CIF State Championships — Division V South Regional

Foothills Christian center Jamal Aytes with the foul shot during last week's CIFSDS Division V championship. (File photo by Philip Brents, sdprepsports.com)

Foothills Christian eliminated despite huge comeback

© East County Sports.com
LOS ANGELES (3-9-11) — After Foothills Christian’s less than inspiring performance in its San Diego CIF Division V loss to Horizon, the Knights were given virtually no chance in Tuesday’s (Mar. 8) opening round of the Southern California Regionals against View Park Prep at Robert F. Kennedy High School.

But no blowout was forthcoming in the regional opener.

Trailing View Park 53-40 with two minutes to go in the 3rd quarter, the Knights fought back.

“We cut it to 61-59 with a minute and a half remaining in the game and missed a wide open 3-pointer,” Foothills Christian coach BRAD LEAF said. “DALTON MOSSER had hit five buckets in a row – 3 threes and 2 twos, then he missed that last 3. He was hot, he was on fire.”

Mosser finished with a team-high 20 points.

JAMAL AYTES added 18 points, 8 rebounds and 2 blocks for the local Knights.

ANDRE JOHNSON pitched in with 16 points, hitting 6 of 10 shots from the field – two of the 3s.

DANIEL LABAHN also hit a pair of treys and totaled 9 points for the evening.

Foothills Christian loses only two seniors from this 19-13 team.

“We’re looking forward to a really, really good year next year,” Leaf said.

Foothills Christian: Dalton Mosser 20 (1 reb, 2 ast, 1 blk), Jamal Aytes 18 (8 reb, 1 stl, 2 blk), Andre Johnson 16 (2 reb, 2 stl), Daniel Labahn 9 (5 reb, 1 blk), Ian Mathisen (4 reb), Caleb Hoffman (2 reb, 1 ast, 2 stl), Joe Buenrostro (1 stl), Ricky Adams (1 reb).

Knights face colossal task in L.A.

© East County Sports.com
LOS ANGELES (3-6-11) — Foothills Christian, which lost to Horizon 62-40 in the San Diego CIF Division V championship game, will open the Southern California Regional basketball playoffs Tuesday night (Mar. 8) at Robert F. Kennedy High School against View Park Prep.

The Citrus South League champion Knights (19-12) will be facing a fierce competitor in the Los Angeles City Section’s View Park Prep Knights (17-16), who finished tied for 5th in the Coliseum League. View Park’s league, won by Crenshaw, consists primarily of Division I and Division II schools.

Foothills Christian guard Dalton Mosser (13) follows the screen by teammate Daniel Labahn (far right) to erase a Horizon High defender in Friday night's CIFSDS Division V championship game at USD. (Photo by Philip Brents, sdprepsports.com)

© East County Sports.com
ALCALA PARK (3-5-11) — No one is comparing this season's edition of the Foothills Christian High boys basketball team with its predecessor, which captured four consecutive CIF Division V titles.

But they didn't come close.

Following a solid season which saw Foothills Christian gain the second-seed in the tournament, top-seeded Horizon posted a wire-to-wire 62-40 triumph Friday (Mar. 4).

Both ballclubs will advance to the CIF State Tournament Southern Regional, with the Knights (19-11) expecting a roadtrip to either Los Angeles or the Central Valley for Tuesday's (Mar. 8) first round contest.

Another berth to the state tournament did little to take the sting out of a disappointing outing on both ends of the court.

"This is what can happen to a young team," admitted Knights coach BRAD LEAF. "We were unable to defend very well, yet it was a great learning experience."

Panthers sophomore Cody Underwood led a huge Horizon surge in the second quarter, nailing four straight jumpers, including three 3-balls, to tally half of his game-high 22 points to grab a 31-20 halftime lead.

"The second quarter just killed us," added Leaf, when Foothills was outscored 21-10 to trail by double figures over the balance of the contest. "We tried two or three different defenses, but we couldn't keep up with their speed."

While Foothills Christian struggled on defense, the team's shooting wasn't much better.

Despite a solid 16 points and 11 rebounds by center JAMAL AYTES, the Knights shot just 16-for-56 (29 percent) from the floor. Plus, the team never reached the foul line until late in the third period.

"We just were not mentally prepared," said Aytes. "It came down to focus and execution and we had neither."

The rest of the Knights admitted this was far from their best effort.

"Mentally, we were not ready to play," added guard DALTON MOSSER, who added 6 points and 7 boards. "Now we must take a deep breath and focus on the next round in the south regional

Horizon shot a torrid 53.1 percent (26-for-49, either driving through the Knights for layins or pulling up for 3-point jumpers, including 6-for-15 in the first half. Meanwhile, Panthers center Tyler Cross recorded 13 points and 8 boards.

With the win, Horizon prevented Foothills Christian from breaking the section record for most consecutive Division V section crowns shared with the Panthers (1995-98).

CIFSDS Division V Boys Championship

PANTHERS 62, KNIGHTS 40 Foothills Christian... 10 10 7 13 - 40 Horizon............... 13 21 15 13 - 62   KNIGHTS (19-11) FGS 3FG FTS PTS REB AST STL BLK 04.Ian Mathisen 0-1 0-1 0-0 0 1 0 1 0 05.Jamal Aytes 6-18 1-4 3-4 16 11 3 4 2 12.Daniel Labahn 1-5 1-3 0-0 3 1 0 1 0 13.Dalton Mosser 3-17 0-5 0-0 6 7 2 3 0 23.Caleb Hoffman 3-4 1-3 0-0 7 2 2 1 0 21 Andre Johnson 3-9 2-6 0-0 8 5 1 1 0 03 Joe Buenrostro 0-0 0-0 0-0 0 3 1 0 0 11 Corey Haines 0-0 0-0 0-0 0 1 1 0 0 25 Rick Adams 0-1 0-1 0-0 0 0 0 0 0 team 2 TOTALS 16-55 5-23 3-4 40 33 10 11 2   PANTHERS (17-11) FGS 3FG FTS PTS REB AST STL BLK 12.Julian Elegado 3-4 1-3 0-2 7 3 5 3 0 24.Darren Carrington 3-7 0-1 1-2 7 8 2 2 0 25.Tyler Cross 6-12 0-1 1-2 13 8 3 1 2 31.Ben Concepcion 2-4 2-3 0-0 6 2 0 0 0 32.Cody Underwood 9-12 4-7 0-0 22 4 0 0 0 03 Markel Byrd 3-6 0-1 1-1 7 3 3 4 1 11 Marquis Veasey 0-2 0-2 0-0 0 0 0 0 0 40 Micah Geoglien 0-2 0-2 0-0 0 1 0 0 0 02 Donte Cretain 0-0 0-0 0-0 0 1 0 0 0 team 4 TOTALS 26-49 7-20 3-7 62 34 13 10 3 Turnovers: FC 14, Horizon 13. Take-a-charge: Carrington. Fouled out: none. Technicals: none.

CIFSDS Championships — Semifinals

DIVISION II		DIVISION III
Hoover blocks Helix from CIF final Cardinals to meet defending state champion Lincoln © East County Sports.com SAN DIEGO (3-3-11) — Watching the Hoover Cardinals and the Helix Highlanders warm up before Wednesday’s (Mar. 2) San Diego CIF Division II semifinal one got the idea this optical mismatch might not be a pretty sight. “I’m sure (Hoover) thought this was going to be a 40-to-45-point win,” Helix coach JOHN SINGER said. “But I knew our kids weren’t going to roll over. That is what I am most proud of. It’s not the pretty things that happened. It’s the fight in them. They never gave up, never quit fighting.” Clearly the superior team, the Cardinals – led by agile 6-foot-9 center Angelo Chol – settled for a 65-50 victory over the Highlanders to earn their fourth straight trip to the Division II finals Friday (Mar. 4) against defending state-champion Lincoln at USD. Tipoff in Jenny Craig Pavilion is at 8:05 p.m. Chol finished with 23 points, 15 rebounds, five blocks and three steals for Hoover (26-6), which used a 9-0 run in the first period to take a lead it wouldn’t lose. A key three-pointer by Chol at the buzzer gave Hoover a 26-20 lead at intermission. Hoover guard Jonathan Booker nailed the second of his three-pointers to open the third quarter leaving the Highlanders (22-7) to play chase the remainder of the night. “I think we maximized our effort about as much as we can,” Singer said. “ Hoover has a little better firepower, but our kids battled them the whole way. I’m very proud of my guys.” Chol picked up his fourth personal foul midway through the third quarter with the Cardinals leading 32-27. It gave Helix a chance to make a move, but the Highlanders were unable to do so. Hoover , which had a fine perimeter shooting game to go along with the big guy in the middle, actually extended its advantage to 46-34 by the close of the 3rd quarter as Chol sat idly on the sidelines. “Helix is a smart team,” Chol said. “They were attacking the basket trying to get me into foul trouble. When I got my third foul, I couldn’t jump as much (in attempts to block shots) and had to watch my timing. Then, when got my fourth, I couldn’t be as aggressive.” Chol, who will attend Arizona on a basketball scholarship in the fall, said he was impressed by Helix. “They are quick and they play good defense,” he said. Offensively, though, the Highlanders shot only 33 percent from the floor (17 of 51). They were 18 of 23 from the free throw line as TOMMIE YOUNG was 6-for-6 on his way to a 14-point finish. KENNY KEYS missed only one of six from the freebie line and totaled 12 points for the night. Equally as deadly from the charity stripe was Chol, who converted 12 of 13 free throws. Junior BRIAN VALADEZ came on strong for Helix in the final two quarters where he rang up 13 of his 16 points in the game. He made half of his 14 shots from the field, including one 3-pointer. “In terms of cohesiveness and the way they stayed together in this game at Hoover is unbelievable,” Singer said. “They fought and they fought and they fought – they didn’t disappoint.” Helix won 18 of its final 21 games, capturing the Grossmont Hills League championship in the process. “Look where we were at the start of the season (off to a 4-4 start),” Singer said. “I am not disappointed at all. It’s been a great year.” Helix: Brian Valadez 16 (5 reb, 1 ast, 1 blk), Tommie Young 14 (2 reb, 3 ast, 1 stl), Kenny Keys 12 (4 reb, 1 ast, 3 stl, 2 blk), Johnny Singer 3 (6 reb, 4 ast), Titus Young 2 (5 reb, 2 ast), Michael Todd 2 (3 reb), Kevin Williams 1 (1 reb, 1 ast, 2 stl), Gary Thompson (7 reb), Kene Anigbogu (1 reb, 1 stl). DIVISION V Foothills Christian sophomore center Jamal Aytes dominated Calvin Christian with 23 points, 9 boards. (Photo by Frank Price, youatplay.com) VIEW/PURCHASE ADDITIONAL PHOTOS HERE Knights move into position for CIF 5-peat By Andrew Smith © Special to East County Sports.com SANTEE (3-3-11) — Calvin Christian High came into Wednesday (Mar. 2) night's semifinal match against 4-time defending Division V champion Foothills Christian with a chip on their shoulder after they finished their regular season at 23-4, but were still seeded behind the Knights, who were 16-10 entering the playoffs. When all was said and done, the Knights proved they deserved that No. 2 seed ahead of the Crusaders, as they punched their ticket to a fifth straight finals appearance Friday (Mar. 4) at USD's Jenny Craig Pavilion – where they will face top-seeded Horizon – by posting a 51-44 victory over visiting Calvin Christian. Knights sophomore forward JAMAL AYTES came out in the first half like a man on a mission. After nailing the very first shot of the game from downtown, he would hit 6 more of his 10 field goals in the first half as he would go on to score a game-high 23 points while collecting 9 rebounds. Calvin Christian's 6-foot-8 senior forward Daniel Stout came into the game averaging 18 points and 15 rebounds, but the Knights’ focus started with stopping him. "Front the big man and try to take him out of the game," Aytes described of their strategy going into the game. "Just play good, strong defense and move your feet." Knights junior guard ANDRE JOHNSON agreed, stating, "We heard they had a big center and quite a few good guards, so we had to focus on our team defense." In the first half, the Knights (now 18-10) gained their biggest lead at 19-9 after Aytes collected an offensive rebound and put it back with scoring the hoop and the harm for a 3-point play. They led 23-15 at the intermission. The third quarter saw both teams coming out shooting as the two teams combined for 17 points in the first two and a half minutes of the second half, capped off by an ankle-breaking crossover from Foothills junior guard DALTON MOSSER that brought their entire bench to their feet and gave the Knights a 32-21 lead with 5:35 left in the 3rd period. The Crusaders did all they could in the second half to attempt a comeback, behind a combined 24 points between their two senior team captains, guard Ryan Waardenburg and center Daniel Stout, but the closest they ever got was at the final buzzer when Waardenburg hit a 3-pointer to close out the game. "It feels great for our team to win like this again," Johnson said. "I'm just glad we made it to another CIF championship game." Johnson scored 7 points, but was all over the place chasing down loose balls and making several hustle plays that don't show up in the box score. "With this young team we had to win this game with defense," said Knights head coach BRAD LEAF afterwards. "We're very excited to be playing Friday and we can’t wait for that opportunity for a fifth-straight title."		Mount Miguel's Marcus Booker drains one of four straight 4th-quarter shots. (Slideshow by Pierre Davis) VIEW ADDITIONAL PHOTOS HERE Defending champ Matadors fail to get into the zone © East County Sports.com PACIFIC BEACH (3-3-11) — When it comes to playoff basketball, not every ballclub gains an opportunity to scout since most teams play at the same time and an opponent could come from almost any corner of the county. So when Mission Bay standout Jimmie Elder-Chapman was forced to the bench with two early fouls, then a third foul midway through the second period, it looked like Advantage: Mount Miguel when the Buccaneers were obligated to play zone defense during Wednesday's (Mar. 2) San Diego CIF Division III semifinals. "Except we're not very good against a zone -- it slowed us down," admitted Matadors guard MOHAMUD ABDI. "We're just not very effective when it comes to working against a zone." Talk about the most fortuitous break for an unknowing Mission Bay coaching staff, which opened in straight man defense in a nip-and-tuck contest in the early going. However, in the zone, the second-seeded Bucs blossomed for a 27-12 advantage in the second quarter, staving off a late Mount Miguel rally for a 60-54 decision to eliminate the defending D-III titlists. "Mission Bay would've switched to a zone eventually anyway," noted Matadors coach JAY ROWLETT. "But we couldn't get going with our shots until the second half." The defending champions from Spring Valley did not go down without a fight. A 14-point deficit was trimmed to five, including consecutive 3-balls by Abdi, a senior ticketed to play for Grossmont College next season. Abdi finished with a season-high 14 points and 9 boards in his best effort of the season. "We also played some great defense, especially THOMAS (BUTLER)," said Abdi. "He got Jimmie in foul trouble and he helped stop KENNY (KEYS) when we recently played Helix." And when MARCUS BOOKER drained four consecutive outside jumpers, including a pair of triples, for 10 of his 17 points to open the fourth quarter, a repeat trip to USD's Jenny Craig Pavilion seemed plausible after trimming a 47-33 deficit to 56-51 with 2:56 remaining. However, Elder-Chapman returned to score on a putback, then he blocked a late shot to advance Mission Bay to its third-ever title game appearance. "We got them into the zone, but we couldn't burn them," noted Booker. C.J. Rayford was credited for picking up the slack for the missing Elder-Chapman. "It was a real team effort with no panic," noted Rayford, who finished with 11 points and 9 rebounds, along with being a defensive presence inside. "We knew that if we executed our plays, everything else would follow." Booker and Thomas hit early 3-balls for a 13-7 advantage, closing the quarter with a 15-12 lead. However, Mission Bay rolled up 27 points in the second quarter, many on transition baskets off missed Matadors shots. Butler, the Mount Miguel center, paced all scorers with 18 points, while CORY LITTLETON grabbed 15 boards, helping Mount Miguel stay close by matching Mission Bay with 35 rebounds for each side. Mount Miguel, the Grossmont Valley League co-champion, finished the season with a 22-8 record. Mission Bay will meet University City in the title tilt. The fifth-seeded Centurions gained a finals berth after posting consecutive upsets of Cathedral Catholic and top-seeded St. Augustine . Mount Miguel: Thomas Butler 18 (3 stl, 2 reb, 1 ast), Marcus Booker 17 (5 ast, 5 reb, 2 stl), Mohammad Abdi 14 (9 reb, 3 blk, 2 ast, 2 stl), Cory Littleton 5 (15 reb, 1 blk, 1 stl, 1 charge), Izzy Wagner (1 ast, 1 reb, 1 stl), Shakeel Hill (2 reb, 1 blk). SEMIFINALS BOYS / Wed., Mar. 2 DIVISION I (1) La Costa Canyon 72, El Camino 68, OT (2) Torrey Pines 70, (3) Rancho Buena Vista 60 DIVISION II (1) Lincoln 74, Morse 39 (2) Hoover 65, (3) Helix 50 DIVISION III University City 71, (1) St. Augustine 50 (2) Mission Bay 60, (3) Mount Miguel 54 DIVISION IV (1) Francis Parker 60, Army-Navy Academy 51 (3) The Bishop's 70, (2) La Jolla Country Day 55 DIVISION V (1) Horizon 56, (4) The Rock 33 (2) Foothills Christian 51, (3) Calvin Christian 44

Mount Miguel's Cory Littleton calls for the ball after sealing off a defender from Canyon Crest. The Matadors captured the quarterfinal contest, 53-49. (Photo by Frank Price, youatplay.com) VIEW/PURCHASE ADDITIONAL PHOTOS

© East County Sports.com
SPRING VALLEY (2-27-11) — Riding the crest of a 6-game San Diego CIF Division III playoff winning streak, the Mount Miguel Matadors are only one game away from reaching the section finals for a second consecutive season.

The defending champions from Spring Valley eliminated Canyon Crest Academy 53-49 in Saturday’s (Feb. 26) Division III quarterfinals, and now need a road victory at Mission Bay in Wednesday’s (Mar. 2) semifinals to have a chance to repeat.

“That’s been one of our goals all season,” said Matadors junior point guard MARCUS BOOKER. “We want back-to-back championships.”

The visiting Ravens had their own ideas as they flogged the Matadors 8-0 early in the first quarter. By the close of the period Canyon Crest (19-9) maintained a 16-8 advantage.

Booker brought the Matadors back, accounting for 13 of Mount Miguel’s 17 second quarter points, which helped his team gain a 25-22 edge at the break.

“No question those guys started out strong going ahead like they did,” Booker said. “But we know we can come back. That’s a big part of our game.”

“That was the most satisfying part of this game – we made plays when we needed them most,” the coach said.

“I knew I had to do something to get us going,” Booker said, “and I was able to make some shots in that second quarter. We’re not a great offensive team. We play great defense. We believe we can beat people even when we’re down.”

Probably the biggest defensive concern for Mount Miguel was Canyon Crest’s 6-foot-10, 250-pound Cory Osetkowski.

“We were able to stop their big dude,” Booker said.

Both Booker and Coach Rowlett credited 6-foot-3 juniors CORY LITTLETON and THOMAS BUTLER for containing the Ravens’ giant.

“Our goal was to keep their big guy off the block, double-team him and force turnovers,” Booker noted. “For the most part I think we were able to do that.”

Added Rowlett, “I think because of our size difference we got into foul trouble trying to contain that big guy. I know Thomas missed a lot of the second and fourth quarters because he was in foul trouble.”

Nonetheless Butler chipped in with 14 points, 5 rebounds and 3 assists.

Mount Miguel, which has won 12 of its last 14, was rocked 65-46 by Mission Bay on Dec. 10, 2010.

“We know what we want, and to get that means we have to beat Mission Bay,” Booker said.

Mount Miguel: Marcus Booker 21 (3 reb, 3 ast, 3 stl), Thomas Butler 14 (5 reb, 3 ast), Izzy Wagner 9 (3 reb, 3 ast), Cory Littleton 4 (11 reb), Shakeel Hill 3 (2 reb, 1 ast, 4 stl), Mohamud Abdi 2 (6 reb, 2 ast, 1 stl).

Top: Foothills Christian's Dalton Mosser steams past a defender from Vincent Memorial. Right: Knights center Jamal Aytes with the rejection. (Photos by Nathan Price, youatplay.com) VIEW/PURCHASE ADDITIONAL PHOTOS

DIVISION V
FOOTHILLS CHRISTIAN 90, VINCENT MEMORIAL 44 — It's been well-established that the Knights are embarrassed to be mandated by the San Diego CIF to play a Citrus South League schedule against some obviously under-manned programs. And Foothills Christian goes out of its way not to run up scores, usually plays both league contests on the road, and utilizes any other means available to maintain some respect and dignity to such opponents.

But you can throw that out of the window following Foothills Christian's SDCIF Division V quarterfinal victory Saturday (Feb. 26) over the Scots from Calexico at El Cajon Valley High.

Next up for Foothills (18-10), the 4-time defending CIF Division V champions, is a semifinal affair against Calvin Christian (23-4), a side which commented its thoughts that they should be seeded above the Knights in this season's tournament field.

Translation: That is bulletin board material.

Thus, the Crusaders are upset being placed third in the postseason seedings behind the No. 2 Knights. And Foothills is bothered by Calvin's outlandish statements following closer examinations of scores between common opponents finds little credence in the Crusaders' beliefs.

In other words, expect some fireworks when these two schools clash in Wednesday's (Mar. 2) section semifinals, to be played at West Hills High at 7 p.m.

One quick, easy comparison are recent contests involving San Diego Jewish Academy. The Lions closed the regular season with a heart-breaking, 2-point road loss at Calvin Christian, 46-44, on Feb. 27. Then SDJA, following a 3-hour bus ride to the Imperial Valley, fell in its playoff opener to Vincent Memorial, 48-38.

Meanwhile, the Knights more than doubled up on Vincent Memorial by 46 points without much effort.

In other words, Calvin Christian may need seven players on the court to prevent Foothills from truly displaying its talent for the first time since battling University City more than a month ago. The Centurions, a CIF Division III program, upset 4th-seeded Cathedral Catholic to gain their own Final Four berth.

Foothills, in gaining a fifth consecutive trip to the Division V Final Four, saw DALTON MOSSER pour in a game-high 25 points to down Vincent Memorial's Scots. Center JAMAL AYTES collected 20 point and 15 rebounds.

Meanwhile, CALEB HOFFMAN and DANIEL LABAHN added 16 points each, as the Knights totaled 31 points in the opening quarter to mount a 20-point cushion en route to capturing their 16th consecutive San Diego Section postseason victory.

Foothills Christian: Dalton Mosser 25 (6 ast, 3 stl), Jamal Aytes 20 (15 reb, 3 ast, 1 blk, 1 stl), Caleb Hoffman 16 (3 reb, 6 ast, 3 stl), Daniel Labahn 16 (3 reb, 1 ast), Andre Johnson 7 (4 reb, 4 ast, 2 stl), Joe Buenrostro 3 (1 reb, 2 stl), Ricky Adams 2 (3 reb, 3 stl, 1 blk), Corey Haines 1 (1 reb), Ian Mathisen (2 ast, 2 reb).

Mount Miguel center Thomas Butler muscles along the baseline to top Bonita Vista. (Photo by Frank Price, youatplay.com) VIEW/PURCHASE ADDITIONAL PHOTOS

© East County Sports.com
SAN DIEGO (2-24-11) — El Capitan High coach JASON CAVAZOS probably had to use his best persuasive techniques to convince his No. 16 seeded Vaqueros that they had a chance against top-seeded St. Augustine in Wednesday’s (Feb. 23) San Diego CIF Division III playoff opener.

“I know this is the best game we’ve played all year, and I feel that this is the best game I’ve ever coached in my career,” said the fourth-year Vaqueros coach.

Given the performance on the floor, Cavazos was right on both fronts.

El Capitan (8-17) led by one point with 13 seconds left in regulation.

“For some reason we got called for a ticky-tack foul with 9 seconds left… some hand-checking foul,” Cavazos said. “It was one of those calls that could have gone either way, but something you don’t call when the game is on the line.”

The Saints (22-6) made one of two free throws to push the game into overtime.

Things got even more sticky for El Capitan in the extra session. Fouls mowed down an already short-handed El Capitan roster, eliminating 3 of its 7-man roster, including scoring leader TYSON KYGAR, who fouled out with 1:56 left in regulation.

“I couldn’t believe we didn’t win it before overtime and then I couldn’t believe we made it into overtime,” Cavazos said.

That’s because the Vaqueros were obligated to finish the game with only four players on the floor against the Saints’ five.

“You know what’s strange about that? We still had a chance to at least tie it,” Cavazos related. “And even though they had one more player than us it was still a one-possession game with 30 seconds to play.”

Although St. Augustine played a zone defense the majority of the night, the Saints came out and attacked CODY KYGAR, who missed “a pair of 35 foot shots that could have tied the game under heavy pressure.”

Cavazos noted that his team averages about 5-foot-10 per player against a St. Augustine squad that was 6-4 or taller.

“I was just glad our kids were in the locker room when Saints was warming up,” Cavazos said. “What they were doing was a dunk fest with alley-oop passes. It probably wouldn’t have mattered if our kids saw it or not because our guys weren’t intimidated. We went out and took them on face to face and had fun.”

“As frustrating as the loss was, I told the kids to look in the mirror and be proud of what they saw.”

El Capitan: Tyson Kygar 23 (2 reb, 3 ast, 4 stl, 1 blk), Cody Kygar 22 (6 reb, 5 ast, 1 blk, 3 stl), Nestor Ramirez 8 (3 ast, 8 reb, 1 stl), Austin Betts 5 (3 reb, 2 stl), Austin Digenan 3 (5 reb, 2 blk, 1 stl), Anthony Agunat 3 (2 reb), Kameron Brown 2 (5 reb, 1 stl).

Reden, who will play on scholarship for BYU this fall, allowed the 9th-seeded Jags to dominate the boards and forge a late 5-point lead, then staved off a last-second Sultans opportunity.

"We won something like our last nine regular season games, so we were disappointed at practice Saturday when we discovered we didn't get a home game – we thought we deserved it," said Reden. "It definitely was a chip on our shoulders, and we came through when it came down to the final play."

Santana forward LANDON LOZOYA nailed a pair of foul shots to secure a 50-49 lead with 1:16 remaining, but Valley Center beat a Sultans press for a layin basket by Beau Reilly with 31 seconds left.

"It came down to making one play, be it making a shot or grabbing a rebound at the very end," noted Santana coach TIM BARRY. "We thought Landon could get inside, but they pinched down on him."

About to face a triple-team in the lane, Lozoya kicked the ball out to TREY BASS for a potential 3-point goal.

"The ball was in the cylinder, but came out," said Barry. "We dug deep, so it's disappointing to fall one step short."

A scramble on the floor for the loose ball saw Jaguars guard James Siva gain possession. He was fouled, but with 9-10th of a second left, he intentionally missed the foul shot.

To add to the heartbreak, Bass grabbed the rebound and tossed a 70-footer in a bid for a miracle finish, but the ball slammed the front of the rim.

Valley Center held a 36-24 rebounding advantage, including 16 offensive boards. But Santana began to limit second-chance opportunities, then slowly moved back into contention and eventually back in front.

Included was a triple by JORDAN KHALAF while being fouled, with the resulting 4-point play giving Santana a 44-43 lead with 5:30 left in the fourth quarter.

However, Siva and Reilly each recorded two assists over the final minutes.

RYAN BICKFORD led all Sultans scorers with 11 points, while Lozoya and JASON CORBISEZ added 10 each.

Valley Center (18-8) advances to meet top-seeded St. Augustine on Saturday. Santana, the Grossmont Valley League co-champions, finishes at 19-9 overall.

Santana: Ryan Bickford 11 (2 reb, 1 blk), Jason Corbisez 10 (3 stl, 2 reb), Landon Lozoya 10 (7 reb, 3 blk, 3 ast, 2 stl), Trey Bass 7 (6 reb, 3 ast, 2 stl, 1 blk), Jordan Khalaf 6 (1 reb), Mike Rosolino 6 (3 stl, 2 reb), Christian Barry (1 blk, 1 stl, 1 ast).

HELIX 59, El Centro-SOUTHWEST 27 – For a playoff game, Wednesday’s (Feb. 23) opening round of the San Diego CIF Division II playoffs was a coach’s dream for Helix’ JOHN SINGER.

Singer paraded 15 Highlanders onto the floor as Helix squashed visiting El Centro Southwest (13-15).

KENNY KEYS, who recently signed a football letter of intent to UNLV as a free safety, led the Highlanders with 15 points and 18 rebounds.

Right on his heels was BRIAN VALADEZ who pitched in with 14 points and 12 rebounds.

“It was pretty clear to me that we weren’t very focused,” coach Singer said. “No matter how hard I tried to convince them, our kids knew that this team that they were playing had not won a single game on our side of the mountain.”

Helix (21-6) outscored the Eagles 31-6 in the middle two quarters to turn the game into a blowout.

“From here on out we’re gonna have to play top-end,” said Singer.

The Highlanders, who have won 13 of their last 14 and 17 of their last 19, will host Hilltop in Saturday’s (Feb. 26) quarterfinals at 7 p.m. The rub here is Hilltop defeated the Highlanders in the second game of the season 52-40.

Helix: Kenny Keys 15 (18 reb, 3 ast, 2 stl, 1 blk), Brian Valadez 14 (12 reb, 2 ast, 1 stl, 2 blk), Tommie Young 7 (1 reb, 1 ast, 1 stl), Gary Thompson 6 (5 reb, 1 ast, 1 stl), Kene Anigbogu 5 (3 reb, 2 ast, Michael Todd 3 (2 reb), Earl Schexnayder 3 (2 reb, 1 ast), Donald Woodard (3 reb, 1 ast), Titus Young 2 (1 reb, 4 ast, 1 stl), John Singer 2 (4 reb, 1 ast), Kevin Williams (2 reb, 2 ast, 1 stl), Ray Contreras 2 (2 reb, 3 blk), Isaac Sullivan (3 reb), Vann Sabin (1 blk), Isaac Randall (1 reb).

Mount Miguel's Marcus Booker goes baseline. (Photo by Daniel Salinas, MMHS student)

Not surprisingly the Grossmont Valley League co-champions Matadors extended two impressive winning streaks of 11 wins in 13 games and 17 of their last 20 as they eliminated visiting Olympian in Wednesday’s (Feb. 23) opening round of the San Diego CIF Division III playoffs.

THOMAS BUTLER set the pace for the defending SDCIF champion Matadors (21-7) with 19 points and 9 rebounds, while CORY LITTLETON chipped in with 14 points and 7 boards.

Not to be overlooked was the play of first year player MOHAMUD ABDI, who knocked down 11 points and speared 6 rebounds.

“ Butler and (MARCUS) BOOKER are the only guys we have with experience playing in the postseason,” said Matadors coach JAY ROWLETT. “So we came out a little jittery in the first half.”

Thus Mount Miguel led only 28-24 at the break.

“The great thing about these kids is they are able to adapt to a situation,” Rowlett continued. “We took that nervous energy in the first half and we turned it into positive energy in the second half. We got a lot of stops and turned them into baskets.

“Our defense was what we expected it to be in the second half.”

The Matadors advance to Saturday’s (Feb. 26) quarterfinals where they will host Canyon Crest (19-8).

Mount Miguel: Thomas Butler 19 (9 reb, 2 ast, 2 stl), Cory Littleton 14 (7 reb, 1 stl), Mohamud Abdi 11 (6 reb, 3 stl), Marcus Booker 8 (6 ast, 4 reb, 2 stl), Izzy Wagner 3 (4 stl, 4 ast), Shakeel Hill 2 (2 ast, 3 stl).

MONTE VISTA 63, SCRIPPS RANCH 42 – One of four East County survivors in Wednesday’s (Feb. 23) opening round of the San Diego CIF playoffs, the visiting Monarchs outscored Scripps Ranch across the board in a Division II playoff game.

The Monarchs shot 56 percent from the floor with BRIAN STERLING connecting on 6 of 10 shots from the floor on his way to a game-high 21 points. Four of Sterling ’s bullseyes came from long distance. He was also 5 of 6 from the free throw line and shared team-high rebounding honors with JAMES JACKSON with 10 apiece. Jackson also added 15 points.

“We manned them on defense the whole game and challenged every move they made,” said Monarchs coach JAMES CARROLL. “We made all the adjustments to everything they tried and we made them use much of the shot clock with each possession. We did a good job handling the ball and made quite a few good passes. I’m really pleased with the way we shot.”

Junior point guard KJ HOUSTON contributed 14 points and 5 assists for the Monarchs (16-10).

“KJ did a great job in all phases of the game,” Carroll said. “He is becoming very difficult for an opponent to control. They tried to pick up the tempo in the fourth quarter, and that’s when we pulled away.”

The Monarchs outscored the Falcons 24-11 over the final 8 minutes.

Monte Vista: Brian Sterling 21 (10 reb, 1 ast, 1 blk, 3 stl), James Jackson 15 (10 reb, 2 ast, 1 blk), KJ Houston 14 (4 reb, 5 ast), Rueben Nwando 11 (4 reb, 2 ast, 2 blk, 1 stl), Kylie Luster 2 (7 reb, 1 blk), Justin Brandy (3 reb), Jahzdion Taylor (1 stl).

SAN YSIDRO 68, GROSSMONT 62 – Foothillers coach FRANK FOGGIANO wasn’t angry about the fact that his team came up short against visiting San Ysidro in Wednesday’s (Feb. 23) opening round of the San Diego CIF Division I playoffs.

Obviously, he was disappointed. “We just don’t do well in physical games like this,” Foggiano said.

Not that Foggiano was thrilled with the officiating.

“I don’t care if we’re getting banged around out there but it looked like there were at least five times that they grabbed our arms when we went up to shoot. And that affects the game when it isn’t called,” he said.

So does poor free throw shooting. While San Ysidro (21-8) was converting 17 of 19 shots from the charity stripe, Grossmont missed half of its 18 opportunities from the foul line.

Trailing most of the contest, the Foothillers erased a 48-40 deficit when DeSEAN WATERS hit a floater, RYAN GREEN landed a 3-pointer from the corner and ROBBY NESOVIC banged back-to-back buckets to complete a 9-0 run, staking Grossmont to a 49-48 lead with 6:51 remaining.

But that was the last glimmer that Grossmont (18-10) had of a victory as San Ysidro hit clutch baskets and went 11-for-12 from the free throw line in the final period.

On the flip side Grossmont was only 1-for-4 from the charity stripe in the final 8 minutes.

Junior guard Javion Watson led San Ysidro with 24 points, which included 9 of 10 free throw shooting. Eddie Martin added 20 points for the Cougars.

“I’m just so proud of my kids,” said former Christian High coach and now San Ysidro skipper Terry Tucker. “We came out of San Ysidro four years ago and people were laughing at us because we only won one game in our first season. But since then we’ve developed a little bit of a family down there and worked hard.”

“I think most of the 50-50 balls, we got,” Tucker added. “When the ball was on the ground we got it. When we finally stopped fouling so much we were able to keep the game going at a pace we wanted.”

That was detrimental for a Grossmont team that looked to their inside prowess that was not up to par against San Ysidro.

“They have a great inside game so they wanted to get it into the post,” Tucker noted.

The Foothillers were able to do that but they were not able to finish. Grossmont’s post players were only 14 of 37.

Nesovic, who took a physical beating, managed a double-double of 19 points and 13 rebounds to go along with 5 assists.

DEREK RUSTICH had trouble connecting in the paint and settled for 13 points when he could have had twice that many. He led all rebounders with 19.

It seemed like Grossmont senior point guard DeSEAN WATERS was playing at a different speed than his teammates. Not to place any blame but Waters was playing at a blue ribbon clip.

“I feel sorry for DeSean,” said Foggiano. “It’s a shame his season had to end this way.”

Grossmont: Robby Nesovic 19 (13 reb, 5 ast, 1 blk, 2 stl), Derek Rustich 13 (19 reb, 2 stl), DeSean Waters 10 (3 reb, 3 ast, 3 stl), Michael Wnek 8 (2 ast), Austin Swisher 5 (2 reb, 2 ast, 1 stl), Ryan Green 5 (2 reb, 1 stl), Nick Persinger 2 (2 reb, 1 ast).

Foothills Christian's Daniel Labahn (12) keeps the ball away from a pair of Vista-Calvary Christian defenders in a 98-21 cakewalk. (Photo by Nathan Price, youatplay.com) VIEW/PURCHASE ADDITIONAL PHOTOS

Foothills Christian (17-10), the four-time defending Division V champions, are seeded second in going for the 5-peat, with Horizon gaining the top berth.

Six different Knights scored in double figures, including a game-high 20 points by ANDRE JOHNSON, who nearly out-scored the Lions by himself.

DALTON MOSSER and DANIEL LABAHN poured in 18 points each, while JAMAL AYTES added 15 points and a team-best 7 rebounds.

Foothills Christian: Andre Johnson 20 (5 reb, 4 stl, 5 ast), Dalton Mosser 18 (3 reb, 5 stl, 6 ast, 1 blk), Daniel Labahn 18 (4 reb, 2 stl, 2 ast, 1 blk), Jamal Aytes 15 (7 reb, 2 stl, 2 ast), Caleb Hoffman 12 (1 reb, 5 stl, 3 ast), Ian Mathisen 11 (4 reb, 6 stl), Ricky Adams 4 (4 reb, 3 stl, 3 ast), Joe Buenrostro (3 reb, 6 stl, 4 ast).

Valhalla's David Wilschetz (right) takes the rebound away from Point Loma forward Nate George (32). (Photo by Char Clark, PLHS parent) ADDITIONAL PHOTOS HERE

After that the Norsemen (14-13) were outscored in all three quarters as they saw their season come to and end.

“We had something like 19 turnovers and that just killed us,” said Valhalla coach KEITH JACKSON. “But more than that we had some defensive breakdowns late in the game and Point Loma’s guards hit a couple of big threes.”

Nonetheless Valhalla, trailing 49-46 with 17 seconds remaining had a chance to tie the game.

“We never got that tying shot off because there was a scramble for a loose ball that we appeared to come up with, and asked for a timeout. That was with 6 seconds left but the referees didn’t see us and we never got that final shot off.”

At one stretch Point Loma (14-11) built a 40-31 lead but the Norsemen scrambled back to tie it at 42-all.

“It was one of those game that we just couldn’t get control of the situation down the stretch,” Jackson said.

Steady DAVID WILSCHETZ led the Norsemen with 19 points and 13 rebounds.

KEVIN MILLS had a career best 12 points but it still wasn’t enough to keep the Norsemen’s season alive.

“From where we started at Rancho Bernardo in our first game (losing 67-27) we’ve come a long way,” Jackson noted. “This team did a lot of good things; for example, Wilschetz exceeded our expectations.”

Valhalla: David Wilschetz 19 (13 reb, 3 ast, 4 blk), Kevin Mills 12 (1 reb, 1 ast, 2 stl), Thomas McDonald 6 (4 reb, 1 ast, 1 stl), Spencer Havird 5 (5 reb, 4 ast, 5 stl), Chris Shields 3 (3 reb), Manny Hernandez 1 (5 reb, 2 ast, 3 blk, 1 stl), Amil Hermiz (1 ast, 1 reb, 3 stl), Andrew Lewellen (1 ast, 1 stl), Andrew Lozoya (1 reb).

OTAY RANCH 58, GRANITE HILLS 42 – In a game matching two of the better shooters in the San Diego CIF Section, Otay Ranch’s Alex Perez poured in 35 points to lead the host Mustangs to a first round victory over GARRETT LARCH-MILLER and the Granite Hills Eagles in Wednesday’s (Feb. 23) Division I playoffs.

Larch-Miller, who came in averaging an East County best 25.6 points per game finished with 15 points against Otay Ranch – the majority coming on 10 of 11 free throw shooting.

Otay Ranch (24-4) built an 18-4 first quarter lead, leaving the Eagles to play catchup from there.

“The first quarter killed us,” said Eagles coach RANDY ANDERSON. “We had numerous turnovers against their pressure. In the second quarter we put four guards in the game and we were able to handle the pressure a lot better. After the first quarter we played them fairly even but we didn’t shoot very well.”

Six-foot-9 Granite Hills junior SCOTT ATKINSON scored only 2 points but garnered 13 rebounds and blocked 5 shots for the Eagles who finished 18-12.

“Overall, these are a great group of kids – they played hard and I was proud of them,” Anderson said.

Granite Hills: Garrett Larch-Miller 15 (5 reb, 2 ast, 1 blk, 1 stl), Dalton Otineru 8 (1 stl), James Sadik 5 (1 ast, 1 blk), Joey Grubb 4 (5 reb), Wil Wilson 3 (2 reb, 1 ast), Scott Atkinson 2 (13 reb, 5 blk), John Petty 3 (2 reb), D.J. Palomera 2 (3 reb, 1 ast), Blake Perry (2 reb).

SANTA FE CHRISTIAN 53, CHRISTIAN 43 – The visiting Patriots could not get their offense in gear as they were eliminated in Wednesday’s (Feb. 23) first round of the San Diego CIF Division IV playoffs in Solana Beach.

Although the Patriots (12-15) trailed most of the nights they did gain a brief lead in the final period but could not maintain the advantage.

“We couldn’t get into our offense,” said Christian assistant coach DEREK LARSEN. “ Santa Fe did a great job of extending their half court defense – denied everything.”

Although AARON HUESLEIN contributed 12 points – half of them coming on treys – Christian’s season scoring leader SHANE DILLON was limited to 11 points and 7 rebounds by a tenacious Santa Fe Christian (9-17) defense.

“Santa Fe doubled on Dillon most of the night and limited his touches,” Stephens noted.

Due to an early season injury to all-section guard ICARO PARISOTTO, all the pressure fell in Dillon’s lap. The Patriots’ opponents knew that and applied the pressure accordingly.

Christian: Aaron Hueslein 12 (4 reb, 3 ast, 2 stl), Shane Dillon 11 (7 reb, 1 ast, 2 stl), Tyrone Sauls 6 (5 reb), Trenton Sauls 6 (4 reb, 1 ast, 2 stl), Clarence Carter 4 (3 reb), Jake Larsen 2 (6 reb, 1 ast, 3 stl), Michael Letuzic 2, Tyler Ballard (2 reb, 1 ast).

LINCOLN 83, STEELE CANYON 29 – The Cougars (10-19) found out in rapid fashion why Lincoln (26-1) is the defending state Division II champions in Wednesday’s (Feb. 23) opening round of the San Diego CIF playoffs.

The top-seeded Hornets buzzed to a 30-6 first quarter lead and never looked back.

“We were pretty overmatched tonight,” understated Steele Canyon coach DEREK STEPHENS. “ Lincoln is the best high school team I’ve seen in person – ever. We practiced for their press but we weren’t able to assimilate their intensity. I was proud of my guys because they were at ease going in there, confident and they felt like we had a chance.”

“Every guy on their team could dunk or hit 3s. They are so deep. (UCLA-bound guard) Norman Powell scored 22 points – he hurt us more than anyone else.”

Steele Canyon: Michael Jordan 9, Andrew King 5, Danny Bwinika 5, Justin Norwood 4, Casey Balikian 2.

FIRST ROUND / Wed., Feb. 23 DIVISION I (1) La Costa Canyon 84, Escondido 49 Vista 69, Eastlake 62 El Camino 80, Rancho Bernardo 55 (4) Otay Ranch 58, Granite Hills 42 (3) Rancho Buena Vista 78, Fallbrook 50 San Ysidro 68, Grossmont 62 Poway 75, Mission Hills 70 (OT) (2) Torrey Pines 74, San Diego HS 48 DIVISION II (1) Lincoln 83, Steele Canyon 29 Monte Vista 63, Scripps Ranch 42 Morse 60, San Marcos 40 (4) Westview 72, Bonita Vista 55 (3) Helix 59, EC-Southwest 27 Hilltop 66, Kearny 47 Point Loma 50, Valhalla 46 (2) Hoover 59, Mt. Carmel 41 DIVISION III (1) St. Augustine 70, El Capitan 66 (OT) Valley Center 51, Santana 50 University City 57, San Dieguito 34 (4) Cathedral Catholic 56, Brawley 20 (3) Mount Miguel 57, Olympian 40 Canyon Crest 67, Madison 64 La Jolla 41, SD-Southwest 38 (2) Mission Bay 79, Mar Vista 36 DIVISION IV Santa Fe Christian 53, Christian 43 Army-Navy 71, UCSD Preuss 44 Coronado 71, Palo Verde Valley 46 Mater Dei df. Calipatria, no score report Imperial 74, Guajome Park 55 DIVISION V (1) Horizon 81, Ocean View Christian 39 SD-Calvary Chr. 49, Escondido Adventist 47 (OT) Maranatha Chr. 68, San Diego Acad. 33 (4) The Rock 86, St. Joseph’s 35 (3) Calvin Christian 75, SoCal Yoshiva 52 Tri-City Christian 81, Christian Life 60 Vincent Mem. 48, San Diego Jewish 38 (2) Foothills Chr. 98, Vista-Calvary 21

Helix' Titus Young is blanketed by Frankie Pacheco of El Centro-Southwest, yet still scores on the layin in the Scotties' easy 59-27 CIF Division II triumph. (Photo by Tony Bordine) ADDITIONAL PHOTOS HERE