SOUTH ALL-STARS 88, NORTH ALL-STARS 72
         SOUTH      26  20  20  22 -- 88
         NORTH      18  15  15  24 -- 72

SOUTH                FGS 3FG FTS PTS    R AST STL BLK
Hazlett        Chr  4-11 2-5 0-0  10    3   2   2   0
Abukar         Hlx   6-9 1-2 3-6  16    6   1   6   1
Narcisse       Hlx  3-10 0-0 3-4   9    7   2   9   0
Chandler       Hlx   3-5 0-0 2-2   8    2   2   0   0
Houser         MV    4-8 0-0 3-4  11    8   0   0   0
Caples         MM   4-12 0-0 2-4  10    7   0   0   2
Moore          MM    3-5 1-1 0-0   7    1   4   2   0
MWatkins       MV    3-7 1-3 0-0   7    2   0   1   1
Carter         SC   3-10 2-4 2-6  10    3  10  11   0
TOTALS          33-77 7-15 15-26  88   39  21  31   4

NORTH                FGS 3FG FTS PTS    R AST STL BLK
Hale           FC    2-6 0-2 0-0   4    2   2   3   0
Stafford       ECV   2-4 0-1 0-0   4    1   0   1   0
Franco         ECV   0-3 0-1 0-0   0    1   1   1   0
Braun          EC   8-13 4-7 4-6  24   10   2   4   3
Waters         Gro   3-8 2-4 0-0   8    3   6   5   1
Graham         Gro   2-6 0-2 2-2   6    2   3   3   0
Cochran        Gro   1-2 0-0 0-2   2    3   2   2   0
Ogunsalu       Gro  6-12 0-1 4-8  16   14   2   4   6
Blackledge     San   3-6 0-2 2-4   8    7   1   3   2
TOTALS          27-60 6-20 12-22  72   43  19  26  12

             3-POINT SHOOTING CONTEST
       CHAMPION: KHALID WATERS, Grossmont 

              SLAM DUNK COMPETITION
      CHAMPION: RICHARD OGUNSALU, Grossmont

  Statistics provided by East County Sports.com

© East County Sports.com
RANCHO SAN DIEGO (4-5-08) — Steele Canyon High guard ELIJAH CARTER pulled off a triple-double of 10 points, 10 assists and 11 steals to help lead a balanced attack for the South, which defeated the North 88-72 in Friday’s (Apr. 4) 10th annual East County Sports.com Seniors All-Star Game at Cuyamaca College.

The South, which led from start to finish, recorded 31 steals. DEMOND “Red” NARCISSE record 9 thefts and Helix teammate KAREEM ABUKAR swiped 6 passes. Abukar, the Highlanders’ point guard and Grossmont South League Player of the Year, added 16 points.

El Capitan’s BARRETT BRAUN of the North led all scorers with 24 points.

Guard KHALID WATERS of Grossmont won the 3-point shooting contest and the Foothillers’ RICHARD OGUNSALU won the dunk competition.

It was the fifth straight win for the South, which leads the all-time series 7-3.

© East County Sports.com
EL CAJON (3-29-08) — Cuyamaca College will host the East County Seniors All-Star boys basketball game on Friday (Apr. 4) at 7 p.m. The annual event is co-sponsored by East County Sports.com.

A 3-point contest will take place at 6:40 p.m. and a Dunk contest at half-time.

Grossmont North will wear white; Grossmont South and Christian will wear dark.

Senior players invited to participate include:

Christian: Daniel Hazlett; El Cajon Valley: Laroy McGee, Lucas Stafford, Chris Franco, Shivan Sulyman; El Capitan: Barrett Braun, Tila Case; Foothills Christian: Aaron Hale; Granite Hills: Wayne Martin; Grossmont: Richard Ogunsalu, Ian Cochran, Khalid Waters, Michael Graham; Helix: Kareem Abukar, Demond Narcisse, Donald McGowan, Darrell Chandler; Monte Vista: Mike Watkins, Ryan Houser; Mount Miguel: Travon Caples, Devyn Moore; Santana: Tyler Blackledge; Steele Canyon: Elijah Carter, Riley Balikian; West Hills: Tim Nowlin.

North tips South in All-Star Game

© East County Sports.com
RANCHO BERNARDO (3-22-08) -- The North slapped the South 108-93 in Friday night's (Mar. 21) annual San Diego Boys' Senior All-Stars basketball game held at Rancho Bernardo High.

The East County players playing for the South made paltry contributions adding up to 11 points.

Helix point guard KAREEM ABUKAR tallied 7 points. El Capitan's BARRETT BRAUN and Grossmont's RICHARD OGUNSALU added 2 points apiece.

Peter Smith of Escondido and James Rahon of Torrey Pines led the North with 25 and 22 points, respectively.

© East County Sports.com
EL CAJON (3-12-08) -- Foothills Christian High sophomore TROY LEAF, who led East County with a 25.1 scoring average, has been selected the East County Sports.com Boys Basketball Player of the Year.

The 6-foot-2 guard, who made the All-East County Sports.com second team and was named the Rookie of the Year as a freshman, shot 48 percent (293 of 614) from the field, 75 percent (136 of 181) from the free throw line, buried 82 three-pointers, averaged 7.4 rebounds, 4.7 assists and 2.6 steals per game for the two-time San Diego CIF Division V champion Knights (23-10) this season.

East County Sports.com Rookie of the Year honors went to Mount Miguel junior BRAD BARRETT. The 6-foot-3 guard averaged 19.4 points and 6.8 rebounds for the 18-10 Matadors. A transfer from Chicago, Barrett also shot better than 79 percent (95-of-120) from the free throw stripe. He also knocked down 47 three-pointers. Ten of those treys came in a 41-point outing against Sierra Vista (Nev.).

For the second year in a row and the third time in four seasons Helix's JOHN SINGER has been named East County Sports.com Boys Basketball Coach of the Year. Singer turned a team around that lost seven of its first 13 games to finish 20-8. That remarkable run included closing the regular season with 13 consecutive victories and a first-round San Diego CIF playoff win over Rancho Buena Vista. The Highlanders' season ended when they lost in the Division I quarterfinals to top-seeded El Camino in overtime. Singer's squad secured its second straight Grossmont South League title and now has won 21 circuit contests in succession.

The first team includes two members of Grossmont High's Grossmont North League championship team -- RICHARD OGUNSALU and IAN COCHRAN -- as well Helix floor leader KAREEM ABUKAR and Christian 6-foot-8 junior center VANDER JOAQUIM. Cochran was a second team pick as a junior and East County Sports.com Rookie of the Year as a sophomore. Abukar was a third team choice last year.

Top-seeded Price discounts Foothills

© East County Sports.com
LOS ANGELES (3-7-08) — What has been a successful season ended in a resounding thud for Foothills Christian in Thursday’s (Mar. 6) CIF Southern California regional semifinals.

Facing off against perennial power and top-seeded Price, the San Diego-based Knights lost to the Los Angeles-based Knights 61-41.

This game was never in doubt as Price pranced to a 19-9 first quarter lead and enjoyed a 32-16 bulge by halftime. It didn’t get any better in the 3rd quarter as Price pushed its advantage to 49-25.

The ever-reliable Foothills leader, sophomore TROY LEAF, punched in 23 points, grabbed 4 rebounds and made 2 steals to pace the Knights (22-10).

Sophomore KALOB HATCHER added 10 points, 7 assists, 5 steals and 4 rebounds.

Foothills, which lives on the 3-point line, was a dismal 2 of 21 from long distance against Price.

Foothills averaged more than 70 points per game but concluded its season with its lowest output of the year.

Foothills Christian scoring: Troy Leaf 23 (4 reb, 2 stl), Kalob Hatcher 10 (4 reb, 5 stl, 7 ast), Zach Kaul 4 (4 reb, 3 stl), Aaron Hale 2 (4 reb, 2 stl), Andrew Atia 2, Brandon Hale (2 reb).

Foothills secures 1st regional win
Meets top-seeded Price in semifinals

© East County Sports.com
EL CAJON (3-4-08) -- Things just keep getting better for the Foothills Christian Knights.

A year ago, the Knights celebrated winning the San Diego CIF Division V championship. They repeated that effort again this season.

Dribbling into the Southern California Regional Division V quarterfinals Tuesday (Mar. 4) against a physical Bakersfield Christian High crew at Granite Hills, the Knights were poised to take their season another step deeper.

And so they did. The Knights (23-9) staved off several second-half challenges by the visiting Eagles to prevail 68-62 for their first regional victory in their young history.

"Yeah, it's really nice to get this first one," admitted Foothills coach BRAD LEAF.

Bakersfield Christian, which twice got as close as one point -- 38-37 and 41-40 in the third quarter -- could never tie the game. But the Eagles made the Knights earn the victory as they refused to roll over.

Sophomore TROY LEAF was a major cog in Foothills Christian's ability to hang on. Leaf, who produced a game high 25 points hitting 9 of 16 field goals and 4 of 6 free throws, was brilliant down the stretch.

" Troy hit some big shots for us," said Foothills point guard KALOB HATCHER, who contributed 18 points himself. "When he's hitting, nobody is really going to stop us."

Leaf scored 10 points in the 1st and 3rd quarters, and added three free throws and blocked three shots in the 4th quarter.

"I think the difference in the game was our defensive intensity," said Leaf, who totaled 4 blocks and 5 steals in the contest. "We were on all the loose balls and going after every rebound . . . we just fought them the whole way."

A bigger, more physical Bakersfield bunch controlled the boards with a 44-25 advantage. The Knights' quickness allowed Foothills to force 20 turnovers compared to only 8 for the local champions.

"We were out of here in one (game) in the state playoffs last year, and we didn't want that same outcome again," Troy Leaf said. "So we played with a little more heart and a little more passion. It feels great to come out on top."

Foothills held a precarious lead 54-46 by the close of the 3rd quarter. Bakersfield Christian's Marcus Hall, who finished with 18 points and 11 rebounds, converted both ends of a bonus free throw opportunity to leave the Knights on top 59-57 with 3:59 remaining.

AARON HALE hit a bucket to double Foothills' advantage. Hall answered back with a bucket of his own. Then it was Leaf's turn and he tacked on a pair of free throws to make it 63-59.

Hatcher added 2 free throws, Leaf added one and Aaron Hale finished the job with a pair of charity tosses with 14.3 seconds left.

"Troy and Kalob are only sophomores, but play like they are juniors or seniors," coach Leaf said. "They are at the level now where they make plays and win big games."

Thursday's SoCal Regional semifinal in Los Angeles against top-seeded Price (30-3) doesn't get much bigger.

Foothills Christian scoring: Troy Leaf 25 (4 reb, 4 blk, 3 ast), Kalob Hatcher 18 (5 reb, 5 ast), Zach Kaul 10 (5 reb, 3 ast), Aaron Hale 8 (6 reb), Brandon Hale 7 (5 reb).

Foothills hosts Bakersfield Christian in regional opener

© East County Sports.com
EL CAJON (3-4-08) -- For the second time in coach BRAD LEAF's three-year tenure at Foothills Christian, the Knights will march into the Southern California Regional Division V playoffs.

The Knights (21-9), who handled Maranatha Christian, 66-55, to capture the San Diego CIF Division V title, will host Bakersfield Christian (20-7) in Tuesday (Mar. 4) night's quarterfinal at Granite Hills. Tipoff is 7 p.m.

"We happened to see them play when we were up in San Luis Obispo at the Mission Prep tournament," Leaf said. "They run a 1-2-2 zone and full court press the whole game."

Bakersfield Christian, which has been ranked as high as No. 4 in the state's Division V poll, was upset in the Central Section CIF playoffs by Emanuel Reedley, 66-61.

Marcus Hall, a 6-foot-3 junior guard, leads the Eagles in scoring (20.2 ppg) and rebounding (7.9 rpg). Junior guard Colby Herron also adds punch (13 ppg, 6.3 rpg, 3.8 apg, 2.9 spg). Six-foot-6, 200-pound junior center Morgan Howes is a force in the middle, as is 6-6, 294-pound senior Ryan Clanton.

TROY LEAF is top gun for Foothills Christian, averaging an East County-best 25.1 points per game and 7.6 rebounds per game. Guard KALOB HATCHER leads East County in assists (8.1) and steals (4.8) while producing 18.8 points per game.

The Knights favor the 3-point shot as all five starters are able to connect from beyond the arc. As a team Foothills Christian is connecting on 36 percent from long distance (271 of 749).

Hatcher cracks Maranatha
as Foothills goes B2B

© East County Sports.com
SAN DIEGO (3-1-08) -- The season-long goal for Foothills Christian High was simple enough: mark a return to the San Diego CIF Division V title game and prove its 2007 championship was anything but a fluke. But when standout guard TROY LEAF was quickly saddled with three fouls in the opening four minutes, panic could easily have engulfed the Knights.

"Things could've collapsed, but we kept our calm," noted Knights guard ZACH KAUL. "Then we basically went back out there, still going through the motions just as if no one was in foul trouble."

Fortunately, the "been there, done that" factor also kicked into gear in the form of sophomore KALOB HATCHER, who fueled a key change in defense with seven steals in the second half of Friday's (Feb. 29) title contest, giving the tiny El Cajon school another San Diego Section crown by skating past Maranatha Christian, 66-55, at San Diego State's Cox Arena.

Hatcher finished with a triple-double after posting 19 points, 10 assists and 10 steals, as Foothills (24-9) advances to the Southern California Regionals of the CIF State Championship. The pairings will be announced over the weekend.

Despite Leaf's foul difficulties, the Knights continued to make shots, racing to a 37-25 halftime lead. But when the Eagles (24-7) crept to within 51-44 in the opening minute of the fourth quarter -- not coincidentally just after Leaf collected his fourth foul -- Foothills coach BRAD LEAF pulled a long-held ace from his sleeve.

"We went into a 1-3-1 (zone defense) and Maranatha didn't know what to do," said the skipper, who captured his 4th SDCIF crown in five seasons (Steele Canyon 2004 and 2005). "I was holding that back all year just for this particular game -- we hadn't showed it in at least a month."

Leaf could've been tempted to utilize his secret weapon in the regular-season finale at Mira Mesa -- a CIF Division I (large school) program -- but realized it was better to take a loss than tip his hand en route to the championship.

"We could've given Mira Mesa a better game, but we didn't want to show them anything -- we knew Maranatha's coaches were in the stands," explained the coach. "But that game didn't mean anything, so we weren't going to show our 1-3-1 until we had to."

"A think a lot of people were counting us our early, maybe because we were hurt and not playing well late in the season. But we were confident and we were healthy and we were ready for this game."

However, Hatcher gained individual respect with his big second half on both ends of the court. Along with his thefts following the intermission, Hatcher scored 12 points and passed for four assists, including a back-handed dish to Troy Leaf, who went for a driving layin that spun around the rim almost three times before falling.

"As you can see, Kalob has developed into one of the top players in San Diego -- and he's only a sophomore," added coach Leaf. "He's got a lot of weapons, so they're -- Kalob and Troy -- a great complement to each other.

Hatcher took the victory in stride while stealing the spotlight from several more tested veterans.

"It takes five people to play defense," Hatcher noted. "They (the coaches) put me in the right situation and I just made plays."

Hatcher's teammates took notice, too.

"Kalob did a great job keeping the team in the game," noted Troy Leaf, who still finished with 18 points. "I've never seen a guy steal the ball like that before -- it looked like he's playing against little kids."

Included were a series of kickout passes by Maranatha center Chen Cai, a 6-foot-8 exchange student from China, who was hounded by double- and triple-teams all contest. However, Hatcher anticipated several passes for turnovers to jump-start the transition game, especially when the Knights were in zone coverage.

"We tried to save our 1-3-1 until the championship -- we didn't want to go with it earlier. So we brought it out tonight and it really gave them problems," added Troy Leaf. "And BRANDON (HALE) hit a couple of big shots near the end of the first quarter while I was on the bench -- everyone stepped up while I was gone."

Kaul added 14 points and a team-best 7 rebounds.

Foothills scoring: Kalob Hatcher 19 (10 ast, 10 stl), Troy Leaf 18 (6 reb), Zach Kaul 14 (7 reb), Brandon Hale 8, Aaron Hale 6, Justin Esselstrom 1.

Knights qualify for Div. V finals

© East County Sports.com
EL CAJON (2-26-8) -- This Division V semifinal of the San Diego CIF playoffs didn"t figure to provide much suspense.

Closer it was, but the outcome was never in doubt as Foothills Christian clobbered Vincent Memorial 70-54 in Tuesday"s (Feb. 26) playoff action at Granite Hills. Just two weeks ago Foothills flattened Vincent Memorial (18-10) in a 92-55 blowout.

So gearing up for a "rematch" was hard to do from an emotional sense.

"We never got a great flow going tonight," said Foothills Christian assistant coach JAMES McHUGH. "Offensively we were OK, got things done, but nothing really ever "clicked." It was a great tune-up for Friday though. I think we got a lot of kinks out of the way."

"Defensively we played pretty well tonight, we forced a lot of turnovers but we also had a lot of fouls that we just can't afford from here on out. Guys had great stretches for us tonight we just didn't have one clear-cut stand-out performance.

"ZACH KAUL had 6 steals in the first two quarters, then he turned to rebounding, grabbing 9 boards in the late 2nd and 3rd quarters."

TROY LEAF notched 20 points, 8 rebounds, 3 steals and 3 assists for the top-seeded Knights. KALOB HATCHER added 17 points and 10 assists.

The Knights (20-9) broke the game open with a 28-11 second quarter burst and now will meet Maranatha Christian (21-6) for the SDCIF Division V crown on Friday (Feb. 29) at San Diego State"s Cox Arena at 11:30 a.m.

"We've been thinking Maranatha for months now and (Eagles) Coach Rle Nichols has been to plenty of our games so we know they have been focused on us as well," McHugh said.

"This has been a very interesting season for us. Last year it seemed that they boys could not win. When we were playing lower level Division 5 teams, people would say they weren't going to bother coming because we would just kill them. This season when we lost to much better teams it seemed as though people never expected us to lose."

"What I truly respect the most about this group of young men is that they personify teamwork. Some of these kids will be all over the record books when their careers are said and done, but you can see them feed off each other every game. No single player accomplishments ever overshadow the goals and visions of these guys, and that could be very easy to fall into for young men with the talent that these guys possess."

MISSION HILLS 72, GROSSMONT 45 -- One of Grossmont High"s best seasons in recent memory did not conclude with a happily-ever-after ending Tuesday night (Feb. 26) at Mission Hills.

The second-seeded Grizzlies (24-6) chewed up the visiting and third-seeded Foothillers in a SDCIF Division II semifinal that was never close.

Mission Hills forged in front 18-7 after one quarter and extended its advantage to 39-26 by intermission.

While it appeared that the Foothillers (20-8) were well within striking distance at the break, Grossmont"s one-two inside punch of RICHARD OGUNSALU and IAN COCHRAN were saddled with three and two fouls, respectively.

The Grizzlies outscored the Hillers in each of the final two quarters to record the lopsided outcome.

Cochran led Grossmont, which had won 14 of its previous 15 decisions, with 11 points and 11 rebounds. Ogunsalu, before fouling out, added 10 points and 6 boards.

Senior guard Adam Bemanian led Mission Hills with a career-high 34 points, including five 3-pointers.

Mission Hills now faces Hoover for the Division II championship Saturday (Mar. 1) at 1:45 p.m. at SDSU"s Cox Arena.

Grossmont scoring: Ian Cochran 11 (6 reb), Richard Ogunsalu 10 (6 reb), Michael Graham 10 (5 reb, 2 stl), Khalid Waters 8 (2 reb), Alex Leon 2 (2 reb), Robert Sullivan 2, Graham Hajosy 2.

Singin' in the Foothills
Both Grossmont, Knights
gain Final Four berths

© East County Sports.com
EL CAJON (2-24-08) -- The last time Grossmont High played for a SDCIF basketball championship, the Foothillers needed to go into overtime before finally downing Helix for the 1994 San Diego Section Division II championship.

For this season's edition of the Hillers to gain a Final Four berth, they would again need extra time after allowing a 9-point lead to disappear over the final 4:02 of regulation.

However, senior guard KHALID WATERS came to the rescue Saturday (Feb. 23), registering nine of his team's 16 points in overtime to propel third-seeded Grossmont past visiting Westview, 59-53.

"They penetrated on our defense with a nice kid (Grant Taylor, who tallied a game-high 29 points) who can shoot the ball," said Waters. "But our defense came out in overtime ready to play."

In regulation, Waters was finding it difficult to hit his jumper. But in the overtime, he hit his most important 3-point shot of the season.

Moments after IAN COCHRAN drilled a baseline jumper while drawing a foul, his eventual missed free throw was rebounded by ROBERT SULLIVAN, who quickly fed Waters for an open shot at the top of the key.

"I had to hit that one," mused Waters. "I had to hit at least one today."

Waters hit nothing but the bottom of the net for a quick, 5-point sequence to open the overtime, and Grossmont (20-7) never looked back.

"That was a play -- we call it ' Iowa ' -- we run on a lot of free throws," noted Cochran, who paced the Hillers with 22 points. "So Robert got the weak-side rebound and kicked it out to Khalid."

Grossmont head coach FRANK FOGGIANO added, "Robert just hustles and just doesn't give up. That's what you need to do to get the offensive rebound."

Waters later added another triple, this time from the corner, but Westview's Taylor answered with a trey at the 1-minute mark. However, Grossmont came out of a Wolverines timeout with a long touchdown pass, as MICHAEL GRAHAM threw a pin-point, 50-foot pass to Waters for a breakway layin.

"You had to bring up the football analogy," joked Waters, who was also a standout running back-cornerback for the Grossmont football team."

Senior RICHARD OGUNSALU turned in a quiet double-double of 14 points and 14 rebounds for the Foothillers.

The late comeback by Westview (11-19) didn't rattle Grossmont, which pleased Foggiano.

"We didn't get out and cover their shooters -- that's how they caught us -- then we got a couple of bad breaks on rebounds," said Foggiano. "In the overtime, we ran our stuff pretty well and we showed our composure. Ian stepped up, then that out of bounds play we went deep on really hurt them."

Westview jumped to a quick 9-2 lead, but Grossmont forced several turnovers in the third period to win the period, 16-6, to gain the lead.

"Westview started out real fast and we were not playing with them," noted Cochran. "In the second half, we just started playing harder than them. We came right out and got a steal and that changed the momentum to start the third quarter."

"In the fourth quarter, when we get unlucky bounces like that on rebounds, we just have to make sure to block out, especially our guards to help us out inside."

The Wolverines late rally was aided on three offensive rebounds when Grossmont held position, but the ball bounced long each time, leading to a series of second-chance points. The last one led to a Taylor jumper with 9 seconds left to tie the contest at 43-all.

However, Grossmont scored 16 points in the extra session -- the best they scored during a regulation, 8-minute period was also 16 -- to advance to the semifinals.

The Hillers, who have won 14 of their last 15, travel to meet second-seeded Mission Hills -- coached by former Christian High mentor CURTIS HOFMEISTER -- in Tuesday's (Feb. 26) 7 p.m. semifinals in San Marcos .

Grossmont scoring: Ian Cochran 22 (10 reb), Richard Ogunsalu 14 (14 reb), Khalid Waters 12 (2 reb, 4 ast, 2 stl), Robert Sullivan 4 (3 reb), Michael Graham 3 (6 reb, 2 ast, 3 stl), Billy Gange 2 (2 reb), Alex Leon 2 (2 reb).

FOOTHILLS CHRISTIAN 85, SAN PASQUAL ACADEMY 45 -- The Knights continued on their collision course for a SDCIF Division V section championship encounter against Maranatha Christian on Friday (Feb. 29) at San Diego State's Cox Arena.

Top-seeded Foothills Christian (20-9) flattened visiting San Pasqual Academy in Saturday's (Feb. 23) quarterfinals at Granite Hills High. The Knights need only to beat Vincent Memorial in Tuesday's (Feb. 26) semifinal to set up the title bout with Maranatha Christian. Foothills clobbered Vincent Memorial just two weeks ago 92-55.

TROY LEAF set the pace for the Knights' knockout of outmanned San Pasqual Academy by ringing up 35 points. The sophomore guard sank 14 of 24 floor shots -- four of them 3-balls. Leaf has 741 points and needs just 23 points to etch his name in the SDCIF record books for markers in a single season.

Foothills, which was 7-for-10 from three-point range, has 259 threes made to rank 4th on the all-time SDCIF list. The Knights made 280 treys a year ago, which stands 2nd on the section's record chart. Vista set the standard with 289 in 1992.

It was 48-22 Foothills after the first half and 82-33 after three quarters.

"We really just controlled the game from the outset," Foothills Christian assistant coach JAMES McHUGH said. "We moved the ball really well and got everyone involved on offense. We played great aggressive defense tonight and that led to a lot of turnovers."

Foothills Christian scoring: Troy Leaf 35 (5 reb, 1 blk, 5 stl, 4 ast), Kalob Hatcher 17 (3 reb, 7 ast), Zach Kaul 16 (4 reb, 6 stl, 2 ast), Aaron Hale 10 (6 reb, 1 blk, 4 stl, 2 ast), Andrew Atia 3 (1 blk), Brandon Hale 2 (5 reb, 2 stl), Ryan Smith 2 (2 reb).

© East County Sports.com
EL CAJON (2-23-08) — Only two East County teams remain alive in the San Diego CIF boys basketball playoffs. Both of them play quarterfinal games on Saturday (Feb. 23).

The Grossmont North League champion Grossmont Foothillers (19-7) host Westview (11-18) at 7 p.m. in Div. II.

Also on Saturday, Division V top-seed Foothills Christian (19-9) entertains San Pasqual Academy (10-15) in the Granite Hills gym at 4 p.m.

On Friday night (Feb. 22) it was a disaster for East County teams, as all five teams lost.

EL CAMINO 65, HELIX 58 (OT) – The visiting Helix Highlanders, who were seeded No. 9 in the SDCIF Division I playoffs, came ever so close to knocking off top-ranked El Camino in Friday’s (Feb. 22) quarterfinal in Oceanside.

At the midway point the Highlanders (20-8), who came in with a 14-game winning streak, trailed the Wildcats (27-2) by a 35-20 count. To those in attendance it appeared the game was over.

“I challenged the kids at halftime and they answered,” Singer said. “I could see it on the faces of the El Camino kids that they were scared. I think we really shocked them.”

“There is no doubt in my mind that we were the better team in the 2nd half.”

Helix, the defending Division I champions, tied the game at 53-all on a pair of DONALD McGOWAN free throws with 17 seconds remaining in regulation. The Wildcats tried to maintain their cool as they worked for what they hoped would be a game-winning shot.

That shot was never delivered during the allotted 32 minute contest as Helix forced a turnover with 5 seconds remaining.

In their haste to position themselves for the winning shot, the Highlanders fired a long pass downcourt, where El Camino’s Nelson Rosario was there to intercept.

Overtime belonged to El Camino, which outscored the upset-minded Scotties, 12-5.

McGowan, who hit 7 of 14 shots from the field and 6 of 7 free throws for a game-high 21 points, fouled out with a minute left in regulation. His absence was clearly evident in the four minute overtime.

LEVINE TOILOLO, who finished with 15 points, 17 rebounds, 4 assists and 3 steals, played what Singer called his best game of the season.

“He was a man out there,” Singer said. “He showed me something. I think he’s got a great future.”

Considering the Highlanders started out the year 6-7, their growth over the course of the season was remarkable.

“I’m so proud of the way our kids played in that second half,” said Singer. “They played a great game tonight. The intensity out there was like a CIF championship game.”

Helix scoring: Donald McGowan 21 (1 blk), Levine Toilolo 15 (17 reb, 4 ast, 3 stl, 1 blk), Kareem Abukar 8 (6 reb, 5 ast, 4 stl), Demond Narcisse 6 (8 reb, 4 ast, 2 stl, 3 blk), Derrall Chandler 5 (3 ast), Andray Jackson 2, Anthony Anderson 1 (4 reb).

OCEANSIDE 41, MONTE VISTA 40 – JAMES CARROLL admits that there were no doubt some people that believed his Monte Vista Monarchs did not deserve a post-season playoff berth.

Maybe not.

But the Monarchs (11-19) fell only one basket short of reaching the SDCIF Division II semifinals. And to add to their anguish, they had plenty of chances to knock off No. 4 seeded and host Oceanside in Friday’s (Feb. 22) quarterfinal.

Monte Vista took a 40-39 lead on a bucket by GEOFF HARTMAN inside the paint with 3:20 remaining.

“We called a timeout and setup that play,” Carroll said. “It’s one we’ve had success with in the past. RYAN HOUSER made a nice pass.”

Oceanside countered on the next possession as football running back Armani Taylor drove to the hoop for a layup 16 seconds later, which would prove to be the winning bucket.

Neither team scored in the final 3 minutes. Oceanside (16-11) missed 8 straight free throws, including the front end of three one-and-one opportunities. Monte Vista wasn’t much better, as one of its top free throw shooters was fouled above the arc and received three charity tosses. He missed them all. The Monarchs also missed the front end of a bonus.

“It was barbaric out there,” Carroll said. “The officials allowed it to become a football game – there were bodies all over the floor.”

With that said, Carroll admitted that his team had plenty of opportunities to pull off the upset.

“When you can’t box out on a free throw you don’t deserve to win,” he said. “And when you can’t do any better than 50 percent on 16 free throw chances, you can only blame yourself.”

Monte Vista trailed 28-16 at the half.

“We played great 2nd half defense,” Carroll said. “We changed to man-to-man pressure and it worked well for us. We got some nice transition baskets off it.”

Monte Vista held Oceanside to 13 points over the final two periods, including only 2 points in the 4th quarter.

“Our defense has been solid in these two playoff games,” Carroll said. “Remember, in the first round we held Mt. Carmel to 18 points after the 1st quarter.”

Monte Vista shot just 31 percent (15 of 49) from the floor.

“It seemed like we just couldn’t hit a thing,” Carroll said. “We wanted to get the ball inside to Geoff and we were able to do that. But then he just got hammered and we didn’t get any calls.”

MIKE WATKINS finished with 13 points to pace the Monarchs, while Hartman added 12 points, 8 rebounds and 2 blocks.

“My kids deserve a lot of credit,” Carroll said. “I think we showed that we belonged in the playoffs. I’m proud of the way we finished the season, even though it was bittersweet.”

Monte Vista scoring: Mike Watkins 13 (3 reb, 2 stl), Geoff Hartman 12 (8 reb, 2 ast, 2 blk), Brian Williams 6 (4 reb), Chris Jones 4 (2 reb, 3 ast), Anthony Bell 3 (3 reb), Ryan Houser 2 (5 reb).

LA JOLLA 66, MOUNT MIGUEL 39 -- In a wacky SDCIF Division III quarterfinal game, three of the four seeded teams were toppled on Friday (Feb. 23). Unfortunately for the Matadors, the top-seeded Vikings easily avoided the upset bid with one of the top shooting performances of the season.

La Jolla drilled 8-of-12 shots (73 percent) from beyond the arc, including 4-of-5 during the decisive third quarter, as the Western League champions shot a blistering 58 percent overall (26-for-45) to race past Mount Miguel.

"We got rebounds and pushed it up the court for easy layins all night," said Vikings senior center Peter Sefton, who already has a water polo scholarship to Stanford in his pocket. "Or we kicked it out and shot the '3' -- they were wide open and we knocked them down."

Sefton led the way with 20 points, shooting a smoking 8-for-9 from the floor, including a perfect pair from the arc in the first half to mount a 31-21 halftime lead. He also grabbed a team-high 8 rebounds.

La Jolla then pushed the lead to 20-plus points by out-scoring Mount Miguel, 19-4, in the third period when Spencer Moyer scored eight of his 10 points. The Vikings' Jerrell Agnes added 11 points, while Matt Jones added 10.

"We’re probably the best running team in San Diego, I think," added Sefton. "When we're at our best, we're pushing the ball. I don't think people can stay with us when we're running up and down."

The passing ability of La Jolla shined, as the Vikings registered seven assists as a team in the third period alone.

"We just couldn't score points today -- that's the bottom line," explained Mount Miguel coach JAY ROWLETT. "That third quarter killed us -- they hit something like five 3-pointers on us."

Meanwhile, only BRAD BARRETT could score consistently for Mount Miguel (18-10). The forward scored 7 of his 18 points in the opening 5 minutes, but the rest of the Matadors shot just 35 percent (7-for-20) in the first half, getting challenged on nearly every shot attempt.

"We really shut them down on the defensive end," Sefton noted. "We really pressured them and they couldn't get a good look."

While La Jolla (21-8) advances to the Final Four against three unseeded opponents, the young Matadors, which start three underclassmen, seems well-suited to make an even longer postseason run in the immediate future.

"It's the offseason for us starting right now -- we're done -- so we have to get back into the gym and work hard. No one's going to hand us anything," said Barrett, who recorded a game-best 9 rebounds and blocked a pair of shots. "It was real frustrating."

The passing ability of La Jolla -- led by Agnew's 9 assists -- and skill-level of La Jolla came as a surprise to Barrett.

"We saw (Sefton) on film and he was good and fundamentally sound -- but he shocked me," Barrett noted. "But they always made the extra pass, and that's what counts. They ran the lanes right, and were ready. We came out thinking everything would be all sweet like we would run through them, but no, they were a hard team.”

Following a 32-point effort in the first round against El Centro-Central, TRAVON CAPLES was limited to just 10 points and 6 rebounds. Taking away Barrett's statistics, the rest of the Matadors struggled through a 10-for-33 shooting night. The entire team went a dismal 0-for-7 from the foul line.

La Jolla advances to meet San Marcos, which upset 4th-seeded Canyon Crest. 65-63. The other half of the draw finds a pair of unseeded ballclubs in St. Augustine (a 51-50 winner over No. 3 Mission Bay) going against University City (which bounced No. 2 Cathedral, 60-49).

Mount Miguel scoring: Brad Barrett 18 (9 reb, 2 blk), Travon Caples 10 (6 reb), J.J. North 4 (4 reb), Charles Graves 3, Arthur Hobbs 2, A.J. Stanford 2.

THE BISHOP’S 57, CHRISTIAN 53 – Senior DANIEL HAZLETT did everything he could to make sure that Friday’s (Feb. 22) SDCIF Division IV quarterfinal was not going to be his final game as a high school athlete.

Hazlett, who ran his East County-leading count to 104 by landing 4 triples, finished with 18 points. But it still wasn’t enough.

“Every time Hazlett came off the screen he was challenged – every shot he took was challenged,” said Christian assistant coach TOBIN WILKINS. “He did not have one easy look. Down the stretch he had some unbelievable shots to keep us in the game.”

Even the 27 points, 14 rebounds and 6 blocks by 6-foot-8 junior VANDER JOAQUIM couldn’t save the Patriots (19-9) from elimination.

“It was close the whole way,” noted Wilkins, as the game was tied at 14 after one quarter and the 3rd-seeded Bishop’s led just 23-22 at the break. The Knights (21-8) stretched their advantage to 40-35 by the close of the 3rd period, but the Patriots refused to fold.

Joaquim nailed 8 of his 16 shots from the floor – 2 of them 3-balls – and 7 of 8 free throws.

“Vander played big-time tonight,” said Wilkins. “Every time he got the ball he was double- and triple-teamed.

“All in all it’s been a pretty good season. We are proud of the way all of our guys played tonight.”

Christian scoring: Vander Joaquim 27 (14 reb, 6 blk), Daniel Hazlett 18, Andrew Sexton 3 (3 reb, 2 stl), Lawrence Walker 3 (2 reb), Manny Walker 2 (6 reb, 1 blk), Bradley Johnston (3 reb).

HOOVER 73, STEELE CANYON 54 – It’s no secret that the strength of the Steele Canyon basketball team this season is its backcourt. That fact was not lost on host Hoover in Friday’s (Feb. 22) SDCIF Division II quarterfinal game.

The top-seeded and fast-break oriented Cardinals (24-6) actually forced the Cougars to run a bit faster than normal, which caused the visitors to play out of control at times.

“That’s what we do to people,” said Hoover coach Ollie Goulston. “We’re in shape and we’re deep, and that’s how we like to play. We definitely had them going faster than they’re accustomed to.”

Steele Canyon ’s backcourt tandem of JEBARI ROBINSON and ELIJAH CARTER were a combined 8-for-30 shooting (27 percent), which is far below the duo’s norm.

“We also got the ball out of their main guys’ hands a lot,” Goulston added. “So other guys had to make plays that they’re not used to making. Their backcourt is good, but we’ll take ours.”

Steele Canyon shot 31 percent as a team, hitting 20 of 64 attempts from the floor. Couple that with Hoover ’s 54-32 rebounding advantage and it’s easy to see why the game was one-sided.

“To lose by less than 20 points and shoot as poorly as we did…,” said Cougars coach DEREK STEPHENS. “I thought our seniors stepped up and played great tonight. We just couldn’t hit any shots.”

The Cougars also had no answer for Hoover ’s 6-foot-8 freshman Andrew Chol, who scored 16 points, grabbed 14 rebounds and blocked 7 shots. Jevon Carmon chipped in 25 points and 10 boards, while Corey Trisby pitched in 17 points for the Cardinals.

Robinson led the Cougars with 10 points, while Carter tacked on 9 points, 5 rebounds and 4 assists.

RILEY BALIKIAN landed a pair of 3-balls on his way to 8 points, 4 rebounds and 3 assists.

Junior JOSIAH SMITH delivered 6 points and 5 rebounds off the bench. Another junior, ERIC GILBERT, was 5-for-5 from the free throw line.

“I thought some of our juniors did a pretty good job tonight so we have a good outlook for next year,” Stephens said.

Steele Canyon scoring: Jebari Robinson 10 (1 blk), Elijah Carter 9 (5 reb, 4 ast, 1 blk), Riley Balikian 8 (4 reb, 3 ast, 1 blk), Zane Keith 6 (3 reb, 1 blk), Josiah Smith 6 (5 reb), Eric Gilbert 5 (3 reb), Nick Stathas 4 (4 reb, 3 stl), Jake Ransom 4 (2 reb, 4 stl), Cameron Moss 2 (3 reb).

© East County Sports.com
RANCHO SAN DIEGO (2-20-08) -- Three years after collecting the second of consecutive CIF San Diego Section championships, Steele Canyon High is back on the board with a postseason victory.

ELIJAH CARTER pumped home 18 points and JEBARI ROBINSON added 15, as the Cougars took advantage of 17 first-half turnovers by El Centro-Southwest to skate past the visiting Eagles, 58-43, in Tuesday's (Feb. 19) opening round of the Division II playoffs.

The triumph was the school's first in the postseason at the section level since rattling off seven straight to claim titles in 2004 (Div. III over USDHS) and 2005 (Div. II over Scripps Ranch).

"It's the first time we've made it through to the second round since I've been here," said Robinson, who was in 8th grade the last time Steele Canyon reached the podium. "And it's something the team's been talking about -- we really wanted to win a playoff game."

"We played hard and came in pumped up because we haven't won in the playoffs for so long," added forward JOSIAH SMITH, who added 11 points and 9 rebounds.

Any doubts about an Eagles comeback were vanquished by the Cougars defense midway through the second period. On consecutive possessions, RILEY BALIKIAN and ZANE KEITH blocked shots, with Carter grabbing the loose ball each time, then dribbling coast-to-coast through traffic for fastbreak layins.

Carter scored 15 of his 18 in the first half enabling the Cougars (16-12) to mount a 35-19 halftime advantage.

Southwest forward Joshua Holmes single-handedly cut the margin to 9 in the fourth period, going to the foul line over five straight possessions (7-for-10) to make it a 44-35 contest. However, Robinson drove the lane for a dramatic reverse layin to reclaim control.

The Cougars, who have won 10 of their last 11 games, will travel to meet top-seeded Hoover in Friday's (Feb. 22) quarterfinals.

"We look forward to playing Hoover , but it will be a tough game," added Robinson. "They have a big guy we have to jam up on and make it tough on him."

Steele Canyon: Elijah Carter 18 (6 stl, 6 reb.), Jebari Robinson 15 (4 stl), Josiah Smith 11 (9 reb), Nick Stathas 5 (4 stl), Riley Balikian 3 (3 ast, 3 stl, 2 blk), Zane Keith 2 (6 reb, 2 blk), Eric Gilbert 2 (4 reb, 3 stl), Jake Ransom 2.

CHRISTIAN 62, PREUSS 42 – With the opponent's focus on the Christian High inside game, Patriots guard DANIEL HAZLETT reminded The Preuss School that they have an outside game, too.

Hazlett poured home a game-high 27 points, including seven 3-point goals, pacing Christian past the visiting Tritons, 62-42, in Tuesday's (Feb. 19) opening round of the San Diego Section CIF Division IV playoffs. His treys gave the senior exactly 100 for the season, making him the 12th player in section history to achieve the milestone.

Hazlett connected on three of his triples in the 2nd quarter, surging the Patriots to a 30-20 halftime advantage. However, the ballclub expected more despite the double-digit lead.

"We didn't have the defensive intensity we needed in the first half before we picked it up," said Hazlett. "We'll need to do better to beat Bishop's."

Christian (19-8) will meet The Bishop's School, the No. 3 seed, in Friday's (Feb. 22) quarterfinals at the Fleet Center in La Jolla.

Following a sloppy opening period, Hazlett came out firing in the 2nd quarter, draining a pair of treys to push the lead to 19-10 after the Tritons (9-16) elected to double- and triple-team Patriots 6-8 center VANDER JOAQUIM every time he touched the ball.

However, all of the guards benefitted with open looks, even when Joaquim went to the bench with second-half foul trouble.

"We put in a new offense and it's opening up shots for players who normally don't get a lot of shots," added Hazlett.

The alterations resulted in diverse scoring, as eight different Patriots hit the scorebook. And four players who aren’t normally play-makers registered multiple assists, led by four from BRADLEY JOHNSTON.

Joaquim finished with 11 points and 16 rebounds, while also blocking 5 Preuss shots.

"We're trying to come up with new ways to score, so we put this new offense in," noted head coach KELVIN STARR, who collected his first high school playoff victory following a series of national tournament appearances when he guided San Diego Christian College. "The bread-and-butter for this team is still defense, but if we want to beat Bishop's we need to do better than this."

It was the fourth straight win for Christian.

Christian scoring: Daniel Hazlett 27, Vander Joaquim 11 (16 reb, 5 blk), Andrew Sexton 6 (6 reb), Aaron Whitten 5, Bradley Johnston 4 (4 ast), Taylor Eichhorst 3 (7 reb), Tyrone Sauls 3, Andrew Whitten 3.

MONTE VISTA 51, MT. CARMEL 34 — Monte Vista first-year head coach JAMES CARROLL wasn’t sure his Monarchs would even qualify for the SDCIF Division II playoffs considering his squad stumbled to the regular season finish line with four losses in their last five games.

Yet, behold the inflated SDCIF tournament found room for the Monarchs, whom host Mt. Carmel probably looked upon as pure cannon fodder in Tuesday’s (Feb. 19) playoff opener in North County .

After fighting to a 16-16 draw in the 1st quarter, Monte Vista (11-18) slapped the defensive clamps upon the Sundevils (12-15), limiting the North County crew to 6 points in each of the final three quarters.

“We got off to a good start but Mt. Carmel tied the game at the end of the 1st quarter by hitting a 30-foot 3-pointer,” Carroll said.

Clinging to a 24-22 halftime edge, the Monarchs put together a 15-6 3rd period to force the Sundevils to play catch up the remainder of the night.

“We played a great 2nd half. I’m pleased with how we played on both offense and defense. MIKE WATKINS hit 2 big 3s in the 2nd half to help keep us ahead the whole half.”

GEOFF HARTMAN paced Monte Vista with 17 points, nailing 7 of 13 shots from the field. He also gobbled up 8 rebounds, made 4 assists and logged 3 steals.

Watkins totaled 12 points and 4 steals, while ANTHONY BELL pitched in 8 points and pilfered 4 passes.

“RYAN HOUSER did a great job on ( Tyler ) Fricke, Mt. Carmel ’s best player,” Carroll said.

Monte Vista was much too quick on defense for Mt. Carmel . The Monarchs totaled 18 steals.

“Our steals helped keep them off the tempo they wanted,” Carroll said. “I’m happy we get to play at least one more game. It’s a great feeling for the seniors.”

Monte Vista scoring: Geoff Hartman 17 (8 reb, 4 ast, 3 stl), Mike Watkins 12 (3 reb, 3 ast, 4 stl), Anthony Bell 8 (2 ast, 4 stl), Chris Jones 5 (5 reb, 3 ast), Brian Williams 4 (4 reb, 1 blk), Ryan Houser 3 (7 reb, 2 stl),Tony Jackson 2 (4 reb, 1 blk).

HELIX 64, RANCHO