY MITCHELL of Steele Canyon scored on a putback on the next possession to put the victory away. Michelmore nailed five 3-pointers.

Santana's JON HERNANDEZ pitched in 15 points on 7-for-7 shooting for the North, while Christian's COLIN McDONALD knocked down 12 points for the South on 7-for-8 shooting. West Hills guard KYLE HAMANN added 10 points for the North.

The North roster consisted of players from the Grossmont North League, but this year, players from Christian High were placed on the South, which was otherwise composed of Grossmont South League seniors.

However, a notable absentee was NICK TAYLOR of Granite Hills, the East County player of the year. Missing from the North was first-team, All-East County selection CORY BROWN of El Capitan. Both players of the year for their respective leagues, have prior engagements for future all-star games.

A Cougar crusher

Emory Mitchell of Steele Canyon elevates during the dunk competition. He finiished second to Paul Ivanauskas of Christian. The 3-point shooting contest champion was Branden Pride of Granite Hills, outlasting Christian's Derek Larson, 6-5, in the finale. Larson advanced to the final after nipping Wasom Patros of El Cajon Valley in a tie-breaker. (Photo by Adolfo Villanueva) FOR ADDITIONAL PHOTOS, CLICK HERE

East County Sports.com
RANCHO SAN DIEGO (3-10-06) -- Cuyamaca College will host the annual East County Senior All-Star game for East County graduating seniors this Saturday (Mar. 18) at 6 p.m. A 3-point contest precedes the event at 5:45 p.m., while the dunk contest will be at halftime. Admission is $4 for adults and $2 for children.

Seniors invited to attend include:

Taylor, Anderson rewarded for historic season at Granite Hills

East County Sports.com
EL CAJON (3-3-06) -- This season belonged to the Granite Hills Eagles, who captured the first Grossmont League boys basketball championship in the school's 47-year history. The Eagles also set a season record for victories (21) and advanced to the quarterfinals of the San Diego CIF Division I playoffs.

So it is not surprising that Granite Hills claimed two of East County's most coveted post-season awards.

Senior guard NICK TAYLOR was named East County Sports.com Player of the Year and the Eagles' RANDY ANDERSON was selected East County Sports.com Coach of the Year.

Taylor led the state with 132 three-pointers and averaged an East County-best 27.2 points. Eleven times he broke the 30-point barrier and topped out with a 53-point eruption against Sweetwater.

In just his second year as head coach, Anderson directed the Eagles to a 9-1 finish in the Grossmont South League, which was two wins better than their nearest challenger. Granite Hills then smashed San Diego-Southwest in the opening round of the playoffs before falling to Bonita Vista in the quarterfinals.

East County Sports.com Rookie of the Year honors went to 6-foot-4 Grossmont High sophomore IAN COCHRAN.

Only two of the 15 players chosen to the 2006 All-East County team are repeat winners. Taylor and El Capitan's 6-foot-9 center CORY BROWN -- a first-team pick this season -- were both third-team selections as juniors.

Santana High's Jon Hernandez (in blue) battles for position with Malcolm Thomas of Crawford for the rebound. The Colts pulled away late to win, 80-62. (Photo by Adolfo Villanueva) FOR ADDITIONAL PHOTOS, CLICK HERE

East County Sports.com
SAN DIEGO (3-1-06) -- Moments after Santana High senior RICKY MICHELMORE buried a 3-point shot from the corner to trim Crawford's lead -- which once extended to as many as 14 points -- down to four with as many minutes left to play, Sultans coach TIM BARRY witnessed something he never expected.

"What sticks in my mind was watching the Crawford coach telling his team to pull the ball out and run clock," noted Barry. "I immediately pointed it out to my assistants -- it was amazing."

Indeed, the run-and-gun, high-scoring Colts were on the edge of panic mode with the Sultans on a roll, methodically moving the ball through Crawford's half-court trap to maintain contact on the scoreboard. But at the same moment coach Terry Tucker told his team to slow down Tuesday's (Feb. 28) San Diego CIF Division III semifinal-round ballgame, all of the Colts' advantages converged at once, allowing the hosts to suddenly pull away for a misleadingly one-sided 80-62 triumph at The Corral.

"Anyone who saw the game knows the score was deceptive," said Michelmore, who scored 10 of his team-high 21 points in the fourth period to mount the comeback effort. "We wanted to move on and were not ready to go out just yet -- we did our best to get to Jenny Craig (Pavilion)."

Instead, 9th-ranked Crawford gains a rematch for the Division III crown, meeting 4th-ranked St. Augustine. The Saints, the defending champions after whipping the Colts, 74-68, last season, downed Cathedral Catholic in the other semifinal, 70-50, to earn their eighth title-game berth over the past decade.

The Sultans, who completed their deepest playoff run since Barry was a player during the school's SDCIF championship campaign back in 1988, finish their season with a 17-11 ledger.

Crawford held every little advantage entering the contest, possessing more speed, athleticism and experience, and with better shooting and rebounding ability. However, there were the Sultans with an opportunity to forge an upset, similar to when the Barry-led Sultans shocked Morse some 18 years earlier.

"They kept up with us better than most teams do," said Tyrone Shelley, the former Christian High standout, who finished with 30 points and nine rebounds. "They did all the things you need to do to keep up with us until we finally tired them out."

"But we were more worried about us -- there were people who doubted us to make it to USD."

All those elements fell together at once, as the Colts held the ball for more than 90 seconds to sqp the remaining energy from Santana.

Following Michelmore's trey, the Colts pulled the ball out, giving Santana room for optimism. Shelley was finally fouled, sinking a foul shot for a 61-56 lead, but the missed second shot was rebounded by the Colts' Malcolm Thomas, who finished with game-high 14 boards along with 21 points.

Taking their time, the Colts took a shot with just one second left on the possession timer. The shot was bounced off the rim, but Shelley cleared the board, as Crawford ran another 25 seconds off the clock.

Once again, another Santana foul, a made foul shot, then an offensive board on the missed second attempt. With 20 more seconds coming off the clock, Aaron Simpson drove the lane for a layin to cap a 94-second possession with a 64-56 advantage.

And when Thomas was fouled while scoring on a putback with 2:05 remaining, the Colts finishing writing their ticket to the final, capping the final minutes by hitting 12-of-15 foul shots.

"We got into a little foul trouble and they couldn't miss any free throws," noted Santana senior JON HERNANDEZ, who finished with 10 points, five boards and three assists before fouling out. "We wanted to be strong with the ball, but we could've done more. It was a good showing for us, but I wish we could've gone farther."

Santana senior GARRETT HAPP also went out strong, hitting 5-of-7 shots including a pair of 3's to finish with 12 points for Santana.

Santana scoring: Michelmore 21 (9 reb.), Garrett Happ 12, Hernandez 10, Brooks Bass 8, Jon Corbisez 6, Tyler Blackledge 3, Brian Bailey 2.

Patriots defender Colin McDonald (in blue) gets tangled with Horizon Christian's 7-foot center Jeff Withey. (Photo by Chris Edwards) FOR MORE PHOTOS, CLICK HERE

HORIZON 70, CHRISTIAN 54 -- The visiting Patriots were committed to keeping a tight leash on Horizon's 7-foot sophomore center Jeff Withey.

"We collapsed around the big guy," said Christian coach KEN BAILEY said. "When you do that, you have to risk giving up something."

What the Patriots hadn't counted on was the Panthers shooting 60 percent from 3-point range.

Ten times the Panthers (21-3) connected from beyond the arc. Daniel Mead hit three of the 3-pointers, while Steve Winnick and Chris Carter and Steele Canyon transfer Raymond Williams, each hit a pair of treys.

"They shot the lights out," Bailey said. "They are an outstanding team that can beat you inside or outside. It's a case of pick your poison."

Withey still got 14 points, but it was Horizon's success from the perimeter and overall quickness that put the Patriots (19-7) on their heels.

Christian High cheerleaders attempt to energize the Patriots, but Horizon took the 70-54 CIF decision. (Photo by Chris Edwards) FOR MORE PHOTOS, CLICK HERE

Williams used his adept ball-handling and speed to dash the Patriots' press.

"He handled our pressure very well," Bailey noted.

Christian, which received 18 points and 7 rebounds from ANDRIUS MIKUTIS, trailed 35-26 at halftime. The Panthers then ran away in the third with a 21-10 scoring advantage for a 21-point lead.

"It was over after three quarters," Bailey said.

Still, Bailey was pleased with the Patriots' performance season.

"All seven of our losses were to teams that were in the Top 10 at one time or another," Bailey said. "We've had a great season. We believe our program is headed in the right direction." Three starters return next season.

Christian scoring: Andrius Mikutis 18, Viktor Asaciovas 12, Paulius Ivanauskas 10, Derek Larsen 8, Daniel Hazlett 5, Colin McDonald 1.

Christian High School's (clockwise from upper-left) Andrius Mikutis, Paulius Ivanauskas, Viktor Asaciovas and Derek Larsen in Tuesday's CIF Division IV semifinals against Horizon Christian at Pantherdome. (Photos by Tori Mills)

Nick Taylor of Granite Hills launches his final career shot for three points, but the Eagles fell to Bonita Vista in the CIF Div. I quarterfinals. (Photo by Greg Eichelberger)

East County Sports.com
EL CENTRO (2-25-06) -- In a poll of East County basketball coaches, the Santana Sultans would probably rate as one of the least likely teams to reach the semifinals of the San Diego CIF playoffs.

Fact is, Santana in Division III and Christian in Division IV are the only teams still dribbling. The Sultans, who defeated Central Union 59-47 Friday night (Feb. 24) in the Imperial Valley, and Christian, which sidelined Army-Navy 76-65 at home on Friday, will advance to Tuesday's (Feb. 28) action. The Sultans will travel to Crawford and the Patriots visit top-seeded Horizon in 7 p.m. tipoffs.

SANTANA 59, EL CENTRO-CENTRAL 47 -- For the first time in 18 years, Santana (17-10) has won two post-season boys basketball games in succession.

"Our whole school is excited," said Santana coach TIM BARRY, who was the starting point guard on Santana's 1988 SDCIF Division I championship team.

RICKY MICHELMORE scored 20 points and grabbed 10 rebounds, while JON HERNANDEZ added 17 points, 8 rebounds, 4 assists and 3 steals to carry the Sultans past the Spartans (23-5).

"We had lots of good stats tonight," said an ecstatic Barry. "Coach is beside himself right now. We had 200 people travel down here and the cheerleaders went with us (on the team bus). It was like an old-time game. It was a quiet ride down, we were quietly confident. I could see the confidence in the coaching staff as well as the players. I felt very good going into this game."

The Sultans, co-champions of the Grossmont North League, maneuvered to a 24-14 halftime lead, but saw that advantage shrink to 7 with one quarter remaining.

Defense, Barry said, was the key for Santana.

Senior guard BROOKS BASS used the broom to sweep away Central scoring ace Andrew Grooms, holding the Spartan scoreless in the first half. Grooms settled for 7 points, which is about half his season average.

"Defensively Bass was tremendous -- he also had 8 assists -- and (effectively) controlled their pressure," Barry said. "We totally controlled the tempo tonight."

JON CORBISEZ contributed 8 points and 9 rebounds for Santana.

"It was really a night that the seniors stepped up," Barry said. "Two guys that were huge for us were Corbisez and (senior guard) BRIAN BAILEY. Corbisez hit two 3's in the second quarter. Bailey's lone bucket of the game came when he was double-teaming their big guy and stole the ball and went the length of the floor and made a lay-up. On this combination we took the lead 16-8."

Central chopped Santana's advantage to three points early in the third quarter. But experience won out as Michelmore sank a 3-pointer and Hernandez received a back door cut on a pass from Bass, pushing the Sultans' edge back up to 8."

Santana maintained a 10-to-14 point advantage throughout the final quarter.

Santana scoring: Michelmore 20, Hernandez 17, Corbisez 8, Brooks Bass 7, Carlos Vargas 3, Garrett Happ 2, Brian Bailey 2.

A squadron full of Patriots crash the boards to grab the rebound for Christian High, including (from left) Derek Larsen, Viktor Asaciovas and (shown in enlargement) Andrius Mikutis. (Photo by Tori Mills)

CHRISTIAN 76, ARMY-NAVY ACADEMY 65 -- ANDRIUS MIKUTIS scored a career-high 26 points to help lead Christian past Army-Navy Academy in Friday's (Feb. 24) San Diego CIF Division IV quarterfinal at Ryan Athletic Center.

"Andrius is special, he's going to bring it every night," Christian coach KEN BAILEY said. "He has to guard the best player and ends up carrying us."

PAUL IVANAUSKAS added 15 points, 7 rebounds and 7 assists for the Patriots (19-6), who take on top-seeded Horizon in Tuesday's (Feb. 28) semifinals. DANIEL HAZLETT added 13 points on 4 of 7 shooting, including a trio of three-pointers.

"Daniel is an outstanding shooter, he was really big tonight," Bailey said. "We got a little nervous when our point guard, Ivanauskas picked up three first half fouls and had to sit out for awhile. He didn't foul out though. He did a good job of being our floor general and distributing the ball to our players.

DEREK LARSEN added 11 points, five rebounds and six assists for Christian, which led 60-39 after three quarters.

"Derek was a very big force on our press," Bailey said.

Bailey's praise didn't stop there.

"(COLIN) McDONALD started tonight and really played well," the coach said. "I went with a quicker, shorter lineup and we got off to an early 13-3 lead with our full court pressure. We hampered them with a tough full court press."

Christian scoring: Mikutis 26, Ivanauskas 15, Hazlett 13, Larsen 11, Viktor Asaciovas 9, Colin McDonald 2.

Branden Pride makes the switch to the left hand to avoid a Bonita Vista steal attempt. (Photo by Adolfo Villanueva) FOR ADDITIONAL PHOTOS, CLICK HERE

BONITA VISTA 69, GRANITE HILLS 61 -- The Cinderella season of the Granite Hills Eagles ended a couple of hours prior to midnight as visiting Bonita Vista spoiled the party in Friday's (Feb. 24) San Diego CIF Division I quarterfinals in El Cajon.

The Eagles (21-8), who established several firsts of the basketball program, led 20-14 after the opening quarter and then watched the Barons (21-8) dominate the second quarter 15-5 to lead by four at intermission.

"They got too many second-chance shots," Granite Hills coach RANDY ANDERSON. "They had a 6-9 and a 6-6 kid that gave us trouble on the boards."

What made matters worse was the Eagles' second-leading rebounder, BRIAN HUMPHRIES, was in foul trouble in the 2nd quarter.

Bonita Vista stung the Eagles behind the long distance shooting of Mark Kiefer who had five treys -- 13 points in the third quarter -- and 26 points in the game.

"Desmaan Robinson (6-9, 300 pounds) took up so much space." Anderson said. "As hard as CLARK (GORDON) battled, it was too much weight-wise."

Gordon still hauled down 11 rebounds and scored 8 points for the Eagles, who were tied 45-all late in the third quarter.

NICK TAYLOR, who leads the state with 132 treys, hit four of his six 3's in the fourth quarter against Bonita Vista, finishing with a team-high 27 points.

"Nick should be first team All-CIF, no question," said Anderson. "He is averaging over 27 points on a team that was a fourth seed (in Division I). He was our best defensive as well as our top offensive player. He was more valuable than any other player. It would be a shame if he doesn't get (first team) after all he's done for Granite Hills."

BRANDEN PRIDE chipped in 13 points, 6 assists and 4 steals for the Grossmont South League champion Eagles.

Granite Hills scoring: Taylor 27, Pride 13, Gordon 8, Dean Miller 6, Humphries 5, Andrew Timko 2.

EL CAMINO 70, HELIX 57 -- Junior DAVID JEFFERSON played perhaps his best game of the season for the visiting Highlanders (21-7), knocking down 18 points and reeling in 17 rebounds in Friday's (Feb. 24) San Diego CIF quarterfinal match-up of last year's Division I finalists.

While the Highlanders won the section title at the Wildcats' expense a year ago, this game belonged to El Camino. Not without a fight.

Helix (21-7) took a 13-9 first-quarter lead, but could not shut off the Wildcats' hot-handed Derek Jones who scored all 14 of his points during El Camino's 22-point second quarter. Jones buried four 3-pointers during that stretch that led to a 31-23 halftime lead for El Camino (26-6).

"The guy has one hot quarter and then fouls out in the third," noted Helix coach JOHN SINGER. "But they were a little deeper and a little better team tonight. I'm not saying we couldn't have beaten them, but our main guys had to play all 32 minutes of an intense game.

"We were up in the third quarter, but just couldn't finish."

El Camino burned the Highlanders from the free throw line as senior guard Marquis Navarre led the way by hitting 11 of 12 shots. Helix was a paltry 6-for-14 from the stripe.

But the biggest story for Helix was the play of the 6-foot-3 Jefferson.

"He was a man," Singer said. "If this had been Jefferson against them one-on-one, we win the battle."

Jefferson, who enjoyed his 13th double-double in 24 games, scored 12 points in the second half as he attempted to keep the Highlanders in the game against the taller Wildcats.

"They didn't have an answer for David," Singer said.

LAWRENCE HURDLE added 15 points and 5 assists for the Highlanders.

The veteran coach, who now has a 470-193 record in 26 seasons, was pleased by his team's overall play this year.

"We never cracked the top 10 or 12 teams in the ratings," Singer said. "But I'll take 21 wins. Our kids are disappointed, but they have no reason to hang their heads."

Helix scoring: Jefferson 18, Lawrence Hurdle 15, Aaron Tinsley 11, Jericho Toilolo 7, Brandon Fountain 4, Eric Forney 2.

SAN PASQUAL 58, MONTE VISTA 31 -- A little bit of scoreboard comparison may have given the Monarchs some hope against the top-seeded and undefeated Golden Eagles, but the teams' one major difference was too much for the visitors from Spring Valley to overcome -- size underneath the basket.

Led by 13 points and 17 rebounds by senior Kevin Bowcock, San Pasqual (30-0) utilized a 23-6 advantage in the second period to end Monte Vista's season with a 58-31 decision in Friday's (Feb. 24) CIF Division II quarterfinals.

San Pasqual lost just once all season, but got the game back via a forfeit from Serra. Otherwise, the Golden Eagles were tested only one other time in a 1-point victory in the final of the Sweetwater Tournament over El Capitan -- a team the Monarchs twice defeated this season.

"I talked to ROSS (FURROW, the Vaqueros' coach), but he said the game was all about CORY (BROWN, their 6-foot-9 center)," said Monte Vista coach ZACH PECK. "And we just couldn't rebound with them."

Nor could they shoot with any kind of consistency, hitting just 12 of 48 shots. It in no way resembled the first meeting between these teams when San Pasqual took a 16-point lead and then on for a 65-56 win.

The Monarchs held a slim 14-13 lead through the first period Friday night, as DAVID MURGIA nailed a pair of 3-balls for six of his team-high nine points. And even with 12 rebounds by JAMAR RANSOME to stay close for a while, without any second-chance points, San Pasqual kept pulling away for an easy win.

"They're a very good team, so it will be interesting to see them against Scripps (Ranch), another team with size," added Peck.

Scripps Ranch, which held off Brown to post an easy 51-33 triumph over El Capitan, now must find a solution to beat Bowcock in next week's semifinals. The Falcons (20-9) will throw Mr. Kenton Walker, a 6-8, 220-pound brute at the slender Bowcock and Co.

Bowcock surprised Monte Vista with his defensive positioning, which was not under the basket.

"I usually play up at the top of our zone," said the 6-foot-5 Bowcock, a third-year varsity performer who noted he will give up basketball when he goes to college this fall, either to Notre Dame or Colorado. "Then I try to help out inside."

"We were ready to do that, then picked up our defense in the second, which led to some easy baskets."

Meanwhile, Monte Vista was limited to just six, six and five points over each of the final three periods, unable to break the 1-2-2 zone with any outside shooting.

Pat Eveland and Nick Cardona scored 11 points each for San Pasqual, while three others tallied seven each.

For the Monarchs, ROSHUN WYNNE scored five, with three teammates hitting two buckets each for four points.

Monte Vista scoring: Murgia 9, Wynne 5, Ryan Slade 4, Trevor Peck 4, Ransome 4 (12 reb.), Nicholas Garcia 2, Michael Watkins 2, Sean Joyce 1.

Vaqueros center Cory Brown (left) rejects a Scripps Ranch shot, while teammate Tyrel Zauss gives some weak-side help on defense. (Photo by Lisa Craig)

SCRIPPS RANCH 51, EL CAPITAN 33 -- Scoring shortfalls dogged the El Capitan Vaqueros all year. Three such lapses helped spell the end of the season for El Capitan in Friday's (Feb. 24) San Diego CIF Division II quarterfinal at Scripps Ranch.

After taking a 7-2 lead early on, the Vaqueros (17-12) went into an eight-minute slumber. The Falcons (20-9) took advantage of that lull to outscore El Capitan 24-6 for a 26-13 lead.

Things never really clicked for the Vaqueros, who closed to within 33-27 on a TYREL ZAUSS scoring drive with 3:02 left in the third.

El Capitan's Josh Ziegler (left) gets into a brief tug-o'war over the ball against Scripps Ranch. (Photo by Lisa Craig)

"Our defense was sound, but the bottom line is we can't score," El Capitan coach ROSS FURROW said.

As usual, 6-foot-9 senior CORY BROWN was the heart of a sputtering El Capitan offense. He totaled 15 points, 17 rebounds and 9 blocks. Zauss added 8 points off the bench, but no other Vaquero scored more than four.

El Capitan went more than six minutes without scoring between the end of the third quarter and the beginning of the fourth. The Vaqueros scored only six points over the final 11-plus minutes.

"Our objective coming into this game was to play without fear," Furrow said. "I think we did that. Overall, we had a good year. We overachieved."

El Capitan scoring: Brown 15, Zauss 8, Josh Ziegler 4, Jason Ziegler 4, Taelor Worrell 2.

Monarchs guard Roshun Wynne (12) releases a shot in front of West Hills defender Taylor Robbins (22). (Photo by Chris Edwards) FOR MORE PHOTOS, CLICK HERE

East County Sports.com
SPRING VALLEY (2-22-06) -- Seeking to gain as many one-on-one matchups as possible, Monte Vista didn't actually take the air out of the ball, yet were extremely selective before the Monarchs finally made a move -- any move -- to the basket.

The rule was simple: either score a transition layin or pull the ball out. Way out.

"It allowed us to penetrate to hit enough shots," explained Monte Vista coach ZACH PECK. "Then we hit some free throws, too."

Shooting nearly 50 percent from the floor and 80 percent from the foul line, Monte Vista took an early lead and slowly expanded it throughout Tuesday's (Feb. 21) San Diego CIF Division II first-round 66-54 playoff victory over West Hills.

After allowing three late baskets in the final 90 seconds of the first half to see its 8-point lead trimmed to 30-27, Monte Vista shot 53 percent from the floor after the intermission, many coming on easy transition baskets after stealing the ball on simple enter passes by West Hills.

"They simply out-played us and got into the passing lanes and beat us to the ball," said Wolf Pack coach JEFF ARMSTRONG. "You can't pinpoint it to just one player, everyone was doing it."

Which resulted in a balanced scoring attack by the Monarchs, paced by 21 points from RYAN SLADE.

And the lead continued to expand, despite just two shot attempts by their leading scorers -- TREVOR PECK and JAMAR RANSOME -- in the fourth period. Peck sank one of his two efforts to finish with 13 points, while Ransome fouled out early to finish with 11, including eight in the third period to push the advantage to 45-40.

ROSHUN WYNNE, who scored 15 points, added a pair of nice passes to Slade and JOEY BELANGER for consecutive fastbreak layins. Monte Vista then closed out the triumph with success at the foul line, hitting eight straight over the final 1:28 of play.

Kyle Hamann (in blue) of West Hills drives the baseline around Monte Vista defender Ryan Slade. (Photo by Chris Edwards) FOR MORE PHOTOS, CLICK HERE

KYLE HAMANN led the Wolf Pack with 13 points, TIM NOWLIN added nine, and three others scored eight, but the team allowed too many second-chance opportunities on the boards in the first half, then couldn't get their offense into gear with poor passing in the second half.

"We gave up way too many offensive boards -- something like nine of them --in the first half," said Armstrong. "They just beat us t the ball all night long."

Slade led the way on the boards by grabbing five of his seven offensive rebounds over the first two periods. Slade was also responsible for interferring with the Wolf Pack's offense in the second half with four of his five steals in another one of his quiet yet stellar performances. He also added three assists and blocked a shot.

The Monarchs (15-13) will travel to Escondido to meet top-seeded San Pasqual in Friday's (Feb. 24) quarterfinals at 7 p.m. The Golden Eagles are now undefeated at 29-0 after their lone setback of the season was forfeited back by Serra and they routed Oceanside 83-62 in the first round of the playoffs.

Still Monte Vista could be competitive and an upset isn't out of the question.

Among San Pasqual's victories was a last-second one-point victory over El Capitan in the final of the Sweetwater Tournament in December. The Monarchs beat El Capitan twice by a combined 28-point margin.

West Hills finished the season at 13-15.

Monte Vista scoring: Slade 21, Wynne 15, Peck 13, Ransome 11, Michael Watkins 2, David Murgia 2, Joey Belanger 2.

West Hills scoring: Hamann 13, Tim Nowlin 9, O.J. Ortiz 8, Taylor Robbins 8, Chris Lifgren 8, Shain Stoner 2, Miles Pivonka 2, Peter Gilson 2.

Cory Brown (52) of El Capitan pump-fakes the ball before going up for a shot, scoring late in overtime to lift the Vaqueros past University City qt Foster Gymnasium. (Photo by Greg Eichelberger)

EL CAPITAN 61, UNIVERSITY CITY 60 (OT) -- Things started out OK for the Vaqueros (17-11) as they took a 2-0 lead in the opening seconds of Tuesday's (Feb. 21) San Diego CIF Division II playoff opener in Lakeside.

After that early breakout, the Vaqueros took a backseat to the Centurions (10-17) who maintained the lead until the final seconds of regulation.

Senior JOSH ZIEGLER kept El Capitan's season alive as he drove to the bucket to complete a game-tying layup with 22 seconds left.

For a split-second, it appeared that JASON ZIEGLER, Josh's twin, turned a steal with 3 seconds left into a game-winning basket. The crowd went wild, thinking El Capitan had won. But the officials determined that the buzzer beat Ziegler's shot and the game continued into overtime.

NICK MURICO gave El Capitan the early lead in overtime with a bucket. Six-foot-9 CORY BROWN took over from there, knocking down two baskets and netting a pair of free throws to secure the Vaqueros first playoff win since 2002.

El Capitan reserve Tyrel Zauss hits this mid-range jumper to help ignite the comeback by the Vaqueros, eventually winning in overtime over University City. (Photo by Lisa Craig)

"These kids just keep finding ways to win," said El Capitan coach ROSS FURROW. "We were down by seven late in the fourth quarter and still pulled this thing out."

Brown, who played all 36 minutes, finished with 24 points, 12 rebounds, 6 blocks and 4 steals to lead El Capitan to its fourth straight win.

"Cory makes the difference because the other team has to account for his whereabouts," Furrow said. "Even when it seems like he's not scoring all that much, like it felt to me tonight, he comes up with a bunch of silent points."

JERAMIE CARR had a career night for the Vaqueros, swishing a trio of 3-pointers on his way to an 11-point total. Carr also grabbed 5 rebounds and made 2 steals.

Each of the Ziegler brothers logged five steals and totaled 15 points between them.

El Capitan continues its playoff action with a tall second round challenge at Scripps Ranch on Friday (Feb. 24).

El Capitan scoring: Brown 24, Carr 11, Josh Ziegler 8, Jason Ziegler 7, Nick Murico 6, Barrett Braun 3, Taelor Worrell 2.

Santana's Joe Hernandez (5) gets fouled while sinking this fast-break shot to help the Sultans upend visiting Valley Center in a CIF Division III first-round contest. (Photo by Greg Eichelberger)

SANTANA 58, VALLEY CENTER 56 -- Senior guard BROOKS BASS made only two baskets in Tuesday's (Feb. 21) opening round of the San Diego CIF Division III playoffs.

One was the game winner for the Sultans (16-10).

"At the end of the game with 5 or 6 seconds left JON HERNANDEZ penetrated and was triple-teamed," Santana coach TIM BARRY said. "He saw Brooks on a back door cut for a layup as time ran out."

Game over, right?

Nope.

The officials put 3 seconds back on the clock. But Santana's defense denied the Jaguars (8-20) a look at a last-second shot.

"Valley Center set up a play and we denied them the inbounds pass to secure the game," Barry said.

RICKY MICHELMORE led Santana with 24 points, half coming on four 3-pointers. JON HERNANDEZ added 13 points and 6 steals.

"It was a lot closer that I would have liked," said Barry. "We were in tremendous foul trouble all night. I had to sit Brooks, Michelmore and Hernandez (part of the game) due to foul trouble.

"With two minutes left in the first half and Santana leading 30-18, we went into a total brain cramp. We missed 3 straight front ends of one-and-ones and gave up 9 straight points."

Santana had its own unsung heroes.

"JON CORBISEZ had a big block for us in the third quarter that led to a transition basket and swung the momentum our way," Barry said.

Santana advances to the second round with a lengthy road trip that calls for a bout against Central Union in El Centro on Friday (Feb.24) at 7 p.m.

Santana scoring: Michelmore 24, Hernandez 13, Corbisez 9, Carlos Vargas 6, Brooks Bass 4, Brian Bailey 2.

HELIX 63, TORREY PINES 38 -- The Highlanders opened the season with a four-point win over the Falcons in the Hilltop Tournament in the early part of December.

End of the season progress report: Helix has made giant strides of improvement.

The Highlanders (21-6) jumped on top from the opening tip in the San Diego CIF Division I rematch and built a 34-16 halftime lead. The Falcons (16-13) never challenged thereafter.

This game belonged to Helix forward BRANDON FOUNTAIN. Not only did Fountain slapped a muzzle on Torrey Pines' high-scoring guard James Rahon, limiting him to 2 free throws, the Highlanders junior erupted for 14 points, 4 rebounds, 3 assists and 2 steals.

"It's all about survive and advance at this point," Helix coach JOHN SINGER said. "I liked the way we played against Torrey Pines tonight. We defended well. And when we do that, it gives an opportunity to win."

Helix's DAVID JEFFERSON added 10 points and dozen rebounds against the taller Falcons. LAWRENCE HURDLE chipped in with 13 points and six assists, while AARON TINSLEY added 10 points and 4 boards.

Now Helix must face top-seeded El Camino (25-6) on the Wildcats' home court in Friday's (Feb. 24) second round.

Helix scoring: Fountain 14, Hurdle 13, Tinsley 10, Jefferson 10, Jericho Toilolo 7, Eric Forney 4, Sean Scarber 2, Alex Aguirre 2, Tyonte Hosley 1.

GRANITE HILLS 66, SD-SOUTHWEST 56 (Revised) -- NICK TAYLOR scored 31 points and CLARK GORDON added 13 points and 14 rebounds as Granite Hills defeated the visiting Raiders in Tuesday's (Feb.21) opening round of the San Diego CIF Division I playoffs.

It was only the third playoff win in Granite Hills' history and the Eagles 14th win in the last 15 games this season. On top of that, it stretched the Granite Hills mark for victories in a season to 21 and earned the Eagles their third quarterfinal date -- Friday (Feb. 24) against Bonita Vista -- in the 47-year history of the boys' basketball program.

The Eagles and Raiders (17-11) matched up in almost every department except one -- free throws. Granite Hills gained a major edge there, clicking on 21-of-26 charity shots compared to just 6-of-10 for Southwest.

"We weren't very good from the perimeter tonight," said Granite Hills coach RANDY ANDERSON, whose Eagles were only 5-for 15 from beyond the arc. "Overall, we weren't real fluid getting into our offense except for the first three of four minutes."

Granite Hills took an 8-0 lead and the Raiders took little time tying things up at 10-all.

From there, it was anybody's game.

But the Eagles held on to the lead and overcame a 38 percent shooting night.

Sophomore BRIAN HUMPHRIES scored only four points, but contributed five steals, seven rebounds, blocked a pair of shots and took two charges.

From a historical point of view, the Eagles made a miraculous recovery from a 21-0 deficit against Morse in the 1989 SDCIF Division I playoffs. The Eagles went on to tame the Tigers, 74-59, and then lost a hard-fought 92-85 decision to Poway.

A year earlier, the Eagles slaughtered San Diego Southwest, 74-37, before falling to Santana, 59-49.

Granite Hills scoring: Nick Taylor 31, Clark Gordon 13, Branden Pride 9, Wayne Martin 5, Brian Humphries 4, Dean Miller 4.

Valhalla's Paul Martins boxes out a player from Ramona to catch an inbounds pass. (Photo by Adolfo Villanueva) FOR ADDITIONAL PHOTOS, CLICK HERE

RAMONA 87, VALHALLA 78 -- The host Norseman matched their season scoring high and still came up short in Tuesday's (Feb. 21) opening round of the San Diego CIF Division III playoffs against visiting Ramona.

"You should be able to win the game if you score 78 points," Valhalla coach ERIC THOMAS lamented. "Every time we got close we gave up a bucket. It was unfortunate that we got down right off the bat."

Thomas was talking about Ramona's 42-28 first-half lead that was sparked by the Bulldogs (12-16) ability to convert 16 of 22 free throws. Valhalla (15-13), which committed 18 first-half fouls, was only 4 of 7 from the free throw stripe in the first two quarters.

Valhalla also hurt its own cause by committing 27 turnovers. Yet, the Norsemen still had a chance to pull out a victory. They scored 32 points in the final quarter, but gave up 28 to Ramona over the same stretch.

"Ramona hit five 3s -- they shot very well," Thomas said. "We just couldn't stop them defensively -- couldn't overcome the second half. You can't leave people open."

Despite their last-quarter scoring spree, the Norsemen were only 7 of 18 from the free throw line over the final eight minutes.

"We could blame the officials for hurting us so badly in the first half," Thomas said. "But we had a chance in the fourth quarter, but shot very poorly from the line."

The high note for Valhalla was the work of 6-foot-3 senior BRETT HANSEN, who scored a career-best 26 points and gobbled up 18 rebounds -- 9 off the offensive glass.

PAUL MARTINS added 18 points, 12 rebounds and 5 assists for Valhalla.

Valhalla scoring: Hansen 26, Martins 18, Kevin Kriebel 11, Keith Williams 10, Jeremiah Browning 6, Jeff Sopata 3, Daniel Butcher 2, Nasheel Raja 2.

WESTVIEW 50, STEELE CANYON 43 -- The visiting Cougars had upset on their minds in Tuesday's (Feb. 21) San Diego CIF Division II playoff game in North County.

The Cougars, who began the season 3-10, were coming on strong as they held a 32-27 lead after three quarters at Westview.

"We missed too many opportunities to put the game away," Steele Canyon coach BERNIE BALIKIAN said. "Our inexperience showed in that fourth quarter."

Steele Canyon shot 36 percent from the floor (16-of-44), while the Wolverines (16-13) were hitting on only 27 percent of 48 shots. Westview was on the mark from the free throw line, hitting 19 of 22 chances. SC was only 9 of 15 from the charity stripe.

EMORY MITCHELL led the Cougars with one of the best double-doubles of his career, scoring 15 points, nailing 12 rebounds and blocking tgwo shots.

Steele Canyon's LIONEL BALL had a fine shooting night, hitting 5 of 7 shots from the field and all 4 free throws for 14 points. Ball, a senior, also grabbed 8 rebounds and dished 2 assists.

"One of our goals was to make the playoffs," Balikian said. "We did that. Overall, I feel good about the progress we've made over the course of the season."

Steele Canyon scoring: Mitchell 15, Ball 14, Jabari Robinson 9, Riley Balikian 3, Arlin Taylor 2.

Helix forward Aaron Tinsley skies for the layin to help the Highlanders bounce Steele Canyon. (Photo by Chris Edwards) FOR MORE PHOTOS, CLICK HERE

Playoff season could be short one

East County Sports.com
LINDA VISTA (2-19-06) -- It might be a quick trip in and out of CIF-San Diego Section playoffs for East County boys basketball this season, as only two schools were among the top four seeds in any of the five divisions. They include a pair of No. 4 seeds in Granite Hills in Div. I and Christian in Div. IV.

The Eagles, despite a 20-win season and their first-ever league title, were overshadowed by traditional powers among the seedings announced following a meeting of coaching representatives from throughout the section. Thus, El Camino was awarded the No. 3 berth over Granite Hills. Nevertheless, the Eagles, if they keep winning, could land two or even three homes games, starting with Tuesday (Feb. 21) encounter with San Diego-Southwest.

Meanwhile, Christian's Patriots gained a first-round bye, hosting the winner between The Preuss School and Army-Navy Academy. The quarterfinal-round contest is slated for Sat., Feb. 26, as San Diego Christian College will be on the road at Fresno Pacific that day, avoiding any scheduling conflict at the Ryan Center.

Grossmont North League co-champion El Capitan was placed fifth in Div. II, hosting University City in the first round, while Santana, the other GNL co-champ, is seeded sixth in Division III, earning a home contest with pesky Valley Center.

Also gaining a sixth seed was Helix in Division I, as the defending large-school champions receive a difficult assignment against Torrey Pines in its opening playoff affair. Meanwhile, Valhalla is seventh in Div. II to barely collect a homecourt contest, hosting Ramona,

In an 8-9 matchup, West Hills travels south to Grossmont Conference rival Monte Vista, while Steele Canyon, the 2-time defending Div. II titlist, opens with a road contest at No. 6 Westview.

Failing to makes the postseason were El Cajon Valley, Grossmont, Mount Miguel and Venture Christian, as the Knights were forced to forfeit 10 contests (five to Citrus South League schools) for use of an ineligible player.

Recently, Morse and Serra also took a huge penalty with forfeits, as Morse accepted the penalty and did not petition to gain a postseason berth. However, Serra appealed and requested entry, as its league accepted their reasoning, then the CIF approved, but the coaches committee drew a line in the sand and didn't vote the Conquistadors onto the tournament brackets.

Granite Hills point guard Branden Pride (in white) gets closely guarded by Monte Vista defender Roshun Wynne in the final minutes of the Eagles' slim 59-53 victory. (Photo by Adolfo Villanueva) FOR ADDITIONAL PHOTOS, CLICK HERE

East County Sports.com
EL CAJON (2-18-06) -- With the San Diego CIF playoffs slated to tip off on Tuesday (Feb. 21), thoughts of earning a post-season berth were dancing in the heads of the majority of East County basketball teams during Friday's (Feb. 17) regular-season finales.

Playoffs aside, there were issues still to be decided. El Capitan defeated West Hills, 59-54, to earn a share of the Grossmont North League championship with Santana, while Granite Hills posted a school-record 20th win to stamp an exclamation mark on the Eagles' first boys basketball title in 47 years.

El Capitan's Jason Ziegler (in black) get crushed by a host of West Hills players, including Shain Stoner (3). (Photo by Greg Eichelberger)

EL CAPITAN 59, WEST HILLS 54 -- Few times this season have the Vaqueros placed three players in double scoring digits. One of those nights was Friday (Feb.17), as El Capitan (16-11, 6-2 GNL) came from behind to dump host West Hills to gain a co-Grossmont North League championship with idle Santana.

It was the Vaqueros' first league title of any kind since 2002. Santana (15-10, 6-2 GNL), which padded its overall record with a forfeit win from Serra this week, last won a league title in 1988.

CORY BROWN, the Vaqueros' 6-foot-9 senior scoring machine, posted a triple double of 27 points, 14 rebounds and 10 blocked shots, to lead El Capitan. He had some co-stars in the scoring department on this night as TAELOR WORRELL canned 12 points and JASON ZIEGLER added 11.

West Hills (13-14, 3-5 GNL) built a 32-25 advantage by the close of the first half. The key to that success was the Wolf Pack's ability to hold Brown to two field goals and 8 points.

"We did a nice job defending Brown in those first two quarters," West Hills coach JEFF ARMSTRONG said. "We forced him to take a lot of bad shots."

Brown found his mark in the second half, pouring in 10 points in the third quarter and nine more in the final period.

"We couldn't stop him in the second half," Armstrong said. "I think we were a little slow getting that guy (defender) out on him like we did in the first half."

When Brown fouled out with 38 seconds remaining, El Capitan was enjoying a 9-point lead.

A pair of 3-pointers by KYLE HAMANN pulled the Pack back into contention 57-54.

But Jason Ziegler sank a pair of free throws with 19 seconds left to seal the victory for El Capitan. Those were clutch shots, considering Ziegler had missed seven of his previous 10 attempts.

Hamann led West Hills with 17 points, all but two coming on his five 3-pointers. The senior guard also had six rebounds and a pair of assists. PETER GILSON added 10 points, while TIM NOWLIN had eight points and seven rebounds.

NICK MURICO notched eight rebounds and three assists for El Capitan, while Worrell added 5 rebounds and 4 steals to his totals.

El Capitan scoring: Brown 27, Worrell 12, Jason Ziegler 11, Josh Ziegler 5, Murico 2, Tyrel Zauss 2.

West Hills scoring: Hamann 17, Gilson 10, Tim Nowlin 8, Taylor Robbins 7, O.J. Ortiz 6, Miles Pivonka 2, Chris Lifgren 2, Blaine Hoffard 2.

GRANITE HILLS 59, MONTE VISTA 53 -- As if there was any doubt, Granite Hills senior guard NICK TAYLOR cemented himself in as Grossmont South League Player of the Year Friday night (Feb. 17).

After a slow start and some foul troubles in the second quarter, the 6-foot-2 Taylor caught fire for 13 of his game-high 34 points in the third quarter as Granite Hills (20-7, 9-1 GSL) dodged an upset bid by the visiting Monarchs.

Taylor connected on 10 of 26 shots from the field, including 6 of 16 from three-point range, as the Eagles won for the 13th time in their last 14 starts. It was the 10th time Taylor has scored 30 or more points, which includes a career-high 53 against Sweetwater.

The first half closed with Taylor nailing a 3-pointer at the buzzer that cut the visiting Monarchs' advantage to 26-25 at the break.

"We didn't come out like we wanted to," Taylor said. "We came out soft, probably because we were too confident after the Helix game (a 53-50 win on Tuesday). I think we thought we could just look past these guys. But they are dangerous. They beat Helix, so I don't know what we were thinking."

Granite Hills took a 33-32 lead for keeps on a CLARK GORDON basket two minutes into the third quarter. Taylor followed with a trio of treys helping the Eagles extended their margin to 42-34. A Taylor deuce early in the 4th period gave Granite Hills a 51-38 lead with six minutes remaining.

Monte Vista (14-13, 4-6 GSL) battled back to tie the game 53-all on the strength of two TREVOR PECK 3-pointers, four RYAN SLADE free throws, 3 points from JAMAR RANSOME and 2 from ROSHUN WYNNE.

The Monarchs had chances to land the game-winner but failed to connect. Taylor hit two free throws to give Granite Hills a 55-53 edge with 1:07 left. BRANDEN PRIDE hit both ends of a one-and-one and Taylor tagged on a pair of free throws to give Granite Hills its final margin.

Granite Hills scoring: Taylor 34, Gordon 13, Pride 5, Dean Miller 4, Wayne Martin 2, Brian Humphries 1.

Monte Vista scoring: Peck 17, Wynne 14, Slade 10, Ransome 10, David Murgia 2.

HELIX 68, STEELE CANYON 33 -- Considering Steele Canyon had won five of its previous six Grossmont South League games, Friday's (Feb. 17) battle for second place showdown at Steele Canyon seemed imminent.

It turned out to be no contest as the Highlanders (20-6, 7-3 GSL) stormed out to a 20-4 lead and ballooned the bulge to 65-25 after three quarters. A running clock over the final eight minutes kept it from being a bigger disaster for Steele Canyon (12-15, 4-6 GSL).

"They did everything right and everything went wrong for us," lamented Steele Canyon coach BERNIE BALIKIAN. "It's only one loss, so we're just going to try to move on. They shot really well. They had some tough shots, but just got better and better. We didn't know (AARON) TINSLEY could shoot that good -- we didn't have that in our scouting report."

Tinsley scored a season-high 23 points as the Highlanders shot a surprisingly high 62 percent (25 of 41) from the floor. A senior guard, Tinsley connected on 8 of 13 floor shots and all three free throws.

"All of our scoring came off our defense," Helix coach JOHN SINGER said. "We got a lot of breakouts, a lot of easy buckets."

LAWRENCE HURDLE added 13 points, 9 assists and 5 steals for the Highlanders, who also received from BRANDON FOUNTAIN 12 points -- on 6 of 9 shooting -- 5 rebounds and 2 steals.

No Steele Canyon player scored more than 7 points.

"We missed layups and free throws, and were 0 for 9 on threes," Balikian said. "We let them out the gate so quickly that we couldn't shut the gates from the flood."

Helix scoring: Tinsley 23, Hurdle 13, Fountain 12, David Jefferson 4, Sean Scarber 4, Justin Johnson 3, Eric Forney 3, Brandon Williams 1, Alex Aguirre 1.

Steele Canyon scoring: Adam Bendas 7, Lionel Ball 6, Andrew Timm 6, Jabari Robinson 6, Emory Mitchell 4, Arlin Taylor 2, Riley Balikian 2.

GROSSMONT 55, EL CAJON VALLEY 49 -- Sophomore IAN COCHRAN scored a career high 20 points Friday (Feb.17) as host Grossmont concluded the season with a Grossmont North League nod over the Braves.

Cochran scored 14 of Grossmont's 17 points in the 4th quarter as the Hillers (7-19, 2-6 GNL) protected a three-point lead.

"It was Senior Night and we played the seniors in the 1st and 3rd quarters," said Grossmont coach FRANK FOGGIANO. "Then we used the younger kids in the 2nd and 4th quarters and outscored (El Cajon Valley) 33-18 in those two quarters."

Cochran is Grossmont's hope for the future. He concluded his final seven games with a 14.6 scoring average.

"We happened to match up OK against them, and some of the things we do offensively bothered them more than they do the other teams we played," Foggiano said.

For the Braves, NATE SCHAD scored 9 of his 24 game-high points in the 4th quarter.

Grossmont scoring: Cochran 20, Luis Gonzales 9, Dominic Elder 9, Justin Rutherford 7, Derrick Davenport 4, Alex Chiappone 3, Trevor Thomas 2, Khalid Waters 1.

El Cajon Valley scoring: Schad 24, Chris Reynalds 12, Dori Laramore 6, Tim Widjaja 3, Wasom Patros 2, Shannon 2.

VALHALLA 49, MOUNT MIGUEL 41 -- Senior guard PAUL MARTINS scored 10 of his 12 points in the final quarter Friday (Feb. 17) as host Valhalla staved off the Matadors in the Grossmont South League finale for both teams.

Martins added 7 rebounds and 4 assists to his account. BRETT HANSEN added 9 points and 7 boards, while NASHEEL RAJA pitched in 7 points and 6 rebounds.

The Norsemen looked as if they would win in a runaway, leading 10-2 after the opening quarter.

"We took a big lead and then let them back in," Valhalla coach ERIC THOMAS said. "Even when we had that 10-2 lead I felt like it should have been 20-2."

The Matadors (7-20, 0-10 GSL) concluded the season with 11 consecutive losses. Six of those setbacks came by less than 10 points. Never the less, Mount Miguel won't be going to the playoffs.

Senior guard WARREN THODILE cast in a game high 16 points, including a 3-pointer that helped Mount Miguel attempt to erase an 8-point deficit in the final 2:10.

"It was kinda the same things we've been through all year," said Mount Miguel coach MIKE GOLOVKO. "There's one quarter that we struggle in. We got within three points in the third quarter, and then the remainder of the game it was 3-5 points to the end. We just can't seem to get over the top -- we just need to get those two or three buckets."

Valhalla scoring: Martins 12, Hansen 9, Raja 7, Kevin Kriebel 6, Keith Williams 4, Jeremiah Browning 4, Jeff Sopata 4, Khalid Waters 3.

Mount Miguel scoring: Thodile 16, Richard Jackson 8, Donta Young 6, Courtney Wrather 5, Karlin Stewart 3, Laron Rush 2, Lamont Freeman 1.

Christian High guard Paulius Ivanauskas pulls the ball away from a Crawford defender in Friday's Central League finale. The Colts won, 70-56. (Photo by Tori Mills)

HOOVER 70, CHRISTIAN 56 -- Following a trip to Nebraska for the prestigious Omaha Shootout last weekend, Hoover 's 6-foot-8, 250-pound center Ryon White came down with the flu, leaving a gaping hole in the middle of the Cardinals line-up.

And when standout guard JayLee Luster collected three fast fouls just 1:21 into the second half to give him four for the contest, Christian High found all the ingredients needed to post a Central League upset.

However, the Patriots failed to break the press of the quicker Cardinals, falling 70-56 in the regular-season finale at Ryan Center.

"We didn't have a big man, and then JayDee got his fouls, but we all stepped it up and crashed the boards," said Hoover forward Norvell Arnold, who scored a game-high 35 points, including 14 in the decisive third quarter.

Entering the ballgame, Christian already had a height and rebounding advantage, then when the news of White's absence was discovered, the Patriots had to believe they were in position to knock off the 8th-ranked Cardinals.

"We weren't about to let that happen," added Corey Trisby, who scored five of his nine points during a 19-7 run to open the second half. "We wanted to show that we controlled everything and could win even though we missed some players."

After Luster was tagged for a pair of slaps and a push while playing press defense to earn a ticket to the bench, Arnold took the ball three straight times into the lane for short scoop shots for baskets.

"Norvell won us this game," said Hoover coach Ollie Goulston. "He just stepped up for us when JayDee got into foul trouble."

Luster finished with 10 points, including just four in the second half, all coming on free throws in the game’s final 21 seconds.

The Patriots received 21 points and eight rebounds from 6-foot-4 junior ANDRIUS MIKUTIS, while senior point guard PAULIUS IVANAUSKAS added eight points, nine boards and five assists.

However, the guard play often failed to beat the quicker Cardinals on the press, as DEREK LARSEN was the leader in the Christian backcourt with 11 points.

Christian scoring: Mikutis 21, Larsen 11, Ivanauskas 8, Daniel Hazlett 7, Viktor Asaciovas 4, Colin McDonald 3, Cameron Johnson 2.

East County Sports.com
LA MESA (2-15-06) -- For the third time in four years, there is a new champion in the Grossmont South League. Not Helix, which last won the league laurels in 2003. Nor is it Steele Canyon, which had won the last two league titles.

The spotlight is shining on coach RANDY ANDERSON and his Granite Hills Eagles, who used a last-second 3-pointer by NICK TAYLOR to edge the Highlanders 53-50 in Tuesday's (Feb. 14) Grossmont South showdown at Helix.

That win carried double value for Granite Hills (19-7, 8-1 GSL), which not only clinched the first league title in boys basketball in the school's 47-year history but broke the mark for victories in a season with 19.

"It was kinda fitting how the game ended," Helix coach JOHN SINGER said. "The (Grossmont South League) Player of the Year hit the winning shot."

Taylor hit five 3-pointers against the Highlanders (19-6, 6-3 GSL), the game-winner coming from five feet beyond the arc.

"It was a bomb," Anderson said of Taylor's winning shot that came with 3 seconds remaining. "We called a clear out play for Nick. They were playing ‘man' on him with help. Just as a second (Helix) guy came over to double, Nick pulled up and shot."

Taylor scored a game-high 29 points for the Eagles, who have won 12 of their last 13 decisions.

"No question the guy is the best player in our league," Singer said of Taylor, who is averaging an East County best 26.9 with 700 points in 26 games. "I'm not going to contest it at our all-league meeting. He's the guy."

Taylor's 116 treys are unequalled in the San Diego CIF this season. The senior marksman also handed out 4 assists, three coming in the final quarter when the Eagles overcame a 38-33 Helix lead.

Sophomore BRIAN HUMPHRIES put together one of his best games for the Eagles, scoring 10 points, blocking 2 shots and sharing team-high rebounding honors with 6-8 CLARK GORDON. BRANDEN PRIDE pitched in 6 assists for Granite Hills.

LAWRENCE HURDLE posted a double-double of 19 points and 10 rebounds for Helix, which also received 15 points and 17 rebounds from DAVID JEFFERSON. Six-foot junior ERIC FORNEY grabbed 9 rebounds for the Highlanders.

"We did a lot of things well," Singer said. "But congratulate them -- they deserve to be champions. They won the game, we didn't lose it."

Granite Hills scoring: Hurdle 22, Jefferson 15, Forney 6, Aaron Tinsley 4, Jericho Toilolo 3.

Helix scoring: Taylor 29, Humphries 10, Gordon 9, Dean Miller 3, Pride 2.

STEELE CANYON 51, VALHALLA 49 -- For a rebuilding year, first-year coach BERNIE BALIKIAN and his Cougars have done rather well. Steele Canyon, the darling of East County basketball the past three years, posted its fifth win in six games Tuesday (Feb. 14) as they held off host Valhalla in a tight Grossmont South League contest.

Valhalla (14-12, 5-4 GSL) led 24-14 after one half and was hanging onto a 41-40 edge early in the fourth quarter. The Cougars then tacked up eight unanswered points -- six on free throws -- to take a 48-41 lead.

"We kept doing dumb things," observed Valhalla coach ERIC THOMAS. "Steele Canyon outplayed us by a bundle in the second half. We had a bad stretch where we kept missing and fouling and they'd make their free throws."

Down but not out, the Norsemen made a belated rally on the strength of a pair of KEITH WILLIAMS 3-pointers in the final 19 seconds. Too little, too late for Valhalla.

It was a bitter defeat for Valhalla, which suffered its second straight loss after winning five in a row.

LIONEL BALL banged in 15 points -- giving him 45 in his last two starts -- to pace Steele Canyon (11-15, 4-5 GSL). EMORY MITCHELL was a force for the Cougars, pitching in 11 points, nine rebounds, 4 blocks, 3 assists and 2 steals, while sophomore RILEY BALIKIAN hit a career high 10 points -- with no turnovers -- and grabbed 5 rebounds.

Steele Canyon was directed by assistant coach DEREK STEPHENS, who notched his first career win as a coach.

"He did a great job in a difficult situation," said head coach Balikian, who was ejected in the previous game and had to sit this one out. "I was pretty pleased that we could go on the road and win. It has major playoff implications for us."

Steele Canyon scoring: Ball 15, Mitchell 11, Balikian 10, Arlin Taylor 8, Jabari Robinson 5, Andrew Timm 2.

Valhalla scoring: Willliams 14, Paul Martins 11, Nasheel Raja 4, Kevin Kriebel 4, Jeremiah Browning 4, Jeff Sopata 4, Khalil Fakhoury 4, Brett Hansen 4.

MONTE VISTA 47, MOUNT MIGUEL 46 -- A putback at the buzzer by RYAN SLADE gave visiting Monte Vista a much needed victory over the Matadors and enhanced the Monarchs chances for a post-season San Diego CIF Division II playoff berth.

With Mount Miguel on the cusp of a mild upset, Monte Vista's DAVID MURGIA took the original knockout shot. Murgia missed the mark, but the 5-foot-11 Slade was there to turn Murgia's miss into the decisive basket.

Playing without one of their key players -- JAMAR RANSOME (ejected in the previous game) -- the Monarchs (14-12, 4-5 GSL) were on the verge of getting blown out by the victory-starved Matadors in the first half.

Mount Miguel (7-19, 0-8 GSL), which has lost 10 in a row, led 26-21 at intermission.

Monte Vista coach ZACH PECK credited sophomore MICHAEL WATKINS for scoring six points in the first half to keep the Monarchs within striking range.

The Monarchs came out with pumped up intensity in the third quarter, gaining a 17-5 scoring edge over that eight-minute stretch.

Still, the 38-31 Monte Vista cushion was deflated as the Matadors made a belated challenge to regain the lead only to lose as the buzzer rang in their ears.

Senior TREVOR PECK scored 12 of his 14 points in the second half for Monte Vista. Peck, ROSHUN WYNNE and Slade accounted for all but 2 of Monte Vista's 26 second half points.

Down by 3, Wynne set Peck up for a layup. Peck got a steal at half court off the press on the ensuing play and laid it up giving Monte Vista a 45-44 lead.

Mount Miguel's COURTNEY WRATHER got a steal and a basket with 24 seconds to go to give the Matadors the lead.

But Slade foiled the Matadors bid for their first league win.

Mount Miguel's WARREN THODILE banged in 14 points and dished 4 assists. LARON RUSH and Wrather added 11 points apiece for the Matadors, who also received 8 rebounds from RICHARD JACKSON.

Monte Vista scoring: Peck 14, Wynne 13, Slade 12, Murgia 2, Watkins 6.

Mount Miguel scoring: Thodile 14, Rush 11, Wrather 11, Jackson 6, Donta Young 2, Karlin Stewart 2.

EL CAPITAN 61, SANTANA 54 -- Senior CORY BROWN was determined to keep El Capitan's chances for a share of the Grossmont North League title alive in Tuesday's (Feb.14) face-off in Lakeside.

The 6-foot-9 Brown scored 33 points, collected 17 rebounds and 6 blocks to leave the Vaqueros (15-11, 5-2 GNL) just one win short of earning a share of the league title. Standing in the Vaqueros' way is West Hills, which would love to deny El Capitan a piece of the league crown with a victory in Friday's (Feb. 17) regular season finale in Santee.

"Brown was dominating," admitted Santana coach TIM BARRY. "He is as complete a player as I've seen at El Capitan. He makes nice moves. It's not like we poorly defended him. He just knows what it takes to put the ball in the basket."

Defensive-minded Santana was burned by one of El Capitan's finest shooting nights of the season. The Vaqueros connected on 58 percent of 38 shots from the field and 15 of 22 free throws as they equaled their second-highest scoring effort of the season.

"That's hard for me to believe," said Barry, who realizes his Sultans (14-11, 6-2 GNL) may have to share the Grossmont North crown -- Santana's first league title in 18 years. "We've held the majority of our league opponents below 50 points. And El Cap got us for 37 in the first half."

Santana trailed the majority of the contest, but made it a one possession game when RICKY MICHELMORE plowed between three El Capitan defenders to complete a three-point play. That left the Vaqueros nursing a precarious 54-53 edge with 1:20 to play.

A basket by Brown and four JASON ZIEGLER free throws sealed the victory for El Capitan, which edged Santana 45-41 in the first round of league play.

"I don't know how many points he had tonight, but Cory is definitely the MVP of our league," El Capitan coach ROSS FURROW said. "He made a key drive and basket on the baseline (giving El Cap a 53-49 edge), and stepped outside to hit a couple of big threes. One was on a set call and the other was on his own."

Furrow was quick to finger the defensive work of Jason Ziegler on Santana scoring leader Michelmore, who was in a physical battle all night as he earned all of his 13 points.

Michelmore also grabbed 13 rebounds to complete a double-double. JON HERNANDEZ added 14 points, 7 rebounds and 5 steals for the Sultans before fouling out with 3:24 remaining.

El Capitan scoring: Brown 33, Taelor Worrell 6, Josh Ziegler 6, Jason Ziegler 6, Tyrel Zauss 6, Jeramie Carr 2, Nick Murico 2.

Santana scoring: Jon Hernandez 14, Ricky Michelmore 13, Carlos Vargas 9, Brooks Bass 8, Garrett Happ 4, Jon Corbisez 4, Tyler Blackledge 2.

WEST HILLS 73, EL CAJON VALLEY 55 -- Two unsung guns -- PETER GILSON (20 points) and CHRIS LIFGREN (17) -- burst to scoring forefront Tuesday (Feb.14) as the Wolf Pack buried the Braves in a Grossmont North League encounter.

"We were excited to win but we'd have rather beaten them with their best player," said West Hills coach JEFF ARMSTRONG. "We didn't beat them at full strength. We prepared all week against NATE SCHAD, and he wasn't there."

Schad, who scored a season-high 34 points in an earlier 74-64 win over the Wolf Pack, attended the NFL Pro Bowl with his family Sunday (Feb. 12) in Honolulu, Hawaii.

None the less, the victory kept West Hills' playoff fires burning. Should the Pack beat El Capitan in Friday's (Feb.17) regular-season finale, West Hills would surely qualify for its 10th straight playoff berth.

The Wolf Pack (13-13, 3-4 GNL) used a 23-11 scoring rush in the final period to snub any comeback hopes of the Braves (6-17, 3-4 GNL).

"We had a great fourth quarter," Armstrong noted. "Lifgren had 11 of his 17 points in that quarter, and Gilson gave us a much better effort tonight, with 20 points and hitting 10-of-13 free throws."

Another plus for West Hills was SHAIN STONER, who scored a career-high nine points in a starting role.

"We had more post presence tonight and that complemented our perimeter game," Armstrong said. "TIM NOWLIN and Gilson played well in the post. And we got good mileage out of Shain tonight."

CHRIS REYNALDS led El Cajon Valley with 18 points, half of those markers coming from beyond the 3-point marker. TIM WIDJAJA added 11 points for the Braves.

West Hills scoring: Gilson 20, Lifgren 17, Stoner 9, Tim Nowlin 9, Kyle Hamann 8, Troy Nowlin 6, O.J. Ortiz 2, Miles Pivonka 2.

El Cajon Valley scoring: Chris Reynalds 18, Tim Widjaja 11, Dori Laramore 7, Dejon Joy 7, John Putris 3, Christian Franco 3, Wasom Patros 2, Kenneth MacAraeg 2, Shannon 2.

CHRISTIAN 70, CORONADO 38 -- PAULIUS IVANAUSKAS (16), DEREK LARSEN (15), and DANIEL HAZLETT (11) led a balanced attack to carry Christian (18-5, 6-3 CNL) past Coronado in Tuesday 's (Feb. 14) Central League action.

It was the fourth win in five starts for the Patriots, who built a 42-13 hafltime lead and then breezed to victory.

Christian scoring: Ivanauskas 16, Larsen 15, Hazlett 11, Andrius Mikutis 8, Colin McDonald 8, Viktor Asaciovas 5, Jon Fuller 4, Cameron Johnson 3.

Valhalla senior Keith Williams (right) drives on Helix's Eric Forney, with the burst captured under the special effects eye by one of East County Sports' award-winning photographers. (Photo by Travis Downs)

League races still
up for grabs

East County Sports.com
LA MESA (2-11-06) -- Following a two-week lull which nearly knocked them out of the county rankings and contention for the Grossmont South League crown, the Helix Highlanders seem to be quickly reclaiming the form which once saw the Scotties capture 10 of 11 contests during midseason.

Behind a stellar 14-point, 21-rebound performance by junior DAVID JEFFERSON, Helix started its stretch drive by building an early 16-point lead, then staved off a late Valhalla rally to stop the Norsemen, 55-44, at Caledonia Gymnasium.

"Coach (JOHN SINGER) challenged us -- he didn't think we had it in us," noted Jefferson, who grabbed six boards over the final three minutes to halt the Norsemen comeback effort. "We showed we still got some winning to do."

The victory sets the stage for a first-place showdown between the Highlanders (19-5, 6-2 GSL) and Granite Hills (18-7, 7-1 GSL) Tuesday (Feb. 14) at 6 p.m. The Eagles took the initial encounter, 68-59, which placed the Scotties into their recent funk.

"Granite Hills has been talking a lot since they beat us," added Jefferson. "But this one will be in our house -- they better be ready to play."

Helix forward David Jefferson (35) scores with the right hand while getting fouled on the left arm by Valhalla's Kevin Kriebel, leading to a 3-point play. (Photo by Adolfo Villanueva) FOR ADDITIONAL PHOTOS, CLICK HERE

Valhalla (14-11, 5-3 GSL), which saw its five-game win streak end, stayed even with Helix throughout much of the first period, but when the Norsemen switched out of their man and tried to sit back in a zone, Helix found inroads to the basket.

Leading 16-14 midway through the second period, senior AARON TINSLEY drained his third 3-ball of the game to spark a string of 14 straight Helix points which included contributions from all five players on the court.

ERIC FORNEY followed by slipping through the zone to grab an offensive rebound and scoring on the outback, then LAWRENCE HURDLE stole the ball and raced in on a breakaway, hitting two foul shots after getting fouled from behind.

The stretch continued when JERICHO TOILOLO, one of five Helix seniors honored prior to the contest, scored on a layin from a nice Jefferson pass, then Hurdle got another of his six steals for another layin.

Valhalla was advancing toward a third straight overtime as KEITH WILLIAMS and PAUL MARTINS led an assault to trim the margin to 44-40 with 5:12 remaining. JEREMIAH BROWNING also scored eight of his 11 points during the run.

Martins provided the offense with nine of his 16 points in the second half, while Williams quickly became a playmaker with all of his three assists coming over the final 10 minutes. However, a barrage of second-chance opportunities could not be converted, as the Norsemen shot just 5-for-16 (31 percent) in the fourth period.

That's when Jefferson took control on the boards with his season-high total, taking advantage of the match-ups under the glass.

"Jefferson was great -- he played like a man tonight," said Singer. "And he did the little things which made a difference for us."

For example, during a 2-minute run early in the third period, Jefferson recorded a steal to start a fastbreak, took a charge to force a turnover, scored on a layin, then leaped to block a shot to further frustrate Valhalla.

"Coach always says it's small stuff like that which makes you a winner," Jefferson added. "And they carry over to get it done on the scoreboard."

"Jefferson absolutely dominated," echoed Valhalla coach ERIC THOMAS.

The Highlanders also hit nine of their last 12 foul shots to maintain their advantage, including a 4-for-4 effort by BRANDON FOUNTAIN. Fountain was 6-for-6 in the game as Helix claimed an 18-6 scoring advantage from the foul line.

"We might have put a little fear into them, but I don't think the game was ever in doubt in their minds," Thomas said. "That second quarter killed us. We played a little scared (and were outscored 20-11) and much of that is a credit to Helix's defense."

Browning led the Norsemen with 12 rebounds, while KHALIL FAKHOURY grabbed eight in a reserve role.

Prior to the contest, the 1980 undefeated SDCIF champion Helix girls basketball team (28-0) was honored, with many of the former players honored on the court along with Singer, who coached both genders during the era.

Helix scoring: Tinsley 15, Jefferson 14, Hurdle 10, Fountain 6, Forney 6, Toilolo 3, Sean Scarber 1.

Valhalla scoring: Martins 16, Williams 11, Browning 11, Fakhoury 5, Jeff Sopata 1.

SANTANA 60, WEST HILLS 47 -- The Sultans assured themselves of no less than a share of the Grossmont North League title Friday (Feb. 10) when they slammed their Santee rivals at Santana.

"We got part of the (league) championship tonight and we want to take it all on Tuesday," said Santana coach TIM BARRY, who was a starting guard the last time Santana claimed the league laurels in 1988.

"It was an enormous (raucous) atmosphere tonight ­-- fans pouring onto the floor after the game to congratulate us."

Santana (14-10, 6-1 GNL) closes the regular season against second-place El Capitan Tuesday (Feb. 14) in Lakeside at 6 p.m. A victory over the Vaqueros gives the Sultans their first league crown in 18 years outright.

A quick start and fast finish salvaged Santana's win over West Hills (12-13, 2-4, GNL).

Senior BROOKS BASS had a career high scoring game with 16 points to lead the Sultans. Brooks, known mostly for his play-making and defensive abilities, canned 5 of 9 shots from the field and 5 of 6 free throws. He also handed out 3 assists.

"He defends the best players, runs the show. And tonight he led us in a new way by leading us in scoring. He handled the ball well," said his coach.

JON HERNANDEZ added 13 points, 7 rebounds, 7 steals and 4 assists for Santana, which led 16-8 after one quarter, but needed a 22-12 scoring binge in the fourth period to secure the victory.

RICKY MICHELMORE joined the Sultans' winning effort with 13 points, 7 rebounds, 3 assists and 3 steals.

West Hills senior KYLE HAMANN drilled in 17 points -- more than half coming on three 3-pointers -- to pace the Wolf Pack, which has lost 10 of its last 12. CHRIS LIFGREN pitched in 16 points for the Pack.

Santana scoring: Brooks Bass 16, Hernandez 13, Michelmore 13, Jon Corbisez 9, Carlos Vargas 5, Garrett Happ 2, Tyler Blackledge 2.

West Hills scoring: Hamann 17, Lifgren 16, Miles Pivonka 4, Shain Stoner 2, Blaine Hoffard 2, Taylor Robbins 2, Troy Nowlin 2, Peter Gilson 2.

Nick Murico of El Capitan (in white) releases this shot over Grossmont defender Justin Rutherford. (Photo by Greg Eichelberger)

EL CAPITAN 41, GROSSMONT 31 --
In one of the lowest scoring games of the season, the Vaqueros came from two points down in the final quarter to upend the visiting Foothillers and keep their Grossmont North League title hopes alive.

El Capitan (14-11, 4-2 GNL), which needs to sweep its final two regular season games, including Tuesday's (Feb. 14) duel with first place Santana, limited Grossmont to 7 points in the second half.

"Our defense has been pretty solid all year," El Capitan coach ROSS FURROW said. "We played Grossmont in a match-up zone and their kids don't move real well against a zone."

With senior CORY BROWN dogged by foul problems, El Capitan had to turn to its defense to pull this one out. The 6-9 Brown, who averages 24 points per game, was on the court for only 16 of the 32 minutes, finishing with a season-low 5 points (9 rebounds and 3 blocks).

Brown had three fouls in the first half, a quick fourth personal in the third period before fouling out with 6:24 remaining.

Seconds before Brown exited, JERAMIE CARR canned a 3-pointer to give El Capitan a 29-26 advantage it wouldn't lo