JUSTIN BRANDY, a 6-foot-6 senior who was named the
MVP of the tournament, scored 22 points and corralled
23 rebounds as the Monarchs edged the Braves, 64-58.
The Monarchs’ victory avenged an earlier one-point
loss to the Braves. But keep in mind that these teams
are both in the Grossmont Valley League and will meet
twice more in what should be very interesting games.
Monte Vista took a 34-24 halftime lead but the Braves
battled back to cut it to a single digit entering the
final period.
BRENDON HARRIS, also an all-tournament pick, punched
in 15 points while JAHZDION TAYLOR added 11 points,
11 rebounds and 2 blocks for the Monarchs.
“The biggest difference in the game was our rebounding
advantage (48-22),” said Monarchs coach JAMES CARROLL.
One of the unsung heroes for the Monarchs was JEMEIL
JACKSON, who contributed 5 points, 6 rebounds, 5 steals
and 4 assists.
“He really came up big for us and that’s
what we need him to do,” Carroll said.
For the Braves ANDRE NIKKITA landed 12 buckets and
7 of 11 free throws for 31 points. He also had 7 rebounds,
5 assists and 7 steals.
“We tried every defense we could to try to stop
Dre (Nikkita),” Carroll said. “He makes you
work so very hard and you usually wind up frustrated.
He’s really good at hitting the mid-range jumper.
Anything 18 feet or inside is his range.”
DERRICK MOORE added 13 points and 4 rebounds for El
Cajon Valley (10-5).
“I’m happy to be where we are,” said
Braves coach MARTY ELLIS.
Ellis noted that Nikkita was the co-MVP of the tournament
but at the very least he was all-tournament.
El Cajon Valley: Andre Nikkita 31 (7 reb, 5 ast, 7
stl), Derrick Moore 13 (4 reb, 1 ast, 1 stl), Brendon
Brocious 4 (1 reb, 3 stl), Ibrahim Ali 4 (1 ast), Loqman
Sulyman 3 (1 reb, 2 stl), Edon Lushi 3 (4 reb), Sangar
Hasan (2 reb, 2 stl), Brandon Rumley (2 reb), Ty Donahoo
(1 reb).
MONTGOMERY 51, FOOTHILLS CHRISTIAN 42 –
In the championship game of the Saturday evening’s
(Dec. 29) Aztec Holiday Classic, host Montgomery took
a 21-7 first quarter lead and maintained a 10-point
advantage at halftime.
The biggest problem for the Knights (6-8) was losing
the services of freshman T.J. LEAF, who tweaked his
back in the second quarter and did not return.
CALEB HOFFMAN tried to pick up the slack by hitting
8 of 14 shots from the field and 3 free throws for 19
points, but it wasn’t enough.
In his brief stint Leaf finished with 7 points and
7 rebounds, which is about one-third of his usual production.
FOOTHILLS CHRISTIAN 55, SAN YSIDRO 54 –
In what had to be classified as an upset, Foothills
Christian knocked off San Ysidro in Saturday morning’s
(Dec. 29) semifinals of the Aztec Holiday Classic.
CALEB HOFFMAN was the man again as the game came down
to the final seconds. He hit a 3-pointer with 15 seconds
left, hoisting Foothills Christian to a 55-53 lead.
San Ysidro (10-5) countered by making the first of
two free throws but missed the second and AUSTIN MONSTRONG
grabbed the rebound to send Foothills Christian to the
tournament finals.
A major part of the rally was when LUIS SALGADO-VILLEGAS
hit 3 threes in a row with 2:08 left in the second quarter,
helping Foothills Christian maintain its lead.
The Knights stretched the advantage to 45-28 but had
to scramble to hang on.
T.J. LEAF paced the Knights with 18 points and 11 rebounds.
VISTA 49, GROSSMONT 38 – Scoring proved
to be at a premium in Saturday's (Dec. 29) championship
final of the Spartan Classic at Chula Vista High. So
when Vista guard Sherman Anderson nailed three of his
five 3-point goals in the third period it allowed Vista
to extend a 25-21 halftime advantage into double figures,
allowing the Panthers to skate past the Foothillers.
Anderson scored all of his 15 points from beyond the
arc to gain an all-tournament berth, along with teammate
Niko Stoner. Vista senior small forward Akeem Arnold
was tabbed most valuable player after scoring a team-best
16 points.
"We were able to move the ball around," said
Arnold, who hopes to play for La Verne next season.
"We are starting to really trust each other on
the court, which is where we've really improved."
For the Foothillers (6-7), freshman center TOMMY RUTHERFORD
paced all scorers with 17 points, demonstrating his
growing consistency by producing at least four points
in all four periods.
However, the Hillers' all-tournament berths went to
forwards BILAL RAHIM and AUSTIN SWISHER. Ironically
Swisher, who was averaging 20 points per game, was not
available for the championship game as he suffered a
sprained ankle in a game the night previous.
"Vista hurt us with their 3-point shooting to
start the second half," noted Grossmont coach FRANK
FOGGIANO. "We didn't close out fast enough."
Sans Swisher, it was the lowest-scoring game of the
season for Grossmont.
Grossmont: Tommy Rutherford 17 (11 reb), Bilal Rahim
10 (12 reb, 1 ast, 1 stl), Tom Lore 5 (2 ast, 1 stl),
Christian Meno 3 (1 reb), J.T. Barnes 2 (2 reb, 3 ast,
2 stl), Hunter Reed 1 (1 reb, 1 ast), Anthony Lawrence
(4 reb, 1 ast, 1 stl), Carl Blanchard (2 reb).
– Nick Pellegrino
STEELE CANYON 72, MONTCLAIR 68 – Steele
Canyon enjoyed its finest offensive quarter of the season
in the first period of Saturday’s (Dec. 29) Atascadero
Winter Tournament double-header by taking a 27-10 lead
over Montclair.
Turns out it wasn’t exactly a skate-to-victory
lane as the Cougars wound up having to hold on for the
win.
Carrying the torch for Steele Canyon was DANIEL KING,
who scored a career high 35 points, hitting 13 baskets
and 9 of 13 free throws.
CASEY BALIKIAN pitched in 13 markers for the Cougars.
Steele Canyon: Daniel King 35, Casey Balikian 13, Kaedyn
Thomas 8, Zach Kissel 7, Donovan Habib 4, Jordan Johnson
4, Dylan Hamlett 1.
STEELE CANYON 43, TEMPLETON 37 – The Cougars
finished the Atascadero Winter Tournament with a 3-1
record, and once again had a fast start in Saturday’s
(Dec. 29) nightcap with a 13-7 scoring edge.
DANIEL KING, an all-tournament pick, punched in 12
points to help Steele Canyon balance its record at 7-7.
CASEY BALIKIAN, who had 22 points on the day including
a pair of treys, was also named to the all-tournament
team.
“This was a good trip for us,” said Cougars
coach DEREK STEPHENS. “We’re coming along
and I’m happy to be 7-7 right now.”
Steele Canyon: Daniel King 12, Casey Balikian 9, Kaedyn
Thomas 7, Tariq Tillman 5, Donovan Habib 6, Dylan Hamlett
4.
VALHALLA 78, MEI (Abbotsford, B.C., Canada) 67 (OT)
– DAVID GAZALE paced Valhalla with a career
high 28 points to go along with 8 rebounds against Canada’s
MEI in Saturday’s (Dec. 29) final round of the
Aztec Holiday Classic.
“The first quarter was like a 1970s NBA game,
where we just went back and forth, trading baskets,
and ended up 20-20,” said Norsemen coach KEITH
JACKSON.
The game eventually came down to the final minute of
regulation. But the Norsemen missed 5 of 6 free throws
in the final seconds, which led to overtime.
“Our kids were hanging their head at that point,”
Jackson said. “I told them we’ve got four
more minutes.”
Valhalla dominated the extra session 13-2 as SPENCER
HAVIRD scored 5 of his 17 points and Gazale added 4
as the Norsemen improved to 7-2.
Jackson heaped special accolades on KEVIN MILLS, who
finished with 15 points, 11 rebounds, 4 assists and
3 steals.
“He’s doing a lot of positive things for
us,” Jackson said.
ANDREW LOZOYA added 12 points and 6 rebounds for the
Norsemen.
HELIX 59, EL CENTRO-CENTRAL 38 – All tournament
selection ROMARIO WILSON reeled off a double-double
of 24 points and 12 rebounds on Saturday (Dec. 29) as
the Highlanders (8-4) rolled over El Centro Central
in the third place game of the Spartan Classic in Chula
Vista .
“You know what you’re gonna get from Romario,”
said Helix coach JOHN SINGER. “But he got some
help this time.”
Namely four-year starter TITUS YOUNG. The senior guard
scored 14 points, hitting 6 of 12 from the field, grabbing
4 rebounds and dishing 3 assists.
“This was Titus’ best game of the year,”
Singer said. “We need him to be this good all the
time if we’re gonna go anywhere.”
Helix used a 19-4 run in the third quarter to take
command of the game.
“I thought we played hard, which is something
we don’t usually do,” Singer said. “We
need to push the throttle, and we were able to do that
in this game. We chased them all over the floor.”
Helix: Romario Wilson 24 (12 reb, 1 ast, 2 stl), Titus
Young 14 (4 reb, 3 ast, 2 stl), Kaelen Mitchell 10 (10
reb, 4 ast, 1 stl), Oscar Picazo 5 (3 reb, 2 ast, 1
stl), Christian Bell 2 (2 reb, 5 ast, 1 stl), Derrick
Chandler 2 (6 reb), Marcus Norris 2 (1 reb, 1 stl),
Will Mildenhall 1 (3 reb, 2 stl, 1 blk), Jeremiah Wiley
1 (1 stl), Alex Wilbourn (3 reb, 2 blk), Ernesto Martinez
(1 reb, 1 stl).
MOUNT MIGUEL 71, EC-SOUTHWEST 47 – It was
another day at the office for Mount Miguel sharp-shooter
IZZY WAGNER, the San Diego Section’s leading scorer.
The senior guard bombed in 43 points to go along with
6 rebounds, 4 assists and 7 steals as the Matadors (8-1)
mowed down visiting El Centro Southwest in Saturday’s
(Dec. 29) Aztec Holiday Classic.
TONY WILLS added 13 points, 7 rebounds, 5 assists and
4 steals for Mount Miguel , which outscored the visiting
Eagles in all four quarters.
Mount Miguel coach JAY ROWLETT wasn’t ready to
throw a celebration as he’s looking forward to
some tough competition in the Crawford Tournament (Jan.
2-5).
“We’re looking to a tough stretch of games
coming up and then we’ll know where we stand,”
Rowlett said.
Mount Miguel: Izzy Wagner 43 (6 reb, 4 ast, 7 stl),
Tony Wills 13 (7 reb, 5 ast, 4 stl), Louis Johnson 5
(9 reb, 1 ast, 2 stl), Carl Dee Roberson 4 (8 reb, 3
stl), Mike Taylor 3 (1 reb, 1 stl), Chris Emerson 3
(1 reb, 1 stl), Donnell (3 reb, 1 ast, 1 stl).
EL CAPITAN 60, CLAIREMONT 51 – The Vaqueros
used a balanced attack led by TRAVIS HULSEY’s 11
points and 19 rebounds to knock off Clairemont in Saturday’s
(Dec. 29) Aztec Holiday Classic contest.
For one of the few times this season the Vaqueros (2-11)
had more than one scorer stand out, which is why they
registered their season high 60 points.
DRE KYLE tossed in 14 points on 7-for-11 shooting and
also came away with 8 rebounds.
Freshman MYLES EMMERSON also popped in 14 points, the
majority of his scoring coming on four 3-pointers.
SCOTT ROSS hit 3 treys on his way to an 11 point finish,
grabbing 8 rebounds in the process.
Football wide receiver SCOTT ROOT only scored 2 points
but yanked down 14 rebounds for the Vaqueros.
“We’ve worked hard on boxing out and getting
rebounds,” said El Capitan coach JASON CAVAZOS.
“Hulsey did well on that with 19 rebounds.
“I felt they worked hard on rebounding because
they actually focused on it. My freshman (Emmerson)
was 4-for-10 on threes. We looked to be more aggressive
today and that was definitely a positive. We played
like we wanted to win the game, not just playing to
play. It’s fun to coach when the guys are really
giving effort all the time and trying to compete. I
think we got over the hump tonight.”
El Cajon Valley will battle Monte Vista for the Baron
Optimist Holiday Tournament title at 2:30 at Bonita
Vista. Then at 7 p.m. Granite Hills will host El Paso
Parkland for the Granite Hills Holiday Classic crown,
and Grossmont will joust with Vista for the Chula Vista
Spartan Classic title, also at 7 p.m.
EL CAJON VALLEY 85, MAR VISTA 53 – ANDRE
NIKKITA landed 43 points including 10 of 11 free throws
to go along with 15 rebounds as the Braves mauled Mar
Vista in Friday’s (Dec. 28) Baron Optimist Holiday
Tournament semifinals.
DERRICK MOORE turned in a powerful double-double for
El Cajon Valley (10-3) with 12 points and 13 rebounds.
IBRAHIM ALI also rang up 12 points, snagged 7 rebounds
and dished 4 assists for the Braves who enjoyed 27-point
quarters in the first and third periods.
LOQMAN SULYMAN added 10 points for the Braves, the
majority coming on three triples.
“You can’t argue about our balance,”
said El Cajon Valley coach MARTY ELLIS.
The last time the Braves faced Monte Vista they edged
the Monarchs 76-75 in overtime. Ironically these Grossmont
Valley League rivals will play each other a minimum
of four times this season.
MONTE VISTA 58, BONITA VISTA 37 – The Monarchs
are back at full strength for the first time in a couple
of weeks. Although JUSTIN BRANDY paced Monte Vista (9-4)
in Friday’s (Dec. 28) Baron Optimist Holiday Tournament
contest over host Bonita Vista with 15 points and 11
rebounds, he was saddled with early foul trouble.
Fortunately Monte Vista welcomed back JAHZDION TAYLOR
from an ankle injury and he made an immediate impact
with 10 points, 10 rebounds and 3 blocks.
HASANI JARVIS chipped in with 14 points.
“It was a very physical game,” noted Monarchs
coach JAMES CARROLL. “And they were keyed on BRENDON
HARRIS, so it was good to have Taylor back. He and Jarvis
did a good job on the inside. It’s nice to have
our full complement of players back.”
Erik Collins 2 (2 reb), Jose Jimenez 2, Josh Martinez
(1 reb), Thomas Walker (2 reb, 1 ast, 2 stl, 2 blk).
GRANITE HILLS 62, BANNING 54 – Granite
Hills fell behind L.A.-Banning 20-9 in the first quarter
but scrambled back to take a 25-24 halftime lead by
intermission. Once again JOEY GRUBB led the charge in
Friday’s (Dec. 28) Granite Hills Holiday Classic
comeback victory.
Grubb hit 8 of 14 shots from the field for 26 points,
including two treys, and added 8 free throws to go along
with 7 rebounds.
“The thing I like about this group is just because
we have a bad start they don’t hang their heads,”
said Eagles coach RANDY ANDERSON. “We kept our
intensity up and played really good defense in the middle
two quarters (holding Banning to 11 points).”
Granite Hills sealed the victory in the fourth quarter
by converting 16 of 26 free throws in the fourth quarter.
CODIE SIMMONS added 14 points and D.J. PALOMERA pitched
in 13.
“We kept pushing the ball and attacking the basket,
drawing a lot of fouls,” Anderson said.
Anderson has special praise for Ja’RON SANDERS,
who had 12 rebounds and 4 blocks.
GROSSMONT 63, LA JOLLA 50 – The Foothillers,
who reached the finals of their own Winter Classic tournament
last week, will have another chance at capturing tournament
hardware on Saturday (Dec. 29) after knocking off La
Jolla in Friday’s (Dec. 28) Spartan Classic.
Grossmont built a 21-11 first quarter lead and never
looked back.
AUSTIN SWISHER knocked down 21 points, including 4
three-pointers for the Foothillers.
Grossmont’s inside duo of TOMMY RUTHERFORD and
BILAL RAHIM each turned in a double-double. Rutherford
scored 16 points and cleared a team high 11 rebounds,
while Rahim popped in 13 points and gathered 10 boards
against the Vikings (7-6).
“We played solid defense,” said Foothillers
coach FRANK FOGGIANO. “And we ran our offense pretty
good this time.”
Grossmont: Austin Swisher 21 (4 reb, 2 ast, 2 stl),
Tommy Rutherford 16 (11 reb, 1 ast, 2 stl), Bilal Rahim
13 (10 reb, 2 ast, 1 stl), J.T. Barnes (6 reb, 2 ast,
2 stl), Anthony Lawrence 5 (4 reb, 1 ast, 1 stl), Christian
Meno 4 (1 reb), Hunter Reed 2 (1 reb).
FOOTHILLS CHRISTIAN 73, VALHALLA 59 – Foothills
Christian registered its second Grossmont Conference
knockout as the Knights nailed the Norsemen of Valhalla
in Friday’s (Dec. 28) Aztec Holiday Classic action.
Once again 6-foot-7 freshman T.J. LEAF led the charge
with 26 points, 17 rebounds, 6 assists and 5 blocks
for the Knights, who have won their third straight.
CALEB HOFFMAN, who scored the winning bucket the night
before against Mount Miguel , registered 18 points,
while LUIS SALGADO-VILLEGAS pitched in with 10 points
including a trio of treys.
For the Norsemen SPENCER HAVIRD continues to be the
star of the show as he scored 19 points and grabbed
17 rebounds.
ANDREW LOZOYA added 14 points for Valhalla (6-2), the
majority coming on 3 three-point buckets.
Valhalla: Spencer Havird 19 (17 reb, 3 ast, 2 stl),
Andrew Lozoya 14 (4 reb), David Gazale 8 (5 reb, 5 stl,
2 blk), Kevin Mills 6 (6 reb, 5 ast, 1 stl), George
Fakhoury 5 (1 reb, 2 ast, 3 stl), Jacob Hammett 4 (3
reb, 2 ast, 2 stl), Cody Gladu 3 (5 reb), Lorenzo Lucas
(1 reb).
STEELE CANYON 67, Sacramento ROSEVILLE 53 –
CASEY BALIKIAN, one of the most experienced players
on the Steele Canyon roster, enjoyed his best game of
the season to date as the Cougars clipped Roseville
in Friday’s (Dec. 28) Atascadero Winter Tournament.
Balikian hit 6 three-pointers on his way to a season
high 21 points, helping the Cougars improve to 5-7.
“Balikian finally caught fire in the second half,”
said Cougars coach DEREK STEPHENS. “He’s been
getting good looks. We were up by 13 and they cut it
to 8 points in the fourth quarter. Balikian hit three
3s in a row. That swung the momentum.”
Steele Canyon finished with 11 three-pointers.
“AARON PISIONA played really well,” said
Stephens. “He was 4-for-4 on threes and 2-for-2
on free throws. He made every shot he took.”
DANIEL KING also scored 14 points for the Cougars.
“Our defense was a lot better tonight,” Stephens
noted.
Steele Canyon: Casey Balikian 21, Aaron Pisiona 14,
Daniel King 14, Kaedyn Thomas 6, Jordan Johnson 5, Donovan
Habib 3, Dylan Hamlett 2, Zach Kissel 2.
CHRISTIAN 42, SEQUOIA 36 – After the Patriots
took a 24-8 halftime lead in Friday’s (Dec. 28)
Coronado Tournament, it appeared that Christian was
going to win in a runaway.
That wasn’t the case. Sequoia (4-9) scrambled
back to leave the outcome in doubt in the final minutes.
Sophomore JUSTIN VRZICH, making his varsity debut,
scored 5 of the last 7 points for Christian, hitting
a 3-pointer and a pair of free throws around a bucket
by TYLER BALLARD.
CHRISTIAN 47, CORONADO 41 – The Patriots
are finding out what balanced scoring is all about as
six of their players scored 6 points or more as Christian
knocked off the host Islanders in Friday’s (Dec.
28) Coronado Tournament game.
“This was a big step in the right direction for
us,” said Christian coach KELVIN STARR after defeating
their Central League rivals.
PHILLIP GEORGE led the Patriots with 11 points and
7 rebounds, while TIM HARRISON added 9 points, 8 rebounds
and 5 blocks.
Christian: Phillip George 11 (7 reb, 4 ast, 2 stl),
Tim Harrison 9 (8 reb, 4 ast, 1 stl, 5 blk), Tyler Ballard
8 (4 reb, 3 ast, 1 stl, 2 blk), Stephen Johnston 6 (2
reb, 2 ast, 3 stl, 1 blk), Joe Ross 6 (10 reb, 4 blk),
Zach Kinninger 6 (2 reb), Kyle Stowers 1 (2 reb).
MOUNT MIGUEL 67, LIBERTY CHARTER 26 – MIKE
TAYLOR hasn’t seen a lot of playing time for the
Mount Miguel Matadors this year, but he got his chance
in Friday’s (Dec. 28) Aztec Holiday Classic encounter
against Liberty Charter.
The 5-foot-8 senior guard nailed 5 three-pointers to
lead the Matadors with a career-best 15 points.
IZZY WAGNER scored a season-low 14 points but it was
more by choice as he had a triple-double which included
11 assists and 10 rebounds.
“You know Izzy is not a selfish player,”
said Matadors coach JAY ROWLETT. “He wanted to
involve his teammates so he made more passes and took
less shots.”
TONY WILLS added 11 points and 6 assists and the Matadors
(7-1) put the game on ice with a 22-4 first quarter
run.
Mount Miguel: Mike Taylor 15 (2 reb, 1 ast, 2 stl),
Izzy Wagner 14 (10 reb, 11 ast, 6 stl), Tony Wills 11
(5 reb, 6 ast, 3 stl), Louis Johnson 9 (7 reb, 1 ast,
4 stl), Carl Dee Roberson 9 (5 reb, 1 stl), Chris Emerson
6 (1 reb, 1 ast, 1 stl), Donnell Payne 3 (2 reb, 1 ast,
1 stl).
DEER VALLEY (Ariz.) 50, HELIX 37 – ROMARIO
WILSON scored 19 points and KAELEN MITCHELL added 12
but the remainder of the Highlanders couldn’t produce
much of anything as Helix fell to Deer Valley , Ariz.
in Friday’s (Dec. 28) Spartan Classic semifinals.
Helix: Romario Wilson 19 (8 reb, 2 ast, 4 stl, 1 blk),
Kaelen Mitchell 12 (5 reb, 1 ast, 1 stl), Derrick Chandler
3 (6 reb, 1 ast), Oscar Picazo 3 (3 reb, 1 stl), Xavier
Jones 1 (1 reb), Alex Wilbourn (3 reb, 2 ast, 2 stl,
3 blk), Titus Young (3 reb, 3 ast, 1 stl), Christian
Bell (3 ast), Ernesto Martinez (2 reb, 2 stl), Will
Mildenhall (1 reb).
CRAWFORD 65, WEST HILLS 43 – Undefeated
Crawford knocked off West Hills in Friday’s (Dec.
28) final round of the Coronado Tournament.
SERRA 72, EL CAPITAN 21 – No further details
provided for this Friday (Dec. 28) Aztec Holiday Classic
game.
In his classic pose, Helix High
coach John Singer
collected his 600th career victory Thursday. Singer
ranks second in CIF-San Diego Section history. (File photo by Frank Price, youatplay.com)
It’s been that way going on 32 seasons.
But even Singer couldn’t ignore the fact
that following Thursday’s (Dec. 27) lop-sided
65-12 victory over Santa Ana Valley in the Spartan
Classic was one he’ll never forget.
That’s because he reached a milestone
– his 600th coaching victory against only
250 losses.
“I knew I was close but I didn’t
really know exactly where I stood until people
kept saying ‘That’s 600 coach,’”
Singer said. “They were coming up and shaking
my hand.”
“You know, it’s not all about me.
It’s about the kids I’ve had and the
assistant coaches I’ve had.”
What impressed Singer most about reaching the
600 plateau was all 13 players who dressed for
this game contributed to the scoring.
“That’s pretty cool that every kid
scored,” said Singer. “It allows them
to share in the moment.”
Singer is the second winningest coach in the
San Diego Section, trailing his close friend
Ray Johnson of El Camino, who posted his 707th
career win on Thursday by beating Citrus Hill
in the MaxPrep Holiday Classic.
Four-year starter TITUS YOUNG hit 5 of 6 shots
from the field, including one three to lead
the team with 11 points.
Singer's milestone triumph was in sharp contrast
to his 500th victory, which came in March 2006,
when the Scotties rallied from a 23-point, second-half
deficit to edge visiting Perris, 65-62, in a
CIF Southern California regional contest.
The game boiled down to a coast-to-coast drive by Foothills
Christian’s CALEB HOFFMAN in the final seconds.
“I was on the ground when I saw the ball go through
the bucket,” said Hoffman. “I thought I tied
the game, but my teammates ran on the floor and told
me that we’d won. Yeah, that surprised me.”
The game was tied at 71-71 after Mount Miguel ’s
IZZY WAGNER hit a free throw to put the pressure on
with 5 seconds left.
“I told LORO TOMBE to inbound the ball to me,”
recalled Hoffman. “I knew I had enough time to
make it downcourt, and then Mount Miguel made it easy
for me because I was able to make it to the 3-point
line uncontested. I came from the left and went to the
right and scored on a finger roll. I was knocked to
the floor by Izzy, who was trying to block the shot.
“Yeah, it was exciting. When I was laying on the
floor I thought I’d tied the game when I saw the
ball go in,” he added. “Izzy tried to block
the shot and I thought for sure he’d fouled me,
but there was no call.”
Foothills Christian’s T.J. LEAF had 23 points,
18 rebounds and 7 blocks when he fouled out with the
Knights leading 65-54. After that the Knights lost their
momentum and the Matadors (6-1) came roaring back. It
came down to the final minute and a half.
J.R. RIVERA hit a free throw and LUIS SALGADO-VILLEGAS
hit a 3 to give the Knights a 4 point lead in the final
minute.
IZZY WAGNER, who finished with 42 points to lead Mount
Miguel , hit a 3-pointer and the second of two free
throws to tie the game.
Mount Miguel: Izzy Wagner 42 (4 reb, 2 ast, 5 stl),
Tony Wills 8 (4 reb, 3 ast, 2 stl), Carl Dee Roberson
8 (9 reb, 1 ast, 2 stl), Louis Johnson 6 (8 reb, 1 stl),
Donnell Payne 4 (4 reb, 1 ast, 2 stl), Mike Taylor 3.
GROSSMONT 57, DEER VALLEY (Ariz.) 53 (OT) –
AUSTIN SWISHER scored 5 of the Foothillers’ 9 points
in overtime and J.T. BARNES hit a key 3 as Grossmont
pulled out the overtime victory over the Arizona squad
in Thursday’s (Dec. 27) Spartan Classic contest.
Swisher finished with 15 points and 7 rebounds.
TOMMY RUTHERFORD turned in a powerful double-double
for Grossmont of 14 points and 16 rebounds, while BILAL
RAHIM contributed 10 points and 11 rebounds for the
Foothillers (5-6).
“We missed 16 free throws, but that’s better
than only taking one in a game,” said Grossmont
coach FRANK FOGGIANO. “We just kinda lost our composure
at the end of the game and they took advantage of it.
But we regained it in overtime.”
WEST HILLS 73, CORONADO 69 (2 OT) – Playing
two games in the same day is never easy but the West
Hills Wolf Pack took it even further in Thursday’s
(Dec. 27) Coronado Tournament action.
The Wolf Pack (5-3) added 8 minutes of overtime to
knock out the host Coronado Islanders after playing
earlier in the day against Sequoia.
D.J. LEWIS scored 8 of his 12 points in the two overtimes
for the Wolf Pack. His two free throws with 20 seconds
left in the first OT allowed the game to continue.
MARTIN PANATOYOV scored 4 of his game high 21 points
in the second overtime to propel the Wolf Pack to the
victory. He was 4-for-9 from 3-point range.
BRENT WILDER rolled a double-double of 12 points and
10 rebounds and also had 3 assists, 3 steals and 3 blocks
against the Islanders.
Not to be overlooked was the play of JERON SATTERFIELD,
who knocked down 15 points and grabbed 11 rebounds for
the Wolf Pack.
West Hills will play undefeated Crawford in the semifinals
on Friday (Dec. 28) at Coronado at 5 p.m.
WEST HILLS 62, SEQUOIA 51 – Hot-handed
JERON SATTERFIELD bucketed 18 points to carry the Wolf
Pack past Sequoia in the first game of a Coronado Tournament
double-header on Thursday (Dec. 27).
He nailed 6 of 11 shots from the field and 6 of 8 free
throws.
CHASE PARSONS added 14 points, including a pair of
treys for West Hills, which also received 11 points,
7 rebounds and 4 assists from MARTIN PANAYOTOV.
The pivotal point of the game was the third quarter
when West Hills gained a 21-7 scoring edge. Satterfield,
Panayotov and Parsons all scored 6 points apiece in
the turnaround quarter.
GRANITE HILLS 67, KEARNY 56 – Granite Hills
landed eight 3-pointers – half of them by CODIE
SIMMONS as the Eagles clipped visiting Kearny in Thursday’s
(Dec. 27) second round of the Granite Hills Holiday
Classic.
D.J. PALMERA, a 5-foot-8 senior, led the Eagles with
20 points and blocked another shot for Granite Hills
(5-3). Better than that, he hit 8 of 14 shots from the
field.
JOEY GRUBB hit 18 points bolstered by his 8-for-10
shooting. KOLTIN HIGGINS buried a trio of 3-pointers
as he finished with 10 points.
“I’m proud of our effort,” said Eagles
coach RANDY ANDERSON. “Our intensity is good but
we need to play smarter.”
Anderson singled out JUNIOR FERREIRA as the unsung
hero of the game.
“He played extended minutes for us and did a great
job,” the coach said.
MONTE VISTA 61, GOMPERS 45 – BRENDON HARRIS
is enjoying the Baron Optimist Holiday Tournament as
he collected 28 points and 9 rebounds as the Monarchs
(8-4) grilled Gompers on Thursday (Dec.. 27). In his
first two tournament games Harris has scored 45 points
and collected 21 rebounds.
“You know, he’s brought back the mid-range
jumper, which is almost extinct in the game today,”
said Monte Vista coach JAMES CARROLL. “He’s
been real aggressive around the rim.”
Carroll also praised the work of point guard ADAM WALLACE,
who scored 13 points and directed the Monarchs’
offense.
Not to be overlooked was the play of JUSTIN BRANDY,
who scored 11 points and grabbed 20 rebounds –
8 of the off the offensive glass – and blocked
4 shots.
ATASCADERO 76, STEELE CANYON 62 – After
a 6-hour drive north to San Luis Obispo Steele Canyon
enjoyed one of its finest offensive outings, but could
not locate its defense in Thursday’s (Dec. 27)
Atascadero Winter Tournament opener.
“In a lot of ways we looked like a team that had
driven six hours to play a basketball game,” said
Cougars coach DEREK STEPHENS. “Offensively we shot
the ball well but we didn’t play a whole lot of
defense.”
The Cougars (4-7) fell behind 12-2 as the first four
of Atascadero ’s shots were 3-point bullseyes.
The Greyhounds (4-6) landed 11 treys compared to five
for Steele Canyon , which received three triples from
CASEY BALIKIAN.
Steele Canyon: Daniel King 14, Dylan Hamlett 13, Casey
Balikian 11, Donovan Habib 8, Zach Kissel 5, Ryan Razooky
4, Tariq Tillman 3, Aaron Pisiona 2, Kaedyn Thomas 2.
VALHALLA 69, LIBERTY CHARTER 31 – Junior
guard DAVID GAZALE scored a career high 30 points and
corralled 7 rebounds as Valhalla cruised past Liberty
Charter in Thursday’s (Dec. 27) Aztec Holiday Classic.
Gazale was 6-for-14 from 3-point range.
Although KEVIN MILLS scored only one point he dished
6 assists, one more than GEORGE FAKHOURY.
“We played a real emotional game last night,”
said Norsemen coach KEITH JACKSON. “The kids played
hard today. It took us awhile to get rolling. Mills
did a good job distributing the ball.”
Not to be overlooked was the performance of CODY GLADU,
which included grabbing 10 rebounds to dominate the
Lions.
Valhalla: David Gazale 30 (7 reb, 3 stl), Spencer Havird
12 (9 reb, 4 ast, 2 stl), Andrew Lozoya 12 (2 reb, 2
stl), Cody Gladu 6 (10 reb, 1 ast, 2 stl, 3 blk), George
Fakhoury 4 (3 reb, 5 ast, 1 stl), Jacob Hammett 2 (1
reb. 2 ast. 1 stl, 1 blk), Sean Crosby 2, Kevin Mills
1 (5 reb, 6 ast), Correy Ruth (1 reb, 1 ast), James
Martin (1 reb, 2 ast), Lorenzo Lucas (2 reb).
CHRISTIAN 56, PACIFIC RIDGE 44 – No detail
provided for this Thursday (Dec. 27) Coronado Centennial
Tournament game.
EL CAPITAN vs. HILLTOP – No report received
for this Thursday (Dec. 27) Aztec Holiday Classic game.
Granite Hills' Codie Simmons
(left) hits a jumper
against Estaban Ayala of Calexico. Simmons
finished with a game-high 20 points in a 68-38
win. (Photo by Frank Price, youatplay.com) ADDITIONAL
PHOTOS HERE
ANDRE NIKKITA added 20 points, 9 rebounds and 9 steals
as the Braves bowled over the Barons.
DERRICK MOORE added 10 points and 14 rebounds for El
Cajon Valley (9-3).
El Cajon Valley: Loqman Sulyman 39 (3 reb, 2 stl),
Andre Nikkita 20 (9 reb, 6 ast, 9 stl), Derrick Moore
10 (14 reb, 4 stl, 2 blk), Brenden Brocious 6 (2 ast,
1 blk), Edon Lushi (4 reb, 1 ast, 1 blk), Sangar Hasan
(3 reb, 1 ast), Ibrahim Ali 2 (3 stl), Brandon Rumley
(1 blk).
EL CAJON VALLEY 72, GOMPERS 55 – In Wednesday’s
first game of the Baron Optimist Holiday Tournament
ANDRE NIKKITA landed 34 points, including 10 of 13 free
throws as the Braves took a 38-30 halftime lead over
Gompers.
El Cajon Valley put the game away with a 21-7 fourth
quarter spread.
El Cajon Valley: Andre Nikkita 34, Mike Readus 8, Derrick
Moore 8, Loqman Sulyman 6, Ibrahim Ali 6, Brenden Brocious
5, Edon Lushi 5.
CIF
San Diego Section
Most 3-point Goals, Single Game (Revised
12-27-12)
Pts
Player,
School, Opponent, Date
15
13
12
12
12
12
Brad Goff,
EC-Southwest vs. Palo Verde Valley (2/05/02)
Loqman Sulyman, ECVHS vs. Bonita Vista
(12/26/12)
Mark Dillon, Valhalla vs. West Hills
(2/12/91)
Nick Taylor, Granite Hills vs. Sweetwater
(12/26/05)
Kemmy Burgess, El Cajon Valley vs. Monte
Vista (1/1998)
Brad Barrett, Mount Miguel vs. Sierra
Vista (Nev.) (2007)
MOUNT MIGUEL 71, VALHALLA 61 – IZZY WAGNER
knocked down 40 points as host Mount Miguel won its
sixth straight game without a loss in the opening round
of Wednesday’s (Dec. 26) Aztec Holiday Classic
by defeating East County rival Valhalla.
Included in his totals, Wagner nailed 5 three-pointers.
The pivotal point in the game was the third period
when Mount Miguel gained a 22-6 advantage.
“Our pressure really got to them,” said Matadors
coach JAY ROWLETT. “We led by 19 points with six
minutes to go, but the big thing was we were in foul
trouble all night.”
Valhalla trailed by 6 points with two minutes remaining
but could draw no closer.
“The third quarter killed us,” acknowledged
Valhalla coach KEITH JACKSON.
TONY WILLS added 11 points and 5 rebounds for the Matadors
and CARL DEE ROBERSON grabbed 8 rebounds.
ANDREW LOZOYA paced Valhalla with 17 points, while
DAVID GAZALE chipped in with 16 points and 9 rebounds.
SPENCER HAVIRD contributed 14 points for the Norsemen.
Mount Miguel: Izzy Wagner 40 (7 reb, 2 ast, 6 stl),
Tony Wills 11 (5 reb, 4 ast, 2 stl), Carl Dee Roberson
6 (8 reb, 3 ast, 1 stl), Louis Johnson 6 (6 reb, 1 stl),
Donnell Payne 5 (2 reb, 1 stl), Mike Taylor 3 (1 ast,
1 stl).
GRANITE HILLS 68, CALEXICO 38 – The Eagles
were seeking answers after the visiting Bulldogs busted
loose to a quick 8-1 lead in Wednesday's (Dec. 26) Granite
Hills Holiday Classic contest. The hosts were 0-for-11
from the floor, missing both inside and outside (0-6
from beyond the arc).
But when JOEY GRUBB drove the lane and scored while
getting fouled (i.e., clobbered), the senior ignited
the Eagles on a 10-0 run to close the period before
the defense took over in the 30-point victory.
"We couldn't hit a shot at the start, but our
defense was the key," said Eagles guard CODIE SIMMONS,
who paced all scorers with 20 points. "We picked
up our intensity on defense to force turnovers, which
led to a bunch of easy baskets.”
The teams traded some baskets, then Granite Hills took
over. Leading 19-13, the Eagles scored 13 unanswered
points as part of a 19-1 run, not allowing a Calexico
field goal for a span of 9:01 (and 1 bucket over more
than 17 minutes until 3:02 remained in the third quarter.
Grubb keyed the streak when he garnered five of his
six steals
Simmons scored 7 points during the run, then added
the icing with his final 13 points in the final period.
He also posted five assists. Meanwhile, Grubb made 13
of his 15 points in the first half before both ballclubs
cleared the benches after the Granite Hills lead reached
30 points in the third.
For Calexico, Anthony Rubio led the Bulldogs with 11
points, Jose Luis Galindo added 10, while center Raymundo
Franco had 6 points and a game-high 19 rebounds, including
14 boards in the first half.
WEST HILLS 74, BOLSA GRANDE 63 – JERON
SATTERFIELD scored a career high 31 points and corralled
14 rebounds in the opening round of Wednesday’s
(Dec. 26) Coronado Tournament action.
Satterfield made 12 of 20 shots from the floor and
7 of 9 free throws for West Hills in his personal record-breaking
outing.
WILL LLAMAS scored 12 points in the first quarter as
West Hills raced to a 21-4 lead over the team from Garden
Grove.
MARTIN PANAYOTOV kicked in 15 points for the Pack,
which included a pair of treys and 3-for-4 free throw
shooting.
“We did a good job of getting the ball inside,”
said Wolf Pack assistant coach LUCAS ARMSTRONG. “That
was key because they weren’t very bigj.”
MONTE VISTA 65, MAR VISTA 53 – Monarchs
coach JAMES CARROLL almost has to hide his eyes to see
who is available for that day’s game. Seems like
at least one player is missing every game, but he just
keeps on coaching.
Monte Vista pushed its record to 6-4 as BRENDON HARRIS
scored 17 points and grabbed 12 rebounds in the Monarchs’
opening round victory of Wednesday’s (Dec. 26)
Baron Optimist Holiday Tournament.
Eight of Harris’ rebounds were on the offensive
side as he shot 8 of 11 from the field.
HASANI JARVIS punched in 16 points and JUSTIN BRANDY
added a dozen points and grabbed 17 rebounds for the
Monarchs.
“One of the keys was we were missing one of our
point guards (THOMAS WALKER) but sophomore ADAM WALLACE
stepped up big for us and came through with 7 assists,”
said Carroll.
“Jarvis did a good job going to the rim and scored
10 points in the first half,” the coach noted.
“Harris came up with 13 points in the second half.”
Carroll was quick to point out that his Monarchs are
two points away from being 8-4.
HELIX 50, LA JOLLA 45 – ROMARIO WILSON
hit 9 of 14 shots from the field and finished with 21
points and 10 rebounds, lifting Helix to a victory over
La Jolla in Wednesday’s (Dec. 26) opening round
of the Spartan Classic in Chula Vista.
“We didn’t have a lot of focus,” said
Helix coach JOHN SINGER. “We shot only five free
throws, which our kids like to blame on the referees.
But it’s more of a case of not taking the ball
to the basket. Defensively we played hard-nosed –
allowed only 17 points in the final two quarters.”
Singer noted that CHRISTIAN BELL hit a couple of clutch
3-pointers down the stretch to help Helix improve to
4-3. Bell finished with 10 points for the Highlanders.
Helix: Romario Wilson 21 (10 reb, 1 stl), Christian
Bell 10 (1 reb, 4 ast, 3 stl), Derrick Chandler 6 (7
reb, 1 stl, 2 blk), Kaelen Mitchell 6 (6 reb, 3 ast,
1 stl), Titus Young 2 (4 reb, 7 ast, 2 stl, 1 blk),
Xavier Jones 2 (1 reb, 2 stl), Ernesto Martinez 2 (2
reb), Oscar Picazo (1 reb, 1 ast), Desi Dixon (1 reb,
1 ast), Alex Wilbourn (1 ast, 3 blk), Will Mildenhall
(3 reb, 2 stl).
GROSSMONT 70, SD-SOUTHWEST 16 – The Foothillers
(4-6) played shutdown defense in Wednesday’s (Dec.
26) opening round of the Spartan Classic in Chula Vista.
Grossmont blanked the Raiders in the second period
and allowed only two points in the fourth quarter as
they emptied the bench. Twelve Grossmont players scored
in the rout.
J.T. BARNES set the pace with 11 points including a
trio of treys.
FOOTHILLS CHRISTIAN 91, LIBERTY CHARTER 22 –
The Knights racehorsed to a 36-3 first-quarter lead
and never looked back in Wednesday’s (Dec. 26)
first round of the Aztec Holiday Classic at Montgomery
High.
It got worse by halftime as Foothills Christian led
62-10.
T.J. LEAF set the tone for the Knights (3-8) with 26
points and 10 rebounds. He put down 12 of 16 shots from
the floor, including a trey.
CALEB HOFFMAN pitched in 10 points and 10 assists while
LUIS SALGADO-VILLEGAS added 14 points in the blowout
of the Lions.
Liberty Charter (3-4) scored the first basket of the
game, then Foothills Christian ran off 34 unanswered
points.
TWENTYNINE PALMS 52, CHRISTIAN 50 – The
chemistry in the first round of Wednesday’s (Dec.
26) Coronado Tournament just wasn’t right for the
Christian High Patriots.
“When you commit 26 turnovers against a non-pressure
defense and give up 17 offensive rebounds you’re
not gonna be able to beat many teams,” said Patriots
coach KELVIN STARR.
“Probably the most frustrating thing about our
turnovers was they came off the fast break and we just
threw the ball away.”
Six-foot-5 freshman TIM HARRISON scored a season-best
19 points, and has scored 47 markers in his last three
games.
TYLER BALLARD added 13 points for the Patriots, including
a pair of 3-pointers.
After that, the Foothillers (3-6) were playing catch-up
the rest of the way.
Three times the Foothillers trailed by only a single
point before they succumbed to 10 Westview 3-pointers
that decided the issue, 54-44, in the Wolverines’
favor.
What burned Foothillers coach FRANK FOGGIANO the most
was that his team was afforded only one free throw all
night.
“Have you ever heard of a Grossmont team only
having one free throw attempt in a whole game?”
Foggiano demanded. “I think that says a lot about
having three referees. Anybody that says three referees
is better than two doesn’t know what they’re
talking about. I don’t buy it. They sit in their
zones and miss all kinds of stuff, and it turned out
to be the difference in the game.”
Grossmont’s only free throw came after a 3-point
basket by HUNTER REED after he was knocked to the floor.
He missed the shot.
Grossmont shot 24 for 51 (.471) from the floor, hitting
four treys, two of them by AUSTIN SWISHER who shared
game high honors for the Foothillers with BILAL RAHIM
with 14 points apiece. They each grabbed 8 rebounds,
while Rahim also dished 5 assists.
“I was happy with how well we played in this tournament,
which was good for us,” said Foggiano. “I
just hope it carries on for the next part of our season.”
MONTE VISTA 53, IMPERIAL 50 – The Monarchs
had a welcoming back party for JUSTIN BRANDY, who suffered
a bash in the mouth in a recent game which required
dental surgery and kept him out of the lineup for the
better part of two weeks.
Being idle hardly hampered the 6-foot-6 senior who
poured in 18 points and snared 18 rebounds as the Monarchs
captured the consolation championship of the Grossmont
Winter Classic on Saturday (Dec. 22).
“Santa Claus came early,” said Monarchs coach
JAMES CARROLL. “Having Brandy back is huge. He
dominated inside in this game against a physical team.
Shows you what kind of courage the kid has.”
“JEMEIL JACKSON did a superb job of containing
Imperial’s scoring leader Royce Freeman, holding
the senior to 12 points,” Carroll noted.
Monte Vista gobbled up 51 rebounds – 18 off the
offensive glass, led by Brandy’s 5.
ERIK COLLINS came up with two huge offensive rebounds
with one putback when the game was one the line.
BRENDON HARRIS also had a putback and two free throws
in addition to 10 points and 10 rebounds. HASANI JARVIS
pitched in 15 points and pulled down 8 boards as well.
“This is by far the best game we’ve played
so far,” said Carroll.
SANTANA 65, RANCHO BERNARDO 52 – All the
Santana points were scored by the starting five in Saturday’s
(Dec. 22) final round of the Grossmont Winter Classic
against Rancho Bernardo (4-5).
ANDY MILLER paced the Sultans with 18 points, while
DUSTIN MURPHY added 17 markers.
“This was a good win for us,” said Sultans
coach TIM BARRY. “Any time we beat a North County
team it’s a good win for us.”
Barry has decided to play his top five players the
majority of the game. So far that has paid off.
“All five of our starters can hit a 3-pointer
if our team is unselfish,” Barry said.
The only Sultans starter who did not make double digits
was JORDAN VARGAS, who was 3-for-3 from the floor and
2-for-2 from the line for 8 points to go along with
8 rebounds.
“If they gave all-tournament awards Vargas would
certainly win one,” said coach Barry.
RYAN BRATLIEN pitched in 18 points and DUSTIN MURPHY
chipped in 17 for the Sultans to round out the scoring.
Santana put the game away with a 22-8 scoring spread
in the third quarter.
Santana: Andy Miller 18 (5 reb, 3 ast, 1 stl), Dustin
Murphy 17 (5 reb, 1 ast), Ryan Bratlien 12 (1 stl),
Christian Barry 10 (4 reb, 2 ast), Jordan Vargas 8 (8
reb, 1 ast, 2 stl), Tim Huson (1 ast, 3 stl), Daniel
Shively (2 reb).
STEELE CANYON 36, THE ROCK 33 – It’s
hard to operate without a go-to guy, and that’s
the position that Steele Canyon finds itself in these
days. Thus the Cougars have to count on balance to squeeze
out a victory, as they did in Saturday’s (Dec.
22) final round of the Sweetwater Xtreme Glass Holiday
Tournament.
With one minute left Steele Canyon was down by 3 points.
Coach DEREK STEPHENS called a timeout and ran a play
for CASEY BALIKIAN to shoot a 3, which rimmed out.
But JORDAN JOHNSON nailed a 3-pointer with 20 seconds
left to tie the game at 33-33.
Rock Academy took the ball at halfcourt and called
timeout. Johnson stole the ball on the inbounds with
3 seconds left at half court.
“We pushed it in to DANIEL KING, who hit the 3
the end the game,” Stephens said. “It was
the first 3-point attempts of the season for both Johnson
and King.”
“They scored 7 points in the first two minutes
of the game,” Stephens noted. “Then we switched
our defense and held them to 26 points. We got a ton
of open shots but didn’t shoot very well.”
“We missed numerous 3-point shots but hit the
last two 3’s.
Steele Canyon: Daniel King 10, Jordan Johnson 9, Donovan
Habib 5, Casey Balikian 3, Dylan Hamlett 3, Tariq Tillman
3, Aaron Pisiona 2, Zach Kissel 1.
OLYMPIAN 74, EL CAJON VALLEY 64 – After
falling behind Olympian 26-10 in the first quarter,
El Cajon Valley was relegated to playing catch-up in
Saturday’s (Dec. 22) third place game of the Grossmont
Winter Classic.
Given that the Braves have won 7 of 10 decisions has
drawn coaches from the Grossmont Valley League as well
as other area coaches to come and take a look at these
guys, coach MARTY ELLIS is encouraging his team to focus
on the floor, not the stands.
ANDRE NIKKITA paced the Braves with 17 points and 9
rebounds, while EDON LUSHI chucked in 15 points. As
a team the Braves were 7 of 17 from 3-point range but
were unable to overcome Olympian’s fast start.
LV-CHAPARRAL 58, FOOTHILLS CHRISTIAN 54 –
Six-foot-7 freshman T.J. LEAF poured in 24 points, grabbed
12 rebounds and rejected 7 shots, but it wasn’t
enough to rescue Foothills Christian in Saturday’s
(Dec. 22) Jerry Tarkanian Classic consolation game in
Las Vegas.
The Knights (2-8) were tied 54-all before surrendering
four free throws in the final seconds to be handed the
defeat.
Foothills Christian led 32-24 at halftime and led by
8 points with eight minutes remaining. It was at that
point that the offense stalled and point guard JEROME
SHERMAN, who had been breaking the Cowboys zone and
man presses, showed signs of fatigue after having played
the whole game.
He received some assistance from LUIS SALGADO-VILLEGAS
but the Cowboys’ (5-1) relentless defense eventually
proved to be the difference.
Leaf was named to the all-tournament team in the Gold
Division.
Grossmont is 3-0 in the tournament, including a 56-45
semifinal nod over El Cajon Valley on Friday (Dec. 21).
AUSTIN SWISHER scored a season high 19 points and 6-foot-7
freshman TOMMY RUTHERFORD contributed 17 points and
15 rebounds, while BILAL RAHIM collected 14 boards in
probably Grossmont’s best game of the season.
El Cajon Valley’s ANDRE NIKKITA scored 30 points
and grabbed 9 rebounds in a losing effort for the Braves
(7-2).
“It was the roughest game,” said Braves coach
MARTY ELLIS. “It was 22-22 at the halftime.
Grossmont took command in the third quarter with a
17-5 run and that all but decided the issue.
“The third quarter killed us. With their height
we couldn’t match up with them,” said Ellis.
“They have got big guys and we don’t. Their
freshman (Rutherford) is pretty decent – he goes
right and he goes left. I thought we did pretty good
in the first half as far as maintaining him.
“It’s supposed to be speed vs. height, and
speed wins. I took the guys out tonight to an early
Christmas dinner. Maybe that’s what slowed them
down.”
DERRICK MOORE bagged 10 rebounds and 3 blocks to go
along with 6 points for El Cajon Valley.
“We did a good job of slowing them down,”
noted Foggiano. “We do a very good job of utilizing
Rutherford. My team does a good job of recognizing
when he’s at the right spot.”
MONTE VISTA 41, SCRIPPS RANCH 38 – You
have to give credit to Monte Vista coach for his patience.
He’s already lost his two biggest players due to
injuries, then prior to Friday’s (Dec. 21) Grossmont
Winter Classic game against Scripps Ranch he was missing
a guard and he wasn’t sure why.
Later he found out that the kid didn’t have the
correct uniform until he showed up at the start of the
second half.
“Our season has been a comedy of errors,”
JAMES CARROLL said. “Just one thing after another.
But it’s our job to overcome that and so far we’ve
done a pretty good job of doing it.”
Against Scripps Ranch HASANI JARVIS led the way with
16 points while BRENDON HARRIS added 8 points and 10
rebounds, and ADAM WALLACE pitched in 10 points for
the Monte Vista vistory.
Wallace iced the victory with two free throws in the
final 20 seconds. Harris hit a pair of 3-pointers in
the second half as the Monarchs broke a 22-22 tie.
SANTANA 69, EL CAPITAN 49 – A pair of unsung
heroes helped lead Santana to a lop-sided victory over
El Capitan in Friday’s (Dec. 21) Grossmont Winter
Classic in Santee.
Senior JORDAN VARGAS set the pace for the Sultans (3-5)
with a season-best 20 points, including a trio of 3-pointers
to go along with 6 rebounds and 3 steals. Vargas made
7 of 8 from the floor.
Sophomore RYAN BRATLIEN nailed a varsity best 16 points,
including a pair of treys. He was an accurate marksman
as he made 6 of 8 from the floor and both free throws.
“At this point of the season things went about
the way I thought they would,” said Santana coach
TIM BARRY. “I told my starters they would have
to play 25-30 minutes per game for us to be successful.”
The coach also noted that “everything we do has
to go through CHRISTIAN (BARRY) to help us win games.
The kids agreed and they showed this in this game by
making great cuts to the basket and posting up in the
key.”
Barry finished with 12 points, 6 assists, 6 rebounds
and 5 steals.
Not to be overlooked was ANDY MILLER, who popped in
8 points, bagged 9 rebounds and dished 3 assists.
Santana:Jordan Vargas 20 (6 reb, 2 ast, 3 stl), Ryan
Bratlien 16 (3 reb, 2 ast, 1 stl), Christian Barry 12
(6 reb, 6 ast, 5 stl), Andy Miller 8 (9 reb, 3 ast),
Dustin Murphy 6 (2 reb, 1 stl), Tim Huson 3 (1 reb,
2 ast, 1 stl), Austin Miller 2 (1 reb, 2 stl), Gabe
Kruse 2 (1 reb), Daniel Shively (2 reb), Tiano Franco
(1 reb).
El Capitan:No stats reported.
FOOTHILLS CHRISTIAN 67, LV-SPRING VALLEY 33
– The Knights played a rough and tumble double-header
in Friday’s (Dec. 21) Jerry Tarkanian Classic in
Las Vegas
Against Spring Valley of Las Vegas, the Knights built
a 29-10 first half lead and never looked back as T.J.
LEAF scored 28 points and grabbed 14 rebounds. The 6-foot-7
freshman nailed 14 of 30 shots from the floor, including
a monster dunk near the end of the contest on a pass
from JEROME SHERMAN.
The key to the Knights’ victory was the passing
of CALEB HOFFMAN, who registered 7 assists, all leading
to baskets by Leaf inside the paint.
J.R. RIVERA had a nifty outing with 10 points and 9
bo9ards for Foothills Christian.
LV-FAITH LUTHERAN 69, FOOTHILLS CHRISTIAN 42 –
Poor shooting and early foul trouble plagued Foothills
Christian in the nightcap of the Las Vegas-Tarkanian
Classic on Friday (Dec. 21).
The Knights shot a paltry 17 of 63 (27 percent) from
the floor, including only 3 of 18 from 3-point land.
Faith Lutheran built a 40-18 first half lead and the
Knights never saw daylight again.
Before he fouled out T.J. LEAF contributed 11 points,
6 rebounds and 4 blocks.
CALEB HOFFMAN had 11 points and 5 assists for the Knights.
MOUNT CARMEL 40, STEELE CANYON 34 – Lack
of a consistent offense continued to haunt Steele Canyon
(3-6) as the Cougars lost to Mt. Carmel in the
Sweetwater Xtreme Glass Holiday Tournament on Friday
(Dec. 21).
This is a team without a go-to guy, which makes winning
even more difficult although the Cougars usually play
solid defense.
“We let this one slip away,” said Steele
Canyon coach DEREK STEPHENS. “We missed the front
end of three one-and-ones in the 4th quarter, and two
of them came in the last 2 minutes when we were down
by only three.”
As it was the Cougars were 5-for-12 from the free throw
line.
“When you hold a team to 40 points you have to
make your free throws,” Stephens noted. “We
didn’t do that and it cost us.”
Steele Canyon:Daniel King 10, Casey Balikian 9, Zach
Kissel 5, Donovan Habib 4, Darrien Johnson 4, Dylan
Hamlett 2.
POINT LOMA 48, CHRISTIAN 46 – Whether successful
or not, Christian High's attention was always directed
on Point Loma senior guard Jamal Agnew.
Agnew was the centerpiece for the Pointers to mount
a double-digit lead which reached 11 points in the first
half. However, when Christian was able to slow him down,
it set up a dramatic finish which eventually gave Point
Loma the lead in the Central League.
Tied at 43-all, Agnew stole the ball and scored while
being fouled on a fast-break layin, his 3-point play
with 1:18 remaining was the difference in a battle of
league co-leaders.
"Christian slowed me down by double-teaming me
and forcing me to go wide when I went to the basket,"
said Agnew. "So I had to do something on defense
to make a difference."
Agnew picked the pocket of a Christian ball-handler,
then raced on the dribble on a breakaway. Although fouled
from behind, the point guard was able to place the ball
off the glass and into the bucket while tumbling to
the floor.
"He was playing soft -- he seemed like he was
baiting me," noted Agnew. "So I took it and
grabbed the ball."
Down 30-19 late in the second quarter after going 2-for-8
at the foul line, Christian fought back with stellar
defense, making the adjustment to limit Point Loma to
a mere four points in the third quarter.
And when the Patriots scored the first seven points
of the fourth period, the game was tied at 31-all with
the Patriots reeling, unable to convert a field goal
over a long 9:14 span.
"We changed our intensity and worked really hard
in the second half," said Christian guard CURTIS
HAMPTON. "But now we have to work harder and win
on the road if we want to win league."
JOE ROSS kept Christian in the game in the first half,
scoring seven of his 10 points to share team scoring
honors with freshman TIM HARRISON. Ross also grabbed
12 rebounds.
It was the third straight game that Grubb has scored
28 points.
Grubb has had a string of sterling statistics, most
noteworthy is he has not committed a turnover in his
last three games. He had 7 assists against the Barons
(2-8) as well as 5 steals. Grubb was 5 for 8 from 3-point
range.
“Joey is so unselfish and is a great passer,”
said Granite Hills coach RANDY ANDERSON.
CODIE SIMMONS chipped in with 10 points, 5 rebounds
and 4 assists. KOLTIN HIGGINS turned in a strong performance
with 8 points, 8 rebounds, 3 assists and 3 blocks.
“Koltin had a solid game for us,” Anderson
said.
Ja’RON SANDERS also had 8 points, doing most of
his damage from the free throw line where he hit 6 of
7.
“We had a great offensive first half,” said
Anderson, whose Eagles led 45-35 at the break. “We
tightened up our defense in the second half and that
was a good thing. We’re playing hard.”
STEELE CANYON 62, CHULA VISTA 39 – Visiting
Steele Canyon streaked to a 15-3 first quarter lead
and never looked back as the Cougars clubbed Chula Vista
in Thursday’s (Dec. 20) second round of the Sweetwater
Xtreme Glass Holiday Tournament.
The Cougars (3-5) expanded their advantage to 33-12
by halftime and the rout was on.
DYLAN HAMLETT muscled in 15 points to pace a Steele
Canyon attack that featured nine scorers.
“We hadn’t played very hard the last two
games (losses to Hoover and Otay Ranch), but tonight
we took control at the outset,” said Cougars coach
DEREK STEPHENS.
Steele Canyon led by as many as 35 points in the 4th
quarter.
“For the last 6 minutes of the game I have four
sophomores and a junior on the floor,” said Stephens.
“Everybody got a lot of playing time.”
Steele Canyon:Dylan Hamlett 15, Casey Balikian 8,
Tariq Tillman 8, Daniel King 8, Jordan Johnson 6, Kaedyn
Thomas 6, Aaron Pisiona 4, Zach Kissel 4, Donovan Habib
3.
LYNWOOD 49, FOOTHILLS CHRISTIAN 43 – The
Foothills Christian Knights led 43-38 with 3 minutes
to play in Thursday’s (Dec. 20) Las Vegas-Tarkanian
Classic and then their offense stalled.
The Knights of Lynwood (8-3) scored the final 11 points
to pull out the victory.
Foothills led most of the way, including 19-17 at halftime.
T.J. LEAF scored 20 points, hitting 7 of 15 from the
field including 4 of 9 from 3-point range. The 6-foot-7
freshman also blocked 5 shots, grabbed 7 rebounds and
dished 4 assists.
J.R. RIVERA was also tough inside with 6 rebounds and
4 blocks for Foothills Christian (1-6).
Foothills concludes the tournament with a double-header
on Friday (Dec. 21).
Kemmy
Burgess, ECVHS, vs. Francis Parker, 12-4-98 Beau Sager, Valhalla, vs. Granite
Hills, 1-21-94* Tony Clark, Valhalla vs. Santana,
2-20-89 Tony Clark, Valhalla, vs. St.
Augustine 1988-89 Izzy Wagner, Mount Miguel vs. Hilltop,
12-15-12 Kemmy Burgess, ECVHS, vs. Monte
Vista, 1-9-98 Nick Taylor, Granite Hills, vs.
Sweetwater, 12-26-05 Todd Harper, Santana, vs. Granite
Hills, 1977-78 Andre Nikkita, ECVHS, vs. Oceanside,
12-19-12 Andre Nikkita, ECVHS, at Ramona,
11-27-12 Dean Miller, Granite Hills, vs.
Mount Miguel, 2-17-09 Other Recent Highs (non-GC) Troy Leaf, Foothills Chr., vs
Otay Ranch, 12-7-07 Tyrone Shelley (Fr.), Christian,
vs. Vista, 12-31-03
*added to list 12-16-12; rediscovered
data.
ECVHS finally downs Oceanside
behind 51-point outburst by Nikkita
“They beat us three times last year so it feels
pretty good,” said Braves coach MARTY ELLIS.
ANDRE NIKKITA scored a career-high 51 points to lead
the Braves to their seventh win in nine starts. Probably
the most interesting thing about Nikkita’s scoring
fest was 41 of his points came from the field, where
he made 20 baskets including one trey.
“I guess the strength of my game is the drive
to the basket,” said the 6-foot senior guard who
transferred from San Diego High School before his junior
year.
Nikkita scored 50 points earlier in the year against
Ramona.
“I’m not a 3-point shooting guy,” he
said. “But that’s not my game. I like to read
the defense and drive to the basket. If I get a lot
of guys surrounding me I’m not afraid to kick it
back out because we have people who can hit the three.
If they’re able to hit the three it opens the scoring
lanes for me.”
A year ago Nikkita barely averaged double figures.
“I was a rookie, a lot more timid than I am now,”
he said. “I know now that people look at me as
the scoring leader and that’s OK. All I want to
do is help us win game.”
El Cajon Valley:Andre Nikkita 51, Sangar Hasan 8,
Loqman Sulyman 6, Derrick Moore 4, Brandon Rumley 4,
Edon Lushi 2.
Grossmont freshman Tommy Rutherford
(42) registered 21 points and 12 boards
to help top visiting El Centro-Central. (Photo by Nathan Price, youatplay.com) VIEW
/ PURCHASE ADDITIONAL
PHOTOS HERE
GROSSMONT 58, EL CENTRO-CENTRAL 37 – Grossmont
High didn't know what to expect in Wednesday's (Dec.
19) quarterfinals of the annual Grossmont Winter Classic.
Instead of meeting Monte Vista, the Foothillers (2-5)
instead faced El Centro-Central, which upset the Monarchs
by a single point some 48 hours earlier.
Following a slow start – the Foothillers jumped
out of the blocks with a 7-0 lead, eventually mounting
a 26-16 cushion, the visiting Spartans kept mounting
pressure, turning a 10-point deficit into a 30-all ballgame
midway through the third period.
However, the Hillers had one important advantage.
"We were pretty efficient moving the ball inside,"
noted Hillers head coach FRANK FOGGIANO.
The result was five straight layins followed by a 3-ball
by J.T. BARNES to cap a 13-0 run, enough for Grossmont
to pull away for a 58-37 triumph. The Hillers advance
to Friday's (Dec. 21) semifinals against El Cajon Valley, which defeated Oceanside 78-68 in an overtime tilt
on Wednesday.
"We stayed close for a while, then Grossmont's
bigs pounded us," said Central Coach Marty Zwart.
"They defended really well."
Taking advantage was 5-foot-7 freshman center TOMMY
RUTHERFORD, who registered game highs of 24 points and
12 rebounds for Grossmont (2-5). Unlike many players
who grow tall early in life, Rutherford's ball-handling
skills are solid, including four inside passes to the
opposite block for assists to teammates.
"After Central made a run, coach called a timeout
and told us to slow down," said Rutherford. "We
were able to run our stuff and get the ball inside."
Rutherford finished with a game-high 21 points, plus
12 rebounds. When the frosh was scoring in the paint,
forward BILAL RAHIM was scoring his 9 points on 4-for-4
shooting plus a free throw. Rahim also topped all players
with 16 rebounds, 14 coming in the first half when Grossmont
first mounted its double-digit lead.
For Central (4-2), guard Kris Lewnethel led the way
with 18 points.
Grossmont:Tommy Rutherford 21 (12 reb, 4 ast), Bilal
Rahim 9 (16 reb), Austin Swisher 6 (4 reb, 2 ast, 2
stl), Jake Herrod 5 (3 ast), J.T. Barnes 5 (1 reb),
Tom Lore 5 (2 ast, 2 stl), Anthony Lawrence 4 (4 reb,
1 ast), Christian Meno 3 (2 reb, 1 stl), Ryan Green
(3 ast, 1 reb), Hunter Reed (2 reb, 1 ast), Carl Blanchard
(1 reb).
Monte Vista's Brendon Harris
registered
a team-best 16 points vs. Mar Vista. (Photo by Nathan Price, youatplay.com) VIEW
/ PURCHASE ADDITIONAL
PHOTOS HERE
MONTE VISTA 55, MAR VISTA 24 – Monte Vista
ignited by the 16-point effort of BRENDON HARRIS, smoked
Mar Vista in Wednesday’s (Dec. 19) quarterfinal
round of the Grossmont Winter Classic.
Injuries have plagued the Monarchs (4-4) of late. JUSTIN
BRANDY got smashed in the mouth last month (out indefinitely),
JAHZDION TAYLOR (ligament damage to his ankle is also
sidelined with no time of return) and JOSE JIMENEZ got
bit by a spider and had to go to the hospital.
Talk about a wipeout.
“We’ve had to change our philosophy,”
said Monte Vista coach JAMES CARROLL. “We have
kids playing out of position and now we have to rely
on our quickness more than on our size.”
Furthermore, Monte Vista dedicated Wednesday’s
game to teacher SAM REARIC, a social studies teacher
who passed away on Tuesday following along illness.
“Our kids dedicated the game to him,” said
Carroll. “A lot of them were in his classes so
it was pretty emotional.”
Monte Vista took a 31-8 halftime lead as BRENDON HARRIS
led the Monarchs with 16 points, while HASANI JARVIS
added 10 points and 8 rebounds and THOMAS WALKER added
7 steals.
IMPERIAL 72, SANTANA 54 – A physical Imperial
team rolled over Santana in Wednesday’s (Dec. 19)
quarterfinal round of the Grossmont Winter Classic in
Santee.
The Tigers (4-1) built a 58-35 lead by the close of
the 3rd quarter and never looked back.
All-CIF football player Royce Freeman (6-foot-2, 228
pounds) provided the muscle inside while junior Dajon
Straton and senior Dexter Bell tossed in 18 and 19 points
respectively for the Tigers.
“Freeman is a beast,” said Santana coach
TIM BARRY. “He’s a man-child.”
“I thought CHRISTIAN BARRY played pretty well,
leading the Sultans with 17 points, 6 assists and 5
steals. He is the one kid who competed with those guys.
Outside of him getting to the hole we just didn’t’
have enough firepower to match up with them. He was
our defensive stopper as a sophomore when we had LANDON
LOZOYA and RYAN BICKFORD.”
ANDY MILLER added 14 points for the Sultans while DUSTIN
MURPHY pitched in 11 points and JORDAN VARGAS snagged
7 rebounds.
Santana:Christian Barry 17 (4 reb, 6 ast, 5 stl),
Andy Miller 14 (3 reb, 2 ast), Dustin Murphy 11 (2 reb,
1 stl), Jordan Vargas 8 (7 reb, 2 ast, 2 stl), Gabe
Kruse 4 (3 reb, 1 stl), Ryan Bratlien (2 reb, 2 ast),
Tim Huson (1 reb).
UNIVERSITY CITY 46, EL CAPITAN 31 – A lack
of offensive output cause the Vaqueros to play chase
in Wednesday’s (Dec. 19) quarterfinal round of
the Grossmont Winter Classic in Lakeside, but coach
JASON CAVAZOS was not disappointed in the performance
of his team.
“We played with energy, we played hard and it
was fun to coach because the guys played hard,”
said Cavazos. “It was a close game until the end.
We competed.”
El Capitan:Scott Root 6 (6 reb, 1 stl), Justin Phoenix
6 (3 reb, 1 stl), Myles Emmerson 6 (2 reb), Aaron Price
4 (2 reb, 1 ast, 1 stl), Kevin Garcia 3 (1 reb), Dre
Kyle 3 (3 stl), Wyatt Alvarez 1 (4 reb, 2 stl), Ryan
Quinten 1 (2 reb), Travis Hulsey 1 (1 reb), Scott Ross
(4 reb, 2 stl), Adam Jacob (2 reb, 2 blk).
Las Vegas-BISHOP GORMAN 82, FOOTHILLS CHRISTIAN
50 – For the Foothills Christian Knights Wednesday’s
(Dec. 19) opening round of Las Vegas' Jerry Tarkanian
Classic was almost like playing a college team.
“Those guys have five Division I players,”
said Foothills Christian coach BRAD LEAF. “Their
staring lineup consists of a 7-footer, a 6-11 guy, two
6-7 guys and a 6-5 guy. And the first guy off the bench
is a 6-6 guy.”
Foothills Christian (1-5) struggled the opening 16
minutes, hitting only 7 of 27 shots from the field and
failing to connect on 10 three-point shots.
Freshman T. J. LEAF seemed to hold his own against
the more experienced Gaels, finishing with 24 points
and 8 rebounds.
But Foothills could never find its footing in terms
of shooting, finishing the game hitting only 35 percent
overall. Meanwhile, Stephen Zimmerman had 17 points
and eight boards for the Gaels.
U-T
Sportswriters/
Sportscasters Poll First-place
votes in parenthesis
Team
WL
Pts
LW
1. Lincoln (10)
2. Cathedral Cath. (4)
3. Hoover
4., Army-Navy
5. St. Augustine
6. El Camino
tie. Mission Hills
8. La Costa Canyon
9. San Ysidro
10. Torrey Pines
5-2
8-1
5-1
6-0
4-1
9-1
4-1
7-3
5-1
2-3
131
127
93
88
82
60
60
50
42
10
1
2
3
5
7
8
6
4
8
t10
Receiving votes:San Marcos
(9), Eastlake (6), Mount Miguel (5), Morse
(4), Helix (1), Santa Fe Christian (1), Valley
Center (1).
The 5-foot-10 Harrison registered game highs of 18
points and 13 rebounds for the Pats (6-3, 1-0 CL).
“He’s picking up his speed and it’s
helping his overall game,” said Patriots coach
KELVIN STARR of Harrison.
PHILLIP GEORGE, known more for his defense, scored
13 points and grabbed 6 rebounds for Christian, while
STEPHEN JOHNSTON chipped in with 10 points and 6 boards,
and JOE ROSS grabbed 10 rebounds.
“As a team we had some better moments in this
game than we’ve had in the others,” Starr
said. “This was a confidence builder.”
The Braves bounced visiting Rancho Bernardo, 56-48,
in the first round of the Grossmont Winter Classic to
hoist their record to 6-2 in Monday’s (Dec. 17)
opening round.
Before the Braves could claim the victory, there was
an alarm.
“We were up 6-0 in the first quarter and all of
a sudden the fire alarm went off,” said Braves
coach MARTY ELLIS. “So I had to leave the court
and go find out what was going on."
“We have a lot of new building going on in there
and one of them was a welding class, and that’s
where the smoke was coming from. I went to the Administration
Building and they told me everything was okay.
“By the time I got back to the court we were down
10-9 after one quarter.”
That proved to be no problem for the Braves, who used
their pressure defense to take a 29-18 halftime lead.
“We led by as many as 18 points in the second
half,” Ellis said.
LOQMAN SULYMAN nailed 6 three-pointers on his way to
a 20-point game high. ANDRE NIKKITA added 15 points,
half of them coming on 7 of 9 free throw shooting.
“We’re not playing a bubblegum schedule,”
Ellis said. “This was a big test and we passed
it. When I first got here nobody ever scouted our games.
Now we have at least one or two scouts every game. That
says a lot about our program and our kids.”
El Cajon Valley:Loqman Sulyman 20, Andre Nikkita 15,
Sangar Hasan 7, Edon Lushi 4, Derrick Moore 4, Brenden
Brocious 3, Ibrahim Ali 2, Brenden Rumley 1 (15 reb).
VALHALLA 87, MOUNTAIN EMPIRE 48 – SPENCER
HAVIRD continues to prove himself as one of the best
basketball players in East County as he poured in 30
points, collected 11 rebounds and recorded 5 steals
as Valhalla breezed to its 5th win without a loss in
the final round of the Mount Miguel Invitational.
Havird was 11-for-14 from the free throw line and 5-for-6
from 3-point range.
Valhalla took a 31-10 lead over the Redhawks and led
57-24 by halftime.
DAVID GAZALE pitched in with 16 points, 4 rebounds,
5 assists and 6 steals for the Norsemen.
“Gazale did a good job of going to the basket,”
said Valhalla coach KEITH JACKSON.
Jackson is pleased that he has at least 10 players
contributing on a daily basis.
“Mountain Empire led us 9-5 early, then we went
on a 25-0 run after that,” Jackson said.
Valhalla:Spencer Havird 30 (11 reb, 6 ast, 5 stl,
2 blk), David Gazale 16 (4 reb, 5 ast, 6 stl), Andrew
Lozoya 9 (3 reb, 2 ast, 2 stl), Jordan Qsar 8 (5 reb,
1 stl), Cody Gladu 8 (5 reb, 1 ast, 3 stl), George Fakhoury
6 (2 reb, 4 ast), Yousif Kagy 6 (1 reb, 3 ast, 2 stl),
Correy Ruth 2 (5 reb), Lorenzo Lucas 2 (2 reb), James
Martin (2 reb, 2 ast, 1 blk), Sean Crosby (1 reb).
GROSSMONT 73, MAR VISTA 31 – The Foothillers
broke into the win column for the first time in six
games in Monday’s (Dec. 17) rout of visiting Mar
Vista in the first round of the Grossmont Winter Classic.
The Foothillers led 44-9 at halftime so the game was
obviously over at that point.
Ten Foothillers contributed to the scoring, led by
freshman TOMMY RUTHERFORD who poured in 17 points and
grabbed 14 rebounds. JAKE HERROD scored a career high
12 points and BILAL RAHIM collected 10 rebounds.
“We needed a game like this,” said Grossmont
coach FRANK FOGGIANO. “The best thing was we got
to play everybody.”
EL CENTRO-CENTRAL 53, MONTE VISTA 52 –
Monarchs coach JAMES CARROLL said he could tell by Monte
Vista’s warm-up that Monday’s (Dec. 17) Grossmont
Winter Classic opener at Grossmont High was going to
be a challenge, to say the least.
And so it was.
The visiting Spartans (4-1) took a 31-16 halftime lead
and extended their advantage to 19 points in the third
quarter.
That’s when the Monarchs seemed to get the idea
they were on the ropes. Monte Vista outscored the Spartans
22-10 in the fourth quarter and 14-12 in the final period.
The Monarchs (3-4) had a chance to pull out a victory
but missed a shot with 22 seconds remaining and fouled.
The Spartans sank two free throws after that to secure
the victory.
Six-foot-8 junior Luis Vizcaino, a southpaw shooter,
led the Spartans with 22 points.
“You don’t see a lot of left-handed shooters
that big, so it was tough for our kids to defend him,”
Carroll said.
OTAY RANCH 59, STEELE CANYON 45 – The Cougars
of Steele Canyon are a team that likes to live from
the 3-point line. But so far they’ve struggled
from that distance due to a season-long injury to ace
CASEY BALIKIAN.
Balikian keeps improving game by game, contributing
8 points to Monday’s (Dec. 17) opening round of
the Sweetwater Xtreme Glass Holiday Tournament.
He hit two 3s in the contest but as a team the Cougars
were only 3-for-18 from long distance.
DANIEL KING led the Cougars (2-5) with 16 points.
“King did a good job,” said Cougars coach
DEREK STEPHENS. “He played hard. Hamlett, our 6-foot-6
guy, had three people on him everywhere he went. Defensively
we didn’t play well. JORDAN JOHNSON played well
defensively off the bench.
“(Otay Ranch) came out with a lot of energy. We’re
kind of struggling right now in terms of energy. We
beat them earlier (67-50 in the first game of the season).
They manned up and forced us to shoot tonight.”
Steele Canyon:Daniel King 16, Casey Balikian 8, Zach
Kissel 7, Kaedyn Thomas 5, Tariq Tillman 3, Donovan
Habib 2, Jordan Johnson 2, Dylan Hamlett 2.
OLYMPIAN 60, SANTANA 47 – A sluggish first
half in Monday’s (Dec. 17) Grossmont Winter Classic
opening round where Santana trailed Olympian 22-17 seemed
to be set for a photo finish.
That didn’t happen.
The Sultans (2-4) were forced to play catch-up the
remainder of the contest.
“We got it down to 3 points in the fourth quarter,”
said Sultans coach TIM BARRY. “Then they made like
8 or 10 free throws in a row. The thing that really
turned the game against us was Olympian scored the last
6 points of the first half after we led most of the
time.”
Santana:Andy Miller 11 (4 reb, 2 ast, 2 stl), Christian
Barry 11 (3 reb, 1 ast, 1 stl), Ryan Bratlien 8 (3 reb,
1 ast, 1 stl), Dustin Murphy 5 (1 reb, 2 ast), Daniel
Shively 5, Tim Huson 3 (1 ast, 1 stl), Jordan Vargas
2 (3 reb, 2 ast), Gabe Kruse 2 (2 reb).
WESTVIEW 61, EL CAPITAN 25 – The rebuilding
El Capitan Vaqueros were no match for Top 10 ranked
Westview in Monday’s (Dec. 17) first round of the
Grossmont Winter Classic in Lakeside.
The visiting Wolverines (5-1) claimed a 25-3 scoring
advantage in the second quarter and after that it was
time to turn out the lights.
“Westview is pretty good and we’re not very
good,” admitted El Capitan coach JASON CAVAZOS.
“We lost all our guys (to graduation). We’re
just trying to rebuild. All we can do is try to get
better.”
El Capitan:Myles Emmerson 9 (1 reb), Scott Ross 9
(2 reb, 1 ast), Ryan Quinten 4 (2 reb), Adam Jacob 2
(2 reb), Aaron Price 1 (3 reb), Scott Root (1 reb, 1
blk), Justin Phoenix (2 reb), Travis Hulsey (2 reb),
Wyatt Alvarez (1 reb).
Kemmy
Burgess, ECVHS, vs. Francis Parker, 12-4-98 Beau Sager, Valhalla, vs. Granite
Hills, 1-21-94* Tony Clark, Valhalla vs. Santana,
2-20-89 Tony Clark, Valhalla, vs. St.
Augustine 1988-89 Izzy Wagner, Mount Miguel vs. Hilltop,
12-15-12 Kemmy Burgess, ECVHS, vs. Monte
Vista, 1-9-98 Nick Taylor, Granite Hills, vs.
Sweetwater, 12-26-05 Todd Harper, Santana, vs. Granite
Hills, 1977-78 Andre Nikkita, ECVHS, at Ramona,
11-27-12 Dean Miller, Granite Hills, vs.
Mount Miguel, 2-17-09 Other Recent Highs Troy Leaf, Foothills Chr., vs
Otay Ranch, 12-7-07 Tyrone Shelley (Fr.), Christian,
vs. Vista, 12-31-03
*added to list 12-16-12; rediscovered
data.
The Wonders of Wagner Scores 54 points; 5th highest total
in Grossmont Conference history
No matter the opponent the Matadors face, the 6-foot-2
senior is guaranteed to get his points. At least that’s
been the case of the Matadors’ first five victories
of the campaign, including an 82-43 blowout of Hilltop
on Saturday (Dec. 15) in the Mount Miguel Invitational.
Wagner scored 54 points in this contest and now has
223 points for a 44.6 scoring average. His 54 ties for
fifth-best in Grossmont Conference history.
“Izzy took only four bad shots so it’s not
like he’s just jacking up a shot every time he
gets the ball in his hands,” noted Matadors coach
JAY ROWLETT. “Everything else he does is in rhythm.
He’s a deadly free throw shooter (60-for-69, 87.0
percent) and has landed 11 three-pointers. He also a
ballhawk on defense with 33 steals, and isn’t bad
on the boards with 26 rebounds.”
Co-starring in the Matadors’ latest victory included
TONY WILLS with 8 points and 6 assists.
Rowlett was also quick to heap praise on CARL DEE ROBERSON
for his superior defense.
Mount Miguel:Izzy Wagner 54 (6 reb, 3 ast, 7 stl),
Tony Wills 8 (3 reb, 6 ast), Austin Smith 6 (5 reb,
1 ast, 1 stl), DeVaughn Murray 5 (2 reb, 1 ast, 1 stl),
Carl Dee Roberson 4 (5 reb, 2 ast, 4 stl), Louis Johnson
4 (4 reb, 1 ast), Donnell Payne (3 reb, 1 ast), Mike
Taylor (2 stl).
VALHALLA 69, CLAIREMONT 37 – There are
those out there who have already discounted the Valhalla
Norsemen in terms of contending for the Grossmont Hills
League championship.
But whoa… put a brake on that thinking. Granted,
the Norsemen have not played the toughest pre-league
schedule in town, but on Saturday (Dec. 15) they clobbered
Clairemont, taking a 49-25 lead and never looking back
in the Mount Miguel Invitational.
This may be one of the stealth teams in all of San
Diego County.
Junior DAVID GAZALE led the charge against the Chieftains
with a career high 27 points, including 9-for-14 shooting.
That included 3-for-5 from long distance. He was also
6-for-7 from the free throw line.
ANDREW LOZOYA pitched in with 12 points and backbone
SPENCER HAVIRD added 10 points and 12 rebounds. Not
to be overlooked was 6-foot-3 junior JORDAN QSAR who
lugged down 11 boards.
“We forced Clairemont into 27 turnovers and you
know it’s always going to make things easier for
you if you capitalize,” said Valhalla coach KEITH
JACKSON. “We also had 16 assists (5 by Haivrd).”
Valhalla will host Mountain Empire on Monday (Dec.
17) in a Mount Miguel Invitational make-up game at 7
p.m.
SACRAMENTO-FRANKLIN 61, HELIX 43 – Maybe
it was the high altitude, but the Highlanders did not
show much offense in their final two games at the Red
Bluff Holiday Classic in the mountains of Northern California.
In Saturday’s (Dec. 15) third place game the Highlanders
were outscored in all four quarters by Sacramento Franklin.
ROMARIO WILSON is the only Scottie that had any kind
of offensive output in this loss, as he produced 18
points – half of them coming on 3-point buckets.
“We knew this would be a tough tournament and
the teams up here would expose what we don’t do
well,” said Helix coach JOHN SINGER of he 5-3 Highlanders.
“Like we said before, there are a lot of distractions
up here, but that’s not an excuse for poor play.
“The teams we lost to, including Lake Oswego 68-27
and Franklin, would win a lot of games in San Diego.”
Helix:Romario Wilson 18, Kaelen Mitchell 8, Derrick
Chandler 6, Titus Young 4, Dalen Harrison 2, Oscar Picazo
2, Will Mildenhall 1, Tivon Plummer 1, Alex Wilbourn
1.
HOOVER 77, STEELE CANYON 42 – A pathetic
offensive showing in the middle two quarters against
traditionally Top 10 power Hoover led to a lop-sided
loss for Steele Canyon in Saturday’s (Dec. 15)
opening round of the Sweetwater Xtreme Glass Holiday
Tournament.
The Cougars were outscored 33-12 by the Cardinals in
the second and third quarters, which turned the game
into a rout.
DANIEL KING and DYLEN HAMLETT led the Cougars with
15 and 12 points respectively.
“It was CASEY BALIKIAN’s first game back
and he was hurting so he came out,” said Cougars
coach DEREK STEPHENS. “There was no need to push
it.
“Our defense in the first half was very good.
Scheduling tough teams has allowed any mistakes we make
to be capitalized on. We need to work hard but there
are some positives happening on our team.”
Steele Canyon:Daniel King 15, Dylan Hamlett 12, Kaedyn
Thomas 8, Casey Balikian 3, Zach Kissel 2, Donovan Habib
2.
CHRISTIAN 47, INDIO 40 – No information
reported on this consolation semifinal against the Rajahs
in Saturday's (Dec. 15) Imperial Tiger Classic game.
CORONADO 69, CHRISTIAN 43 – No report
on this consolation final against the Islanders in Saturday's
(Dec. 15) Imperial Tiger Classic game.
Rankings Buster:Matadors club the Cavers in battle
of undefeated ballclubs
The Matadors were facing off against San Diego on their
home court. The showdown was hardly that as the Matadors,
who led by as many as 25 points – 58-33 –
claimed a 67-55 victory over the Cavers for their fourth
win without interruption.
“We were expecting a real battle because they’ve
beaten some pretty good teams, like Rancho Bernardo
and Vista Murrieta,” Rowlett said.
Credit San Diego (4-1) for holding Mount Miguel sharp-shooter
IZZY WAGNER to a season-low 39 points. Think about it…
more than 4 points below his season average.
Of course, nobody was complaining because Wagner is
averaging 42.3 ppg for the 4-0 Matadors.
Against San Diego Wagner hit 11 of 20 shots from the
floor, including 4 of 10 from 3-point range as well
as 15 of 17 free throws.
It was the first time in four games that Wagner has
not reached the 40-point mark. But it didn’t bother
the Matadors’ scoring machine.
“I just want to do what it takes to get us a win,”
said Wagner. “It doesn’t matter how many points
I have; it matters how many points we have.”
About the victory over San Diego Wagner said, “It
was a super big win. There was a lot of trash-talking
on the floor but we just have to focus on what we’re
doing and not on what the other team is saying.”
San Diego, led by Shawn Sanderlin’s 31 points
(including 15 of 15 from the free throw line), tried
a variety of defenses to try to control Wagner. None
of them worked.
“They tried a box-and-one, a 1-2-2 zone and man-to-man,”
said Rowlett.
Mount Miguel’s supporting cast led by CARL DEE
ROBERSON’s 7 points and 9 rebounds, continues to
improve. TONY WILLS added 7 points, 7 rebounds, 4 assists
and 2 blocks, and DeVAUGHN MURRAY had 7 points and 3
steals.
Mount Miguel:Izzy Wagner 39 (4 reb, 5 stl, 1 blk),
Tony Wills 7 (7 reb, 4 ast, 2 stl, 2 blk), Carl Dee
Roberson 7 (9 reb, 2 ast, 3 stl, 1 blk), DeVaughn Murray
7 (1 reb, 1 ast, 3 stl), Donnell Payne 4 (3 reb, 1 ast,
1 stl), Austin Smith 2 (2 reb, 1 ast), Luis Johnson
1 (3 reb, 1 ast, 3 stl).
LAKE OSWEGO (Ore.) 68, HELIX 27 – Given
the final score it’s hard to believe that Helix
led 13-11 after the first quarter in Friday’s (Dec.
14) Red Bluff Holiday Classic semifinal action.
After that it was all about Lake Oswego, the No. 1
ranked team in Oregon.
Kalvins Herrmann, a 6-foot-6 Lake Oswego ace with a
scholarship to St. Mary’s in hand, scored 23 points
to pace the unbeaten Lakers (5-0) and could have had
more.
“You know, we haven’t really played that
well yet, and that’s my fault,” said Helix
coach JOHN SINGER. “That kid is the real deal.
But I still don’t believe they’re 40 points
better than us.”
Even though this is another in a long line of rebuilding
years for the Highlanders (5-2), Singer said, “Wins
will make you think you’re doing better than you
are.”
“We just weren’t focused tonight, so I played
all 15 guys. We’ve just got to get better.”
Helix:Romario Wilson 8, Titus Young 6, Kaelen Mitchell
4, Will Mildenhall 4, Xavier Jones 2, Oscar Picazo 2,
Dalen Harrison 1.
CHRISTIAN 68, VINCENT MEMORIAL 42 – No
further details reported for this Imperial Tiger Classic
game on Friday (Dec. 14).
Scotties win, face Oregon's top-ranked team;
Matadors' Wagner sets school scoring record
The Highlanders took a 12-4 lead late in the first
quarter and kept control throughout before claiming
their fifth win in six starts, 55-43 over the host Spartans.
Helix will play the No. 1 ranked team in Oregon, Lake
Oswego (4-0), in Friday’s (Dec. 14) tournament
semifinals at 8:30 p.m.
Once again, the Highlanders used a balanced attack
led by ROMARIO WILSON’s 17 points, which included
two of the Highlanders’ 5 three-pointers in the
contest.
TITUS YOUNG chipped in with 12 points and 1 trey, while
KAELEN MITCHELL nailed 9 markers – the majority
coming on two 3-balls.
But the unsung hero in Helix’s latest conquest
was 6-foot-9 ALEX WILBOURN, who finished with 8 points
and 10 rebounds.
“He provided a spark for us off the bench,”
said Highlanders assistant coach ANDY MERIDETH of Wilbourn.
“We haven’t had a center to go to all season.
Maybe he’ll be the answer – we’ll see.
He has a great touch and he’s getting better.”
A year ago Helix started out 0-4.
“This is our 12th year in this tournament and
last year Red Bluff beat us,” Merideth noted. “It’s
become a North-South rivalry and we all really enjoy
it.”
Helix:Romario Wilson 17, Titus Young 12, Kaelen Mitchell
9, Alex Wilbourn 8 (10 reb), Tivon Plummer 5, Derrick
Chandler 3, Will Mildenhall 1.
MOUNT MIGUEL 74, RANCHO BERNARDO 72 – IZZY
WAGNER scored a school-record 46 points and snagged
10 rebounds as Mount Miguel pulled a narrow escape over
Rancho Bernardo in Thursday’s (Dec. 13) Mount Miguel
Invitational action at Morse.
Wagner has scored 130 points (43.3 ppg) for the 3-0
Matadors.
“He has a real pretty shot and knows how to finish,”
said Mount Miguel coach JAY ROWLETT. “RB tried
to double team him and it didn’t matter. He has
not faced a defense that he hasn’t been able to
solve. He’s a real heady player.”
Despite Wagner’s heroics Mount Miguel had to scramble
to remain undefeated.
After falling behind 17-6 in the first quarter the
Matadors rebounded to lead 32-29 by halftime.
Mount Miguel led by 3 points with 3 seconds remaining
before Wagner hit a pair of free throws to stretch the
advantage to 5.
The Broncos hit a long-range 3-pointer but it was too
little, too late.
“Our defensive intensity turned the game around
in the second quarter,” Rowlett said. “I have
to give credit to some of our other players who came
up clutch in the stretch, like TONY WILLS and DeVAUGHN
MURRAY. Our kids know that we can’t win with just
one player.”
Mount Miguel:Izzy Wagner 46 (10 reb, 1 ast, 3 stl),
Carl Dee Roberson 8 (8 reb, 1 stl), DeVaughn Murray
7 (5 reb, 2 ast, 1 stl), Tony Wills 7 (3 reb, 3 ast,
1 stl), Austin Smith 4 (2 reb, 1 ast), Donnell Payne
2 (2 reb), Louis Johnson (1 reb).
MATER DEI CATHOLIC 62, CHRISTIAN 20 – After
falling behind Mater Dei 18-1 in the first quarter things
only got worse for the Christian High Patriots in Thursday’s
(Dec. 13) opening round of the Imperial Tiger Classic.
In the third quarter the Crusaders claimed a 23-0 scoring
edge and the rout was on.
“It was a real wake up call for us,” said
Patriots coach KELVIN STARR. “They are a good team
but not 42 points better. Our kids did not respond well
to pressure.”
The telltale statistic of the game was Christian (3-2)
had 29 turnovers while taking only 24 shots.
Valhalla's George Fakhoury (right)
scores
on the reverse layin vs. CV-High Tech. (Photo by Don DeMars Photography) ADDITIONAL
PHOTOS HERE
DAVID GAZALE set the pace for the unbeaten Norsemen
(3-0) with 19 points including a trio of 3-pointers
against the Bruins.
SPENCER HAVIRD in just 20 minutes playing time, chipped
in with 17 points, 7 rebounds, 3 assists and 4 steals.
Six-foot-3 junior JORDAN QSAR muscled in 15 points,
7 rebounds and blocked 9 shots in only his third varsity
game. Known more for his baseball expertise, Qsar could
become quite a force for the Norsemen cagers.
“Obviously we didn’t play with the same emotion
as we did against Morse, but we it was a good chance
for a lot of guys to get some minutes, and that’s
always a good thing,” said Valhalla coach KEITH
JACKSON.
Valhalla senior Spencer Havird
goes for
the monster slam, but bounces the ball
off the back-iron for a miss. Still, the host
Norsemen beat Morse, 68-51, Tuesday. (Photo by Ruth Mims)
ADDITIONAL PHOTOS
HERE
ANDREW LOZOYA kick-started the Norsemen with
all of his 8 points in the first four minutes,
capped by a long 3-ball for a surprising 18-4
advantage, giving the hosts the boost to post
a solid 68-51 triumph over the Tigers.
"We were feeling it, so the team is happy
to win," said Lozoya. "Usually I'm the
third or fourth guy who gets a look at the basket,
but the ball went my way and I was able to make
some shots."
Lozoya opened Tuesday’s (Dec. 11) contest
with a midrange jumper, then added a pair of 3-balls
for his points. All three baskets came on assists
from a different teammate – KEVIN MILLS,
GEORGE FAKHOURY and JORDAN QSAR. Lozyoa also took
a charge on defense.
Meanwhile, Valhalla's SPENCER HAVIRD matched
Lozoya by also pouring home 8 points in the first
period, then continued to post game-highs of 24
points and 12 rebounds. But the work on the defensive
end to prevent second-chance scoring by Morse
proved important.
"You have to credit our defense and our
high intensity and work rate on defense,"
said Norsemen coach KEITH JACKSON. "It was
a nice effort for just our second game of the
year."
Mills added 13 points and five assists. The balanced
scoring attack saw Qsar score 9 points, while
DAVID GAZALE added 8.
Morse made two mild runs to stay in the contest,
scoring three baskets in the final 20 seconds
of the first quarter due to a pair of quick steals
to trim a 14-point deficit to 21-17, moving to
within a point in the second period, yet never
could overtake the lead from Valhalla.
In the fourth quarter, moments after the Norsemen
went up 59-39 for their biggest lead on a pair
of Qsar foul shots with 5:02 remaining, the Tigers
ran off eight straight points.
"However, we went to a zone which slowed
them down," added Jackson. "It was
a good effort to close out the victory."
So far after two Mount Miguel lop-sided victories,
Wagner has been anything but stoppable. The senior guard
has scored 84 points, pouring in 41 in Tuesday’s
(Dec. 11) 71-38 conquest of Clairemont in Mount Miguel
Invitational action at Valhalla High.
Wagner scored 41 points against the Chieftains even
though he did not play in the fourth quarter. He’s
nailed 8 three-pointers in the two games for the undefeated
Matadors (2-0).
“I was kinda surprised that Clairemont played
a 2-3 zone against me the whole game,” Wagner said.
“That’s fine because that’s my role –
to put the ball in the basket and lead my team.”
Wagner has made 34 of 51 shots (.667 percent) thus far.
“I really enjoy scoring,” he continued. “But
I don’t think people notice that defense is a big
part of my game.”
Wagner has 18 steals in two games, including 10 steals
against Clairemont.
Asked if he had any goals going into the season, Wagner
said, “I want a (CIF) ring. They brought me up
on the team when I was a freshman, but I didn’t
do anything. I want to lead us to another CIF title
this year.”
TONY WILLS, the only other returning starter for the
Matadors, turned in 13 points and dished 5 assists.
Mount Miguel:Izzy Wagner 41 (3 reb, 2 ast, 10 stl),
Tony Wills 11 (4 reb, 5 ast, 2 stl), Carl Dee Roberson
6 (3 reb, 2 stl), Louis Johnson 3 (7 reb, 1 ast, 3 stl),
Mike Taylor 3 (1 ast, 1 stl), DeVaughn Murray 2 (5 reb,
5 ast, 2 stl), Donnell Payne 2 (4 reb, 1 ast, 2 stl),
Austin Smith 2 (3 reb, 2 ast), Chris Emerson 1 (2 reb,
1 stl).
U-T
Sportswriters/
Sportscasters Poll First-place
votes in parenthesis
Team
WL
Pts
LW
1. Lincoln (10)
2. Cathedral Cath. (2)
3. Hoover
4. La Costa Canyon
5, Army-Navy
6. Mission Hills
7, St. Augustine
8. El Camino
tie. San Ysidro
10. San Marcos
tie. Eastlake
tie. Torrey Pines
5-1
5-0
5-1
3-2
1-0
3-1
4-1
6-0
4-1
6-0
2-1
1-2
133
126
89
80
70
61
58
45
45
10
10
10
1
2
t3
t3
5
7
6
9
10
—
—
8
Receiving votes:La Jolla
Country Day (18), Helix (16), Francis Parker
(11), Vista (8), Eastlake (8), Morse (3), Westview
(3), Valley Center (3), San Marcos (2), Santa Fe
Christian (1), Mount Miguel (1).
GRANITE HILLS 73, ESCONDIDO 70 – Granite
Hills head coach RANDY ANDERSON took his team on the
road for the first time in five games on Tuesday (Dec.
11) and came away with a non-league victory, hoisting
the team’s record to 2-3.
The key to the victory was the play of guards JOEY
GRUBB, D.J. PALOMERA and CODIE SIMMONS, who combined
for 14 steals.
“I know it’s not glaring in the statistical
column but that was the swing vote on the defensive
end – the play of those three guards,” Anderson
noted.
Grubb also led the team with 28 points, hitting 10
of 18 from the field – half of them 3-pointers.
He also had 8 steals.
Palomera was pivotal in the victory with 23 points,
including a pair of threes and 7 of 8 free throw shooting.
Escondido led 21-9 after one quarter but Palomera brought
the Eagles back.
“D.J. provided us with the spark, scoring 12 points
in the second quarter and 9 in the third,” Anderson
said.
Grubb scored 11 of his points in the final quarter
as the Eagles repelled an Escondido comeback bid.
“Absolutely this was our best game so far,”
Anderson said. “Our guys fell behind by 12 points
but didn’t even blink. We just kept our poise and
kept on attacking and I’m proud of the guys for
that.”
Such is the case of Valhalla High senior SPENCER HAVIRD.
The 6-foot-2, 183-pounder, who was recently named East
County Sports' Defensive Player of the Year in football,
picked up the basketball without missing a stride.
Havird scored an impressive double-double of 15 points
and a career-high 22 rebounds in Monday’s (Dec.
10) Mount Miguel Invitational opening victory over Hilltop,
60-45.
Norsemen senior guard Spencer
Havird. (Photo by Don DeMars Photography)
VIEW / PURCHASE ADDITIONAL
PHOTOS
Havird’s game didn’t stop there as he also had
7 steals and 6 assists.
“He’s still trying to find his basketball
legs but I’d say he’s off to a pretty good
start,” said Valhalla coach KEITH JACKSON.
The Norsemen also received powerful scoring punch from
DAVID GAZALE, who poured in 19 points on 8 of 18 shooting,
including a pair of threes. JORDAN QSAR added 9 points
and 10 rebounds to go along with 5 steals, while GEORGE
FAKHOURY pitched in 10 points.
“One of the things going into the season that
concerned me most was our rebounding ability,”
Jackson said.
However Valhalla won the battle of the boards against
the Lancers 50-32 with 23 caroms coming off the offensive
glass.
“Since this was our first game of the season I
didn’t know what to expect,” Jackson said.
“So we were a little bit nervous going in. One
of the things that was a little disappointing was our
ball handling, which is what I thought would be one
of our strengths.”
MOUNT MIGUEL 79, CASTLE PARK 38 – It’s
no secret that Mount Miguel senior sharp-shooting guard
IZZY WAGNER is the best player in East County.
In his first game out of the gate Monday (Dec. 10)
against Castle Park in the Mount Miguel Invitational
opener, the 6-foot-2 Wagner nailed 17 of 25 shots from
the floor (one of them a 3) and 10 of 11 free throws
for a career high of 43 points.
He also logged 8 steals, 4 assists, 3 rebounds and
2 blocks.
“We started off pretty quick,” said Matadors
coach JAY ROWLETT after Mount Miguel opened up a 39-20
halftime lead. “It was a typical first game. It
was good to get out and win. We have five games in six
days coming up. I have only two guys – Izzy and
TONY WILLS – who played varsity last year. They
are our senior leaders and they’ll have to lead
both on the court and in the locker room.”
Wills finished with 9 points, 7 rebounds and 6 assists.
Mount Miguel:Izzy Wagner 43 (3 reb, 4 ast, 8 stl,
2 blk), Tony Wills 9 (7 reb, 6 ast, 2 stl, 1 blk), DeVaughn
Murray 7 (3 reb, 1 ast, 1 stl, 1 blk), Carl Dee Roberson
7 (6 reb, 1 ast, 3 stl), Donnell Payne 5 (2 reb), Austin
Smith 4 (2 reb, 1 ast, 2 stl), Louis Johnson 4 (1 reb,
1 stl), Mike Taylor (2 reb).
Santana senior guard Christian
Barry (right). (Photo by John Gilmore)
SANTANA 49, SD-SOUTHWEST 34 – Santana coach
TIM BARRY will admit that Monday’s (Dec. 10) San
Diego DIII Challenge victory over San Diego Southwest
was hardly a thing of beauty.
Oh, it started out OK when CHRISTIAN BARRY scored Santana’s
first 11 points staking the Sultans to an 11-2 lead.
The Sultans added an 10-2 scoring run to close the third
quarter to all but lock up their second victory in five
starts.
ANDY MILLER added 13 points and 9 rebounds for Santana,
while RYAN BRATLIEN added 10 points to the Sultans’
tally.
Christian Barry, a senior guard is awaiting word from
several UC schools on admission, notably UC Santa Barbara.
He finished with 17 points – the majority coming
on 4 for 8 shooting from the 3-point line.
"The younger guys were a little bit scared when
it came to ball control," said Christian Barry.
"But we'll get it straightened out."
Coach Barry said, “We took care of business and
this was a good Division III win for us. But we’re
so close to being 4-1.”
Santana:Christian Barry 17 (4 reb, 3 ast, 5 stl),
Andy Miller 13 (9 reb, 1 ast, 1 stl), Ryan Bratlien
10 (4 reb, 1 ast), Jordan Vargas 4 (1 ast, 2 stl), Gabe
Kruse 2 (1 reb, 1 stl), Tiano Franco 2, Dustin Murphy
1 (7 reb, 4 ast, 2 stl), Daniel Shively (2 reb, 1 ast),
Austin Miller (1 reb, 1 stl).
EL CAPITAN 58, PALO VERDE VALLEY 48 – No
team in San Diego County is starting from scratch more
than coach JASON CAVAZOS’ El Capitan Vaqueros.
The fact that his club posted its first win just five
games into the season has to be rewarding as the Vaqueros
clipped Palo Verde Valley in Monday’s (Dec. 10)
San Diego DIII Challenge in Lakeside.
“We were more aggressive than we’ve been
ever before, and that’s what I keep preaching,”
Cavazos said. “We got a lot of easy buckets, layups.
DRE KYLE came on with a lot of energy and it carried
over to our whole team.”
The Vaqueros shot 48 percent from 2-point range (24
for 50) but failed to connect on 11 three-point shots.
ADAM JACOB added 11 points and 9 rebounds, and TRAVIS
HULSEY controlled the boards with 13 rebounds.
El Cajon Valley (5-2) scored 7 points in overtime as
DERRICK MOORE punched in 2 field goals and EDON LUSHI
made one of two free throws to lead the way.
“We were trailing a lot the whole game,”
said Braves coach MARTY ELLIS.
The Braves’ BRENDON BROCIOUS hit a three from
the corner at the end of regulation.
Monte Vista had a 12 point lead in the fourth quarter
so in the eyes of Monarchs coach JAMES CARROLL, the
game should have never gone into overtime.
“You have to give Marty’s kids credit for
getting that push at the end of the game,” Carroll
said. “JESSE RIVAS hit a jumper with 7 seconds
left to tie the game in regulation. We had a chance
to win it but we missed two free throws in the last
3 seconds.”
Monte Vista all-tournament selection BRENDON HARRIS
scored 4 of his 19 points in overtime and ADAM WALLACE
added 2 points in the extra session.
“ANDRE NIKKITA fouled out with 4 or 5 minutes
to go, so we didn’t have him in overtime,”
said Ellis. “Honestly we were 21 of 38 on free
throws and Monte Vista was 13 of 27. There were a lot
of turnovers for both teams.”
Nikkita, who scored 28 points, was also named to the
all-tournament team.
El Cajon Valley:Scoring/stats not reported.
Monte Vista:Brendon Harris 19 (4 reb, 2 stl), Jesse
Rivas 16 (1 reb, 3 stl), Thomas Walker 13 (2 reb, 4
ast, 2 stl, 1 blk), Hasani Jarvis 12 (6 reb, 3 ast,
2 stl), Jordan Jackson 8 (4 reb, 1 ast), Jahzdion Taylor
4 (12 reb), Adam Wallace 3 (1 reb), Jemeil Jackson (4
reb, 1 ast, 2 stl).
EASTLAKE 69, GROSSMONT 66 (2-OT) – Arguably
the Grossmont Foothillers are the best 0-5 team in the
San Diego Section.
What had to be frustrating for coach FRANK FOGGIANO’s
squad in Saturday’s (Dec. 8) Poway Titans Tournament
consolation game was how close the Foothillers came
to breaching the victory column in a double overtime
loss to the host team.
Grossmont missed a free throw with 4 seconds left in
regulation that would have given them the victory. The
Foothillers did it again with 3 seconds left in the
first overtime when they clanked a free throw.
“You know what was really weird? They were both
air balls,” noted Foggiano. “We had our opportunities
to win this game but we just kept missing them.”
Even in defeat Grossmont had balanced scoring with
TOMMY RUTHERFORD leading way with 14 points and 11 rebounds.
Foothillers quarterback ANTHONY LAWRENCE added 14 points,
6 rebounds, 4 assists and 2 steals.
Six-foot-3 senior AUSTIN SWISHER landed a trio of 3-pointers
to finish with 13 points, one more than BILAL RAHIM,
who finished with 12 markers and 16 rebounds.
Grossmont:Tommy Rutherford 14 (11 reb), Anthony Lawrence
14 (6 reb, 4 ast, 2 stl), Austin Swisher 13 (6 reb,
3 ast, 2 stl), Bilal Rahim 12 (16 reb, 2 ast, 1 stl),
Carl Blanchard 6 (4 reb), Ryan Green 3 (2 reb, 1 ast,
2 stl), Christian Meno 2 (1 reb), Tom Lore 2 (2 ast).
CHRISTIAN 62, ESCONDIDO CHARTER 32 – Christian
High used a balanced attack to rout Escondido Charter
for the second time in less than a week as 10 Patriots
contributed to the scoring column in Saturday’s
(Dec. 8) Tri-City Christian Tournament consolation game.
Overall Christian clobbered Escondido Charter 127 to
79 in the two-game sweep during the Tri-City Christian
Tournament.
“You know the thing about this team that’s
so great is nobody is selfish,” said Patriots coach
KELVIN STARR. “We’re starting to get it figured
out that this is a balanced team where everybody contributes.
“We’re averaging 60 shots per game and that’s
pretty good.”
LA JOLLA 61, EL CAPITAN 42 – The visiting
La Jolla Vikings dropped in 7 three-pointers in the
first quarter on their way to an 11-0 start and a 35-19
halftime lead of Saturday’s (Dec. 8) San Diego
DIII Challenge.
None of the Vaqueros reached double digits but nine
of them added to the scoring total.
SCOTT ROSS set the pace with 9 points and 10 rebounds
for the Vaqueros, who were a pathetic 2 for 19 from
three-point range and 8 of 18 from the free throw line.
“You know, our numbers aren’t that great
but the fact is we’re being more aggressive, getting
off more shots,” said El Capitan coach JASON CAVAZOS.
“They’re just not falling right now. But a
week ago we weren’t even taking shots.”
El Capitan:Scott Ross 9 (10 reb, 1 ast, 3 stl), Scott
Root 8 (4 reb, 1 ast, 2 stl), Aaron Price 6 (3 reb,
1 ast), Dre Kyle 6 (3 reb, 2 stl), Adam Jacob 4 ( 1
stl), Travis Hulsey 4 (5 reb, 1 ast, 1 stl), Ryan Quinten
2 (4 reb, 1 blk), Wyatt Alvarez 2 (1 reb), Jason Quinten
1 (4 reb), Myles Emmerson (3 reb, 1 ast, 1 stl), Kevin
Garcia (4 reb, 1 stl), Justin Phoenix (2 reb, 1 ast),
BOX HILL (Victoria, Australia) 68, WEST HILLS 41
– Facing off against Box Hill Sports Academy
of Australia, West Hills showed that it was tired from
a weeklong round of competition in the Wolf Pack-Horsman
Tournament in Saturday’s (Dec. 8) consolation contest.
“We came out flat and slow from start to end.
Definitely one of our worst efforts in a while,”
said West Hills assistant coach LUCAS ARMSTRONG.
After falling behind 19-5 in the first quarter the
Wolf Pack (3-2) played chase but never came close to
catching up.
"Box Hill is a solid team,” Armstrong noted.
“They are very well rounded – beat Torrey
Pines and Scripps. They are a typical international
team (everyone shoots the three). Also they didn't have
their best player (Ben Simmons, 6'8 shooting guard)
the entire tournament due to injury.”
JONNY PRESTON paced the Pack with 12 points and MARTIN
PANAYOTOV added 10 markers.
West Hills shot 27 percent from the field, including
1 for 11 from three-point range.
The problem for Helix (4-1) was the Highlanders had
no answer for the Robinson twins – Tyrell and Tyree
– who accounted for 40 points between them in the
Hornets' 53-36 victory over the Scotties.
“You know what, we competed,” said Helix
coach JOHN SINGER. “Winning or losing this game
was not the end-all.”
Named to the all-tournament team for the Highlanders
were KAELEN MITCHELL and ROMARIO WILSON.
While that duo was the headliners of the five game
tournament, Singer had extra plaudits for 6-foot-9 junior
ALEX WILBOURN, who finished with 7 points and 4 rebounds.
It was not because of Wilbourn’s statistics that
Singer made special mention of him.
“We threw him into a big game against probably
some of the best players in the county,” said Singer.
“He’s raw but he does have some skills. This
was a major challenge but he responded.”
Despite the loss Singer said he was pleased with his
team’s overall effort.
“Not too many teams will beat Lincoln,”
he said. “So I can’t complain with my teams’
overall effort.
Helix:Tivon Plummer 7 (10 reb, 2 ast), Kaelen Mitchell
7 (2 reb, 1 ast), Alex Wilbourn 7 (4 reb), Romario Wilson
6 (6 reb, 3 ast), Derrick Chandler 4 (4 reb), Titus
Young 3 (2 reb, 3 ast, 1 stl), Will Mildenhall 1 (4
reb), Dalen Harrison (1 reb), Christian Bell (2 reb,
2 ast).
SANTANA 59, PALO VERDE VALLEY 37 – The
Sultans had to spend 8 hours on the highway in a round
trip to Blythe to post their first San Diego DIII Challenge
victory in four tries Friday night (Dec. 7) in the desert.
“It was a great atmosphere – it seemed like
the whole town was there,” said Santana coach TIM
BARRY. “I don’t know what to tell you, but
it was like an old school, classic throwback game.”
Santana zipped to a 5-0 lead but found itself trailing
the Yellowjackets 13-9 after the first period.
In the second period Santana claimed a 24-6 scoring
advantage.
“That quarter was the best we’ve played all
year,” Barry said. “We did a better job of
shooting and we got on the glass better than we have
all year.”
CHRISTIAN BARRY paced the Sultans with 22 points, 8
rebounds, 6 assists and 3 steals and was 8 for 8 from
the free throw line in what was no doubt the best game
of his career.
DUSTIN MURPHY added a solid double-double of 12 points
and 11 rebounds, while ANDY MILLER pitched in 11 markers.
“It was a long drive but I’d guess you’d
have to say it was worth it,” the coach said. “It
was a good experience for our kids.”
Santana:Christian Barry 22 (8 reb, 6 ast, 3 stl),
Dustin Murphy 12 (11 reb, 2 ast, 1 stl), Andy Miller
11 (3 reb, 3 ast), Gabe Kruse 6 (2 reb, 1 stl), Daniel
Shively 4 (2 reb), Jordan Vargas 2 (6 reb, 1 ast, 1
stl), Drake Vesco 2 (2 reb).
DEL NORTE 54, MONTE VISTA 43 – A 7-minute
dry spell between the final two minutes of the first
quarter and the first five of the second quarter caused
the Monte Vista Monarchs to fall to Del Norte in Friday’s
(Dec. 7) Olympian Eagle Holiday Classic.
“We started out OK because we led 10-6, then all
of a sudden we couldn’t make a basket to save our
lives,” said Monarchs coach JAMES CARROLL. “We
had 17 offensive rebounds but missed way too many putbacks.
“Then we went through a spell of lacking our defensive
intensity but still closed the deficit to 7 points.”
JAHZDION TAYLOR turned in a powerful double-double
of 15 points and 18 rebounds for Monte Vista (3-2).
“You know, Jahzdion was our bright spot, no question
about that,” the coach said.
Also contributing strongly for Monte Vista was HASANI
JARVIS with 13 points and BRENDON HARRIS with 10.
The Monachs will play El Cajon Valley coached by former
Monarchs superstar MARTY ELLIS in an Olympian Eagle
Holiday Classic consolation contest on Saturday (Dec.
8) at 4:30.
Monte Vista:Jahzdion Taylor 15 (18 reb), Hasani Jarvis
13 (2 reb, 1 ast, 2 stl), Brendon Harris 10 (3 reb,
1 stl), Thomas Walker 5 (3 reb, 1 ast, 4 stl), Jemeil
Jackson (4 reb, 2 stl), Jose Jimenez (2 reb, 2 ast,
1 stl), Jordan Jackson (1 reb), Erik Collins (1 reb).
THE BISHOP’S 62, FOOTHILLS CHRISTIAN 58
– In one of Foothills Christian’s most exciting
games of the season, the Knights came up short against
The Bishop’s in Friday’s (Dec. 7) Eagle Invitational
at Granite Hills.
T.J. LEAF led Foothills Christian (1-4) with 26 points,
10 rebounds and 6 blocks. The 6-foot-7 freshman landed
9 of 19 shots from the floor and 6 of 8 free throws.
Rarely has Foothills Christian shown more balance than
the Knights did in this one. NICK LOUDAN was 4-for-4
from above the arc for 12 points, while CALEB HOFFMAN
pitched in 10 points, made 5 rebounds and dished 5 assists.
CARLSBAD 49, STEELE CANYON 34 – Poor shooting
and overall team exhaustion added up to a loss to Steele
Canyon in Friday’s (Dec. 7) Prime Sports Hilltop
Tournament consolation play.
“This has been a real physical tournament –
a lot of banging and pushing and shoving – but
we don’t have those kind of kids,” said Steele
Canyon coach DEREK STEPHENS. “So I’m glad
we have a week off.”
The Cougars missed 12 free throws “and at least
9 layups,” said Stephens.
However Steele Canyon ’s high scorer DANIEL KING
made 8 of 11 free throws on his way to a 14 point finish.
Nevertheless Steele Canyon (2-3) led by 3 points with
5 minutes left in the third quarter.
“Then we made four straight turnovers and that
pretty much ended it,” Stephens said.
Steele Canyon:Daniel King 14, Dylan Hamlett 9, Donovan
Habib 3, Aaron Pisiona 3, Zach Kissel 3, Tariq Tillman
1, Jordan Johnson 1.
TRI-CITY CHRISTIAN 56, CHRISTIAN 48 – Christian
head coach KELVIN STARR is not one to make excuses but
it is a fact that he misses his muscular inside force
TRENT SAULS, who has been sidelined all season with
pneumonia.
A sluggish start for the Patriots (2-1) where they
fell behind 16-8 to host Eagles in the Tri-City Christian
Tournament semifinal left them to play a game of chase,
in which they came up short.
Starr was please with the play of PHILLIP GEORGE, who
turned up his defense and contributed 8 points and 10
rebounds.
Steady STEPHEN JOHNSTON added 11 points and 7 rebounds
to go along with a team best 3 steals.
Christian:Stephen Johnston 11 (7 reb, 2 ast, 3 stl),
Joe Ross 9 (3 reb, 1 stl), Philip George 8 (10 reb,
1 ast, 2 stl), Tim Harrison 8 (7 reb), Kyle Stowers
6 (4 reb, 1 ast), Tyler Ballard 4 (4 reb, 3 ast, 1 stl),
Zach Kinninger 2 (5 reb), Michael Carrillo (1 ast).
KEARNY 54, EL CAPITAN 45 – Scoring a mere
7 points a half usually leads to a disaster, and that’s
what El Capitan did in Friday’s (Dec. 7) San Diego
DIII Challenge at Kearny.
“We only took a total of 10 shots in the first
two quarters,” said El Capitan coach JASON CAVAZOS,
whose Vaqueros trailed 17-7 at intermission.
Kearny opened up a 20 point lead in the third quarter
but the youthful Vaqueros (0-3) refused to fold.
Instead of playing man-to-man, Cavazos changed his
defensive philosophy to a half-court trap.
“We cut the deficit down to 5 points with three
minutes left and then just ran out of gas,” he
said.
But even in defeat Cavazos saw some life in his team
he had not seen in the previous two games.
“We showed some spark in the second half and that
pleases me,” he said.
The coach credited senior SCOTT ROSS for “leading
our charge back.”
The victory hoisted the Highlanders’ record to
4-0 while Westview fell to 3-1.
“This was a good win for us because we got down
and then fought back,” said Helix head coach JOHN
SINGER. “I liked our grit in the fourth quarter.”
Westview turned a 24-24 deadlock into a 10-point lead
late in the third quarter.
“You know the goal every year is to teach our
guys to battle for 32 minutes, and for the most part
they did that tonight,” Singer said.
Westview lives on the long ball, hitting 7 of 20 three-pointers.
But Helix’s aggressive defense neutralized the
Wolverines’ shooting spree as KAELEN MITCHELL (20
points, 7 rebounds), ROMARIO WILSON (17 points, 10 rebounds)
and CHRISTIAN BELL each collected a key steal in the
final minutes to help preserve the victory.
“We’re still getting different guys cranked
up every game,” Singer noted.
Mitchell was on the mark as he nailed 9 of 15 shots
from the floor.
“Mitchell shot the ball well for us,” Singer
commented, “kind of like BRIAN VALADEZ did for
us last year. He’s a corner shooter, made a couple
of threes for us tonight.”
Singer also heaped accolades on TIVON PLUMMER.
“All this kid has played before this year is club
basketball, and all that is is roll the ball on the
court and have the kids run up and down,” Singer
said. “Plummer is finding out that high school
basketball – especially the way I teach it –
is defense is key. He gets frustrated sometimes but
he’s been great for me.”
Without a doubt Helix will face its toughest challenge
Friday (Dec. 7) when it takes on No. 1 ranked Lincoln
at Hilltop at 7:30 for the tournament championship.
Helix:Kaelen Mitchell 20 (7 reb, 3 ast, 2 stl, 1 blk),
Romario Wilson 17 (10 reb, 1 ast, 4 stl, 2 blk), Tivon
Plummer 11 (5 reb, 5 ast, 2 stl, 1 blk), Titus Young
2 (1 reb, 5 ast, 2 stl), Derrick Chandler 2 (1 reb),
Christian Bell (1 reb, 2 ast, 3 stl), Will Mildenhall
(1 reb), Oscar Picazo (2 reb).
STEELE CANYON 63, HILLTOP 36 – Six-foot-6
sophomore DYLAN HAMLETT knocked down a career best 22
points to help Steele Canyon rout Hilltop, the host
team in the Prime Sport Hilltop Tournament on Thursday
(Dec. 6).
“We were doing a good job of getting the ball
to Hamlett, said Steele Canyon coach DEREK STEPHENS.
The Cougars (2-2) led 35-25 at halftime. Even so, Stephens
was hardly elated by their performance.
“We played just OK in the first half,” he
said. “We were a little sloppy, played a little
lazy. In the third quarter we played really well defensively,
taking a 21-4 advantage. There was a lot of fouling
in the second half. It was a physical game.
“JORDAN JOHNSON came off the bench and defensively
led us in the second half,” Stephens added. “He
was strong on the boards.
“The kids responded well to what I was trying
to do. Everybody got to play a lot of minutes.”
Steele Canyon:Dylan Hamlett 22, Zach Kissel 16, Kaedyn
Thomas 13, Daniel King 7, Tariq Tillman 2, Donovan Habib
2, Aaron Pisiona 1.
CHRISTIAN 56, MISSION VISTA 44 – Probably
one of the most unusual things about this year’s
Christian crew is that the Patriots are not buoyed by
any particular standouts. What they do have is depth.
Despite missing two players due to illness, nine Patriots
contributed points to Christian’s Thursday (Dec.
6) Tri-City Christian Tournament victory over Mission
Vista.
Led by TIM HARRISON (16 points), JOE ROSS (11 points)
and STEPHEN JOHNSTON (10 points, 9 rebounds), Christian
outscored Mission Vista (0-4) in all four quarters.
They used a 29-19 second half run to put the game away.
“We are still lacking poise and playing sloppy
right now,” said Patriots coach KELVIN STARR. “But
it’ll come in time.”
Christian faces the host Tri-City Christian team in
Friday’s (Dec. 7) semifinals at 8 p.m. A win will
put the Patriots in the championship Saturday (Dec.
8) at 2:30.
The Monarchs (3-1) got a halftime pep talk from coach
JAMES CARROLL before embarking on the third quarter
run.
“It was a one-way conversation at halftime,”
Carroll said. “I keep telling our kids we’re
just trying to mix things together because we are trying
to blend so many people from other sports. But the great
thing about this team is we always seem to have a different
hero.”
BRENDON HARRIS punched in 14 points and recorded 5
steals and 5 rebounds, while junior guard JESSE RIVAS
landed 4 of 7 three-point shots for a dozen points as
the Monarchs overcame the Chieftains in the second half.
“Harris is a 6-foot-4 guy who is tough inside
and he proved it in this game,” said Carroll. “And
then we got a quality lift from Rivas off the bench.”
Carroll praised his team for holding the previous two
opponents to less than 40 points.
“You know if you can do that, you’re gonna
win games,” he noted.
Monte Vista:Brendon Harris 14 (5 reb, 1 ast, 5 stl),
Jesse Rivas 12 (1 reb, 1 stl), Hasani Jarvis 8 (5 reb,
3 ast, 3 stl), Jahzdion Taylor 8 (6 reb, 1 ast, 2 stl,
1 blk), Thomas Walker 5 (8 reb, 6 ast, 3 stl, 2 blk),
Erik Collins 4 (1 reb), Adam Wallace 3 (1 reb, 2 ast),
Jemeil Jackson (1 reb, 1 stl), Jordan Jackson (2 reb).
MISSION HILLS 74, WEST HILLS 45 – Taking
another step against a quality opponent, West Hills
(2-2) was overmatched by visiting Mission Hills (3-0)
in Wednesday’s (Dec. 5) Wolf Pack – Horsman
Tournament contest.
The Grizzlies led 43-27 at halftime and never looked
back.
“Mission Hills is a monster!!! Definitely a top
5 team in the county,” said Pack assistant coach
LUCAS ARMSTRONG. “We played well at times but couldn't
handle there 6-foot-11 kid (Kameron Rooks). Kid is as
polished as they come. We didn't rebound very well.....tough
to keep a 6-11 kid off the boards.”
West Hills put up a stronger front in the second half
but it was much too late.
JERON SATTERFIELD scored 13 points to go with 5 rebounds,
2 assists, 4 steals and 2 blocks, while MARTIN PANAYOTOV
pitched in 13 points as well and grabbed 6 rebounds.
“D.J. LEWIS had 7 rebounds and continues to play
great defense for us,” said Armstrong.
MATER DEI 67, EL CAJON VALLEY 49 – For
the first time this season the El Cajon Valley Braves
(4-2) had only one scorer in double figures as they
fell to Mater Dei in lop-sided fashion during Wednesday’s
(Dec. 5) Olympian Eagle Holiday Classic action.
El Cajon Valley, which is a team that lives by the
3-point bucket, was well off the mark against the Crusaders,
hitting 7 of 37 (19 percent).
“I could tell that this was not going to be our
best game because the guys were messing around too much
before the game,” said El Cajon Valley coach MARTY
ELLIS. “Then when Mater Dei got a dunk on the first
play of the game I knew we were in trouble.”
The Crusaders (4-0) sprinted to a 26-7 first quarter
lead and led 38-11 by intermission.
ANDRE NIKKITA led the Braves with 13 points and 7 rebounds.
“We finished strong,” said Ellis. “I
take nothing negative from this game. We’re going
to have some more wins, I guarantee that. We’re
going to get back to the drawing board.”
El Cajon Valley:Andre Nikkita 13 (7 reb, 3 ast), Ty
Donahoo 7 (8 reb, 1 stl), Derrick Moore 7 (7 reb, 1
blk), Sangar Hasan 6 (4 reb, 3 ast, 1 stl), Edon Lushi
6 (3 reb), Michael Readus 4 (1 reb, 1 stl), Loqman Sulyman
3 (2 ast, 1 stl), Brenden Brocious 3 (3 reb), Brenden
Rumley (2 reb), Ibrahim Ali (1 reb, 2 stl).
SAN YSIDRO 70, GROSSMONT 60 – Despite a
career night by BILAL RAHIM of 22 points and 15 rebounds,
along with a career high 14 points by quarterback ANTHONY
LAWRENCE, the host Foothillers could not stave off San
Ysidro in Wednesday’s (Dec. 5) Poway Titans Tournament
action.
Grossmont (0-4) led the Cougars (4-0) 51-50 in the
third quarter but were rapidly put in catch-up mode
after that.
Rahim hit 6 of 8 free throws while Lawrence landed
a pair of treys to lead the Hillers.
Grossmont:Bilal Rahim 22 (15 reb, 1 ast, 1 stl), Anthony
Lawrence 14 (6 reb, 2 ast, 2 stl), Tommy Rutherford
9 (8 reb), Ryan Green 5 (2 reb, 1 ast, 2 stl), Austin
Swisher 4 (2 reb, 1 ast, 2 stl), Christian Meno 4 (1
reb, 1 ast, 1 stl), J.T. Barnes 2 (2 reb, 1 ast, 1 stl).
MORSE 89, GRANITE HILLS 70 – Head coach
RANDY ANDERSON and his Granite Hills Eagles love to
play an up-tempo game. Well, they got one when they
hosted the Morse Tigers in the Eagle Invitational on
Wednesday (Dec. 5).
Morse scored 75 points over the last three periods
while the Eagles tallied 54, which is usually a winning
combination.
Senior JOEY GRUBB scored a career high 28 points to
pace the Eagles (1-3). That included 8 for 15 shooting
from the floor that featured 5 three-pointers. Most
impressive of his statistical dream game is he did not
turn the ball over once and he handed out 7 assists.
D.J. PALOMERO added 19 points bolstered by his 10 for
15 shooting from the free throw line.
Junior TREVOR SPERRY grabbed a team high 10 boards.
MADISON 50, SANTANA 37 – The visiting Sultans
fell behind 27-9 by halftime and never recovered in
Wednesday’s (Dec. 5) San Diego DIII Challenge game
at Madison.
“Truthfully, it was over by halftime,” said
Sultans coach TIM BARRY. “ Madison is the most
solid team we’ve played to date.”
The Sultans shot less than 25 percent, hitting just
12 of 49 shots in the loss to the Warhawks.
ANDY MILLER and CHRISTIAN BARRY shared high point honors
for Santana with 12 apiece.
Next up for Santana is a trip to the Salton Sea where
the Sultans will take on Palo Verde Valley on Friday
(Dec. 7) at 5 p.m.
“They tell me the gym will be packed,” said
Barry. “And that’s exciting in itself.”
Santana:Andy Miller 12 (7 reb, 1 ast), Christian Barry
12 (6 reb, 1 ast, 1 stl), Ryan Bratlien 7 (4 reb, 1
ast, 2 stl), Dustin Murphy 2 (3 reb, 1 ast, 1 stl),
Daniel Shively 2 (3 reb), Tim Huson 2 (1 reb), Austin
Miller (2 reb, 1 stl), Gabe Kruse (2 reb, 2 stl), Drake
Vesco (1 stl), Tyler Kirk (1 stl), Tiano Franco (1 reb).
SAN DIEGUITO 78, EL CAPITAN 49 – The good
news is 12 Vaqueros contributed to the scoring column
in El Capitan’s loss to San Dieguito in Wednesday’s
(Dec. 5) San Diego DIII Challenge.
The not-so-good news is nobody reads double scoring
digits.
“We’re still trying to find a leader,”
said El Capitan coach JASON CAVAZOS. “We just haven’t
done it yet. But it’s early, and you know me –
we’re not gonna give up.”
El Capitan:Kevin Garcia 8 (2 reb), Scott Root 6 (2
reb, 1 ast, 2 stl), Adam Jacob 6 (2 reb, 1 ast), Dre
Kyle 5, Justin Phoenix 5 (1 reb, 1 ast, 1 stl), Aaron
Price 4 (1 ast), Ian Grenquist 4 (6 reb), Travis Hulsey
4 (7 reb), Scott Ross 3 (4 reb, 2 ast), Wyatt Alvarez
2 (2 reb, 1 stl), Myles Emmerson 1, Ryan Quinten 1 (2
reb), Jason Quinten (1 reb).
That may change this year as the Wolf Pack pulled off
an 80-77 overtime victory over Horizon for its second
win in three tries on Tuesday night (Dec. 4).
“It was a very exciting, up and down basketball
game,” said Pack assistant coach LUCAS ARMSTRONG.
Trailing by 11 with 2:30 West Hills pressed and trapped
and tied the contest 70-70 by the close of regulation.
The key for the Pack’s comeback was MARTIN PANAYOTOV,
who scored 6 of his 23 points down the stretch on a
pair of threes to send the game into overtime.
The run and shoot match continued in the four minute
overtime with the Wolf Pack getting the last word.
“The kids really battled back in the fourth quarter,”
Armstrong said. “Horizon is a very good team, especially
from the perimeter. They’ve got all their football
players back now and will be a decent team all season.”
CHASE PARSONS scored 22 points and JERON SATTERFIELD
added 13 points and corralled 12 rebounds for West Hills.
“Chase made 8 of 9 free throws,” Armstrong
noted. “And as a team we hit 11 of 20 three-pointers.”
MONTE VISTA 50, OLYMPIAN 39 – JUSTIN BRANDY
was on his way to a career day when he got smashed in
the mouth battling for a rebound, which loosened some
teeth and caused lacerations to his face. He scored
11 points, grabbed 5 rebounds and blocked a shot before
the mishap, which led for him to be taken to the hospital
– all within the first quarter.
Monte Vista coach JAMES CARROLL checked on Brandy and
is not sure when he will be able to return.
“This is really too bad for the kid because he’s
been one of our best players in the last three games,”
Carroll said. “I hope we can get him fitted for
a mouthpiece and he doesn’t miss any games.”
That isn’t likely, considering Monte Vista returns
again to the court on Wednesday (Dec. 5) against Clairemont
in the Olympian Eagle Holiday Classic at 7:30.
Point guard THOMAS WALKER helped pick up the pace after
Brandy’s absence as the Monarchs (2-2) led Olympian
28-8 by halftime. Walker scored a team high 12 points
to go along with 4 rebounds and 4 steals in South Bay
on Tuesday (Dec. 4).
Not to be overlooked was the play of JAHZDION TAYLOR,
who rarely left the floor after Brandy’s departure,
finishing with 9 points, 15 rebounds and 3 blocks.
Considering the adversity, Monte Vista was able to
knock off one of the San Diego Section’s top teams,
dealing the Eagles (3-1) their first loss in four starts.
Monte Vista:Thomas Walker 12 (4 reb, 4 stl), Justin
Brandy 11 (5 reb, 1 blk), Jahzdion Taylor 9 (15 reb,
1 ast, 3 blk), Hasani Jarvis 6 (2 reb, 1 blk), Adam
Wallace 6 (2 ast), Brendon Harris 4 (4 reb, 1 stl, 1
blk), Erik Collins 2 (2 reb, 2 stl), Jemeil Jackson
(3 ast, 1 stl), Jordan Jackson (3 reb, 1 ast).
HELIX 57, OTAY RANCH 44 – Those who know
veteran coach JOHN SINGER can probably tell that the
longtime mentor believes the Highlanders may surprise
a lot of people at the end of the season.
“We keep trying to preach to our eight or nine
guys on this team that they’re going to get a lot
of playing time,” Singer said. “We don’t
have any stars, we have to count on our depth and keep
banging on that nail.”
Helix won its their straight game in the Prime Sports
Hilltop Tournament on Tuedsay (Dec. 4) by dunking Otay
Ranch behind a balanced scoring attack led by ROMARIO
WILSON’s 17 points. Wilson knocked down 7 of 10
from the floor, including one three.
“We showed a few positive signs,” Singer
said. “But we’re still a work in progress.
My deal is we’re not worried about our opponents.
We’re just trying to get our puzzle straightened
out.”
One thing about this Helix team is it should be a versatile
lot, with as many as three point guards.
Senior post DERRICK CHANDLER came off the bench to
contribute 10 rebounds and 6 points. Another player
without experience who could become a main cog is TIVON
PLUMMER, who pitched in 10 points, 4 rebounds and 3
assists.
CHRISTIAN 65, ESCONDIDO CHARTER 47 – STEPEHEN
JOHNSTON walked off the football field to lead Christian
with 20 points and 7 rebounds in Tuesday’s (Dec.
4) season opener in the Tri-City Christian Tournament.
Johnston, a 6-foot-1 senior guard netted 7 of 8 free
throws and also recorded 4 steals.
Although fellow football player PHILLIP GEORGE contributed
only one point offensively, he collected 6 rebounds,
5 steals and 5 assists for the Patriots.
ZACH KINNINGER led Christian’s gang tackling rebounders
with 8 caroms.
“We have five football players who are still trying
to gain their football legs,” said Patriots coach
KELVIN STARR. “We didn’t do well defensively
in the first half (despite leading 34-29) but we turned
up the heat in the second half.”
SAN MARCOS 78, EL CAJON VALLEY 59 – San
Marcos beat the El Cajon Valley Braves at their own
game Tuesday (Dec. 4) in the Olympian Eagle Holiday
Classic contest.
The Knights nailed 11 three-pointers on their way to
dealing the Braves their first loss in five games.
"The kids came out real flat and tired,”
said El Cajon Valley coach MARTY ELLIS. “We had
25 turnovers in the game that resulted in about 25-30
points. We could not sustain after that. We did cut
it at half being down 6, however they made a 12-0 run
in the third quarter.
“It was not our night tonight but it was a test
for us mentally. I also told my guys to remember this
game and to not focus too much. We will bounce back.”
The Braves were held to their second lowest offensive
output of the season despite 23 points from ANDRE NIKKITA.
TY DONAHOO had a double-double of 11 points and 12 rebounds
in his finest hour, and LOQMAN SULYMAN pitched in 12.
El Cajon Valley:Andre Nikkita 23 (8 reb, 3 ast, 1
blk), Loqman Sulyman 12 (1 stl), Ty Donahoo 11 (12 reb,
1 ast), Brenden Brocious 6 (3 reb), Hasan Sangar 4 (1
reb, 4 ast), Derrick Moore 1 (2 reb), Michael Readus
2 (1 reb), Shaontal King (1 reb), Brenden Rumley (1
reb), Ibrahim Ali (1 ast).
SERRA 57, GRANITE HILLS 45 – Host Granite
Hills missed a shot at executing an upset during Tuesday’s
(Dec. 4) Eagle Invitational when the Eagles converted
only 6 of 17 free throws in the fourth quarter when
the game was on the line.
“The fact that we missed all those free throws
and turned the ball over so much led to our demise.
And that doesn’t even count the number of front
ends we missed,” Eagles coach RANDY ANDERSON lamented.
“We just couldn’t get anything sustained.”
None the less Anderson added, “I’m proud
of how hard we played. It just comes down to doing a
better job of execution.”
CODIE SIMMONS led the Eagles with 16 points, while
5-foot-8 point guard D.J. PALOMERA added 14 points,
6 rebounds, 5 steals and even blocked a shot. Ja’RON
SANDERS led the board brigade with 10 rebounds.
Granite Hills led 11-8 after the first quarter and
the game was tied at 20 apiece at intermission.
LINCOLN 68, STEELE CANYON 32 – The Cougars
of Steele Canyon were out-manned in Tuesday’s (Dec.
4) Prime Sports Hilltop Tournament encounter against
top-ranked Lincoln.
Although the Cougars trailed only 28-15 at intermission,
they were blown out in the second half.
In terms of match-ups, no team in the San Diego Section
has a stronger sibling tandem than Lincoln ’s twins
– Tyrell and Tyree Robinson. Although they’ve
only been off the football field since Saturday, they
scored 38 points between them of the Hornets’ 68.
“We played OK for a couple of quarters but in
the fourth quarter I emptied the bench,” said Steele
Canyon coach DEREK STEPHENS. “We competed at times
and played physical. I think our guys got intimidated
– it is Lincoln. We’re coming along OK. We
were only down 13 at the half. Lincoln has a 6-foot-9
guy who kept us from shooting around the rim.”
Once again, the Cougars' CASEY BALIKIAN did not play
(injury).
Steele Canyon:Daniel King 9, Kaedyn Thomas 8, Zach
Kissel 6, Donovan Habib 5, Dylan Hamlett 4.
Following Monday’s (Dec. 3) Olympian Eagle Holiday
Classic 84-56 triumph over Point Loma, he found himself
in a pizza shop, rewarding his Braves for their fourth
straight victory in as many starts.
Ellis’ squad was not short of heroes as 5-foot-6
senior guard LOQMAN SULYMAN nailed 10 three-pointers
to finish with a game-high 30 points.
The Braves’ season scoring leader ANDRE NIKKITA
pitched in with 25 points and 19 rebounds. The 5-11
Nikkita was also 12 for 17 from the free throw line.
Not to be overshadowed was the Braves’ inside
force, 6-foot-3 DERRICK MOORE who landed 12 points and
grabbed 12 rebounds.
“This was another interesting game for us,”
said Ellis. “Sulyman set the table and we controlled
the boards.”
El Cajon Valley:Loqman Sulyman 30 (4 reb, 2 ast, 1
stl), Andre Nikkita 25 (19 reb, 6 ast, 4 stl, 1 blk),
Ibrahim Ali 7 (8 reb, 3 ast), Derrick Moore 12 (12 reb),
Edon Lushi 8 (2 reb, 6 ast, 1 stl), Ty Donahoo 2 (3
reb), Brenden Rumley (1 reb).
WEST HILLS 65, EC-SOUTHWEST 27 – One thing
is certain about West Hills coach JEFF ARMSTRONG and
that is he wants the best teams he can find for his
annual Wolf Pack – Horsman Tournament. And as a
rule he’s been very successful in that he’s
invited quality talent to Santee.
In Monday’s (Dec. 3) second round game against
El Centro-Southwest the Wolf Pack bolted to a 21-4 lead
in the first quarter and never looked back.
“The guys shared the ball pretty well,” said
West Hills assistant coach LUCAS ARMSTRONG. “We
had 13 assists on 18 made field goals.”
D.J. LEWIS and MARTIN PANAYOTOV shared the lead with
13 points in a balanced attack for West Hills (1-1).
“D.J. Lewis played well inside and had several
defensive stops,” Lucas Armstrong added. “Martin
continued to lead us. He played only 14 minutes tonight
and accounted for 13 points. BRENT WILDER rebounded
well with 10 total boards.
“It was a good team effort tonight minus the 30
turnovers.”
POWAY 71, GROSSMONT 63 – The visiting Foothillers
fell behind 27-13 in the first quarter but scrambled
back to make a game of it in Monday’s (Dec. 3)
Poway Titans Tournament action.
A powerful double-double of 17 points and 13 rebounds
by BILAL RAHIM led the Hillers (0-3) in a belated comeback.
AUSTIN SWISHER added 14 points, while TOMMY RUTHERFORD
plucked 11 rebounds off the glass.
“They got up on us by 14 early, from there we
did OK,” said Grossmont coach FRANK FOGGIANO. “We
just need to tighten up our defense. We’re giving
up way too many open shots.”
Grossmont:Balil Rahim 17 (13 reb, 1 ast, 1 stl), Austin
Swisher 14 (5 reb, 2 ast, 2 stl), Jake Herrod 2 (1 reb,
1 ast, 1 stl), Tommy Rutherford 8 (11 reb), Hunter Reed
4 (2 reb, 1 ast, 1 stlL), Anthony Lawrence 2 (2 reb,
1 stl), Tom Lore 4 (4 ast, 4 stl), Ryan Green 2 (1 reb,
2 ast, 2 stl), Christian Meno 3 (1 reb, 1 ast, 1 stl),
Carl Blanchard 6 (6 reb, 1 ast, 1 stl), Kyle Williams
1.
CRAWFORD 56, SANTANA 45 – Santana appeared
to have a victory in its grasp during Monday’s
(Dec. 3) San Diego DIII Challenge encounter against
visiting Crawford as the Sultans let 40-30 late in the
third quarter.
“It seems like we come out and are well prepared
but we don’t know how to finish a game,” observed
Sultans coach TIM BARRY. “We had, like a 10-point
lead and sat on 40 points for the last minute and a
half. We were 5 for 26 as a team on our free throws.
We can’t rely all the time on threes. We only shot
six total free throws.
ANDY MILLER paced the Sultans with 13 points while
CHRISTIAN BARRY rolled a double-double of 10 points
and 10 rebounds. DUSTIN MURPHY pitched in with 12 points
and 6 rebounds.
“It went good for three quarters. We have got
to get the ball to the basket more. We’re relying
too much on jump shots. We’ve played really well
for six quarters. I really thought we were on the verge
of blowing this game open. Crawford made 10 or 12 free
throws in the fourth quarter.”
Santana:Andy Miller 13 (5 reb, 1 ast), Dustin Murphy
12 (6 reb, 2 ast), Christian Barry 10 (10 reb, 4 ast,
2 stl), Ryan Bratlien 6 (5 reb, 1 ast, 3 stl), Daniel
Shively 4 (2 reb, 2 ast, 2 stl), Gabe Kruse (1 reb).
MT. CARMEL 58, FOOTHILLS CHRISTIAN 52 –
The high point for the Foothills Christian Knights in
Monday’s (Dec. 3) Eagle Invitational contest at
Mt. Carmel was balanced scoring.
Instead of relying on one player the Knights (1-2)
got 15 points from T.J. LEAF, a dozen from JEROME SHERMAN
and 10 more from CALEB HOFFMAN.
Mt. Carmel played the Knights man-to-man, which limited
their 3-point shooting attack to three. That wasn’t
the only problem for Foothills Christian, which missed
8 layups. So it could be said the Knights got beaten
inside and outside by the Sundevels.
WESTVIEW 48, STEELE CANYON 41 – The Wolverines
of Westview used a 20-8 scoring run in the second quarter
to take a 10 point lead they would not surrender in
Monday’s (Dec. 3) Prime Sports Hilltop Tournament
at Hilltop.
DANIEL KING paced the Cougars (1-1) with 15 points,
and KAEDYN THOMAS chipped in with 11.
“King played well,” said Cougars coach DEREK
STEPHENS. “They ran a zone – they’re
a quality team. We got some good minutes. Besides King
we’re a pretty young team.
“We had a couple of turnovers in the second quarter
and it was the difference in the game. Good teams make
us pay. In the second quarter we had a lack of communication
and they made some threes.”
Senior sharpshooter CASEY BALIKIAN did not play due
to injury.
Steele Canyon:Daniel King 15, Kaedyn Thomas 11, Zach
Kissel 7, Donovan Habib 4, Dylan Hamlett 4.
SD-SOUTHWEST 53, EL CAPITAN 36 – Those
attending the Vaqueros basketball game might be advised
to buy a program. This is a completely new unit.
“We graduated all of our starters and all but
one point of our offense,” said El Capitan coach
JASON CAVAZOS.
Freshman MYLES EMMERSON paced the Vaqueros with 11
points in the season opener on Monday (Dec. 3) in the
San Diego DIII Challenge.
He nailed a pair of threes and was 3-for-3 from the
free throw line.
“We’re trying to find ourselves – and
don’t have an identity yet,” Cavazos said.
El Capitan:Myles Emmerson 11 (2 reb, 1 stl), Scott
Ross 6 (1 reb, 1 stl), Scott Root 5 (4 reb, 1 ast),
Wyatt Alvarez 4 (6 reb, 1 ast, 1 stl), Adam Jacob 4
(2 reb, 2 stl), Travis Hulsey 4 (5 reb), Aaron Price
2 (1 reb, 1 blk), Jason Quinten (4 reb, 1 blk), Ryan
Quinten (1 reb, 1 ast, 1 stl), Kevin Garcia (1 reb),
Ian Grenquist (1 reb).
In his rookie year as a coach, Ellis led the Braves to
a 7-0 start and then the bottom fell out and the Braves
fell into oblivion. That won’t happen this year.
El Cajon Valley is off to a 3-0 start this season but
it’s against much better competition, including Saturday’s
(Dec. 1) 57-46 victory over Chula Vista in the Olympian
Eagle Holiday Classic.
Scoring phenom ANDRE NIKKITA popped in 20 points, giving
him 90 in the first three games of the season. He also
wrestled 12 rebounds, dished 2 assists and made 2 steals.
Not to be overlooked was DERRICK MOORE, who grabbed 18
rebounds, scored 12 points and blocked 4 shots.
“He was definitely our player of the game,”
Ellis said of Moore.
That might be true but Ellis proved that he can do more
than coach.
“I brought the kids over to my place for a spaghetti
lunch before the game,” Ellis said. “And we
made cookies.
“I’m not sure that I’ll do that again because
these guys can eat a LOT.”
But Ellis has not given up because he has vowed to bring
the leftovers to school for a Monday lunch with his team.
El Cajon Valley:Andre Nikkita 20 (12 reb, 2 ast, 2 stl),
Ty Donahoo 7 (10 reb, 1 stl, 1 blk), Brendan Brocious
(1 stl, 1 blk), Edon Lushi 3 (2 reb, 2 ast, 3 stl), Loqman
Sulyman 9 (1 reb, 2 ast, 1 stl), Ibrahim Ali 6 (5 reb,
2 ast, 1 blk), Brendan Rumley (1 reb), Sangar Hasan (1
reb, 3 ast), Derrick Moore 12 (18 reb, 4 blk, 1 ast).
STEELE CANYON 67, OTAY RANCH 50 – ZACH KISSIL
scored 18 points, while DONOVANH HABIB got 13, and DYLAN
HAMLETT and DANIEL KING had 11 apiece to lead the Cougars
in a blowout of Otay Ranch in the Prime Sports Hilltop
Tournament Saturday (Dec. 1).
Talk about a unique game. Steele Canyon missed 9 free
throws in the first quarter, yet the Cougars maintained
a 19-10 advantage after the first 8 minutes and led 37-20
by intermission.
“We had a lot of jitters out there,” said Cougars
coach DEREK STEPHENS of their opener. “We played
hard but we just need to play smarter.”
Steele Canyon:Zach Kissel 18, Donovan Habib 13, Dylan
Hamlett 11, Daniel King 11, Casey Balikian 8, Tariq Tillman
4, Kaedyn Thomas 2.
CANYON CREST 55, MONTE VISTA 49 – Monte Vista
coach JAMES CARROLL is stunned that his Monarchs are 1-1
in spite of having turned the ball over 66 times in the
first two games of the Olympian Eagle Holiday Classic.
“All I can say is I know we’ll get better,”
he said.
The Monarchs got a little more balance in their offense
in their loss to Canyon Crest.
JUSTIN BRANDY had 15 points and 12 rebounds. JOHZDION
TAYLOR popped in 13 points and snared 6 rebounds.
But a problem, as Carroll was quick to point out, was
the number of turnovers across the board.
“First of all I’d like to say that Brandy has
been the leader in our first two games,” he said.
“He is much improved over last year, never complains
and has been a solid player for us.”
Monte Vista:Justin Brandy 15 (12 reb, 1 ast, 3 TO, 2
blk), Jahzdion Taylor 13 (6 reb, TO 5), Hasani Jarvis
8 (2 reb, 1 stl, TO 8), Jordan Jackson 6 (5 reb, 1 ast,
2 TO), Adam Wallace 3 (2 TO), Jemiel Jackson 2 (3 reb,
1 ast, 2 stl, 4 TO), Thomas Walker 2 (4 reb, 1 ast, 2
stl, 4 TO), Erik Collins (3 reb, 1 ast, 2 TO).
HELIX 37, CARLSBAD 34 – Fast starts are not
part of Helix coach JOHN SINGER’s curriculum, although
the veteran skipper always seems to wind up bidding for
championships when it comes time for handing out trophies.
Helix edged Carlsbad by an old fashioned margin in Saturday’s
(Dec. 1) Prime Sports Hilltop Tournament in South Bay.
“We were behind probably 95 percent of the time but
we gritted it out in the final stretch to pull out the
win,” Singer said. “ Carlsbad is a classy team
so beating them is a feather in our cap. But we need to
be more effective offensively.”
Probably the most prominent statistic that caught Singer’s
eye was WILL MILDENHALL’s 18 rebounds.
“He’s not the most talented guy we have on the
team but he is aggressive when the ball comes off the
glass,” Singer said. “We have other guys that
might be more talented but Mildenhall goes after every
loose ball. He should be a model for the other guys.”
Helix:Romario Wilson 11 (6 reb, 1 ast, 1 stl), Kaelen
Mitchell 11 (6 reb, 1 ast, 3 stl, 1 blk), Will Mildenhall
4 (18 rebounds, 1 ast), Christian Bell (5 reb, 4 ast,
1 stl), Titus Young 4 (1 reb, 1 ast), Tivon Plummer 3
(6 reb, 2 stl), Oscar Picazo (5 reb, 2 ast), Derrick Chandler
4 (5 reb, 2 stl).
MIRA MESA 58, GROSSMONT 40 – TOMMY RUTHERFORD
scored 12 and grabbed 12 rebounds for the Foothillers,
who succumbed to Mira Mesa in Saturday’s (Dec. 1)
Eastlake Titan Tipoff Tournament.
“I’m not worried how we finish in this tournament
because I’m looking ahead to the future,” said
Grossmont coach FRANK FOGGIANO. “This is a learning
curve for preparation for our league games.”
Grossmont:Tommy Rutherford 12 (12 reb, 1 stl), Bilal
Rahim 9 (11 reb, 1 ast, 1 stl), Carl Blanchard 6 (3 reb),
Austin Swisher 7 (4 reb, 2 ast, 2 stl), Tom Lore 3 (2
reb, 4 ast, 2 stl), Ryan Green 3 (2 reb, 1 ast, 1 stl),
Hunter Reed 4 (1 ast, 1 stl), Anthony Lawrence 3, Christian
Meno (1 reb, 1 ast, 1 stl), Kyle Williams (1 reb), Rome
Harris (1 ast).
ST. AUGUSTINE 83, WEST HILLS 49 – Nobody can
accuse West Hills coach JEFF ARMSTRONG of scheduling preseason
cupcakes.
In fact the Wolf Pack mentor puts together one of the
most competitive preseason events in the San Diego Section
with the Wolf Pack-Horsman Tournament.
Proof of that was the first round game against Top 10
power St. Augustine, which caused the Pack a lop-sided
loss.
“That’s pretty unbelievable stuff,”
Monte Vista Highhead coach JAMES CARROLL admitted. “But
somehow we pulled it off.”
Indeed. Monte Vista opened the season with a 48-46
victory over visiting San Diego in a non-league game
on Friday (Nov. 30).
In all fairness to Monte Vista this is the Monarchs
basketball version of spring training. Four members
of the team played football and two others were immersed
in water polo.
“We’ve only been together as a basketball
team for the last two weeks,” Carroll said. “We
have a long ways to go and a lot of hard work ahead.
But we have some talent.”
Monte Vista used a balanced scoring attack to edge
the Cavers as five players scored 7 or more points led
by HASANI JARVIS’ 10 markers.
On the defensive side, the Monarchs backcourt trio
of TOMMY WALKER, JEMEIL JACKSON and Jarvis wreaked havoc
on the Cavers.
“I think we have three of the best defensive guards
in the league,” Carroll said. “All three of
them are extremely quick.”
“I think in time we will be right there.”
Monte Vista:Hasani Jarvis 10 (4 reb, 3 ast, 4 stl),
Justin Brandy 9 (10 reb, 1 stl, 1 blk), Jahzdion Taylor
9 (6 reb, 1 stl), Thomas Walker 7 (1 reb, 1 ast, 5 stl),
Brendon Harris 7 (4 reb), Jemeil Jackson 4 (4 reb, 1
ast, 6 stl), Jordan Jackson 2 (2 reb), Erik Collins
(2 reb, 1 ast, 1 stl).
UNIVERSITY CITY 41, SANTANA 40 – Last-second
losses plagued the Santana Sultans a year ago, and more
of the same followed the Santee crew in Friday’s
(Nov. 30) opening round of the San Diego DIII Challenge.
Trailing 32-23 entering the final period, the Sultans
stormed in front with a 17-point fourth quarter.
With the score knotted at 37-37 University City moved
in front on a steal and a monster dunk with 45 second
remaining.
ANDY MILLER answered back by nailing a 3-pointer with
19 seconds remaining, placing Santana in front 40-37.
The visiting Centurions missed a go-ahead shot in the
waning seconds, but plucked the offensive rebound for
a putback with 2 seconds left to gain the victory.
“Our guys had the inside blocked off really well
but somehow the ball hit the floor and one of their
guys picked it up and threw up an 8-foot putback, and
suddenly we lost the game,” said Santana coach
TIM BARRY.
DUSTIN MURPHY paced Santana with 14 points including
two 3-pointers. CHRISTIAN BARRY chipped in with 12 points
and also hit two treys. Andy Miller also recorded two
triples.
Santana:Dustin Murphy 14 (4 reb, 1 stl), Christian
Barry 12 (8 reb, 3 ast, 3 stl), Andy Miller 6 (2 reb),
Jordan Vargas 4 (1 reb, 1 ast, 1 stl), Ryan Bratlien
2 (6 reb, 1 ast, 1 stl), Gabe Kruse 2 (1 reb, 1 ast,
1 stl).
GRANITE HILLS 75, SAN PASQUAL 51 – CODIE
SIMMONS scored a career high 20 points, KOLTIN HIGGINS
added 16 and D.J. PALOMERA scored 15 as the Eagles used
a balanced offense in Friday’s (Nov. 30) Eagle
Invitational.
Granite Hills scored 55 points in the second half to
even its record at 1-1.
Trailing 22-20 at the break Granite Hills came out
firing in the third quarter. The Eagles used an 11-0
run in that period as Simmons led the charge with seven
points. He had a drive to the basket from the right
side for a short baseline jumper, and duplicated the
move from the other side from five feet out.
A deep three-ball off a nice pass from Higgins completed
Simmons’ early spark.
Granite Hills ended the third period with an 18 point
lead after a JOEY GRUBB steal and pass to Higgins for
a three-ball.
The Eagles led by as many as 25 points by the fourth
quarter.= to pull away from the winless Golden Eagles
(0-3).
“We didn’t play with a lot of energy in the
first half, but when we picked up the tempo, that’s
what this team can do even though we don’t have
a lot of size,” said Granite Hills coach RANDY
ANDERSON.
HELIX 62, HILLTOP 41 – KAELEN MITCHELL
knocked down 14 points, CHRIS BELL collected 8 steals,
WILL MILDENHALL recorded 12 markers and 6 rebounds as
the Highlanders motorboated host Hilltop in Friday’s
(Nov. 30)Prime Sports Hilltop Tournament.
ROMARIO WILSON chipped in with 11 points, 7 rebounds
and 4 steals as Helix made it look easy against the
Lancers.
“I’m pretty happy with our play defensively,”
said Helix coach JOHN SINGER, whose Highlanders led
32-13 at the break. “I thought we had a really
good effort, not that our execution was all that great.
We made 21 turnovers in this game and you won’t
get away with that against the better teams.”
MORSE 69, FOOTHILLS CHRISTIAN 50 – Seems
there’s no stopping Foothills Christian’s
6-foot-7 freshman T.J. LEAF. The big fella scored 23
points, grabbed 11 rebounds and blocked 4 shots, but
the Knights could not keep pace with the Morse Tigers
in Friday’s (Nov. 30). Eagle Invitational contest
at Morse.
Leaf dropped in 8 of 17 shots from the floor, including
a pair of treys, and knocked down 5 of 7 free throws.
JEROME SHERMAN was the only other firepower offered
by Foothills as the 6-foot freshman guard finished with
10 points, two of them coming from above the arc.
STEELE CANYON vs. RANCHO BUENA VISTA –
It is possible this Prime Sports Hilltop Tournament
game may be declared a forfeit (pending). There was
some confusion about the Longhorns being is too many
tournaments and they did not show up for Friday’s
(Nov. 3) scheduled game against Steele Canyon.
A 6-foot-7 freshman, Leaf nailed 12 of 21 shots from
the floor, including 6 of 11 three-pointers. He was
7-for-7 from the free throw line.
Freshman guard JEROME SHERMAN added 13 points and junior
CALEB HOFFMAN chipped in with 12 points and 12 boards
for the Knights (1-1) who barged in front 25-10 after
one quarter.
Leaf;s older brother, TROY LEAF, was the 2009-10 CIF
San Diego Section all-division player of the year.
HOOVER 55, GROSSMONT 44 – There are some
pretty decent freshmen basketball players in East County
this year. One of them is 6-foot-7 Foothiller forward
TOMMY RUTHERFORD.
Rutherford knocked down 13 points and snagged 13 rebounds
in his varsity debut in Thursday’s (Nov. 29) Eastlake
Titan Tipoff Tournament opener.
“We played pretty good,” said Foothiller
coach FRANK FOGGIANO. “We were 9 for 18 on our
free throws. We just need to pick up our shooting a
little bit. Our defense was fine and we handled their
pressure fine.”
In his first two starts, Nikkita has nailed 90 points,
including 40 in Wednesday’s (Nov. 28) romp over
Chula Vista-High Tech High, 94-54.
Nikkita, a 5-foot-11 senior guard who scored 50 points
against Ramona in the season opener, grabbed 16 rebounds,
dished 8 assists and made 5 steals in the Braves’
latest conquest.
“The game was pretty sloppy,” said El Cajon
Valley coach MARTY ELLIS. “We always seem to play
down to the competition. There were lots of fouls called
on both teams. They had a big 6-foot-7 kid that was
pretty good. Dre (Nikkita) is asked to do a whole helluva
lot. He’s the complete package.”
You have to blow the dust off the record book to find
out the last time El Cajon Valley started the season
undefeated, and, surprisingly, that was last year when
they cranked out seven straight wins.
LOQMAN SULYMAN scored a career high 27 points, anchored
by nailing 7 three-pointers in the final quarter.
MT. CARMEL 65, GRANITE HILLS 59 – D.J.
PALOMERA enjoyed a brilliant Wednesday night (Nov. 28)
in the season opener against Mt. Carmel with 22 point,
6 assists, 5 steals and 2 rebounds.
But his teammates couldn’t follow suit as visiting
Mt. Carmel claimed the opening round of the Eagle Invitational.
Six-foot-7 junior TREVOR SPERRY added 13 rebounds and
blocked 7 shots to go with 6 points, but the Eagles
could not overcome the Sundevils 28-point scoring spree
in the fourth quarter.
SERRA 67, FOOTHILLS CHRISTIAN 61 – Youthful
Foothills Christian folded in the final quarter of Wednesday’s
(Nov. 28) non-league season opener. It was hardly means
of panic for the Knights, who were matching steps with
the Conquistadors most of the evening.
Six-foot-7, 200-pound freshman T.J. LEAF scored 23
points, nailing 10 of 15 field goals. Leaf also pulled
down a game high 14 rebounds.
Junior CALEB HOFFMAN matched Leaf’s 23 points
at he hit 8 of 13 from the floor and grabbing 9 rebounds
to go with 8 assists and 3 steals.
Kemmy
Burgess, ECVHS, vs. Francis Parker, 12-4-98 Tony Clark, Valhalla vs. Santana,
2-20-89 Tony Clark, Valhalla, vs. St.
Augustine 1988-89 Kemmy Burgess, ECVHS, vs. Monte
Vista, 1-9-98 Nick Taylor, Granite Hills, vs.
Sweetwater, 12-26-05 Todd Harper, Santana, vs. Granite
Hills, 1977-78 Andre Nikkita, ECVHS, at Ramona,
11-27-12 Dean Miller, Granite Hills, vs.
Mount Miguel, 2-17-09 Other Recent Highs Troy Leaf, Foothills Chr., vs
Otay Ranch, 12-7-07 Tyrone Shelley (Fr.), Christian,
vs. Vista, 12-31-03
A Braves new world Nikkita pours home 50 points in opener
“Everybody is excited,” said El Cajon Valley
coach MARTY ELLIS. “It’s something we have
been telling the guys, we have been playing for so long
together our chemistry is good. We played almost 40
games this summer and we all know each other now. Our
goal is to win a league title – something that
never has been done at El Cajon Valley. We really want
to win league this year. We know what our prize is at
the end of the game.”
Nikkita also hauled down a dozen rebounds, dished six
assists and recorded six steals.
A year ago, Nikkita’s best scoring game was 36
points. He averaged 17 per game.
As explosive as Nikkita was in round one, he is just
beginning to hit scoring stride according to Ellis.
El Cajon Valley tallied 43 points in the second half
after clinging to a 29-27 halftime edge.
“This wasn’t a cupcake team either.”
Ellis said of the Bulldogs.
LOQMAN SULYMAN dropped in 12 points and DERRICK MOORE
chipped in with 9 points and 12 rebounds.
Not to be overlooked...
“Although junior MICHAEL READUS didn’t score,
he pulled down 6 rebounds within the last minute of
the game,” Ellis praised.
On Saturday (Nov. 24), the Highlanders will conduct
an alumni game featuring probably the oldest player
ever to play in a competitive game beyond the recreational
level in WILLIE WILLIAMS, who will turn 63 this year.
Others who have indicated they will play in the alumni
game include Long Beach State alum RON JOHNSON, brothers
AL and JOHN SKALEKY, BRUCE MENSER, RUSS SPRING and ROY
GAYHART among others yet to be named.
The alumni coaches will be NOEL MICKELSEN and BOB SPEIDEL.
Gates open at 5 p.m. and there will be live music provided
by Highlander GARY SEILER and his Coastriders. Tipoff
is 7 p.m.
Any Helix alumni players wishing to participate, all
you have to do is show up.
Tickets to the event are $5, which includes the musical
interlude.
x-Ocean View Christian forfeited both games
to Foothills Christian, was (by CIFSDS rule) allowed to play replacement
games (df. Santana, lost to Horizon).
Frontier
North League
School
W
L
W
L
Liberty
Charter Lemon Grove
10
0
16
10
NC-High
Tech San Marcos
8
2
10
8
King-Chavez
(+5)
1
4
1
4
Coleman
Tech (+6)
0
4
0
6
So.
Calif. Yeshiva (+6)
0
4
0
10
O'Farrell
(+5)
0
5
0
6
All games between the bottom four schools
were not reported (except Feb. 13).
Manzanita
League
School
W
L
W
L
Vincent
Memorial
9
1
17
8
Mountain
Empire
9
1
14
11
Julian
(+1)
5
4
6
12
Borrego
Springs
4
6
6
14
Warner
(+1)
1
8
1
13
Calexico
Mission (+2)
0
8
0
11
Missing -
Calexico Mission: vs. Warner (Feb. 5), at Julian Feb. 8).
Note: Out of area teams may
be incomplete.
CIF STATE CHAMPIONSHIPS
South Regional - Division 5
First Round
Wed., Mar. 6
Foothills Christian 65, at Arcadia-Rio Hondo Prep 61 Quarterfinals
Sat., Mar. 9 At Birmingham Charter HS, Van Nuys
Sherman Oaks-Buckley 50, Foothills Christian 47
CIFSDS CHAMPIONSHIPS Finals
Fri., Mar. 1
Division 4 Army-Navy 56, Mater Dei Catholic 50
Division 5 Horizon 52, Foothills Christian 37
Sat., Mar. 2
Division 1
Mission
Hills 52,
El
Camino 42
Division 2 Hoover 58, La
Costa Canyon 50
Division 3 St.
Augustine 62, Cathedral
Catholic 36 State Play-In
Thurs., Feb. 28
Division 2
San Marcos vs. Lincoln, at Mira Mesa, 7:30
Semifinaks
Tue., Feb. 26
Division 2 La Costa Canyon 67, Lincoln 50
Hoover 68, San Marcos 63
Wed., Feb. 27
Division 1 Mission Hills 66, Patrick Henry 46
El Caminio 56, Torrey Pines 5
Division 3 Cathedral Catholic 71, Valley Center 43
St. Augustine 74, Canyon Crest 39
Division 4 Mater Dei Catholic 49, Francis Parker 43
Army-Navy 59, Santa Fe Christian 53
Division 5 Horizon 62, Calvin Christian 45 Foothills Christian 60, The Rock 48 Quarterfinals
Sat., Feb. 23
Division 1 Mission Hills 68, Vista 38 (Fri.)
Patrick Henry 50,Eastlake 48
Torrey Pines 52, Carlsbad 40
El Camino 82, Escondido 71 Division 2
La Costa Canyon 66, Westview 61
Lincoln 53, at San Ysidro 52
San Marcos 57, Serra 55
Hoover 70, Steele Canyon 59
Division 3
Cathedral Catholic 92, Mission Bay 40
Valley Center 58, San Dieguito 50
Canyon Crest 53, La Jolla 42
St. Augustine 67, Mount Miguel 38
Division 4
Army-Navy 62, The Bishop's 38
Santa Fe Christian 52, La Jolla Country Day 37
Francis Parker 63, Imperial 38
Mater Dei Catholic 48, Coronado 42 Division 5
Vincent Memorial at Horizon
Calvin Christian 63, at Tri-City Christian 50
The Rock 53, SD Jewish 31 Foothills Christian 101, Maranatha Christian 56 Round One Note: All games with SD Back Country & Imperial County schools
were postponed to Wednesday (and then to Thursday) due to poor road conditions
and snow on I-8 through the Cuyamaca Mtns.
Tue., Feb. 19
Division 1 Mission Hills 74, Chula Vista 45
Wed., Feb. 20
Division 1
Vista 66, Mira Mesa 55
Eastlake 75, Sweetwater 74
Patrick Henry 78, Granite Hills 36
Torrey Pines 67, Otay Ranch 40
Carlsbad 52, Grossmont 43
Escondido 76, at Helix 67 (2-OT)
El Camino 86, Poway 56
Division 2
La Costa Canyon 77, Rancho Bernardo 54
Westview 65, Point Loma 40
Lincoln 76. at Morse 49
San Ysidro 82, West Hills 65
San Marcos 76, Valhalla 64
Serra 51, El Cajon Valley 48
Steele Canyon 49, at Mt. Carmel 43
Hoover 75, Oceanside 55
Division 3
Cathedral Catholic 93, SD-High Tech 30
Mission Bay 62, Olympian 57
San Dieguito at EC-Central, ppd.
Valley Center 51, Monte Vista 28
La Jolla 67, Montgomery 54
Canyon Crest 51, Crawford 38
Mount Miguel 74, at Del Norte 53
St. Augustine 87, Mar Vista 22
Division 4
Army-Navy 77, Preuss-UCSD 21
The Bishop's 91, Madison 50
La Jolla Country Day 60, Guajome Park 39
Santa Fe Christian 82, Mountain Empire 32
Francis Parker 72, Clairemont 45
Christian at Imperial, ppd.
Coronado 49, CV-High Tech 34
Mater Dei Catholic 93, NC-High Tech 13
Division 5
Horizon 70, CV-Calvary Christian 46
Pacific Ridge at Vincent Memorial, ppd.
Calvin Christian 79, Vista-Calvary Chr. 42
Tri-City Christian 70, Escondido Adventist 51 (Thurs.)
The Rock 65, San Diego Academy 36
SD Jewish at Calipatria, ppd.
Maranatha Christian 59, Liberty Charter 42
Foothills Christian 108, San Pasqual Acad, 51
Thurs., Feb. 21
Division 3 San Dieguito 60, EC-Central 59
Division 4
Imperial 77, Christian 62 Division 5
Vincent Memorial 60, Pacific Ridge 51
SD Jewish 60, at Calipatria 52
REGULAR SEASON
Tue., Nov. 27
Non-League
El Cajon Valley 85, Ramona 57
Wed., Nov. 28
Eagle Invitational
Mt. Carmel 65, Granite Hills 59 Non-League
El Cajon Valley 94, CV-High Tech 54
Serra 67, Foothills Christian 61
Thurs., Nov. 29
Eastlake Tournament
Hoover 55, Grossmont 44
Foothills Christian 78, Bonita Vista 55
Fri., Nov. 30
Eagle Invitational
Granite Hills 75, San Pasqual 51
Morse 69, Foothills Christian 50 Hilltop Tournament
Steele Canyon vs. Rancho Buena Vista, ccd.
Helix 62, Hilltop 41 San Diego D-III Challenge
University City 41, Santana 40 Non-League
Monte Vista 48, San Diego 46
Sat., Dec. 1
Eastlake Tournament
Mira Mesa 58, Grossmont 40 Hilltop Tournament
Steele Canyon 67, Otay Ranch 50
Helix 37, Carlsbad 34 Wolf Pack – Horsman Tournament
St. Augustine 83, West Hills 49 Olympian Holiday Classic
Canyon Crest 55, Monte Vista 49
El Cajon Valley 57, Chula Vista 46 Non-League
Mountain Empire 77, SD-High Tech 66
Patrick Henry 62, Scripps Ranch 47
Mon., Dec. 3
Hilltop Tournament Westview 48, Steele Canyon 41
Eagle Invitational
Mt. Carmel 58, Foothills Christian 52 San Diego D-III Challenge
Crawford 56, Santana 45
SD-Southwest 53, El Capitan 36 Wolf Pack – Horsman Tournament
West Hills 65, EC-Southwest 27 Olympian Holiday Classic
El Cajon Valley 84, Point Loma 56 Poway Tournament
Poway 71, Grossmont 63 Non-League
CV-Calvary Christian 65, Liberty Charter 60
Tue., Dec. 4
Eagle Invitational
Serra 57, Granite Hills 45 Hilltop Tournament Helix 57, Otay Ranch 44
Lincoln 68, Steele Canyon 32 Wolf Pack – Horsman Tournament
West Hills 80, Horizon 77 (OT) Olympian Holiday Classic
Monte Vista 50, Olympian 39
San Marcos 78, El Cajon Valley 59 Tri-City Christian Tournament
Christian 65, Escondido Charter 47
Wed., Dec. 5
Eagle Invitational
Morse 89, Granite Hills 70 Poway Tournament
San Ysidro 70, Grossmont 60 San Diego D-III Challenge
Madison 50, Santana 37
San Dieguito 78, El Capitan 49 Wolf Pack – Horsman Tournament
Mission Hills 74, West Hills 45 Olympian Holiday Classic
Mater Dei 67, El Cajon Valley 49
Monte Vista 56, Clairemont 39
Thurs., Dec. 6
Hilltop Tournament
Steele Canyon 63, Hilltop 36
Helix 52, Westview 51 Tri-City Christian Tournament
Christian 56, Mission Vista 44
Fri., Dec. 7
Eagle Invitational
The Bishop’s 62, Foothills Christian 58 Hilltop Tournament
Carlsbad 49, Steele Canyon 34
Lincoln 53, Helix 36 San Diego D-III Challenge
Santana 59, Palo Verde Valley 37
Kearny 54, El Capitan 45 Olympian Holiday Classic
Del Norte 54, Monte Vista 43 Tri-City Christian Tournament
Semifinals: Tri-City Christian 56, Christian 48 Manzanita League
Julian 91, Borrego Springs 79
Vincent Memorial 90, Calexico Misison 8 (eight; shutout in the second half)
Sat., Dec. 8 Poway Tournament
Eastlake 69, Grossmont 66 (2 OT) Wolf Pack – Horsman Tournament
Consolation: Box Hill (Australia) 68, West Hills 41 San Diego D-III Challenge
La Jolla 61, El Capitan 42 Olympian Holiday Classic
Fifth: El Cajon Valley 76, Monte Vista 75 (OT) Tri-City Christian Tournament
Christian 62, Escondido Charter 32
Mon., Dec. 10
Mount Miguel Invitational
Mount Miguel 79, Castle Park 38
Valhalla 60, Hilltop 45 San Diego D-III Challenge
Santana 49, SD-Southwest 34
El Capitan 58, Palo Verde Valley 48
Tue., Dec. 11
Mount Miguel Invitational
Mount Miguel vs.71, Clairemont 38
Valhalla 68, Morse 51 Non-League
Granite Hills 73, Escondido 70
Wed., Dec. 12
Mount Miguel Invitational
Valhalla 70, CV-High Tech 41 Manzanita League
Julian 75, Warner 18 Others
San Diego HS 84, Mountain Empire 40
Thurs., Dec. 13
Red Bluff Holiday Classic
Helix 55, Red Bluff 43 Mount Miguel Invitational
Mount Miguel 74, Rancho Bernardo 72 Imperial Classic
Mater Dei Catholic 62, Christian 20 Non-League
Liberty Charter 63, Classical Academy 44
Fri., Dec. 14
Mount Miguel Invitational
Mount Miguel 67, San Diego HS 55
Valhalla at Mountain Empire, ppd. (possible snow; moved to Dec. 17 at
Valhalla, 7) Red Bluff Holiday Classic
Semis: Lake Oswego (Ore.) 68, Helix 27 Imperial Classic
Christian 68, Vincent Memorial 42
Sat., Dec. 15
Mount Miguel Invitational
Valhalla 69, Clairemont 37
Mount Miguel 82, Hilltop 43 Sweetwater Holiday
Hoover 77, Steele Canyon 42 Red Bluff Holiday Classic
Third: Sacrament- Franklin 61, Helix 43 Imperial Classic
Christian 47, Indio 40
Coronado 69, Christian 43
Mon., Dec. 17
Mount Miguel Invitational
Valhalla 87, Mountain Empire 48 ater Holiday Clasic
Otay Ranch 59, Steele Canyon 45 Grossmont Winter Classic
Olympian 60, Santana 47
Westview 61, El Capitan 25
El Cajon Valley 56, Rancho Bernardo 48
El Centro-Central 53, Monte Vista 52
Grossmont 73, Mar Vista 31
Tue., Dec. 18
Central League
Christian 61, Clairemont 42
Crawford 68, Kearny 42
Point Loma 53, Madison 42 Non-League
Mountain Empire 76, Calvary Christian 51 Frontier North League
NC-High Tech 69, So. California Yeshiva 46
Wed., Dec. 19 Grossmont Winter Classic
El Cajon Valley 78, Oceanside 68 (OT)
Grossmont 58, El Centro-Central 37
Monte Vista 55, Mar Vista 24
Imperial 72, Santana 54
University City 46, El Capitan 31 Tarkanian Classic
At LV-Bishop Gorman
LV-Bishop Gorman 82, Foothills Christian 50
Thurs., Dec. 20 Tarkanian Classic, At LV-Bishop Gorman
Lynwood-Foothills 49, Foothills Christian 43 Sweetwater Holiday Classic
Steele Canyon 62, Chula Vista 39 Non-League
Granite Hills 73, Bonita Vista 55
Fri., Dec. 21 Central League
Point Loma 48, Christian 46
Coronado 41, Kearny 36
Madison 78, Clairemont 48 Grossmont Winter Classic
Santana 69, El Capitan 49
Monte Vista 41, Scripps Ranch 38
Semis: Grossmont 56, El Cajon Valley 45 Sweetwater Holiday Classic
Mount Carmel 40, Steele Canyon 34
Jerry Tarkanian Classic At LV-Bishop Gorman
Foothills Christian 67, LV-Spring Valley 33
LV- Faith Lutheran 69, Foothills Christian 42
Sat., Dec. 22 Jerry Tarkanian Classic At LV-Bishop Gorman
LV-Chaparral 58, Foothills Christian 54 Sweetwater Holiday Classic
Steele Canyon 36, The Rock 33 Grossmont Winter Classic
Championship: Westview 54, Grossmont 44
Third Place: Olympian 74, El Cajon Valley 64
Consol. Final: Monte Vista 53, Imperial 50
Consolation: Santana 65, Rancho Bernardo 52; Mar Vista df. El Capitan, no
score report
Wed., Dec. 26
Montgomery Holiday Classic
Valley Center 56, El Capitan 24
Foothills Christian 91, Liberty Charter 22
Mount Miguel 71, Valhalla 61 Granite Hills Holiday Classic
Granite Hills 68, Calexico 38
Calipatria 82, Mtn. Empire 61 Bonita Vista Holiday Tournament
Monte Vista 65, Mar Vista 53
El Cajon Valley 72, Gompers 55
El Cajon Valley 77, Bonita Vista 53 Chula Vista Spartan Classic
Grossmont 70, SD-Southwest 16
Helix 50, La Jolla 45 Coronado Tournament
West Hills 74, Bolsa Grande 63
29 Palms 52, Christian 50
Thurs., Dec. 27
Montgomery Holiday Classic
Hilltop 52, El Capitan 40
Valhalla 69, Liberty Charter 31
Foothills Christian 73, Mount Miguel 71
Granite Hills Holiday Classic
Granite Hills 67, Kearny 56 Bonita Vista Holiday Tournament
Monte Vista 61, Gompers 45 Chula Vista Spartan Classic
Grossmont 57, Deer Valley (Ariz.) 53 (OT)
Helix 65, Santa Ana Valley 12 Coronado Tournament
West Hills 62, Sequoia 51
West Hills 73, Coronado 69 (2 OT)
Christian 56, Pacific Ridge 44 Atascadero Winter Tournament
Atascadero 76, Steele Canyon 62
Fri., Dec. 28
Montgomery Holiday Classic
Foothills Christian 73, Valhalla 59
Mount Miguel 67, Liberty Charter 26
Serra 72, El Capitan 21 Granite Hills Holiday Classic
Granite Hills 62, Banning 54 Bonita Vista Holiday Tournament
El Cajon Valley 85, Mar Vista 53
Monte Vista 58, Bonita Vista 37 Chula Vista Spartan Classic
Grossmont 63, La Jolla 50
Deer Valley (Ariz.) 50, Helix 37 Coronado Tournament
Christian 42, Sequoia 36
Christian 47, Coronado 41
Crawford 65, West Hills 43 Atascadero Winter Tournament
Steele Canyon 67, Sacramento Roseville 53
Sat., Dec. 29
Montgomery Holiday Classic
Foothills Christian 55, San Ysidro 54
Valhalla 78, Mennonite Educational Institute (Abbotsford, B.C., Canada)
67 (OT)
El Capitan 60, Clairemont 51
Mount Miguel 71, EC-Southwest 47
Championship: Montgomery 51, Foothills Christian 42 Granite Hills Holiday Classic
Championship: El Paso-Parkland 68, Granite Hills 62 Bonita Vista Holiday Tournament
Championship: Monte Vista 64, El Cajon Valley 58 Chula Vista Spartan Classic
Third: Helix 59, El Centro-Central 38
Championship: Vista 49, Grossmont 38 Atascadero Winter Tournament
Steele Canyon 72, Montclair 68
Steele Canyon 43, Templeton 37
Wed., Jan. 2
Crawford Tournament
La Jolla Country Day 64, Mount Miguel 62 Las Vegas Foothill Holiday Classic
Granite Hills 65, LV-Del Sol 59
Lincoln, Colo. 62, Valhalla 55
Granite Hills 74, LV-Chaparral 67
Valhalla 66, LV-Bonanza 62 LV-Mountain View Christian Inv.
Santana 65, LV-Spring Mountain 38
Thurs., Jan. 3
Crawford Tournament
Crawford 72, Mount Miguel 62 Las Vegas Foothill Holiday Classic
Douglas County (Colo.) 66, Granite Hills 65
Sequim (Wash.) 57, Valhalla 45 Las Vegas Invitational
Santana 51, LV-Agassi Prep 44 Non-League
Hilltop 55, Monte Vista 53
Fri., Jan. 4
Crawford Tournament
Mount Miguel 62, Coronado 56
San Dieguito 65, Mount Miguel 63
Las Vegas Foothill Holiday Classic
Third: LV-Chaparral 64, Valhalla 51
Championship: Lincoln (Colo.) 58, Granite Hills 43 LV-Mountain View Christian Inv.
Semifinal: Sherman Oaks-Buckley 64, Santana 21 Non-League
West Hills 67, Clairemont 50
El Centro Central 62, El Cajon Valley 59
Sat., Jan. 5
LV-Mountain View Christian Inv.
Third: Santana 61, LV-Rancho 45 Non-League
Helix 57, Olympian 40
Morse 75, Mount Miguel 48
Mon., Jan. 7
Non-League
Grossmont 45, Monte Vista 34
West Hills 72, El Capitan 53
Steele Canyon 47, El Cajon Valley 43
Tue., Jan. 8
Central League
Coronado 63, Christian 44
Clairemont 29, Kearny 26
Point Loma 58, Kearny 44 Non-League
Santana 60, Palo Verde Valley 51
Granite Hills 63, Hilltop 58 Sunset League
San Diego Academy 78, Lutheran 52
Wed., Jan. 9
Grossmont Conference Tournament
West Hills 74, Monte Vista 49
El Cajon Valley 48, Helix 39
Steele Canyon 55, El Capitan 36 Non-League
Mount Miguel 50, Otay Ranch 41
Mater Dei 60, Point Loma 43
Thurs., Jan. 10 Sunset League
Foothills Christian 60, San Diego Acad. 35
Non-League
Santana 51, SD-High Tech 44
Patrick Henry 75, Madison 56
Valhalla at EC-Southwest, ppd., high winds
Fri., Jan. 11
Grossmont Hills League
Helix 76, Valhalla 55
West Hills 53, Steele Canyon 46
Grossmont 55, Granite Hills 54 Grossmont Valley League
Monte Vista 51, El Cajon Valley 47
Mount Miguel 83, El Capitan 53 Central League
Crawford 60, Christian 45
Madison 70, Kearny 48
Point Loma 46, Coronado 41 Sunset League
CV-Calvary Christian 58, Ocean View Chr. 42
Sat., Jan. 12
Non-League
Mission Bay 57, Mount Miguel 38
West Hills 49, Santana 32
Tue., Jan. 15
Grossmont Hills League
West Hills 61, Valhalla 59
Helix 65, Grossmont 46
Steele Canyon 60, Granite Hills 58 Grossmont Valley League
Mount Miguel 78, Santana 44
El Cajon Valley 69, El Capitan 39 Central League
Kearny 35, Christian 30
Crawford 55, Clairemont 49
Coronado 65, Madison 55 Manzanita League
Borrego Springs 69, Warner 22 Frontier North League
Liberty Charter 77, O'Farrell 27
Wed., Jan. 16 Manzanita League
Mountain Empire 66, Vincent Memorial 63
Borrego Springs 57, Warner 36
Thurs., Jan. 17
Sunset League
Foothills Christian 87, San Diego Acad. 54 Frontier North League
Liberty Charter 68, So. Calif. Yeshiva 46
Fri., Jan. 18
Grossmont Hills League
Valhalla 65, Steele Canyon 58
Helix 52, Granite Hills 43
Grossmont 53, West Hills 39 Grossmont Valley League
Monte Vista 65, Mount Miguel 55
Santana 51, El Capitan 33 Central League
Madison 58, Christian 50
Coronado 64, Crawford 63
Point Loma 60, Clairemont 41 Sunset League
CV-Calvary Chr. 64, Lutheran 49 Manzanita League
Mountain Empire 79, Borrego Springs 61
Vincent Memoral 77, Julian 38
Sat., Jan. 19
MLK Showcase, At Horizon
Valhalla 51, San Diego HS 48
Montgomery 45, Christian 32
Santa Fe Chr. 61, Foothills Christian 49
Serra 66, Mount Miguel 59 (OT) Non-League
Helix 48, Monte Vista 36
Mon., Jan. 21
MLK Showcase, at Hoover
La Jolla Country Day 55, Foothills Christian 54 Non-League
Santa Fe Christian 82, El Capitan 44
Tue., Jan. 22
Central League Point Loma 39, Kearny
35
Madison 69, Crawford 65
Coronado 45, Clairemont 50
Sunset League CV-Calvary Chr. at San Diego Acad., ppd. (moved to Feb. 7th)
Frontier North League
Liberty Charter 61, NC-High Tech 49
So. Calif. Yeshiva vs. King-Chavez, Muni Gym, no report Non-League
Guajome Park 69, Lutheran 51
St, Joseph at Mountain Empire, ccd.
Wed., Jan. 22
Manzanita League
Vincent Memorial 73, Borrego Springs 46
Thurs., Jan. 24
Sunset League
Foothills Christian 91, Lutheran 31
CV-Calvary Chr. 48, Ocean View Chr. 30 Frontier North League
Liberty Charter 45, King-Chavez 11
NC-High Tech 61, Coleman Tech 27
Fri., Jan. 25
Grossmont Hills League
Grossmont 66, Valhalla 57
Granite Hills 56, West Hills 50
Steele Canyon 41, Helix 37 Grossmont Valley League
Monte Vista 60, Santana 49
El Cajon Valley 49, Mount Miguel 41 Central League
Point Loma 52,Christian 48
Coronado 66, Kearny 54
Madison 49, Clairemont 32 Manzanita League
Mountain Empire 86, Warner 29
Sat., Jan. 26
Non-League
Foothills Christian 85, Mount Miguel 76
Mon., Jan. 28
Non-League
Steele Canyon 70, Monte Vista 37
Grossmont 71, Santana 44
West Hills 53, Coronado 49
Burbank-Providence 63, Foothills Christian 51
El Cajon Valley 69, Granite Hills 54
Helix 68, El Capitan 37
Hoover90, Crawford 71 Manzanita League
Mountain Empire 93, Calexico Mission 12
Tue., Jan. 29
Central League
Kearny 55, Crawford 35 Non-League
Point Loma 64, Mira Mesa 56
Wed., Jan. 30
Grossmont Hills League
West Hills 56, Helix 53
Grossmont 65, Steele Canyon 41
Valhalla 61, Granite Hills 57 (OT) Grossmont Valley League
El Cajon Valley 58, Santana 41
Monte Vista 63, El Capitan 51 Central League
Christian 78, Clairemont 24
Point Loma 51, Madison 45 Sunset League
Foothills Christian 84, CV-Calvary Chr. 35 Manzanita League
Mountain Empire 85, Julian 68
Vincent Memorial 77, Warner 8 (eight)
Borrego Springs 44, Calexico Misison 22
Thurs., Jan. 31
Frontier North League
Liberty Charter 104, O'Farrell 3 (three)
NC-High Tech 72, King-Chavez 42
Manzanita League
Vincent Memorial 90, Calexico Mission 10
Fri., Feb. 1
Grossmont Hills League
Valhalla 48, Helix 47
Steele Canyon 66, West Hills 44
Grossmont 62, Granite Hills 52 Grossmont Valley League
El Cajon Valley 55, Monte Vista 34
Mount Miguel 85, El Capitan 61 Central League
Christian 66, Crawford 63
Kearny 46, Madison 45
Point Loma 39, Coronado 35 Non-League
Foothills Christian 79, Escondido 74 (OT) Manzanita League
Julian 81, Borrego Springs 65
Mountain Empire 80, Warner 10
Sat., Feb. 2
Coaches vs. Cancer Tournament At The Bishop's
Horizon 67, Mount Miguel 64 Non-League
Foothills Christian 75, Santana 47
Mon., Feb. 3
Sunset League
San Diego Academy 56, CV-Calvary Chr. 54 Non-League
Ocean View Christian 47, Julian 46
Tue., Feb. 5
Grossmont Hills League
Helix 54, Grossmont 41
West Hills 62, Valhalla 50
Steele Canyon 75, Granite Hills 55 Grossmont Valley League
Mount Miguel 71, Santana 47
El Cajon Valley 67, El Capitan 40 Central League
Coronado 40, Christian 36
Point Loma 75, Crawford 64 (corrected)
Kearny 53, Clairemont 25 Non-League
Foothills Christian 78, Madison 57 Frontier North League
Liberty Charter 73, So.Cal. Yeshiva 26 NC-High Tech 58, O'Farrell 7 (seven)
NC-High Tech 61, O'Farrell 50 (both scores reported)
Wed., Feb. 6
Sunset League
Foothills Christian 87, Lutheran 42 Manzanita League
Vincent Memorial 74, Borrego Springs 29
Mountain Empire 80, Calexico Mission 14
Julian 74, Warner 29 Non-League
Point Loma 68, SD-High Tech 36
Thurs., Feb. 7
Sunset League
CV-Calvary Chr. 51, San Diego Academy 39 Frontier North League
Liberty Charter 73, NC-High Tech 57 Manzanita League
Warner 39, Calexico Mission 16
Fri.,
Feb. 8
Grossmont Hills League
Steele Canyon 69, Valhalla 64
Granite Hills 66, Helix
49
Grossmont 54, West
Hills 53 Grossmont Valley League
Mount Miguel 77, Monte Vista 46
Santana 60, El
Capitan
53 Central League
Madison 67, Christian
58
Coronado 55, Crawford 46
Point Loma 63, Clairemont
40 Sunset League
Ocean View Christian 41, Lutheran
38 Manzanita League
Mountain Empire at Vincent Memorial, ppd. snow (moved to Feb. 12)
Borrego Springs df. Warner, 2-0 (forfeit)
Julian 74, Calexico
Mission 29
Sat., Feb. 9
Non-League
The Bishop’s 89, Christian 63
Horizon 60, Foothills Christian 59
Valley Center 59, Santana 35
Valhalla 77, El Centro-Southwest 65 (from Jan. 10)
Mon.,
Feb. 11
Sunset League
Foothills Christian 83, CV-Calvary Chr. 58 Manzanita League
Vincent Memorial df. Warner, 2-0 (forfeit)
Tue.,
Feb. 12
Grossmont Hills League
Steele Canyon 55, Grossmont 50
Granite Hills 72, Valhalla 67
Helix 67, West Hills 43 Grossmont Valley League
El Capitan 55, Monte Vista 54 (OT)
El Cajon Valley 77, Santana 53 Central League
Madison 61, Coronado
51
Crawford 71, Clairemont 52 Sunset League
San Diego Academy 44, Ocean
View Chr. 22 Manzanita League
Vincent Memorial 83, Mountain
Empire 60 (from
Feb. 8) Frontier North League
Liberty Charter 75, King-Chavez 35
NC-High Tech 67, Coleman Tech 60
O'Farrell at So. Calif.
Yeshiva, no report
Wed., Feb. 13 Central
League
Christian 56, Kearny
44 Manzanita League
Mountain Empire 82, Borrego
Springs 55
Vincent Memorial
72, Julian
39 Frontier North League
King-Chavez 72, O'Farrell 12
Thurs.,
Feb. 14
Central League
Coronado 64, Clairemont 47
Crawford 50, Madison
38
Point Loma 53, Kearny 40 Manzanita
League
Mountain Empire 85, Julian
55
Borrego Springs 45, Calexico Mission
22 Frontier North League
CV-Calvary Christian 80, Lutheran 46
Fri., Feb. 15
Grossmont Hills League
Valhalla 55, Grossmont
52
Helix 46, Steele Canyon 38
Granite Hills 66, West Hills 65 Grossmont Valley League
El Cajon Valley 69, Mount Miguel 61
Monte Vista 55, Santana
42 Sunset League
CV-Calvary Christian at Lutheran, at, Parkway Gym, Chula Vista Manzanita League
Vincent Memorial df. Warner, forfeit
END REGULAR SEASON
