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2003-04 EAST COUNTY PREP BOYS BASKETBALL |
Helix's Eric Robinson (13) goes to the basket
as David Jones (41) watches in Tuesday's (12-9-03) Hilltop Invitational
action. (Photo by Rick Lakin)
Griffin ensures Matadors prevail over St.
Augustine
EastCountySports.com
EL CAJON - Mount Miguel coach JIMMY HURST isn't about to start bragging about the early success of his Matadors. Granted, Hurst has earned the right to point out that his squad has produced 6 wins in 8 starts against a fairly challenging preseason schedule. Most impressive of Mount Miguel's wins came in Monday's (Dec. 22) semifinals of the Grossmont Winter Classic when the Matadors slapped St. Augustine 62-49 at Grossmont High.
J.R.GRIFFIN cranked in 22 points - half
coming in the final quarter - as
Mount Miguel turned a two-point game into a comfortable margin
of victory.
While Hurst acknowledged Griffin's fiery
finish, he was quick to praise
JANSSEN "Jay" BARBER for his strong showing in the second
half. Barber totaled 12 points in the game, the majority following
intermission.
"Jay made the difference for us in the second half," Hurst said. "He turned up his defense and that carried over to his offense. He took the ball to the basket, and got to the rim for some easy buckets."
Mount Miguel surged to a 26-13 lead midway through the 2nd quarter and then Hurst called a time out.
"A real smart move by me," Hurst
said wryly. "I was trying to fine tune a
couple of things and then we go back out on the floor and Saints
goes on an
11-0 run."
Nevertheless, the Matadors prevailed to
earn a tournament championship date
against USDHS Tuesday (Dec. 23) at Grossmont High at 7:30 p.m.
Griffin and JAMES ROBERTS led the Matadors
on the boards against St.
Augustine, collecting 8 caroms apiece. Griffin also logged 4 steals,
while
Roberts charted 3 steals and handed out 3 assists. KENNY KEY also
cleared 6 rebounds
for Mount Miguel.
Junior T.J. TOPERCAR paced St. Augustine with 18 points.
USDHS 85, GROSSMONT 67 - Foothillers' senior TYLER VICKERS has been on a
scoring bender in this week's Grossmont Winter Classic. The 6-foot-6
senior
center has averaged 31.7 points and 15.3 rebounds in the three-game
tournament set,
yet the Hillers have managed to win only two of three games.
Vickers poured in 33 points and corralled
14 rebounds against DEMETRIUS
LAFFITTE's USDHS Dons. The Hillers, as a unit, lacked the overall
team
quickness to match strides with Rico Tucker (39 points) and the
undefeated Dons, who will
meet Mount Miguel for the tournament championship Tuesday (Dec.
23) at 7:30
p.m.
JAMES CROOKS turned in a powerful supporting
effort to Vickers, casting in 10
points while collecting 10 rebounds for Grossmont (5-4).
SANTANA 62, RAMONA 51 - Santana coach TIM BARRY can identify with the
Christmas carol lyrics, "It's beginning to look like a lot
like Christmas . . . "
"This is the best I've felt in two
years," Barry exulted after his Sultans
(4-3) tamed the Bulldogs of Ramona on Monday (Dec. 22) to earn
a shot at the
Grossmont Winter Classic consolation championship Tuesday (Dec.23)
against
Monte Vista at Grossmont at 4 p.m.
The Sultans shot 50 percent from the field, netting 23 of 46 shots.
"This was a quality win for us,"
Barry said. "I think they were stunned when
we beat them. But most of all, it was a lift that we needed to
prove to our
kids that we can beat good teams."
Senior DAVID BASS scored a career-high 19
points to pace Santana. BRYAN
WICKENS added 17 points and 6 rebounds (one less than Bass) for
the Sultans,
who took a 20-11 1st quarter lead and never looked back.
Wickens scored 7 points, and JON HERNANDEZ
scored all of his 6 points, as
Santana took command in the opening period.
Senior point guard COREY ROBINSON registered
8 points, 8 assists and 6
rebounds in what was one of his finest outings for Santana.
MONTE VISTA 62, CLAIREMONT 57 - Football reinforcements have made the
Monarchs (3-5) a genuine San Diego CIF Division II playoff contender.
Senior ALEX GUINTO, a senior wide receiver
in football, has stormed the court
for 47 points in his first three appearances.
Junior CLINTON SNDYER, another Monte Vista
football giant, has put muscle in
the Monarchs inside game, scoring 47 points in his first three
court
appearances.
"If we get all of our guys together
at the same time, we might be a pretty
good team," Monte Vista coach ZACH PECK said. "We have
pretty good depth and
some guys who play together with high intensity."
GRANITE HILLS 70, NANAIMO (Canada) 32
- Junior guard RYAN SNYDER erupted
for
a career-high scoring effort, funneling in 24 points and 4 assists
Monday
(Dec. 21) as the Eagles presented first year head coach MATT DAVIS
with his
first varsity victory.
The Eagles (1-7) outscored the Canadians
in every quarter as they snapped a
7-game losing streak.
DAVID BAXTER chipped in with 17 points,
3 assists, 4 steals and 2 blocks.
Baxter nailed a trio of 3-pointers as did Snyder.
Granite Hills led by 20 at halftime, finding
success with some full-court
pressure.
NICK TAYLOR chipped in with 10 points, 4
rebounds and 4 steals. JUSTIN
VILLANUEVA played strong defensively with 2 steals and a block,
while scoring 6
points, all off turnovers.
VALHALLA 74, ORANGE GLEN 68 - RAYMOND HANNA banged in 22 points and bagged 12
rebounds as the Norsemen (3-5) held off coach CURTIS HOFMEISTER's
Patriots of
Orange Glen in Monday's (Dec.22) Grossmont Winter Classic.
Hanna scored 7 points to help Valhalla forge
in front 15-7. But the game
turned into a dog fight. Point guard RONY NASSER turned 3 steals
into baskets
as the Norsemen took control 56-43 after three quarters.
Hanna finished with a game-high 12 rebounds,
while Nasser finished with a
season high 12 points and 7 steals.
DUSTIN ROTHLISBERGER chipped in with 10 rebounds and 9 points.
SALT FLEET (Canada) 65, EL CAPITAN 37
- The Vaqueros (6-2) were out of
this
one by the close of the 3rd quarter as the Canadians were breezing
52-25 in
Monday's (Dec. 22) Sweetwater Lions Holiday Classic encounter.
On a positive note, El Capitan junior CORY
BROWN scored 15 points, grabbed 8
rebounds and blocked 5 shots in a losing cause for the Vaqueros.
(12-22-03)
MONDAY - DEC. 22, 2003 EastCountySports.com Grossmont Winter Classic Granite Hills 70, Nanaimo (Canada) 32 Nanaimo 11 6 6 9 - 32 Granite Hills 17 20 22 11 - 70 Ryan Snyder 24, David Baxter 17, Nick Taylor 10, James Clark 9, Justin Villanueva 6, Kurtis Smith 4. - Valhalla 74, Orange Glen 68 Valhalla 15 19 22 18 - 74 Orange Glen 12 17 14 25 - 68 Raymond Hanna 22, Devon Jones 12, Rony Nasser 12, Kyle Luhnow 11, Travis Rothlisberger 9, Tommy Miles 8. - Santana 62, Ramona 51 Ramona 11 11 13 16 - 51 Santana 20 12 16 14 - 62 David Bass 19, Bryan Wilkens 17, Corey Robinson 8, Jon Hernandez 6, Kyle Reed 6, Zach Shepard 3, Billy Wilkens 2, Ricky Michelmore 1. - Monte Vista 62, Clairemont 57 Monte Vista 15 17 12 18 - 62 Clairemont 12 17 15 13 - 57 Alex Guinto 21, Clinton Snyder 16, Trevor Peck 6, Nick Childs 6, D'Andre Overstreet 5, Tyrone Gipson 4, Brandon Harvey 2, Charles Watkins 2. - Semifinal: Mount Miguel 62, St. Augustine 49 St. Augustine 11 15 8 15 - 49 Mount Miguel 14 13 9 26 - 62 J.R. Griffin 22, Janssen Barber 12, Andre Martin 8, James Roberts 8, Deviyon Carter 5, Darren Newborn 3, Eddie DeArcos 2, Kenny Key 2. - Semifinal: USDHS 85, Grossmont 67 USDHS 19 21 22 23 - 85 Grossmont 16 11 22 18 - 67 Tyler Vickers 33, James Crooks 10, Tyler Barbour 9, Tyler Hajosy 5, Thomas Hernandez 4, Casey Williams 3, Lyonell Douglas 2, Casey Rummel 1. - Sweetwater Lions Holiday Classic Salt Fleet (Canada) 65, El Capitan 37 Salt Fleet 13 20 19 13 - 65 El Capitan 10 6 9 12 - 37 Cory Brown 15, Daniel Krueger 6, David Reeder 5, Johnny Curo 4, Noelle Noy 3, Nick Murico 2, Andrew Hoffmaster 2. (12-22-03)
Cougars win fifth-straight by crushing San
Marcos
EastCountySports.com
SAN DIEGO - Steele Canyon coach BRAD LEAF believes his Cougars
are one of the top 10 teams in San Diego County, but he isn't
brash enough to come out and say so. He'll leave that to the so-called
experts who compile the various polls. But make note: Steele Canyon
has won five straight and isn't looking back. Latest in the Cougars'
line of conquests is a 58-38 romp over San Marcos in Saturday's
(Dec. 20) finals of the San Diego Kiwanis Tournament.
This was really no contest as the Cougars pounced on the Knights
(8-6) for a 15-9 1st quarter lead and extended that advantage
to 28-15 by intermission.
"We are nine guys strong and our rotation kept them from
posing any serious challenge," Leaf said. "Our ninth
guy plays about 11 minutes, so we know we are solid in our rotation."
Steele Canyon guard RICHIE WILLIAMS set the pace with 14 points,
7 steals and 5 assists.
The Williams brothers - junior guard Richie and sophomore guard
RAYMOND - were named to the all-tournament team.
Leaf was pleased by the performance of junior forward JASON BEAUCHAMP,
who contributed 11 points, 7 rebounds and 5 blocked shots.
"Jason is one of five kids we have coming out from football,"
Leaf said. "He played 13-to-14 minutes and did a great job.
He was just awesome."
Steele Canyon's pressure forced 24 San Marcos turnovers.
MOUNT MIGUEL 60, VALHALLA 48 - In an early season
match-up of Grossmont South League rivals Saturday night (Dec.
20), the Matadors (5-2) used a balanced attack and an in-your-face
defense to nail the Norsemen (3-5) in a Grossmont Winter Classic
game.
J.R. GRIFFIN, a 6-foot-5 senior, drilled in 16 points, snagged
9 rebounds and blocked 3 shots to point the Matadors down victory
lane.
"Griffin has really improved his game," Mount Miguel
coach JIMMY HURST said.
The Matadors veteran coach also heaped accolades upon sophomore
point guard ANDRE MARTIN.
"We're kind of playing point guard by committee, but Andre
is our future at the position," Hurst said. "We really
believe Andre can be something special.'
The Norsemen and Matadors traded baskets in the opening quarter
with Mount Miguel pulling out a one-point edge by the buzzer.
The 2nd quarter belonged to the Matadors, who embarked on a 17-8
run to earn a 32-22 halftime advantage.
"We couldn't contend with their pressure," Valhalla
coach ERIC THOMAS said. "We crumbled quickly."
Junior KENNY KEY cashed in 10 points and 7 rebounds, while JAMES
ROBERTS and EDDIE DE ARCOS also netted 10 points apiece for Mount
Miguel.
MANNY GONZALES paced Valhalla with 13 points.
SANTANA 63, GRANITE HILLS 58 - These two Grossmont
Conference rivals scored five 3-pointers apiece in the 1st quarter
of Saturday's (Dec. 20) Grossmont Winter Classic contest as the
Sultans gained a 26-19 edge. Things calmed down after that initial
scoring burst, but Santana coach TIM BARRY was pleased that his
youthful Sultans prevailed.
"In the first quarter, it was all about penetrate, kick and
dish," Barry said. "But to score 26 points in one quarter,
well, that makes me happy. We don't have a strong post game, so
we're going to have to shoot well from the perimeter and crash
the boards."
DAVID BASS paced the Sultans (3-3) with 14 points and 6 rebounds,
while BRYAN WICKENS added 11 points.
"We don't have a whole of lot of size, so we're going to
have to pressure the full 88 feet," Barry said. "That
and shoot well."
Santana shot 40 percent from the field, which included 7-for-21
accuracy from beyond the arc against Granite Hills.
COREY ROBINSON logged 6 assists for Santana.
Granite Hills coach MATT DAVIS noted that his Eagles have fallen
behind in six of their first seven games this winless season.
Not for a lack of offense, however. Junior DAVID BAXTER paced
the Eagles with 23 points, the majority coming on 5-for-9 three-point
shooting. RYAN SNYDER added 16 while KURTIS SMITH corralled 11
rebounds.
GROSSMONT 74, VALLEY CENTER 46 - Senior post TYLER VICKERS
rolled off one of the finest double-doubles of his Grossmont High
career Saturday night (Dec.20), scoring 38 points and securing
18 rebounds to propel the Foothillers past the Jaguars and into
Monday's (Dec. 22) semifinals of the Grossmont Winter Classic.
"He bangs in there and gets good position," Grossmont
coach FRANK FOGGIANO said of the 6-foot-6, 193-pound Vickers.
"And we did a good job of getting him the ball. I'll bet
he didn't take more than 22 shots, most of which were lay-ups."
Junior TYLER HAJOSY popped in four 3-pointers on his way to a
16-point finish for the Foothillers (5-3).
Grossmont outscored visiting Valley Center in every quarter, while
holding Jags' hotshot A.J. Riley to15 points - about half his
season average.
MONTE VISTA 56, SCRIPPS RANCH 41 - Just by his presence
in the past two games, 6-foot-4 CLINTON SNYDER has made
the Monarchs just a little bit mighty.
"Hopefully, we should get more competitive now that we have
Snyder," said Monte Vista sophomore guard TREVOR PECK. "He
just came out from football, and was the leading scorer in our
last two games." Snyder has tossed in 31 points the past
two nights since the Monte Vista football team won the San Diego
CIF Division II championship.
Not to be overlooked is senior guard ALEX GUINTO, who has rolled
in 25 points - 14 in Saturday's win - since hanging up his football
cleats.
Senior guard BOBBY PURVY was enjoying a productive outing before
slumping to the floor in the 4th quarter with some sort of hip
injury. The malady was serious enough to require that Purvy be
taken by ambulance to a nearby hospital. Purvy finished with 13
points, including a trio of treys.
EL CAPITAN 60, HANDSWORTH (Canada) 55 - Even nagging
injuries couldn't deny the Vaqueros (6-1) an impressive Sweetwater
Lions Holiday Classic victory Saturday (Dec.20) over the visitors
from British Columbia. Despite playing without JUSTIN GALLOWAY
(ankle sprain), and losing JESSE LEATHERMAN (injury) for most
of the second half, the Vaqueros came-from behind for the win.
JOHNNY CURO cast in 17 points on 7-for-13 shooting - which included
3-for-4 accuracy from 3-point range - to lead the Vaqueros, who
also received 16 points from CORY BROWN. A 6-foot-7sophomore center,
Brown was on the mark the whole game, clicking on 5-of-7 shots
from the floor and all 5 of his free throws.
The key thing for El Capitan was its sharp passing. The Vaqueros
recorded 15 assists on their 22 baskets, which came on 46 percent
shooting from the floor. Brown and DANIEL KRUEGER each handed
out 3 scoring passes. Krueger also landed 7 rebounds to go along
with 4 steals.
Handsworth shot well, too, hitting 54 percent of 35 shots (19-for-35)
"This is the best team we've played this season," El
Capitan coach ROSS FURROW said.
CHRISTIAN 54, MAR VISTA 42 - Freshman guard TYLER
TUCKER registered a season-high 6 assists in the second half of
Saturday's (Dec. 20) San Diego Kiwanis Tournament victory over
Mar Vista.
His pinpoint passes helped TYRONE SHELLEY (20 points) and SHANE
STANOVIC (career-high 19 points) shred the Mariners defense as
Christian won for just the second time in nine starts.
"Shelley played well down low, and Stanovic was sharp on
the wing," Christian coach TOBIN WILKINS said.
Shelley, a 6-foot-4 freshman, also had 4 steals, 3 blocks and
4 assists, while BRYAN FULLER funneled in 6 points, 7 rebounds
and 3 steals.
WEST HILLS 66, TIKIGAQ-POINT HOPE 43 - LEVI KIPP
(13 points, 6 rebounds) and RYAN SHUMAKER (11 points, 8 rebounds,
3 assists) guided the Wolf Pack (5-3) to its first win in the
Anchorage Tournament on Saturday (Dec. 20).
Kipp, 6-foot-4, wing, was selected the player of the game as West
Hills raced out to a 19-6 first quarter lead over the Harpooners
and was sitting on a 39-16 cushion by intermission.
MATT GILSON added 7 points, 5 assists and 6 rebounds for West
Hills, which is due home to thaw out early next week.
HELIX 57, MIRAMONTES 37 - LANCE HURDLE burned the
chords for a game-high 21 points and MARLON PIERCE added 15 as
the Highlanders (5-3) avoided a sweep Saturday (Dec. 20) at the
Red Bluff Holiday Classic near Redding.
"It was pretty much an open floor, so Lance got a lot of
lay-ups and short jumpers," Helix coach JOHN SINGER said.
"We were pushing the ball up the floor basically the whole
game."
ERIC ROBINSON added 10 points for the Highlanders, who broke the
game open with a 17-5 run in the 3rd quarter.
(12-20-03)
SATURDAY - DEC 20 EastCountySports.com Grossmont Winter Classic Santana 63, Granite Hills 58 Santana 26 9 11 17 - 63 Granite Hills 19 13 11 15 - 58 Santana scoring: David Bass 14, Bryan Wickens 11, Kyle Reed 7, Jon Hernandez 6, Ricky Michelmore 6, Corey Robinson 5, Bryan Blackledge 5, Zach Shepard 3, Billy Wickens 2, Travis Wennen 2, Brooks Bass 2. Granite Hills scoring: David Baxter 23, Ryan Snyder 18, James Clark 9, Ricky Peitz 4, Kurtis Smith 2, Nick Taylor 2. - Mount Miguel 60, Valhalla 48 Mount Miguel 15 17 15 13 - 60 Valhalla 14 8 10 16 - 48 Mount Miguel scoring: J.R. Griffin 16, Eddie DeArcos 10, Kenny Key 10, Deviyon Carter 6, Andre Martin 6, Darren Newborn 2, James Roberts 10. Valhalla scoring: Manny Gonzales 13, Travis Rothlisberger 7, Raymond Hanna 7, Tommy Miles 6, Kyle Luhnow 4, Rony Nasser 4, Conner Ruyeras 3, Devon Jones 2, Ron Schwandt 2. - Grossmont 74, Valley Center 46 Valley Center 15 10 15 6 - 46 Grossmont 20 14 18 22 - 74 Grossmont scoring: Tyler Vickers 38, Tyler Hajosy 16, James Crooks 6, Robert Gange 4, Lyonell Douglas 4, Tyler Barbour 3, Tyler Cook 2, Daniel Roach 1. - Monte Vista 56, Scripps Ranch 41 Monte Vista 8 9 19 20 - 56 Scripps Ranch 14 12 7 8 - 41 Monte Vista scoring: Clinton Snyder 16, Alex Guinto 14, Bobby Purvy 13, Trevor Peck 7, Charles Watkins 4, Brandon Harvey 2. - Kiwanis Tournament @ Serra Consolation: Christian 54, Mar Vista 42 Mar Vista 12 12 6 12 - 42 Christian 7 14 17 16 - 54 Christian scoring: Tyrone Shelley 20, Shane Stanovic 19, Bryan Fuller 6, Derek Larsen 5, Tyler Tucker 4. - Championship: Steele Canyon 58, San Marcos 38 Steele Canyon 15 13 18 12 - 58 San Marcos 9 6 9 14 - 38 Steele Canyon scoring: Richie Williams 14, Raymond Williams 11, Jason Beauchamp 11, Ricky Bailey 5, George Cunningham 4, Camillo Martinez 3, Walter Hall 2, Chad Belledo 2, Wes Davis 2, Adam Tortosa 2, Terrance Davis 2. - Red Bluff Holiday Classic Helix 57, Miramontes 37 Helix 11 14 17 4 - 57 Miramontes 10 13 5 9 - 37 Helix scoring: Lance Hurdle 21, Marlon Pierce 15, Eric Robinson 10, David Jones 7, Greg harvey 2, David Jefferson 1, Clinton Shelton 1. - Anchorage Tournament West Hills 66, Tikigaq-Point Hope 43 Tikigaq-Point Hope 6 10 12 15 - 43 West Hills 19 20 18 9 - 66 West Hills scoring: Levi Kipp 13, Ryan Shumaker 11, Matthew Gilson 7, Kovan Abdul 6, Blake Sutton 6, Chris Orona 6, Nathan Muzquiz 6, Matt Sutton 4, Mike Edmondson 2, Derrick Zizzo 2, P.Gilson 2, Quentin London 1,. - Sweetwater Lions Holiday Classic El Capitan 60, Handsworth (Canada) 55 Handsworth 12 12 12 19 - 55 El Capitan 8 15 20 17 - 60 El Capitan scoring: Johnny Curo 17, Cory Brown 16, Andrew Hoffmaster 8, Daniel Krueger 8, Noelle Noy 6, David Reeder 2, Nick Murico 2, Jesse Leatherman 1. (12-20-03)
Santana's Bryan Wickens dribbles around
Orange Glen Friday night (12-20-03).
Cougars get the calls, then convert for OT win over LCC
EastCountySports.com
SAN DIEGO - After staggering out of the gate to a 1-3 start, the
Steele Canyon Cougars are back on the prowl. Rated the 5th-best
team in San Diego County at the outset of the season, the Cougars
were hampered by the late arrival of four football players - who
were still involved in the post-season playoffs -- and then bitten
by the flu bug. Coach BRAD LEAF's club has since righted the ship
with four straight wins and a berth in Saturday's (Dec. 20) San
Diego Kiwanis Tournament championship opposite San Marcos (8-5)
at Serra High. Tipoff is 7:30 p.m.
STEELE CANYON 71, LA COSTA CANYON 63 (OT) - The Cougars
dispatched the Mavericks from the free throw line in the overtime
period Friday (Dec. 19), converting 12 of 14 charity shots during
the extra session to break a 59-59 tie.
Even more stunning was the Cougars did all of their scoring from
the charity line through the 4th quarter and overtime as they
made 19-of-26 shots.
"I'd have to say that we got some generous calls from the
officials," Leaf admitted. "I'll take it because more
often than not we're on the other end."
RICKY BAILEY was tough on the boards in the extra session, wrapping
up three key caroms, and making 4-of-4 of his own from the foul
stripe.
RICHIE WILLIAMS led Steele Canyon with 22 points, including 11-of-14
shooting from the free-throw line, and 5-of-6 freebies in OT.
His steal and conversion of free throws after a breakaway foul
gave SC a 56-54 lead with 2:50 to go in regulation. On the ensuing
possession, he drew contact and added another free throw, giving
the Cougars a 3-point edge.
"We've scrimmaged (LCC) a few times and it's always been
a close game," Williams said. "It's always been down
to the wire, but we've pulled it out every time."
La Costa Canyon sent the game into overtime with a three-pointer
with one minute to go.
Bailey's points put the Cougars on top early in the four-minute
5th period, then Williams added a pair from the line for a 65-60
lead.
"(Bailey) is one of our best rebounders and he came up with
the big play at the end of the game," Williams said. "We
needed that."
GEORGE CUNNINGHAM netted 9 of his 19 points in the 1st quarter
for the Cougars. He also grabbed 12 rebounds (7 on the offensive
end) and converted six put-backs. Quite a turn-around for the
6-foot-4 junior, who was blanked in the scoring column a night
earlier by Torrey Pines.
RAYMOND WILLIAMS got a late steal and converted
a pair of foul shots to seal the game with 0:53 left.
Richie Williams also recorded 7 assists and 6 steals, playing
the two guard for Steele Canyon. WES DAVIS collected 7 rebounds.
VALHALLA 58, RAMONA 50 - The Norsemen (2-4) used
a truly balanced attack where seven players scored 7 or more points
en route to a victory over the Bulldogs in Friday's (Dec. 19)
opening round of the Grossmont Winter Classic at Mount Miguel.
Point guard RONY NASSER scored 7 of his 8 points in the 1st quarter,
staking Valhalla to a 16-7 lead. Ramona rallied on the strength
of 6-foot-7 senior Mike Perram's 11 points in the 2nd quarter,
leaving Valhalla clinging to a 28-26 advantage at intermission.
The game was knotted at 38-all entering the final quarter. That's
when Valhalla's defensive lineman-turned-point guard RON SCHWANDT
took charge. Schwandt converted back-to-back steals into breakaway
lay-ups and, seconds later, netted a long-range 2-pointer to vault
Valhalla into a six-point lead it wouldn't lose.
"Ronny definitely turned the game in our favor," Valhalla
coach ERIC THOMAS said. "He jumped into the passing lanes,
anticipated the pass and made his move. It helped us eventually
open up an 11-point lead."
Schwandt led the Norsemen with 10 points.
ORANGE GLEN 61, SANTANA 51 - A 21-9 spurt to open
the game gave the Patriots the cushion they would need to keep
the youthful Sultans at bay in Friday's (Dec. 19) Grossmont Winter
Classic contest in Santee.
According to Santana coach TIM BARRY, visiting Orange Glen (4-3)
dropped in five 3-pointers in the opening 10 minutes and the Sultans
(2-3) never recovered.
"I was proud of the way our team played," Barry said.
"We boxed out very well. We're coming around."
JON HERNANDEZ led Santana with 12 points, 9 rebounds and 4 steals.
MOUNT MIGUEL 76, NANAIMO (Canada) 14 - Five
Matadors notched double scoring digits Friday (Dec. 19) as the
Matadors buried the Canadian visitors in the 1st round of the
Grossmont Winter Classic.
JAMES ROBERTS and KENNEY KEY scored a dozen points apiece for
Mount Miguel (4-2), which led 24-2 after one quarter.
DOVER BAY (Vancouver, B.C.) 58, GROSSMONT 54 (OT) - When senior
TYLER VICKERS fouled out at the end of regulation in Friday's
(Dec. 19) Grossmont Winter Classic opener, the Hillers were in
trouble.
Vickers, who finished with 24 points, gave Grossmont (4-3) a late
lead in the 4th quarter when he sank a pair of free throws. But
his 5th foul helped Dover Bay tie the game and send it into the
extra session.
Grossmont trailed early-on, but used a 15-9 4th quarter run to
tie the game. The Hillers were outscored 9-5 in overtime.
ENTERPRISE 75, HELIX 62 - The Highlanders failed
to connect for a single 3-point shot Friday (Dec. 19), but were
burned repeatedly by the long-range shooting of the Hornets, who
drilled in nine treys in dealing Helix (4-3) its second straight
loss in the Red Bluff Holiday Classic.
"In two games up here, we've given up 16 three-pointers,"
Helix coach JOHN SINGER lamented. "I don't think I've ever
had a team do that. We're spending so much time helping our inexperienced
players inside, that we're getting hurt from the perimeter."
ERIC ROBINSON enjoyed another big offensive showing for the Highlanders,
slipping in a team-high 20 points. LANCE HURDLE added another
10.
BISHOP'S 59, CHRISTIAN 54 - Freshman TYRONE SHELLEY
scored a career-high 33 points, yanked down 10 rebounds, blocked
3 shots, dealt 3 assists and recorded 2 steals, but it still wasn't
enough as the Patriots (1-7) fell short against the Knights (3-5)
in a Kiwanis Tournament consolation game.
Bishop's buried the Patriots from the free throw line in the second
half. The Knights were awarded 25 charity shots, hitting 17, while
the Patriots were a mere 2-for-2. Twelve of Bishop's 16 4th quarter
points came from the free throw line.
TYLER TUCKER added 7 points, 4 assists and 4 steals for Christian,
which may have lost C.J. SCHROEDER to a broken finger in the 1st
quarter of Friday's game.
ST. AUGUSTINE 89, GRANITE HILLS 37 - The Eagles led
12-8 after one quarter, but then the roof caved in during Friday's
(Dec. 19) Grossmont Winter Classic. DAVID BAXTER led the Eagles
with 13 points, while RYAN SNYDER chipped in 6 assists and 4 rebounds.
JAMES CLARK added 9 tallies for the Eagles.
USDHS 76, MONTE VISTA 59 - The Monarchs fell behind
a talented USDHS team - coached by Monte Vista alum DEMETRIUS
LAFFITTE - 25-11 in Friday's (Dec. 19) Grossmont Winter
Classic.
CLINTON SNYDER, testing his basketball legs for the first time
since concluding a successful football season on Wednesday, scored
a team-high 15 points for the Monarchs. ALEX GUINTO, another football
player, added 11 points for Monte Vista.
Monte Vista closed to within 10 points with five minutes left,
but could draw no closer.
WASILLA (Alaska) 59, WEST HILLS 54 (2OT) - MATT GILSON
scored 16 points to pace the Wolf Pack in Friday's (Dec. 19) double-overtime
loss to Wasilla (Alaska) in the Anchorage Tournament. No other
information was available.
(12-19-03/Revised 12-20-03)
FRIDAY - DEC 19, 2003 EastCountySports.com Grossmont Winter Classic Orange Glen 61, Santana 51 Orange Glen 21 15 15 10 - 61 Santana 9 10 17 15 - 51 Jon Hernandez 12, David Bass 9, Bryan Wickens 8, Billy Wickens 8, Corey Robinson 6, Zach Shepard 5, Ricky Michelmore 3. - Valhalla 58, Ramona 50 Ramona 7 19 12 12 - 50 Valhalla 16 12 10 20 - 58 Ron Schwandt 10, Raymond Hanna 9, Manny Gonzales 8, Ronny Nasser 8, Kyle Luhnow 7, Devon Jones 7, Travis Rothlisberger 7, Tommy Miles 2. - Mount Miguel 76, Nanaimo 14 Nanaimo 2 6 0 6 - 14 Mount Miguel 24 20 18 14 - 76 Kenny Key 12, James Roberts 12, Eddie DeArcos 10, J.R. Griffin 10, Janssen Barber 10, Duran Moore 8, Deviyon Carter 8, Michael Love 4, Darren Newborn 2. - Dover Bay 58, Grossmont 54 (OT) Dover Bay 11 13 16 9 9 - 58 Grossmont 6 12 16 15 5 - 54 Grossmont scoring: Tyler Vickers 24, Tyler Barbour 5, Tyler Cook 5, Thomas Hernandez 5, Tyler Hajosy 4, Casey Williams 4, Lyonell Douglas 3, Mark Nicholson 2, James Crooks 2. - St. Augustine 89, Granite Hills 37 Granite Hills scoring: David Baxter 13, James Clark 9, Kurtis Smith 6, Ryan Snyder 5, Ricky Peitz 4. - USDHS 76, Monte Vista 59 Monte Vista 11 18 14 16 - 59 USDHS 25 15 22 14 - 76 Monte Vista scoring: Clinton Snyder 15, Alex Guinto 12, Bobby Purvy 11, Nick Childs 8, Trevor Peck 6, Brandon Harvey 3, D'Andre Overstreet 3, Tyrone Gipson 1. - Kiwanis Tournament Steele Canyon 71, La Costa Canyon 63 (OT) Steele Canyon 16 18 18 7 12 - 71 La Costa Canyon 14 20 13 12 4 - 63 Steele Canyon scoring: Richie Williams 22, George Cunningham 19, Ricky Bailey 10, Camillo Martinez 7, Jason Beauchamp 6, Raymond Williams 4, Wes Davis 3. - Bishop's 59, Christian 54 Christian 15 10 12 17 - 54 Bishop's 12 18 13 16 - 59 Christian scoring: Tyrone Shelley 33, Tyler Tucker 7, Derek Larsen 5, Shane Stanovic 3, Steve Cecena 2, C.J. Schroeder 2, Bryan Fuller 2. - Red Bluff Holiday Classic Enterprise 75, Helix 62 Helix 14 15 17 16 - 62 Enterprise 23 19 21 12 - 75 Helix scoring: Eric Robinson 20, Lance Hurdle 10, David Jefferson 9, David Jones 8, Marlon Pierce 7, Clinton Shelton 4, Greg Harvey 4. - Anchorage Tournament Wasilla (Alaska) 59, West Hills 54 (2OT) West Hills scoring: Matthew Gilson 16, Blake Sutton 10, Ryan Shumaker 7, Chris Orona 6, Kovan Abdul 4, Derrick Zizzo 4, Matt Sutton 3, Nathan Muzquiz 2, Levi Kipp 2. (12-19-03/Revised 12-20-03)
Christian and West Hills players battle in
the corner during the Wolf Pack's victory over the Patriots Friday
night (12-12-03).
Cougars chop down Torrey Pines with defensive
effort
EastCountySports.com
SAN DIEGO (Updated 12-19-03) - Steele Canyon is back in the groove.
While the Cougars are recognized for their offensive freewheeling
style, it's been their defensive prowess that has propelled them
on a three-game winning streak, which includes a 61-32 romp over
Torrey Pines in Thursday's (Dec.17) second round of the Kiwanis
Tournament.
Guard RICHIE WILLIAMS cast in 19 points, while RICKY BAILEY banged
in 14 points as the Cougars flogged the Falcons.
"The key to our victory was how we took away their interior
game," Steele Canyon coach BRAD LEAF said.
Torrey Pines, in fact, made only 7 field goals and converted just
12 of 24 free throws.
MIRA MESA 62, CHRISTIAN 54 - TYRONE SHELLEY drilled in
24 points, claimed 12 rebounds, blocked 5 shots, handed out 3
assists and recorded 3 steals, however, the Patriots still came
up short in Thursday's (Dec. 18) Kiwanis Tournament contest.
C.J. SCHROEDER added 10 points, including a pair of 3-pointers,
for the Patriots (1-7), who also received 10 points from TYLER
TUCKER.
Anchorage Tournament
HERITAGE CHRISTIAN 63, WEST HILLS 44 - They don't play
with a shot clock in Alaska high school basketball, and coach
JEFF ARMSTRONG's Wolf Pack (4-2) had difficulty adjusting
in Thursday's (Dec. 18) first round contest against the Christian
Heritage Eagles.
"They play at a much more deliberate pace than our kids are
used to," Armstrong said.
LEVI KIPP led the Pack with 13 points, connecting on 6 of 9 floor
shots.
"He converted several baskets off interior passing,"
Armstrong noted.
RYAN SHUMACHER added 10 points for West Hills, which plays two
more games in the frozen tundra.
Sweetwater Lions Holiday Classic
VISTA DEL LAGO -48, EL CAPITAN 47 - The Vaqueros roared
out to a 17-2 first-quarter lead over the Ravens from Canada Thursday
night (Dec. 18) and then hit the skids, suffering their first
loss in six starts this season.
CODY BROWN was 6-for-6 for 12 points for the Vaqueros, who also
received 14 points and 7 rebounds from JUSTIN GALLOWAY. DANIEL
KRUEGER chipped in 10 points and 8 rebounds.
PLEASANT VALLEY 65, HELIX 51 - DAVID JONES scored
17 points for the Highlanders (4-2), who lost Thursday's
(Dec.18) Red Bluff Tournament opener to Pleasant Valley.
LANCE HURDLE added 13 points for the Highlanders, who led 18-16
after one quarter, but fell behind in the 2nd period and played
catch-up the rest of the way.
(12-18-03/Rev. 12-19-03)
THURSDAY - DEC. 18, 2003 EastCountySports.com Kiwanis Tournament Steele Canyon 61, Torrey Pines 32 Steele Canyon 19 16 15 11 - 61 Torrey Pines 6 7 9 10 - 32 Steel Canyon scoring: Richie Williams 19, Ricky Bailey 14, Ray Williams 7, Walter Hall 6, Jason Beauchamp 5, Camillo Martinez 5, Wes Davis 3, Terrance Davis 2. - Mira Mesa 62, Christian 54 Mira Mesa 13 20 14 15 - 62 Christian 13 15 11 15 - 54 Christian scoring: Tyrone Shelley 24, Schroeder 10, Tyler Tucker 10, Shane Stanovic 7, Bryan Fuller 2, Steve Cecena 1. - Red Bluff Holiday Classic Pleasant Valley 65, Helix 51 Pleasant Valley 16 18 18 13 - 65 Helix 18 9 8 16 - 51 Helix scoring: David Jones 17, Lance Hurdle 13, Greg Harvey 8, Marlon Pierce 7, Eric Robinson 4, Clinton Shelton 2. - Anchorage Tournament Heritage Christian 63, West Hills 44 Heritage 18 14 18 13 - 63 West Hills 8 9 7 20 - 44 Levi Kipp 13, Ryan Shumaker 10, Matthew Gilson 6, Quentin London 3, Blake Sutton 3, Kovan Abdul 2, Derrick Zizzo 2, Chris Orona 2, Nathan Muzquiz 2, Mike Edmondson 1. - Sweetwater Lions Holiday Classic Vista Del Lago 48, El Capitan 47 Vista Del Lago 2 15 18 13 - 48 El Capitan 17 7 19 4 - 47 Justin Galloway 14, Cory Brown 12, Daniel Krueger 10, Johnny Curo 4, Jesse Leatherman 4, Andrew Hoffmaster 3, (12-18-03/Updated 12-19-03))
Cougars maul Mariners with 101-point victory,
third highest point total in conference history
EastCountySports.com
SAN DIEGO - The Steele Canyon Cougars sprinted to a record-breaking
119-18 romp over hapless Mar Vista in Wednesday's (Dec. 17) opening
round of the San Diego Kiwanis Tournament at Serra High. The 119
points is the 3rd highest scoring total in Grossmont Conference
history.
Six Cougars reached double scoring digits led by junior RICHIE
WILLIAMS' 26 markers.
The rout was on from the outset, as SC raced to a 41-0 advantage
in the 1st quarter.
While the 41 points in a quarter is a Grossmont Conference record
and the 5th-highest total for an 8-minute session in San Diego
CIF history, it was only the beginning.
"Our defensive pressure killed them," Cougars coach
BRAD LEAF said. "They didn't even score until we were two
minutes into the 2nd quarter. But everybody played and everybody
scored for us."
The Cougars canned 48 field goals (only one of them a trey), which
is the 3rd highest total on the Grossmont Conference books.
Steele Canyon (3-3) could have made the lopsided result even worse
had it connected on more than 22 of its 38 free throws. Richie
Williams was 6 for 7 from the charity stripe.
RAYMOND WILLIAMS chipped in with a career-high 18 points for the
Cougars.
SAN DIEGO 85, CHRISTIAN 44 - The youthful Patriots
jumped out to an 8-1 lead, but faded quickly as San Diego rolled
to the easy victory in Wednesday's (Dec.17) opening round of the
San Diego Kiwanis Tournament at Mission Bay High.
"We were running right with them in the first half,"
said Christian coach TOBIN WILKINS, whose Patriots trailed only
15-13 after one quarter and 35-27 at intermission.
A change in San Diego's defensive strategy created separation
in the second half.
"They (the Cavers) ran a box-and-one on (Christian guard
TYLER) TUCKER in the second half and it hurt us," Wilkins
admitted.
DEREK LARSEN tossed in 11 points to pace the Patriots (1-5). Freshman
TYRONE SHELLEY failed to reach double figures for the first time,
finishing with 9 points and a team-high 7 rebounds. Tucker dished
off 4 assists and made a pair of steals while totaling 5 points.
WEDNESDAY - DEC. 17, 2003 EastCountySports.com Kiwanis Tournament Steele Canyon 119, Mar Vista 18 Steele Canyon 41 22 32 24 - 119 Mar Vista 0 7 6 5 - 18 Steele Canyon scoring: Richie Williams 26, Ray Williams 18, Chad Belledo 15, Wes Davis 14, George Cunningham 12, Camillo Martinez 12, Jason Beauchamp 6, Ricky Baily 5, Walter Hall 5, Adam Tortosa 3, Terrence Davis 3. - San Diego 85, Christian 44 San Diego 15 20 25 25 - 85 Christian 13 14 10 7 - 44 Christian scoring: Derek Larsen 11, Tyrone Shelley 9, Shane Stanovic 8, C.J. Schroeder 6, Tyler Tucker 5, Steve Cecena 3, Bryan Fuller 2. (12-17-03)
Shelley steady at line to lift Patriots to first win of season
EastCountySports.com
SANTEE - No championship or high stakes were on the line when
Christian High and El Cajon Valley locked up in a consolation
contest on Saturday (Dec.13) at West Hills in the final day of
the Wolf Pack-Horsman Invitational. Christian High struck it rich
from the free throw line in a battle between two of East County's
hungriest basketball teams, and that permitted the Patriots to
prevail 69-66.
Freshman TYRONE SHELLEY, an all-tournament pick, scored a career
high 30 points, including 15-for-17 free throw shooting, as the
Patriots broke into the win column for the first time in five
starts this season.
While Shelley was the box score star, it was TYLER TUCKER and
C.J. SCHROEDER who gave the Patriots the ultimate edge.
Trailing by one point with 0:17 remaining, the Patriots took the
lead on a Tucker layup and clinched the victory when Schroeder
sank a pair of free throws 10 seconds later.
Shelley also grabbed 17 rebounds and blocked 5 shots while Tucker
finished with 13 points and 6 steals.
CLIFFORD ADAMS led the Braves (1-8) with 20 points.
FRANK COLLINS, who scored 8 points in this game, was named to
the all-tournament team.
HOOVER 66, GROSSMONT 60 - After a strong first half in
which Grossmont built a 32-25 lead, the Foothillers took a nose
dive during the final 16 minutes as they suffered their first
loss in Saturday's finals of the Titan Tip-Off Classic at Eastlake.
After building a 32-25 halftime lead, the Foothillers' offense
stalled during the final 16 minutes as Hoover pulled out their
5th win in six starts.
All-tournament pick TYLER VICKERS paced the Hillers with his usual
double-double of 16 points and 13 rebounds, while all-tourney
choice TYLER BARBOUR directed the Grossmont offense with few numbers
but plenty of flair.
Senior TYLER COOK gave Grossmont a major boost with a career high
of 16 points and 7 rebounds. TYLER HAJOSY chipped in with a dozen
points for Grossmont (4-2).
WEST HILLS 67, CENTRAL UNION 53 - RYAN
SHUMAKER scored a career-high 28 points, MATT GILSON tossed in
13 points and LEVI KIPP chalked up 11 points and 15 rebounds as
the Wolf Pack whipped Central Union in the third place game of
the Wolf Pack-Horsman Invitational on Saturday (Dec.13).
"Shumacher was a monster," West Hills coach JEFF ARMSTRONG
said.
STEELE CANYON 53, WEST VIEW 33 - Flu-ridden RICHIE WILLIAMS
came back to life as the Cougars returned to the winners circle
Saturday (Dec. 13) with an easy Conquistador-Vaquero romp over
the Wolverines.
GEORGE CUNNINGHAM and RICKEY BAIL BAILEY chipped in with 10 points
apiece for the Cougars (2-3).
MOUNT MIGUEL 51, MIRA MESA 43 - JAMES ROBERTS and
J.R. GRIFFIN scored 20 points apiece as the Matadors rolled over
the Marauders Saturday (Dec.13) to win the third place game of
the Titan Tip-Off Classic.
SERRA 76, EL CAJON VALLEY 65 - CLIFFORD ADAMS scored
22 points and JOSH ROYS added a season high 18 points, but the
Braves came up short in a Conquistador-Vaquero Tournament game
Saturday (Dec. 13).
SOUTHWEST 59, VALHALLA 55 - DEVON JONES garnered
17 points and RAYMOND HANNA and MANNY GONZALES tallied 13 points
apiece in Saturday 's (Dec. 13) Conquistador-Vaquero Classic
loss at Southwest.
(12-13-03)
SATURDAY - DEC. 13, 2003 EastCountySports.com WOLF PACK-HORSMAN INVITATIONAL Christian 8 25 19 15 - 69 El Cajon Valley 10 18 26 12 - 66 Christian scoring: Tyrone Shelley 30, Tyler Tucker 13, Derek Larsen 10, C.J. Schroeder 6, Shane Stanovic 4, Bryan Fuller 4, Steve Cecena 2. El Cajon Valley scoring: Clifford Adams 20, Frank Collins 14, Josh Roys 12, Stephon Stafford 6, David Kachi 5, Paul Broadner 4, Cameron Hicks 3, Cameron Santos 2. - Central Union 16 12 10 15 - 53 West Hills 18 18 13 18 - 67 West Hills scoring: Ryan Shumaker 28, Matthew Gilson 13, Levis Kipp 11, Chris Orona 6, Kovan Abdul 3, Derrick Zizzo 2, Quentin London 2. - VAQUERO-CONQUISTADOR TOURNAMENT Valhalla 9 20 11 15 - 55 Southwest(SD) 19 9 16 15 - 59 Valhalla scoring: Devon Jones 17, Raymond Hanna 13, Manny Gonzales 12, Kyle Luhnow 9, Tommy Miles 3. - Steele Canyon 18 11 12 12 - 53 Westview 6 8 9 9 - 33 Steele Canyon scoring: Richie Williams 13, George Cunningham 10, Ricky Bailey 10, Walter Hall 6, Camillo Martinez 5, Wes Davis 4, Ray Williams 3, Jason Beauchamp 2. - El Cajon Valley 65 Serra 76 El Cajon Valley scoring: Clifford Adams 22, Josh Roys 18, Frank Collins 8, Paul Broadner 6, David Kochi 5, Stephon Stafford 4, Cameron Santos 2. - Titan Tip-Off Classic Championship game: Hoover 13 12 21 20 - 66 Grossmont 19 13 12 16 - 60 Grossmont scoring: Tyler Vickers 16, Tyler Cook 16, Tyler Hajosy 12, Mark Nicholson 5, James Crooks 5, Tyler Barbour 4, Lyonell Douglas 2. (12-13-03)
Vaqueros shut down Riley, erupt
in fourth to knock out Valley Center
EastCountySports.com
LAKESIDE - What's up with these El Capitan Vaqueros? When they
had the services of the largest player in the San Diego CIF section
a year ago - 7-0 foot, 260-pound JARROD BOSWELL (now at the University
of Wyoming) - they staggered to a 10-16 finish. Forget about that.
The Vaqueros have taken on an all-new aura this season.
None of those who wear the Vaqueros' "Black and Gold"
are anywhere near Boswell's size this season. Yet, El Capitan
boasts a 5-0 record upon completion of its first tournament this
year.
Senior forward JUSTIN GALLOWAY knocked down 20 points and cleared
8 rebounds, while CORY BROWN scored 11 points, grabbed 16 rebounds
and blocked 6 shots as the Vaqueros bowled over Valley Center
71-54 in Friday's (Dec. 12) final of the Conquistador-Vaquero
Classic.
Galloway was the leader with 11 points in El Capitan's 28-7 4th
quarter scoring surge that put the lock on the Vaqueros' 5th win
without interruption.
Perhaps the greatest statistic in El Capitan's victory was the
Vaqueros' ability to blank Valley Center scoring machine A.J.
Riley in the 2nd half after he had scored 15 points in the first
16 minutes. Riley entered the game averaging a county-high 40
points per game.
Titan Tip-Off Classic
GROSSMONT 64, ESCONDIDO 61 - Junior TYLER HAJOSY didn't score
a single point in the first three quarters of Friday's (Dec.12)
semifinal contest against Escondido at Eastlake. But the 6-foot-2
Hajosy came up big when the game was on the line in the 4th period,
scoring 12 points and collecting two key offensive rebounds that
helped the Foothillers (4-1) reach the finals of the Tip-Off Classic
Saturday (Dec.13) at Eastlake.
LYONELL DOUGLAS scored off an out-of-bounds play from under the
basket to give Grossmont a 61-59 edge in the final quarter. Hajosy
added a free throw to make it a three-point spread before Escondido
connected to trim the Hillers' edge to 62-61 with 0:16 remaining.
Hajosy sealed the Grossmont win by sinking a pair of free throws
after being fouled on an offensive rebound with 0:06 left.
TYLER VICKERS, who has been sick all week, was a questionable
starter for Friday's
game but came through with 18 points and 12 rebounds. Junior point
guard TYLER BARBOUR, who joined the team only last week after
quarterbacking the football team, scored 5 points and handed out
4 assists.
Conquistador-Vaquero Classic
RANCHO BUENA VISTA 83, GRANITE HILLS 67 - Eagles junior
DAVID BAXTER had a magnificent shooting night, hitting 8 of 13
threes to keep Granite Hills in the running with Rancho Buena
Vista for 3 1/2 quarters of Friday's (Dec. 12) clash in Vista.
Baxter scored a career-high 31 points and also led the team with
8 rebounds, while dishing out 3 assists.
JAMES CLARK also lit up the court, shooting 4 of 6 from beyond
the arc, scoring 18 points despite being hampered by foul trouble
all night. KURTIS SMITH chipped in with 6 points, 5 rebounds,
4 assists and 3 blocks. RICKY Peitz added 6 points and 4 assists
Already thin, Granite Hills played without junior RYAN SNYDER
(injured), the only returning starter on the team.
RBV had 3 starters sit out the first half for disciplinary reasons
and the Eagles capitalized to take a 31-29 halftime lead.
Once the Longhorns regulars returned, RBV raced to an 11-point
advantage by the close of the third quarter. The Eagles press
brought them back to within 60-58 but RBV shut the door and pulled
away the last 3 1/2 minutes.
Hilltop Invitational Tournament
Championship Game
UNIVERSITY CITY 52, HELIX 49 - The previously undefeated Highlanders
blew a 41-36 lead in the final quarter Friday night (Dec. 12)
as the Centurions (4-1) captured the championship of the Hilltop
Invitational.
It had to be a painful setback for Helix (4-1), which turned the
ball over 15 times yet shot 48 percent from the floor.
Helix senior guard MARLON PIERCE popped in a team-high 19 points,
connecting on 7 of 11 shots from the field. Guard LANCE HURDLE
chalked up 12 points, 7 assists, 6 rebounds and 3 steals for the
Highlanders.
Pierce and Robinson were named to the All-Hilltop Tournament team.
CHULA VISTA 53, MONTE VISTA 40 - The Monarchs (1-4) took
a 13-8 first-quarter lead, but couldn't hold on in Friday's (Dec.12)
Hilltop Invitational Tournament contest.
D'ANDRE OVERSTREET and TREVOR PECK led the Monarchs with 9 points
apiece.
Wolf Pack - Horsman Tournament @ West Hills
WEST HILLS 83, CHRISTIAN 48 - West Hills bounced out
to a first half lead behind LEVI KIPP's 10 points and 7 points
from MATT SUTTON in Friday's (Dec. 12) Wolf Pack Invitational
encounter.
Christian's TYRONE SHELLEY poured in 16 points in the opening
two periods, while DEREK LARSEN made a couple of threes in the
first half.
The Wolf Pack led 37-33 at intermission, but went on a 17-7 run
to open the third quarter as seven players contributed points
in the outburst. It was all West Hills thereafter.
Kipp finished with a team high 16 points, while BLAKE SUTTON added
15 points and RYAN SHUMAKER added 14.
"It was really good to have Blake back out there with us,"
West Hills coach JEFF ARMSTRONG said of the Pack's senior football
quarterback. "He helps us take everything inside, which we
did tonight in the second half."
Shelley led Christian with 22 points, 7 rebounds and 4 steals.
Teammate TYLER TUCKER chipped in with 12 points, 5 assists and
4 steals.
CENTRAL UNION 95, EL CAJON VALLEY 82 - The Braves
put five players in double scoring digits Friday (Dec. 12), but
still came up short against the Spartans from the desert.
El Cajon Valley's first-year head coach NATE REED was in a teaching
mode as he benched a pair of starters for "disciplinary reasons"
and Central capitalized by scoring 38 points in the 1st quarter.
"We had a couple of guys in the dog house and it hurt us,"
Reed admitted. "But we're trying to get this team ready for
league (which starts in January). To the credit of our players,
we did make a nice comeback."
After falling behind by 30 early in the second quarter, the Braves
(1-7) bounced back to make a game of it. "Every time we got
as close as 10 points, we were called for a foul," Reed said.
CLIFFORD ADAMS led the Braves with 18 points and 7 rebounds, while
JOSH ROYS rolled in 16 points and retrieved a dozen rebounds.
PAUL BROADNER did not start but came on for 16 points, including
a trio of 3-pointers. JESSIE BARKLEY came off the bench for 10
points, 8 rebounds and 6 assists.
(12-12-03)
FRIDAY - DEC 12, 2003 Wolf Pack - Horsman Tournament @ West Hills West Hills 22 15 21 25 - 83 Christian 16 17 8 7 - 48 West Hills scoring: Levi Kipp 16, Blake Sutton 15, Ryan Shumaker 14, Matthew Gilson 8, Matt Sutton 7, Chris Orona 6, Derrick Zizzo 5, Kovan Abdul 4, C.J. Reed 4, Quentin London 2. Christian scoring: Tyrone Shelley 22, Tyler Tucker 12, Derek Larsen 6, C.J. Schroeder 3, Bryan Fuller 2, Shane Stanovic 2, Steve Cecena 1. - Central Union 38 16 22 19 - 95 El Cajon Valley 14 22 21 25 - 82 El Cajon Valley scoring: Clifford Adams 18, Josh Roys 16, Paul Broadner 16, Frank Collins 14, Jesse Barkley 10, Stephon Stafford 6, David Kachi 2. - Hilltop Invitational Tournament Monte Vista 13 6 7 14 - 40 Chula Vista 8 16 20 9 - 53 Monte Vista scoring: D'Andre Overstreet 9, Trevor Peck 9, Allan Watson 8, Bobby Purvy 7, Charles Watkins 7. - Championship: University City 10 10 15 17 - 52 Helix 11 15 15 8 - 49 Helix scoring: Marlon Pierce 19, Lance Hurdle 12, Eric Robinson 8, Greg Harvey 4, David Jefferson 4, David Jones 2. - Conquistador-Vaquero Classic Valley Center 15 17 15 7 - 54 El Capitan 14 21 8 28 - 71 El Capitan scoring: Justin Galloway 20, Cory Brown 11, Daniel Krueger 10, Johnny Curo 9, Jesse Leatherman 8, Andrew Hoffmaster 6, David Reeder 5, Noelle Noy 2. - Granite Hills 17 14 10 26 - 67 Rancho Buena Vista 15 14 23 31 - 83 Granite Hills scoring: David Baxter 31, James Clark 18, Kurtis Smith 6, Ricky Peitz 6, Nick Taylor 2, Brent Jensen 2, Nick Polovitz 2. - Titan Tip-Off Classic Semifinals @ Eastlake Grossmont 6 17 13 28 - 64 Escondido 11 9 13 28 - 61 Grossmont scoring: Tyler Vickers 18, Tyler Hojosy 12, Lyonell Douglas 8, Tyler Cook 7, James Crooks 6, Tyler Barbour 5, Casey Williams 3, Mark Nicholson 2. (12-12-03)
A West Hills player puts up a shot off
an offensive rebound against St. Augustine Wednesday night (12-10-03).
photo by Nick Pellegrino
Vickers vaporizes Crawford to put Foothillers
in Titan Tip-Off semifinals
EastCountySports.com
Grossmont High senior scoring machine TYLER VICKERS should have
spent the night in bed Thursday (Dec. 11), but overcame a 102
degree temperature to score 22 points and haul down 14 rebounds
in the Foothillers 52-48 victory over Crawford to reach the semifinals
of the Titan Tip-Off Classic.
"Tyler didn't say a word about being sick," Grossmont
coach FRANK FOGGIANO said. "But that just shows the kind
of kid he is. He's tough and never wants to miss a game."
After blowing an 8-point lead in the 2nd quarter, the Foothillers
used patience to slither in front 40-39 by the close of the 3rd
period.
TYLER HAJOSY added 12 points - half coming on a pair of 3-pointers
- to help Vickers tame the Colts.
"I think it was good for us to have a close game like
this, "Foggano said. "Learning to deal in a close game
can only help us come playoff time."
HELIX 57, TORREY PINES 43 - Senior guard MARLON PIERCE
netted a season-high 20 points Thursday night (Dec.11) as Helix
(4-0) submarined the Falcons of Torrey Pines in
Hilltop Invitational Tournament semifinals.
The 6-foot-2 Pierce connected on 9 of 17 shots from the floor
and 2-of-2 from above the arc. He also logged 5 steals.
Senior guard ERIC ROBINSON chimed in with 16 points on 5-for-11
shooting from the floor and 5 assists and 3 steals.
LANCE HURDLE added 8 points, 9 assists and 5 steals for the Highlanders
who will take on University City for the Hilltop Tournament championship
Friday (Dec.12) at 8:15 p.m.
PT. LOMA 60, MONTE VISTA 53 - The beginning of the
2003-04 basketball season continues to be an uphill climb for
the Monarchs, who played without leading scorer ROBERT YOUSIF,
who was at home with the flu for Thursday's (Dec. 11) Hilltop
Invitational Tournament contest.
It wasn't all a case of the negatives for the Monarchs (1-3),
who received 23 points from BOBBY PURVY and a career-high 14 points
from guard TREVOR PECK, who accounted for two of the Monarchs'
three 3-point bull's-eyes.
Monte Vista fell behind Pt. Loma 34-21 by halftime, but scrambled
back to make a game of it. Peck, Purvy and ALLAN WATSON combined
to connect on 14 of 19 free throws for the Monarchs.
THURSDAY - DEC 11, 2003 EastCountySports.com Titan Tip-Off Classic Crawford 7 23 10 8 - 48 Grossmont 14 11 15 12 - 52 Grossmont scoring: Tyler Vickers 22, Tyler Hajosy 12, Lyonell Douglas 7, Tyler Barbour 5, James Crooks 2, Casey Williams 2, Tyler Cook 2. - Hilltop Invitational Tournament Pt. Loma 16 18 12 14 - 60 Monte Vista 8 13 13 19 - 53 Monte Vista scoring: Bobby Purvy 23, Trevor Peck 14, Allan Watson 8, Charles Watkins 6, Branden Edwards 2. - Helix 16 6 16 19 - 57 Torrey Pines 13 7 15 8 - 43 Helix scoring: Marlon Pierce 20, Eric Robinson 16, Greg Harvey 9, Lance Hurdle 8, David Jones 4. (12-11-03)
Krueger turning out to be quite a shooter,
rebounder for 4-0 Vaqueros
EastCountySports.com
LAKESIDE - El Capitan veteran coach ROSS FURROW isn't about to
brag about his team's 4-0 start this season. But, on the other
hand, he doesn't look at the Vaqueros' fast start as a fluke,
either.
"The learning curve we had over the summer was huge,"
said Furrow after El Capitan dunked visiting Westview 66-48 in
Wednesday's (Dec. 10) Conquistador-Vaquero Classic contest.
Junior forward DANIEL KRUEGER cast in 16 points, and grabbed
9 rebounds to pace the Vaqueros.
"I know Grossmont thinks they have this thing (the Grossmont
North League title) in the bag, but the team we have this year
is no fluke," Furrow said. "I have kids who can shoot
the ball. Not one kid, but a lot of kids."
At the head of the class is Krueger, who is averaging 17.5 points
per game, including 15 3-pointers.
"He can shoot the ball better than any player I've ever coached,"
Furrow said of Krueger. "He's agile and has gifted hands.
I've called to alert a lot of Division I college coaches about
this kid's shooting ability. His Achilles Heal is he doesn't like
to drive. But he's getting better in that area, too."
JUSTIN GALLOWAY added 13 points and secured 7 rebounds, while
JESS LEATHERMAN tossed in 10 points and handed out 6 assists for
El Capitan.
Two keys to El Capitan's latest victory were the Vaqueros turned
the ball over only 8 times while committing just 13 fouls.
VALHALLA 67, BONITA VISTA 60 - RAYMOND HANNA and
DEVON JONES scored 16 points apiece as the Norsemen snapped a
3-game losing streak with their first win in Wednesday's (Dec.
10) Conquistador-Eagle Classic contest against the Barons of Bonita
Vista.
Valhalla coach ERIC THOMAS didn't say it, but hinted that this
win was the Norsemen's weakest effort in four games this season.
"We'll take it, though, because it's a win," Thomas
said.
Victory seemed imminent as Valhalla marched to a 40-24 edge late
in the first half. But things got tough after that. The visiting
Barons sliced the Norsemen's advantage to 62-60 with 1:32 remaining
before Jones drove for back-to-back lay-ups to seal the Valhalla
victory.
ST. AUGUSTINE 68, WEST HILLS 44 - The sizzling Saints
smoked host West Hills 26-10 in the 1st quarter and never looked
back in Wednesday's (Dec. 10) Wolf Pack-Horsman Invitational.
Inspite of the lopsided loss, West Hills coach JEFF ARMSTRONG
found positives.
"We had four good adds from the football team (BLAKE
SUTTON, MATT SUTTON, MIKE EDMONDSON and QUINTiN LONDON),"
he said. "They helped a lot tonight, played well. They're
rusty - don't have their basketball ball legs yet. But it was
kinda nice to have 12 players on our bench."
St. Augustine (4-0) made it look easy.
"(Saints) shot the ball extremely well - the best they've
shot in the entire tournament," Armstrong noted.
Gilson led West Hills with a dozen points, while RYAN SHUMAKER
netted 9.
"(MATT GILSON and (LEVI) KIPP got in early foul trouble,
but Matt played the entire 2nd half with four fouls," Armstrong
said. "We're still looking at combinations. We have no regular
roles or substitution patterns yet."
SAN DIEGO 63, STEELE CANYON 47 - Flu-ridden Steele
Canyon played without floor leader RICHIE WILLIAMS Wednesday night
(Dec. 10) as the Cougars crumbled at the hands of host San Diego
in a Conquistador-Vaquero Classic contest in The Cave.
Despite playing without their flashy field general, the Cougars
(1-3) trailed by only four points with 2 minutes left in the 3rd
quarter.
"When we shoot 29 percent like we have the past three games,
it's tough to beat anybody of quality," SC coach BRAD LEAF
said. "Richie didn't even dress for this game. I told him
not to worry about playing until he's completely well."
Junior GEORGE CUNNINGHAM turned in another of his season-long
sparkling performances, drilling in 14 points while clearing 9
rebounds.
CAMILLO MARTINEZ, playing in just his second game out of football,
popped in 12 points - including a pair of 3-pointers - for Steele
Canyon.
EL CENTRO SOUTHWEST 71, CHRISTIAN 54 - Freshman TYRONE
SHELLEY turned in another strong performance of 22 points and
17 rebounds for the Patriots (0-3) in Wednesday's (Dec. 10) Wolf
Pack Invitational at West Hills.
"Tyrone is very good offensively," Christian High coach
TOBIN WILKINS said of the 6-foot-4 Shelley. "He's a great
kid, but needs a little more discipline on the court. He's so
very aggressive that he gets himself into foul trouble by going
over people's backs. He has a great future once he matures."
C.J. SCHROEDER chimed in with 10 points, 6 assists and 6 steals
for the Patriots.
HORIZON 55, EL CAJON VALLEY 33 - The Braves (1-6)
may be suffering from a case of exhaustion, as they played their
6th game in seven days Wednesday (Dec. 10) against Horizon at
the Wolf Pack-Horsman Invitational. Nobody reached double scoring
digits for El Cajon Valley against the Panthers.
But there is some good news. The Braves will take tonight off
before resuming activity on Friday (Dec. 12) against Central Union
at West Hills.
The Braves trailed Horizon 42-15 after three periods and had three
players foul out.
(12-10-03)
EastCountySports.com WEDNESDAY - DEC 10 Wolf Pack - Horsman Tournament Horizon 15 8 19 13 - 55 El Cajon Valley 5 6 4 18 - 33 Other El Cajon Valley scoring: Clifford Adams 8, Jesse Barkley 8, Nate Schad 6, Stephon Stafford 4, Paul Broadner 2, Frank Collins 2, Josh Roys 2, Cameron Hicks 1. - Christian 13 11 10 20 - 54 El Centro Southwest 23 19 17 15 - 71 Other Christian scoring: Tyrone Shelley 22, C.J. Schroeder 10, Shane Stanovic 8, Tyler Tucker 5, Derek Larsen 5, Bryan Fuller 4. - St. Augustine 26 18 16 8 - 68 West Hills 10 11 9 14 - 44 Other West Hills scoring: Matthew Gilson 12, Ryan Shumaker 9, Derrick Zizzo 5, Blake Sutton 4, Chris Orona 4, Matt Sutton 2, Levi Kipp 2, C.J. Reed 2, Nathan Muzquiz 2, Mike Edmondson 2. - Conquistador-Vaquero Classic West View 14 13 8 13 - 48 El Capitan 17 17 20 12 - 66 Other El Capitan scoring: Daniel Krueger 16, Justin Galloway 13, Jesse Leatherman 10, Andrew Hoffmaster 8, Johnny Curo 7, Cory Brown 6, Noelle Noy 2, Tyler Hill 2, Nick Murico 2. - Steele Canyon 6 17 18 6 - 47 San Diego 12 23 16 12 - 63 Other Steele Canyon scoring: George Cunningham 14, Camillo Martinez 12, Ricky Bailey 9, Ray Williams 6, Wes Davis 4, Terrance Davis 2. - Bonita Vista 13 18 16 13 - 60 Valhalla 17 23 16 11 - 67 Other Valhalla scoring: Raymond Hanna 16, Devon Jones 16, Travis Rothlisberger 10, Manny Gonzales 6, Ron Schwandt 6, Kyle Luhnow 5, Ronny Nasser 4, Tommy Miles 4. (12-10-03)
A Granite Hills player battles Serra under
the boards Tuesday night. (12-9-03/photo by Nick Pellegrino)
Helix newcomer Harvey grabs coach's attention,
then rebounds in win over Chula Vista
EastCountySports.com
CHULA VISTA - Helix coach JOHN SINGER knew going into the season
that he had plenty of quality in the Highlanders' starting backcourt
trio of LANCE HURDLE, ERIC ROBINSON and MARLON PIERCE. It was
what he had up front that caused him the greatest concern. Not
that Singer was standing around empty-handed. He decided to rely
on the untested talents of 6-foot-5, 270-pound GREG HARVEY and
6-4 CLINT SHELTON.
Harvey, who Singer discovered in a physical education class in
the fall, grabbed a game-high 15 rebounds and scored 6 points
as the Highlanders clipped Chula Vista 66-55 in Tuesday's (Dec.
9) Hilltop Invitational.
"He's just a hog under the basket," Singer said. "He
just doesn't quite know how to play yet. He never had any interest
in athletics until this year. It's only a matter of him staying
committed because he could be very dominating if he chooses to
be."
The 6-foot-4 Shelton arrived in East County from New Jersey. Perfect
timing as far as Singer is concerned.
"For a guy with no background, he's really becoming a solid
defender," Singer said. "He moved here from New Jersey,
and is just starting to find himself."
Pierce led the Highlanders with 19 points, 9 rebounds, 5 steals
and 3 assists. Hurdle logged a game-high 8 assists, while ERIC
ROBINSON dropped in 14 points and recorded 6 steals.
"Those three guards are going to get 32 minutes in most of
our games," Singer said. "They make our other guys good.
And they can really handle the ball." One need note
that Helix has totaled only 27 turnovers in its first three games.
"Our whole key will depend on how we can defend inside,"
Singer said.
The Highlanders had Chula Vista pinned down by a 20-point margin
in the 3rd quarter. But the Spartans were able to carve themselves
back into the game with pressure on defense in the 4th period
but the Highlanders were never in danger of losing.
SERRA 64, GRANITE HILLS 56 - The Eagles chalked up another
one for the learning curve Tuesday night (Dec. 9), as they dropped
a Conquistador-Vaquero contest to host Serra and former Granite
Hills coach JIM GLEBOFF.
The Qs jumped out to a 19-9 lead in the 1st quarter, but Granite
Hills (0-4) scrambled back to move in front 53-51 midway through
the 4th quarter.
"We need to quit falling behind early," Granite Hills
first-year coach MATT DAVIS said. "Size does make a
difference, but these young men are working hard on the boards.
After we got the lead, we just ran out of gas."
Junior guard JAMES CLARK provided Granite Hills with 20 points,
including four 3-pointers as well as 3 steals. DAVID BAXTER, another
junior guard, added 16 points (3 threes), 5 rebounds, 5 assists,
and 4 steals for the Eagles, who also received a dozen points
and 6 assists from returning letterman RYAN SNYDER.
"We need to stop relying on the outside shot," Davis
said. "Even though we are smaller, when we screen well and
push the ball inside, and move the ball around, good things happen."
Davis offered special accolades to 5-foot-10 forward RICKY Peitz.
"He was greatly outsized on the boards, but played huge and
frustrated the bigger inside players, finishing with 6 points
and 5 rebounds," the coach said.
KURTIS SMITH, one of the tallest Eagles at 6-3, chipped in with
2 points and 7 rebounds, playing strong defense.
Six-foot-3 senior Desi Burt led Serra with 19 points - all coming
inside - and Dwayne Davis added 15 points.
HOOVER 72, MOUNT MIGUEL 64 - Talk about your run-and-gun
affair . . . These guys can push the ball, and it was Hoover High,
who prevailed, thanks to a 29-19 scoring edge in the 4th quarter
of Tuesday's (Dec. 9) Titan Tip-Off Classic contest in the Cardinals'
gym.
Hoover hammered the aggressive Matadors (2-2) from the free throw
line, converting 22 of 35 chances. Mount Miguel was only 10-for-16
from the charity stripe.
Jay Dee Luster was the doctor of destruction for the Cardinals,
canning 12 of 15 free throws on his way to a team-high 24 points.
J.R. GRIFFIN smoked the chords for Mount Miguel with game high
27 points. The 6-foot-5 wing scored all but 2 of his game-high
27 points from the field. Griffin is averaging 20.5 points four
games into his senior season.
Six-foot-3 senior JAMES ROBERTS added 13 points for the Matadors,
but only 3 of his markers came from the free throw line.
UNIVERSITY CITY 73, MONTE VISTA 36 - It was nothing but
a whole lot of ugly for the Monarchs (1-2) Tuesday night (Dec.
9) as the Centurions clubbed the Spring Valley squad in a Hilltop
Invitational game.
University City took a 13-6 first-quarter lead and inflated that
advantage to 36-17 by the break.
Senior BOBBY PURVY paced Monte Vista with 14 points.
(12-09-03)
An El Cajon Valley player loses the handle
while going up to the basket during the Braves' game on Dec. 8.
(photo by Nick Pellegrino)
SOUTHWEST (SD) 65, EL CAJON VALLEY 53
By John O. Rollo - Special to EastCountySports.com
SAN DIEGO - The early season struggles continued Tuesday night
(Dec. 9) for the El Cajon Valley boys' basketball team. The Braves,
fresh off Monday's homecourt victory over Valley Center, and playing
the middle contest in a three-games-in-three-nights string, dropped
their fifth decision of the opening six, losing to homesteading
Southwest.
The Braves started sluggishly and paid dearly for it. They fell
behind the Raiders right at the game's onset and trailed by 12-2
midway through the first quarter before trailing 19-11 at the
end of the first stanza.
The Raiders lead 36-17 midway through the second period before
Braves coach NATE REED's squad rallied to cut their deficit at
intermission to 38-26.
Led by JESSE BARKLEY's eight 3rd quarter points, the Braves cut
their margin to seven, but that was as close as they would get.
Barkley paced the Braves (1-5) with 17 points, while CLIFFORD
"Scooter" ADAMS and JOSH ROYS chipped in with 13 and
12, respectively. FRANK COLLINS led the Braves' rebounding effort
with 10 caroms. He also had 6 assists.
Southwest (1-2) was led by its frontcourt tandem of Lamar Tomas
and Raul Corrales. Tomas topped all scorers with 29 points, while
Corrales added 16 and a game-high 10 rebounds. Point guard Darryl
Anderson was next with 14 points.
EastCountySports.com TUESDAY - DEC. 9, 2003 Titan Tip-Off Classic Mount Miguel 12 17 16 19 - 64 Hoover 18 12 13 29 - 72 Mount Miguel: J.R. Griffin 27, James Roberts 13, Janssen Barber 8, Deviyon Carter 5, Andre Martin 4, Kenny Key 3, Eddie DeArcos 2, Darren Newborn 2. - Hilltop Invitational Tournament Helix 15 19 12 20 - 66 Chula Vista 11 9 15 20 - 55 Helix: Marlon Pierce 19, David Jones 15, Eric Robinson 14, Lance Hurdle 7, Greg Harvey 6, Iain MacMillan 3, Clinton Shelton 2. - Monte Vista 6 11 8 11 - 36 University City 13 23 15 73 - 73 Monte Vista: Bobby Purvey 14, D'Andre Overstreet 8, Robert Yousif 7, Charles Watkins 3, Allan Watson 2, Trevor Peck 2. - Conquistador-Vaquero Classic Serra 19 10 20 15 - 64 Granite Hills 9 14 20 14 - 56 Granite Hills: James Clark 20, David Baxter 16, Ryan Snyder 12, Ricky Peitz 6, Kurtis Smith 2. - Non-League El Cajon Valley 11 15 15 12 - 53 Southwest (SD) 19 19 10 17 - 65 El Cajon Valley: Jesse Barkley 17, Clifford Adams 13, Josh Roys 12, Frank Collins 7, Paul Broadner 2, Nate Schad 2. (12-09-03)
Steele Canyon player (31) with his back to the basket
Monday night (12-08-03) against La Jolla. photo by Nick Pellegrino
New-look Sultans provide new results with
decisive victory
EastCountySports.com
SANTEE - Santana coach TIM BARRY made a bold move when he released
some of his veterans who had seemingly lost interest and focus
in the Sultans' basketball fortunes. While the results were impressive
on Monday night (Dec. 8) as Santana smothered San Pasqual Academy
69-40 in a non-league win that balanced the Sultans ledger at
2-2, Barry hasn't proclaimed his decision as a brilliant move.
"We're going to a total youth movement," he said. "I
brought up some hungry young kids who are eager to play. They
are talented, but it's just a matter of adjusting to the speed
of the game. We need to learn to get shots off quicker."
Senior BRYAN WICKENS, who was named to the All-Francis Parker
Tournament team, scored a game-high 24 points and corralled 10
rebounds. The 6-foot-3 senior clicked on 8 of 13 shots from the
floor. But it was his supporting cast paced by sophomore JV recruit
RICKY MICHELMORE's 12 points - which included 3-for-3 shooting
above the arc.
"This was a good game to make some changes," Barry said.
"I wanted to keep this younger group together, but we had
to make some moves for the betterment of the program. This group
was 18-0 in conference and won 20-plus games."
Other Santana scoring: Kyle Reed 4, Bryan Blackledge 3,
Travis Wennen 2, Billy Wickens 2.
EL CAPITAN 70, BONITA VISTA 61 - Junior DANIEL KRUEGER
hit 5-of-8 three-point shots while CORY BROWN hauled down 18 rebounds
Monday (Dec. 8) as the Vaqueros downed the visiting Barons in
a Conquistador-Vaquero Classic game in Lakeside.
Krueger raised his 3-point total to 12 in three games, as the
6-foor-4, 200-pound junior secured 8 rebounds.
Senior guard JOHNNY CURO canned an additional 18 points - hitting
7 of 10 free throws - for the Vaqueros.
Other El Capitan scoring: JUSTIN GALLOWAY 10, David Reeder 9,
Brown 8, Jesse Leatherman 7.
EL CAJON VALLEY 87, VALLEY CENTER 74 - The Braves
gave first-year coach NATE REED his first coaching win Monday
(Dec. 8) as El Cajon Valley knocked off visiting Valley Center
in a Conquistador-Vaquero Tournament game.
JESSIE BARKLEY, a senior guard, enjoyed a career day of 28 points
and 22 rebounds to pace the Braves (1-3). Sophomore guard NATE
SCHAD chimed in with career-high 19 points and FRANK COLLINS chalked
up an additional 17 points.
"We had a pregame meeting and the players decided it was
time to do something," Reed said. "Schad ran the show
and took control."
Other El Cajon Valley scoring: CLIFFORD ADAMS 10, Paul Broadner
5, Josh Roys 4, Stephon Stafford 2, Cameron Hicks 2.
LA JOLLA 69, STEELE CANYON 55 - The Cougars welcomed
back four players from their SDCIF playoff football team, but
it didn't help as Top 10 powerhouse La Jolla breezed to Monday's
(Dec.8) Conquistador-Vaquero Classic victory.
"For the second game in a row, we shot 28 percent from the
floor, and it's tough to beat anybody when you do that,"
Steele Canyon coach BRAD LEAF said. "We're just not a very
good basketball team right now. I guess it's more of a transition
period for us, actually. The guys we got from football haven't
gotten their basketball legs yet."
Thus, the Cougars 1-2 start is hardly cause for panic.
The fact that junior point guard RICHIE WILLIAMS has been dogged
by the flu bug the past four days hasn't helped the Cougars' cause.
"You know what kind of player Richie is," Leaf said.
"But he hasn't been himself the last two games. He hasn't
practiced and probably won't practice for another two days. On
top of that he's had only two assists. He's playing on sheer guts,
but that isn't helping him help our team."
Nevertheless, Williams garnered team-high 15 points. GEORGE CUNNINGHAM
added 10 points and 7 rebounds, while CAMILLO MARTINEZ - a football
player by fall - canned 10 in his basketball debut.
Other Steele Canyon scoring: Ricky Bailey 9, Ray Williams
5, Jason Beauchamp 4, Wes Davis 2.
SAN DIEGO 71, VALHALLA 58 - The hard-luck Norsemen
(0-3) were playing catch-up almost from the get-go, but scrambled
to make a game of it in the final three minutes of Monday's (Dec.
8) Conquistador-Vaquero Classic contest at San Diego High.
"I know it doesn't look like it, but we played so well -
well enough to win it," Valhalla coach ERIC THOMAS said.
The Cavers (3-0) led 55-53 with 2:20 left, but then used their
superior athletic ability to gradually pull away for the victory.
Trailing 33-23 at halftime, the Norsemen made a quick surge on
back-to-back three-pointers by DEVON JONES and MANNY GONZALES
to start the 3rd quarter, but never could overtake the Cavers.
RAYMOND HANNA canned a career-high 21 points and came away with
5 rebounds. TRAVIS ROTHLISBERGER added 10 points for Valhalla.
Other Valhalla scoring: Gonzales 9, Jones 8, Kyle Luhnow 4, Tommy
Miles 4, Ronny Nasser 2.
(12-08-03)
Steele Canyon's Chad Belledo dribbles against
El Camino Friday night at Serra High. (11-5-03).
Robinson steadies Helix in tournament romp
over host Hilltop
EastCountySports.com
(UPDATED) LA MESA - For the better part of two years Helix veteran
basketball coach JOHN SINGER has recognized that guard ERIC ROBINSON
can shoot with the best East County has to offer. Since Singer's
prospective of the game deals with defense, Robinson was nearly
lost in the shuffle. The 5-foot-9, 190-pound senior has taken
a turn toward improving his defense while keeping his focus on
the basket, and now Singer is pleased with a more complete product.
Robinson proved he could play both ends of the floor Saturday
night (Dec. 6) as he popped in 25 points, handed out 6 assists
and pilfered 7 steals in the Highlanders 72-49 romp over the host
team in the Hilltop Tournament.
Robinson wasn't just throwing shots at the basket. His aim was
steady, as he netted 10 of 16 tries.
DAVID JONES rolled in 16 points on 8-for-14 shooting for the Highlanders
(2-0) while MARLON PIERCE contributed a dozen points, 7 rebounds
and 8 steals.
The Highlanders broke open a 3-point game with an 18-7 3rd quarter
scoring burst.
"We started slowly, but turned it up a notch in the second
half," Singer said. "Robinson, Pierce and Jones were
on fire.
Other Helix scoring:, Lance Hurdle 7, Iain MacMillan 6, Greg Harvey
4, Clinton Shelton 2.
VALLEY CENTER 81, VALHALLA 76 (2 OT) - KYLE LUHNOW
(21 points) and RAYMOND HANNA (20 points) were among four Valhalla
players to score in double figures in Saturday night's (Dec. 6)
Conquistador-Vaquero Classic game, the Norsemen had no answer
for Valley center's A.J. Riley, who finished with 45 points.
"It didn't seem to matter what Riley did, every time he missed
a shot he wound up at the free throw line." Valhalla coach
ERIC THOMAS said. "He is an incredible player, but every
time he elevated he either made the basket or we were called for
a foul.
Hanna scored 8 points in the 2nd quarter as the Norsemen (0-2)
forged in front 30-19. But Valhalla eventually wound up scrambling
at the end of the night until point guard RONY NASSER hit a 3-point
bank shot in the final second to send the game into overtime.
Valhalla jumped on top 66-62 in the first extra session, but eventually
lost a 67-64 edge when the Mavericks' Riley hit a 3-point shot
to send the game into the second extra stanza.
Valley Center took the early led in round two of OT but the Norsemen
(0-2) countered with back-to-back three-pointers by Luhnow and
MANNY GONZALES for a 76-74 edge. At that point, the Norsemen went
into turnover mode, as they failed to launch a shot in 4 consecutive
possessions, which resulted in their demise.
In his first day off the football field, Gonzales hit four 3-pointers,
which was one less than Luhnow.
Other Valhalla scoring: TRAVIS ROTHLISBERGER 10, Nasser 5, Paul
Martins 4, Tommy Miles 2.
MONTE VISTA 49, SWEETWATER 41 - The Monarchs used
a 16-4 scoring run in the 4th quarter to swipe a victory away
from Sweetwater in Saturday's (Dec. 6) Hilltop Invitational Tournament
2nd second round game.
BOBBY PURVY popped in a team-best 17 points, while ROBERT YOUSIF
added 11 points, keyed by a pair of treys.
Other Monte Vista scoring: Allan Watson 8, Trevor Peck 5, D'Andre
Overstreet 4, Branden Edwards 2, Charles Watkins 2.
WEST HILLS 67, EL CENTRO SOUTHWEST 54 - RYAN SHUMAKER
and MATTHEW GILSON banged in 18 points apiece as West Hills grounded
the Eagles from Imperial Valley in the second round of he Wolf
Pack-Horsman Invitational Saturday night (Dec. 6).
Gilson added 6 assists and 4 steals, while Shumacker snagged 6
rebounds. CHRIS ORONOA handed out 5 assists and collected 5 steals.
Other West Hills scoring: Levi Kipp 9, Kovan Abdul 6, Orona 6,
Derick Zizzo 4, Quentin London 2, C.J. Reed 2, Matt Sutton 2.
USDHS 108, EL CAJON VALLEY 66 - The Dons' Enrico
Tucker put on a dunking exhibition Saturday night (Dec. 6) in
the Wolf Pack - Horsman Tournament, and the Braves could do little
more than watch.
Although only 5-foot-11, Tucker flew to the basket. Ten of his
16 buckets were jam shots. He hit four more from 3-point range.
He missed only one of his 11 free throws.
"It was the Rico Tucker Show, that's for sure," El Cajon
Valley coach NATE REED said. "We actually played him pretty
well up until the 4th quarter when he got 14 points. He has an
all-around game (plus a scholarship to Minnesota). It was
a learning lesson four our young kids."
Four Braves finished in double figures led by FRANK COLLINS' 16
points and 5 rebounds. CLIFFORD ADAMS chipped in with 13 points
and 7 rebounds.
Other El Cajon Valley scoring: PAUL BROADNER 10, JESSIE BARKLEY
10, Stephon Stafford 8, Cameron Santos 7, Nate Schad 2.
GROSSMONT 63, ORANGE GLEN 39 - TYLER VICKERS rolled
in another double-double of 20 points and 12 rebounds as the Foothillers
(2-1) squeezed Orange Glen in a Titan Tip-Off Classic game Saturday
(Dec. 6) at Eastlake.
Vickers, who has totaled more than 1,200 points in his Grossmont
career, is averaging 18 points and 12.7 rebounds per outing as
a senior.
Grossmont broke the game open with a 16-2 run in the 3rd quarter.
Orange Glen's two points came from the free throw line.
Other Grossmont scoring: Tyler Hajosy 7, Thomas Hernandez 7, Tyler
Barbour 6, Tyler Cook 6, Mark Nicholson 5, James Crooks 4, Casey
Williams 4, Scott Small 2, Richard Magale 2.
ESCONDIDO 67, MOUNT MIGUEL 61 - The Matadors fell
behind the Cougars 19-9 in the 1st quarter and found themselves
playing catch up the rest of the way Saturday (Dec. 6) as they
lost their first game in three starts at the Titan Tip-Off Classic
at Eastlake.
"It was my seniors who played scared in this game,"
Mount Miguel coach JIMMY HURST said. "Too many turnovers,
too many mistakes. Every time we made a run at them, we'd mess
something up. But this was a good test for us. We like where we
are heading, especially with this group."
J.R. GRIFFIN led Mount Miguel with 18 points, including 4-for-4
free throw shooting. KENNY KEY had a strong game for the Matadors
with 17 points. ANDRE MARTIN netted 11 points, including a pair
of 3-balls.
Other Mount Miguel scoring: Janssen Barber 5, Darren Newborn 4,
James Roberts 4, Eddie DeArcos 2.
CLAIREMONT 60, SANTANA 52 - Illness and inaccurate shooting from short range
spelled defeat for Santana in Saturday's (Dec. 6) Francis Parker
Invitational.
"We are at a crossroads," Santana coach TIM BARRY said.
BRYAN WICKENS nailed 7 of 13 shots, including one 3-ball, grabbed
7 rebounds and handed out a pair of assists to lead Santana (1-2).
JON HERNANDEZ added 10 points and COREY ROBINSON had 5 assists.
Other Santana scoring: David Bass 9, Robinson 4, Kyle Reed 4,
Billy Wickens 4, Zach Shepard 3, Travis Wennen 2.
(12-06-03)
El Cajon Valley's Paul Broadner controls
the ball Friday against San Pasqual.
Highlanders, Wolf Pack, Matadors get the
opening-night victories in tournament ball
EastCountySports.com
(UPDATED) EL CAJON - It wasn't the best of days for East County
boys basketball. In fact, only the Helix Highlanders and West
Hills Wolf Pack came out on top in Friday night (Dec. 5) openers.
The Highlanders sliced and diced Sweetwater 82-43 in the opening
round of the Hilltop Invitational, while West Hills edged Scripps
Ranch 49-46 in the Wolf Pack-Horsman Automotive Invitational.
EL CAMINO 86, STEELE CANYON 45 - Most Top 10 polls
in San Diego County include Steele Canyon. But the Cougars were
no match for the Wildcats of El Camino Friday night (Dec. 5) in
a Conquistador-Vaquero Classic affair at Serra.
"I grew up in Indiana and I have never seen as complete a
basketball team as I saw tonight," said Cougars coach BRAD
LEAF. "They are just awesome, they've got everything."
"They are nine deep, had six guys in double figures and their
Justin Armstrong (6-foot-5, 230 pounds) didn't even play. It didn't
even hurt them. We just got destroyed. It wasn't even a basketball
game."
Junior guard RICHIE WILLIAMS played with the flu -- hadn't practiced
all week - and fouled out in the middle of the 3rd quarter. That
certainly didn't help the Cougars claws. He finished with 12 points.
On the bright side, RICKY BAILEY, a 6-3 senior, scored a
career high 17 points for Steele Canyon.
Other Steele Canyon scoring: Raymond Williams 8, George Cunningham
4, Chad Belledo 4.
HELIX 82, SWEETWATER 43 - LANCE HURDLE (19
points, 6 assists,5 steals) and ERIC ROBINSON (19 points on 7-for-12
shooting) led the Highlanders to the lopsided victory over the
Red Devils.
Senior DAVID JONES netted 6 of 7 shots for 12 points, while GREG
HARVEY hauled down a team-high 10 rebounds for the Highlanders.
Other Helix scoring: Marlon Pierce 9, Iain MacMillan 8, Clinton
Shelton 6, Greg Harvey 5, Rashad Garner 2, Edwin Hutsona 2.
MURRIETA VALLEY 82, GRANITE HILLS
57 - Lacking size and depth, due
to sickness (and reality), Granite Hills went five deep for 3
1/2 quarters, before emptying the bench against a big and deep
Murrieta Valley club that clipped the Eagles in Friday's (Dec.
5) Conquistador-Vaquero Classic action.
RYAN SNYDER, the only returning Eagles starter, doing his best
impression of Magic Johnson as an undersized center at 6-foot-1,
was the tallest player on the court for Granite Hills, and led
the Eagles with 20 points and 8 assists.
The Nighthawks continued to push the ball inside, but had trouble
pulling away from a determined Eagles quintet. After trailing
by 13 at the half, the Eagles made a run with a barrage of threes
by Snyder, JAMES CLARK, DAVID BAXTER and NICK TAYLOR to cut the
lead back to 6. But the disciplined Murrieta Valley club made
a solid run to end the quarter with the same 13-point advantage.
Clark chipped in with 17 points, 4 rebounds, 3 assists and 2 steals,
and RICKY PEITZ led the team with 5 rebounds.
Other Granite Hills scoring: Baxter 8, Taylor 8, Brennan Hayes
3, Peitz 1.
WEST HILLS 49, SCRIPPS RANCH 46 - Host West Hills
opened its own tournament with a victory Friday night (Dec.5)
as MATT GILSON (16), LEVI KIPP (14) and RYAN SHUMAKER (12) all
reached double scoring digits.
Other West Hills scoring: Derrick Zizzo 3, Chris Orona 2, Nathan
Muzquiz 2.
HILLTOP 72, MONTE VISTA 64 (OT) - Senior ROBERT YOUSIF
put on quite a show for the visiting Monarchs in Friday's (Dec.
5) Hilltop Tournament. The 6-foot-2 returning letterman scored
a career-high 26 points, grabbed 10 rebounds, handed out 3 assists
and recorded a pair of steals in the Monarchs season-opening loss
at Hilltop.
The Lancers outscored Monte Vistag 14-6 in overtime to spoil
Yousif's brilliant performance.
Senior guard BOBBY PURVY rang up 19 points, plucked 5 rebounds
and added 2 steals to pace Monte Vista's supporting cast.
Monte Vista's failures at the free throw line in the 4th quarter
- the Monarchs netted just 4 of 11 charity shots in thatg 8-minute
session, - led to overtime and defeat.
Other Monte Vista scoring: Charles Watkins 9, D'Andre Overstreet
5, Trevor Peck 3, Allan Watson 2.
SAN PASQUAL 74, EL CAJON VALLEY 68 - Four El Cajon
Valley Braves reached double scoring figures - JESSIE BAILEY (16),
CLIFFORD ADAMS (11), STEPHON STAFFORD (13), and PAUL BROADNER
(12), but it wasn't enough as the Braves came up short in Friday's
(Dec. 5) Wolf Pack Tournament action.
JOSH ROYS paced the Braves with 10 rebounds, while Barkley grabbed
9. Adams was 5-for-6 from the free throw line for El Cajon Valley
which shot 13-for-17 as a team.
Cameron Santos scored all eight of his points
before halftime, but the Braves trailed as the Golden Eagles buried
the Braves with a three-pointer at the first-half buzzer.
Other El Cajon Valley scoring: Nate Schad 8.
MOUNT MIGUEL 72, MONTGOMERY 33
- ROBERT JAMES (18 points) and J.R.
GRIFFIN (11 points) led the Matadors to the Hilltop Invitational
Tournament victory Friday night (Dec. 5).
Other Mount Miguel scoring: Janssen Barber 9, Deviyon Carter 8,
Andre Martin 7, Darren Newborn 6, Eddie DeArcos 4, Kenny Key 4,
Duran Moor 3, Michael Love 2.
EASTLAKE 71, GROSSMONT 54 - TYLER VICKERS canned 16 points and TYLER
Cook cast in 10 points, but the Foothillers found themselves playing
catch up throughout Friday's (Dec. 5) Hilltop Invitational Tournament
opener.
"In the 4th quarter we got within 8 points with 3 12 minutes
to go," Foothillers coach FRANK FOGGIANO said. "We didn't
block off on a missed free throw. Eastlake had a put-back and
went up by 10. We put in the subs."
Other Grossmont scoring: Tyler Harjosy 9, Lyonell Douglas 8, Tyler
Barbour 5, Scott Small 4, Casey Williams 2.
ST. AUGUSTINE 101, CHRISTIAN 50
- Freshman TYRONE SHELLEY enjoyed
another big scoring night for the Patriots Friday (Dec. 5), pouring
in 23 points against powerful St. Augustine in the Wolf Pack-Horsman
Tournament at West Hills.
The 6-4 Shelley connected for 9 baskets and 5 of 9 free throws,
giving him 51 points in two varsity games.
St. Augustine placed five players in double figures led by Ryan
Warnock's 18 points and T.J. Topercar's 16.
Other Christian scoring: Derek Larsen 8, C.J. Schroeder 6, Tyler
Tucker 5, Steve Cecena 5, Bryan Fuller 3.
FRANCIS PARKER 67, SANTANA 44 - The Sultans (1-1) shot a paltry 22.2 percent from
the floor and netted only 10 of 22 free throw chances Friday (Dec.
5) as they lost to the host team in the Francis Parker Invitational.
"We out rebounded them but we shot terrible, couldn't make
a shot," Santana coach TIM BARRY lamented. "We were
missing 3-, 4-, 5-footers. (Parker) never let a shot be unchallenged."
KYLE REED had 9 points and 8 rebounds to lead the Sultans.
Other Santana scoring: Bryan Wickens 9, Kyle Reed 9, Billy
Wickens 7, Jon Hernandez 6, Mike Lamoureux 7, Travis Wennen 3,
Corey Robinson 2, Greg Gobin 1.
Sultans use visualization to improve free-throw
shooting
EastCountySports.com
SAN DIEGO - Santana coach TIM BARRY seemed
to be pleased more by his team's
free throw shooting than the fact the Sultans defeated San Dieguito
Academy
52-42 in Thursday's (Dec. 4) Francis Parker Invitational.
Santana clicked on 12 of 15 charity shots,
led by BRYAN WICKENS' 5-for-6
marksmanship. Wickens, a junior forward, finished with game high
15 points and
7 rebounds.
"My trademark has always been 'Shoot
well from the free throw line,' Barry
said.
"I went back to something we did in
high school - using imagery and
visualization," Barry said. "And it worked. Two of my
high school teachers,
Shelly Guinan and Charleen Irvin, taught us the technique to help
us focus. Call it
'virtual basketball'.
"The kids really bought into it. Our
goal was to shoot 20 and make 15." Close
enough.
Santana senior center KYLE REED drilled
in 12 points, 10 coming in the second
half.
"Reed made the difference down in the post," Barry said.
Santana won the game in the final quarter, outscoring the Mustangs 18-6.
"We came out hot and fell behind,"
Barry said. "We've been hit pretty hard by
the flu, we were lucky to have eight healthy bodies."
Other Santana scoring: Jon Hernandez 8,
Greg Gobin 7, Mike Lamoureux 5, David
Bass 2, Bryan Blackledge 2, Billy Wickens 1.
RANCHO BUENA VISTA 81, EL CAJON VALLEY
59 - Back-to-back losses to open
the
season is hardly reason for celebration. In the case of El Cajon
Valley
first-year head coach NATE REED, however, it is no reason for
panic. Reed
realizes his Braves have tested two of the stronger basketball
programs in town with a
virtually untested varsity unit.
The inexperienced Braves (0-2) hung tough
for the first half of Thursday's
(Dec. 4) Conquistador-Vaquero Classic contest in Vista, trailing
only 39-34
after 16 minutes. The Braves, who were led by CLIFFORD ADAMS'16
points and 11
rebounds, were down only 53-45 after three periods. RBV turned
up the heat in
the final periods to win going away.
JESSIE BARKLEY added 14 points and 5 rebounds,
while, JOSH ROYS canned 11
points and scooped up 6 rebounds for El Cajon Valley.
Other El Cajon Valley scoring:, Paul Broadner
8, Nate Schad 4, Cameron Santos
4, Stephon Stafford 2.
(12-04-03)
Vaqueros knock off Eagles for 2-0 start
EastCountySports.com
LAKESIDE - So far, the El Capitan Vaqueros are finding that life
without dominating 7-foot center JARROD BOSWELL isn't so bad.
When Boswell moved on to Wyoming via a basketball scholarship
some predicted doom for the Vaqueros. Granted, the season is only
two games old, but El Capitan hasn't caved in. The Vaqueros, in
fact, ran past Granite Hills 80-63 Wednesday night (Dec. 3) in
the second round of the Conquistador-Eagle Classic. That's two
starts, two wins for coach ROSS FURROW's crew.
Players who were once Boswell's supporting cast have started to
blossom. Junior forward DANIEL KRUEGER hit four 3-pointers on
his way to a game-high 20 points, while JUSTIN GALLOWAY and JOHNNY
CURO chipped in 17 points apiece. JESSE LEATHERMAN dished off
8 assists in addition to scoring 12 points for El Capitan (2-0).
Boswell, meanwhile, is saddled with a redshirt year. When the
big guy arrived at Wyoming in the fall of 2003, he impressed the
Cowboys' coaching staff so much that they were planning on utilizing
the freshman his first season, rather than redshirt him.
But Boswell then tore cartilage in his left knee during fall drills
that required surgery. There was no ligament damage to the knee,
but the surgery to repair the cartilage was significant enough
that Boswell will redshirt his freshman season.
JAMES CLARK paced Granite Hills (0-2) with 19 points and 7 rebounds.
DAVID BAXTER landed four 3-points and finished with 14 points
for the Eagles, who also received 12 points from returning veteran
RYAN SNYDER.
Other El Capitan scoring: Cory Brown 7, Andrew Hoffmaster 4, David
Reeder 2, Noelle Noy 1.
Other Granite Hills scoring: Kurtis Smith 8, Nick Taylor 5, Ricky
Peitz 5.
GROSSMONT 68, MIRA MESA 44 - Veteran coach FRANK
FOGGIANO has to bite his tongue when he views the various preseason
polls, few, if any, giving Grossmont even a single vote.
"I have 10 seniors on this team that I've been real close
to," Foggiano said. "They've played for me ever since
3rd grade, through my Youth (Basketball) League. All my kids referee
on Saturdays after Friday night games. I want to win it really
bad this year. It's going to be a great story if we can pull this
off."
It's that inner belief that keeps Foggiano from spouting any public
anger when he continually sees his veteran team ignored in the
polls. Foggiano uses that lack of respect as additional motivation."
Six-foot-6 senior TYLER VICKERS produced a double-double of 18
points and 14 rebounds as the Foothillers rolled over visiting
Mira Mesa Wednesday night (Dec. 3).
"They were a little nervous in the first quarter tonight,
but our defense picked up in the second quarter," Foggiano
said as his Hillers turned a 13-8 deficit into a 28-27 halftime
lead. "We're not flashy, - just a very methodical team.
We don't press but we put points on the board."
Junior TYLER HAJOSY and senior football safety/receiver CASEY
WILLIAMS led Vicker's supporting cast with 14 points apiece.
THOMAS HERNANDEZ helped key Grossmont's turn-around, scoring a
trio of breakaway layups in the second quarter.
Other Grossmont scoring: Hernandez 9, Tyler Cook 6, Lyonell
Douglas 4, Tyler Barbour 3.
STEELE CANYON 82, BONITA VISTA 39 - Much success
has been predicted for Steele Canyon, which begins its second
season as a varsity unit. After all, the Cougars advanced to the
SDCIF Division III finals and gained valuable experience with
a first-round road game in the state tournament.
First time out of the gate this season and the Cougars look to
be picking up where they left off. Steele Canyon race-horsed past
host Bonita Vista in Wednesday's (Dec. 3) opening round of Conquistador-Vaquero
Classic, scoring 45 points in the second half.
And to think the Cougars are still missing four key players due
to the success of the Steele Canyon football team in the San Diego
CIF Division III playoffs.
Junior guard RICHIE WILLIAMS used his superb quickness to run
rings around the Barons, scoring a game-high 27 points on 9-for-13
shooting from the field and 3-for-4 accuracy from the foul line.
Bonita Vista was simply no match for Steele Canyon's pressing
defense and rapid-fire offense.
"Richie kicked their butts all night -- only made 5 turnovers
in the whole game," said Steele Canyon coach BRAD LEAF.
"And Ray (RAYMOND WILLIAMS) was excellent at point guard,
running the team."
GEORGE CUNNINGHAM, a 6-foot-4 junior, enjoyed perhaps the finest
game of his young career with 14 points and 9 rebounds for the
Cougars. RICKEY BAILEY added 13 points and 9 boards, while WALTER
HALL netted 14 points.
"We only dressed 7 guys tonight," Leaf noted. "We
meet (No. 4 state ranked) El Camino on Friday (Dec. 5) and we
could sure use our 4 kids who are playing in the SDCIF football
playoffs. But we'll be OK."
Other Steele Canyon scoring: Raymond Williams 8, Pruitt 4, Chad
Belledo 2.
MOUNT MIGUEL 75, PATRICK HENRY 34 - Losing point
guard GREG MONROE to a season-ending knee injury before the year
began certainly put a crimp in the plans of Matadors' coach JIMMY
HURST. But you couldn't tell that by the Matadors season-opening
performance in the Eastlake Titan Tip-Off Classic Wednesday (Dec.
3) at Mount Miguel.
Six-foot-5 senior sharp-shooter J.R. GRIFFIN ripped off a game-high
26 points, while junior KENNY KEY added 19 in his Mount Miguel
debut.
The Matadors broke the game open with a 24-10 run in the 3rd quarter
and never looked back.
Other Mount Miguel scoring: Andre Martin 11, Darren Newborn 8,
Deviyon Carter 5, Eddie DeArcos 2, Michael Love 2, Janssen Barber
2.
SCRIPPS RANCH 51, CHRISTIAN 39 - There's something
new - make that someone new - dealing the basketball for coach
TOBIN WILKINS' Christian High Patriots this season. He's 6-foot-4
TYRONE SHELLEY. And he's only a freshman.
Shelley gave a hint of what he's capable of doing, scoring 28
points and snaring 13 rebounds as the Patriots dropped their season
opener Wednesday (Dec. 3) to Scripps Ranch in the Wolf Pack-Horsman
Automotive Tournament opener at West Hills.
The youthful, but talented Shelley also blocked 5 shots and notched
4 steals.
Christian's TYLER TUCKER, a 5-foot-8 freshman guard, was also
impressive in his varsity debut. He finished with 7 points, 4
assists, 4 steals and 3 rebounds. Football player C.J. SCHROEDER
joined the fray, contributing 2 points, one rebound, an assist
and one steal.
Returning senior BRYAN FULLER blocked 4 shots, corralled 3 boards
and netted 2 points. SHANE STANOVIC chipped in with 3 assists.
The loss of guard Jesse LeBeau, who averaged 17 points and ranked
among East County's 3-point leaders as a sophomore, hurt the Patriots
tremendously. LeBeau moved to Alaska.
(12-03-03)
Adams stands tall for Braves in lopsided
loss to top-ranked El Camino
EastCountySports.com
EL CAJON - First-year head coach NATE REED and his El Cajon Valley
Braves received a tall order in Tuesday's (Dec. 2) opening assignment
of the Conquistador-Vaquero Classic. The El Camino Wildcats, ranked
No. 1 in the San Diego CIF and No. 4 in the state, brought their
towering act to El Cajon Valley and put on a show, claiming a
96-52 victory.
Six-foot-8 Gyno Pomare poured in 26 points, 6-foot-9, Craig Austin
knocked down 16 and point guard Brad Alkazin charted 20 for the
Wildcats.
Sophomore CLIFFORD ADAMS, the Braves' tallest player at 6-foot-3,
muscled in 21 points, grabbed 10 rebounds and blocked 2 shots
amongst the El Camino "trees."
Senior guard JESSIE BARKLEY canned a trio of 3-pointers and finished
with 19 points for the Braves.
"We're a new team and this was a good learning experience
for us," Reed said. "To make the kind of improvement
we're looking for, we have to play the best teams."
Lesson No. 2 comes Thursday (Dec. 4) when the Braves take on Rancho
Buena Vista in Vista at 7:30 p.m.
Other El Cajon Valley scoring: Josh Roys 7, Paul Broadner 5.
(12-02-03)
Galloway, Vaqueros impressive in season-opening win over Southwest
EastCountySports.com
LAKESIDE - Filling the shoes of Wyoming-bound 7-foot, 255-pound
JARROD BOSWELL should be quite a challenge for coach ROSS FURROW
and his El Capitan Vaqueros this season. Losing the 23.3 points
and 13 rebounds per game Boswell provided has to hurt. But the
Vaqueros seem prepared to make the adjustment. Consider Monday's
season-opener the first step of a positive stride toward the future.
Led by senior JUSTIN GALLOWAY's career-high 26 points, the Vaqueros
came from behind to edge Southwest 72-65 in Monday's (Dec.1) 1st
round of the Conquistador-Vaquero Classic.
"The last couple of years we got off to a slow start,"
El Capitan coach ROSS FURROW said. "So it felt good to come
out strong against a good team this year."
El Capitan's highballs also included senior guard JOHNNY CURO's
18 points, which featured 9-for-12 free throw shooting, and DANIEL
KRUEGER's 16 points and three 3-pointers.
JESSE LEATHERMAN chimed in with 8 points and 7 assists, while
team-leader Galloway netted 4 of 5 free throws, 3 assists and
3 steals.
Six-foot-7 sophomore center CORY BROWN blocked 4 shots and scored
4 points in his first varsity game for El Capitan, a team some
have mistakenly predicted to finish last in the Grossmont North
League.
SAN MARCOS 47, VALHALLA 44 - The Norsemen could be
crying about losing a game they could have won on Monday night
(Dec. 1), but instead Valhalla coach ERIC THOMAS was more or less
pleased by the performance of his undermanned squad in the Conquistadors-Vaquero
Classic opening loss to the visiting Knights.
Valhalla's success in the San Diego CIF Division II football playoffs
has kept four Norsemen off the basketball court. We're talking
about two starters and a pair of valuable reserves here.
"I think we played above and beyond what I thought we would,"
said Thomas, considering the Norsemen were without starters DEVON
JONES and MANNY GONZALES. "I thought we were aggressive and
rebounded well. Our shooting was off the mark, and that hurt us."
Nevertheless, the Norsemen were leading 40-35 early in the 4th
quarter when their offense stalled. After falling behind the Knights
43-42, the Norsemen regained the lead 44-43 on a RAYMOND HANNA
bucket with 1:30 remaining.
San Marcos recaptured the edge on a steal and lay-up with less
than a minute to play. After the Norsemen missed a three-point
shot, the Knights failed to capitalize but eventually stole the
ball back. A Valhalla foul resulted in two San Marcos free throws
with 28 seconds remaining and a three-point edge.
Valhalla missed a chance to tie on an off-balance 3-point shot
at the buzzer.
Hanna and TRAVIS ROTHLISBERGER shared high point honors for Valhalla
with 12 points apiece. KYLE LUHNOW nailed a pair of 3-pointers
on his way to an 11-point varsity debut.
Other Valhalla scoring: Tommy Miles 5, Paul Martins 2, Conner
Ruyeras 2.
SAN DIEGO 92, GRANITE HILLS 46 - It seemed hardly
fair that first-year Granite Hills coach MATT DAVIS be assigned
to send his youthful Eagles against Top 10 power San Diego in
Monday's (Dec. 1) opening round of the Conquistador-Vaquero Classic.
Sure, those who made the pairings allowed Davis' Eagles a home
game, but the veteran Cavers, ranked as high as No. 3 in some
polls, were far superior to Davis' band of neophytes.
Junior Anton Hollingsworth whistled in 24 points and senior Anthony
Palmer popped in 22 as the visiting Cavers cruised to the lopsided
victory.
San Diego's pressure defense forced the Eagles into 14 turnovers
in the opening eight minutes, which helped the Cavers claim a
29-7 first-quarter lead. It only got worse from there.
Davis is basically starting from scratch this season as he has
no starters returning and very few players with substantial minutes
of varsity playing time under their belts.
Junior guard DAVID BAXTER and sophomore guard NICK TAYLOR nailed
13 points apiece to pace the Eagles in the opener. Baxter canned
a trio of 3-pointers, whileTaylor netted a pair of treys.
RYAN SNYDER handed out 5 assists while dropping in 7 points for
Granite Hills. Taylor and JAMES CLARK shared the Eagles' rebound
honors with 7 apiece.
An underlying high for Davis is the success of his junior varsity
team, which knocked off talent-laden San Diego 67-64 for its third
win in as many starts. Five Eagles reached double digits in that
win, led by CHRIS TIMCO's 18 markers.
Other Granite Hills varsity scoring: Matt Howard 6, Clark
5.
(12-01-03)