Early deficit no problem as Cougars ring up significant victory against power Newark
EastCountySports.com
 
ENCINITAS -- Steele Canyon has registered plenty of highlight reel moments in its three years of varsity basketball competition. Few have carried more weight than Monday night's (Dec. 27) thrilling 54-51 victory over Newark (Ca.) Memorial in the National Division of the 15th annual Prep Holiday Classic at Torrey Pines High.

"Most definitely, this is the biggest win this school has ever had," said senior guard RICHIE WILLIAMS. "They have two top players, but we played great defense and took it to one of the best teams in the nation."

Featuring San Diego State recruit Kyle Spain, Newark Memorial (8-2) took a quick 10-2 lead.
 
However, the rest of the night belonged to the undefeated Cougars (7-0), as Williams poured home 21 points, while senior teammate JASON BEAUCHAMP added 14 points and a game-high 14 rebounds.

"We tried to throw something new at them to slow them down," added Williams.
 
He was referring to Steele Canyon coach BRAD LEAF who quickly vacated from straight-up man defense to a variety of zones, with everyone on the court wary of the 6-foot-6 Spain, who played four of the five positions on the court at one time or another.
 
"We had three guys on him and made him take contested shots," noted Leaf. "So, right now, I have to agree this is one special victory."

Spain scored 13 points on 4-for-13 shooting from the floor, never getting to the foul line over the game's final 15 minutes. He also grabbed 13 rebounds and blocked four shots, but was limited to just a single bucket in the 4th quarter.

Beauchamp delivered most of the pressure, especially following missed Cougars shots by grabbing eight offensive rebounds, going back up for several key putbacks to keep Steele Canyon within distance.
 
The Cougars finally took the lead when RAY WILLIAMS stole the ball from Spain and raced for a breakaway layin and a 38-36 advantage late in the 3rd quarter -- part of a 10-0 run to secure a 44-36 cushion.
 
Steele Canyon accepts an even larger challenge Tuesday night (Dec. 28) when the Cougars tackle Fremont (Ca.) at Torrey Pines at 5:30 p.m. Fremont edged Clovis West 69-65 in Monday's opening round.
 
Other Steele Canyon scoring: George Cunningham 9, Ray Williams 6, Wes Davis 2.

MOUNT MIGUEL 43,  ORANGE GLEN 42 - Senior  DEVIYON CARTER drilled a 3-point goal with 13 seconds remaining Monday (Dec. 27), giving the Matadors the first-round victory over Orange Glen at the Spartans Classic at Chula Vista High.
 
Each of the Patriots' top two scorers released contested shots in the final seconds, but neither connected as the ball rolled harmlessly out of bounds as time expired.

Carter's basket was his fourth 3-point goal of the contest, accounting for all of his 12 points.
 
Mount Miguel (3-7), which snapped a four-game losing streak, also welcomed the return of forward KENNY KEY, who recorded team-highs of 13 points and 13 rebounds.

"That was definitely the biggest shot we've had all year," said Matadors first-year head coach MIKE GOLOVKO. "And having Kenny back obviously makes a difference for us."

The lead swapped some eight times before Orange Glen took a 42-40 lead on a bucket by John Cottey, who scored nine of his 15 points in the 4th period.

EDDIE DeARCOS added seven boards to aid the Matadors defense, while BUD NEWBORN collected five assists and 3 steals.

Other Mount Miguel scoring: Danny Hiebing 5, DeArcos 4, Michael Love 4, Newborn 3, Warren Thodile 2.
 
SANTANA 57,  SAN PEDRO 53 - Not that the Santana Sultans are shouting their intentions out loud, but thoughts of a Grossmont North League championship are no doubt dancing in their heads.
 
Coach TIM BARRY's bunch turned in a noteworthy win in Monday's (Dec. 27) victory over the San Pedro Pirates (5-7) in the Granite Hills Holiday Classic.
 
"This was our best win of the year so far," Barry said. "We played nails against a quality team."
 
Perhaps it was an unplanned brand of strategy by Barry, who gave his team four days off (Dec. 23-26).
 
The Sultans (7-3) opened up an 8-point lead with 1:30 remaining. The Pirates made some clutch shots, but it never came down to a one possession game.
 
"When I saw those (San Pedro) guys warming up I thought to myself 'we could be in trouble,' " Barry admitted. But the taller Pirates were the ones who wound up walking the plank in the end.
 
Santana was 4-6 after 10 games a year ago and ended up 11-14.
 
RICKY MICHELMORE was 5-for-5 from 3-point range to coin a 17-point total for Santana. He also had 7 rebounds and 3 steals, while JON HERNANDEZ dropped in 14 points, handed out 4 assists and pilfered 4 passes for the Sultans.
 
TAI PURPERO, who was surrounded by taller opponents, grabbed a team-best 11 rebounds.
 
Other Santana scoring: Purpero 8, Brooks Bass 6, Jon Corbisez 5, Billy Wickens 3, Brian Bailey 2, Luke Eisele 2.
 
WEST HILLS 77,  EL CENTRO SOUTHWEST 43 - The walking-wounded known as West Hills was bolstered by the return of three previously injured players to the lineup for Monday's (Dec. 27) Aztec Holiday Invitational at Montgomery.
 
BO HART (12 points, two 3s), NATHAN MUZQUIZ (10 points) and QUENTIN LONDON all were given a clean bill of health for the post-Christmas activity.
 
"It was so nice to have those guys back," West Hills coach JEFF ARMSTRONG said. "They are all potential starters and obviously give us much needed depth."
 
Yet, the star of the show was 6-foot-6, 285-pound senior post RYAN SHUMAKER, who slammed in a season-high 25 points, including a perfect 9-for-9 effort from the charity stripe.
 
Sophomore PETER GILSON is developing into a major force for the Wolf Pack, finishing with a dozen points against the Eagles.
 
Armstrong was quick to praise the work of junior point-guard PHILIP STABACK.
 
"He's just a tough in-your-face defensive guy who also has picked us up in directing our offense,â" Armstrong added.
 
Other West Hills scoring:  Matt Sutton 6, Miles Pivonka 4, Tim Nowlin 4, Staback 2, E.J. Brown 2.
 
EL CAJON VALLEY 48,  SWEETWATER 47 - CHRIS REYNOLDS⤙ steal and  lay-up in the final seconds of Monday's (Dec. 27) opening round of the Granite Hills Holiday Classic gave the Braves a stellar come-from-behind victory over the Red Devils.
 
"We had two weeks off and came out flat and sloppy," said Braves coach NATE REED.
 
Things changed when the game was on the line.
 
With Sweetwater sitting on a four-point lead with 10 seconds remaining, DORI LARAMORE sank a 3-ball for the Braves. After Reynolds stung the Devils a second time, Sweetwater missed a shot at victory with 2:5 seconds left.
 
"My philosophy is, it's how you play the game," El Cajon Valley coach NATE REED said. "That's what matters. Not how the other team plays."
 
Steady FRANK COLLINS collected 16 points and 13 rebounds for the Braves (3-7), who have won two of their last three. Reynolds finished with a season-best 15 points, while SHANE MYERS yanked down 12 rebounds and STEPHON STAFFORD claimed 7 boards.
 
Other El Cajon Valley scoring:  Laramore 9, Myers 4, Nate Schad 4.
 
GRANITE HILLS 75,  CALEXICO 51 - Junior NICK TAYLOR scored 14 points in the 1st period as the host Eagles gained a 27-6 edge and rambled on to a 1st round romp over the Bulldogs in Monday's (Dec. 27) opening round of the Granite Hills Holiday Classic.
 
Taylor finished with 19 points and 4 steals, while DAVID BAXTER chalked up a season high 20 points (4 treys) and 5 assists. KURTIS SMITH dominated on the boards, collecting 15 caroms in addition to knocking down 14 points in his finest flight as an Eagle.
 
RYAN SNYDER dished off 10 assists, but ended up scoreless. That is a bit surprising, considering he came in averaging 11.9 points per game.
 
"He took only one shot," Granite Hills coach RANDY ANDERSON said. "The 10 assists is great, but Ryan is a shooter and we need him to do that."
 
Other Granite Hills scoring: Justin Villanueva 8, Clark Gordon 4, Wayne Martin 3, Luke Simpson 3, Branden Pride 2, Ricky Peitz 2.
 
GROSSMONT 68,  BRAWLEY 46 - Senior ROBERT GANGE contributed a career high 18 points and pulled down 8 rebounds to support the game-high 24 points and 6 rebounds of  TYLER HAJOSY as the Foothillers (5-5) balanced their season ledger with an easy 1st round win in the Aztec Holiday Invitational Monday (Dec. 27) at Montgomery.
 
"We jumped out early and stayed on top," said Grossmont coach FRANK FOGGIANO.
 
The director of Grossmont's highest point production of the season was four-year senior point guard TYLER BARBOUR, who handed out 10 assists, netted 9 points and logged 3 steals.
 
Other Grossmont scoring:  Casey Rummel 6, Justin Rutherford 4, Daniel Klein 4, Luis Gonzales 2, Dominic Elder 1.
 
HELIX 76,  MAR VISTA 35 - Seems there is no stopping Helix senior guard LANCE HURDLE. As they say, he can do it all, including lay down some fancy dunks. Hurdle and the Highlanders ran roughshod over the outmanned Mariners in Monday's (Dec. 27) opening round of the Spartan Classic at Chula Vista High.
 
The hustling Hurdle, East County's leading scorer, rustled up 24 points on 11-for-18 shooting from the field to guide the Highlanders (7-2) to the lopsided victory. Hurdle added 10 assists, 9 rebounds and 3 steals to his totals before leaving the floor with one minute left in the 3rd quarter.
 
Senior BRANDON BROWN added a season-high 14 points on 6-for-10 shooting, while junior AARON TINSLEY notched 9 points (4-for-4 free throws) for Helix. CLINTON SHELTON pitched in with 7 points, 7 rebounds and 5 steals.
 
Other Helix scoring:  Greg Harvey 7, Lawrence Hurdle 5, Matt Caldwell 4, Brandon Fountain 2, Joel Aftreth 2, Robert Carter 2.
 
SERRA 75,  VALHALLA 65 - The host Norsemen (3-7) fell behind early and trailed by as many as 17 points in losing to the Conquistadors during Monday's (Dec. 27) 1st round of the Granite Hills Holiday Classic.
 
"We were too soft," Valhalla coach ERIC THOMAS said, referring to a Valhalla defense permitting 64 points per game. "That and they killed us on the boards."
 
KYLE LUHNOW nailed 21 points to lead Valhalla. He netted 8 of the 12 Norsemen markers in the 2nd quarter as they closed the deficit to eight by the break.
 
"It seemed like we'd get a hot guy and then stop throwing the ball to him," Thomas said. "Hard to figure."
 
CONNER RUYERAS added 14 points. PAUL MARTINS had a team-best 5 rebounds, while RONNIE SCHWANDT added 3 assists and 3 rebounds.
 
Other Valhalla scoring:  Schwandt 8, Brett Hansen 7, Chris Zukose 7, Martins 6, Jordan Maitilasso 2.
 
LA MIRADA 72,  MONTE VISTA 69 - The Monarchs missed a chance to send the Mt. Carmel Holiday Hoops Classic contest into overtime when a 3-point shot at the buzzer missed its mark Monday (Dec. 27) at Mt. Carmel.
 
Monte Vista (4-6), which led by seven points in the final quarter, saw the advantage evaporate through a series of costly lapses that allowed the Matadores (7-4) to steal a victory. Poor free throwing (1-for-5 in the 4th period), a missed lay-up, a couple of turnovers helped La Mirada take a three-point edge.
 
The Monarchs received a 25-point, 7-rebound effort from 6-foot-4 senior CLINTON SNYDER.
 
"Clinton is a great kid," Monte Vista coach ZACH PECK said. "But sometimes he believes he has to put on his superman cape and do everything himself."
 
No doubt, Snyder does a lot.
 
So does senior guard BRANDYN HARVEY, who added 23 points, 7 rebounds and 7 assists to the Monte Vista coffers.
 
Freshman guard REMIL LANDRUM tossed in 10 to pace Monte Vista's supporting cast.
 
Nevertheless, it wasn't enough on this afternoon.
 
Senior forward Johnny Oronoz scored a season-high 39 points to pace the Matadores. It was his fourth game of scoring 30 or more, as he canned six 3-pointers and clicked on 7 of 9 free throws.
 
Other Monte Vista scoring: Chris Humphries 4, Trevor Peck 3, Ryan Slade 2, Allan Watson 2.
 
SONORA 67,  EL CAPITAN 43 - Junior CORY BROWN enjoyed another impressive outing in Monday's (Dec. 27) Mt. Carmel Holiday Hoops Classic
opener, but his teammates offered little support as the Vaqueros fell to Sonora.
 
Brown also roped in 15 rebounds, blocked 5 shots and made 2 steals for El Capitan (3-7).
 
Other El Capitan scoring: David Reeder 9, Daniel Krueger 7, Jason Ziegler 2, Ray Harris 1.
 
EASTLAKE 73,  CHRISTIAN 38 - Defending Mesa League-champion Eastlake (7-2), a Division I school with an enrollment of 2,133 (in grades 10 through 12), was too much for the Division IV Patriots in Monday's (Dec. 27) opening round of the Granite Hills Holiday Classic.
 
The Patriots (5-5) fell behind 23-9 in the 1st quarter and never recovered. DEREK LARSON led Christian (enrollment 316) with 17 points.
 
Other Christian scoring: Wayne Richards 9, C.J. Schroeder 8, Andrew Criswell 4.
(12-27-04)

Valhalla's Kyle Luhnow (12) scored a career-high 30 points as the Norsemen defeated Mount Miguel on Wednesday in Grossmont Winter Classic action. (Photo by Travis Downs)

Undefeated Cougars take top-ranked act to Nike Prep Classic
EastCountySports.com
 
EL CAJON - The undefeated Steele Canyon Cougars will get a chance to test their mettle against some of the top teams in the nation at the Torrey Pines Nike Holiday Prep Classic, which tips off on Monday (Dec. 27). Coach BRAD LEAF's Cougars (6-0) are matched against Newark Memorial (8-1) of the San Francisco Bay Area at 8:30 p.m. in the Torrey Pines gym.
 
Newark Memorial features 6-foot-6 forward Kyle Spain, who will play at San Diego State University next season. Spain is an excellent 3-point shooter who is averaging close to 25 points per game.
 
As usual, the 41-team Nike Prep Holiday Classic brings together a quality field - perhaps the best in the nation.
 
At the top of the list is the nation's No. 1-ranked team St. Anthony of Jersey City, N.J. The Friars, who finished 30-0 a year ago, feature four NCAA Division I recruits.
 
St. Anthony is also a six-time champion at this event, which includes other quality quintets such as El Toro, Los Angeles Fremont, Fresno's San Joaquin Memorial, Long Beach Poly, Temescal Canyon, and Concord De La Salle.
 
In other tournaments involving East County teams, Helix (6-2) looms as the favorite in the 2004 Spartan Classic at Chula Vista High while Monte Vista and El Capitan figure to be challenged in the 19th annual Mt. Carmel Holiday Hoops Classic.
 
Elsewhere, Santana (6-3) could rate as a favorite in the Granite Hills Holiday Classic if the Sultans can handle the San Pedro Pirates from the CIF Southern Section in Monday's (Dec. 27) opener at 10:40 a.m. at Granite Hills. Valhalla, Christian, El Cajon Valley and host Granite Hills are also in this 16-team field.
 
Rounding out the holiday faire is the 22nd annual Aztec Holiday Invitational at Montgomery. Local squads competing in this four-day event are West Hills and Grossmont. The early favorite is Hilltop.
 
EL CAPITAN 54, MT. CARMEL 37 - With both a pool play bracket and a knockout phase, the 16th annual Sweetwater-Lions Club Holiday Prep Classic opened the eyes of many El Capitan players on the different variations opponents can throw at them.
 
"We played teams that ran lots of different zones and presses," noted Vaqueros coach ROSS FURROW.
 
On Wednesday (Dec. 23), opposing Mt. Carmel tried quite a few combinations, yet none ever proved to be too effective, as El Capitan (3-6) took the seventh-place contest by halting a Sundevils uprising, 54-37, at Sweetwater High.
 
Vaqueros guard JASON ZIEGLER came off the bench to spark the press break, making three sparkling passes for layins as El Capitan won the third quarter by a 17-4 margin, busting loose to a 45-27 lead entering the final period.
 
Ziegler also nailed 3-of-4 jumpers for six points, as the Vaqueros broke open a 32-27 ballgame by running off the final 13 straight points of the period.
 
Center CORY BROWN was matched against the Sundevils' own underclass big man, so while the two offset each other in the battle for rebounds, TYLER HILL and DANIEL KRUEGER made up the slack for the Vaqueros with six boards each.
 
Trailing just 28-23 at the half, Mt. Carmel elected to press the Vaqueros following the break. The strategy backfired, as DAVID REEDER burned the Sundevils with an early layin off a Hill pass, then sank a soft jumper off a Ziegler feed for four of his 9 points.
 
In between, Hill took a page from Brown's personal playbook with a dramatic shot block underneath, as El Cap limited the Devils to just four points in the period.
 
Brown paced El Cap (3-6) with 18 points, 11 boards and four blocks, including another string of 3 straight blocks on the opponent's same possession, the second time in the event he demonstrated his upside potential on the defensive side of the court.
 
El Capitan shot 50 percent from the field (21-42), led by Brown's 8-for-13 accuracy against Mt. Carmel (1-8).
 
Other El Capitan scoring: Jason Ziegler 6, Hill 5, Josh Ziegler 3, Ray Harris 1.
 
WEST HILLS 49, SWEETWATER 44 - The injury-riddled Wolf Pack snapped a five-game losing streak in Thursday's (Dec. 23) final round of the Sweetwater Lions Holiday Classic.
 
Senior RYAN SHUMAKER, a 6-foot-6, 280-pound post player, scored a season high 24 points to pace the Pack (3-5).
 
"Given our short-handed situation, we need a lot of  'Shu' touches now," West Hills coach JEFF ARMSTRONG said. "We did a better job of getting him the ball and he did a better job of shooting." That includes 6-for-6 free throw shooting.
 
Five players are out with injuries - four of them starters,
 
"We don't figure to get many of them back any time soon," Armstrong admitted. "It's not very fun for us right now, but it's a challenge we have to face. I think the kids we have are getting a lot of minutes that should benefit us down the road."
 
Other West Hills scoring: E.J. Brown 8, Peter Gilson 8, Philip Staback 3, Tim Nowlin 2, Troy Nowlin 2, Matt Sutton 2.
(12-23-04)

Luhnow goes for 30 points in Valhalla overtime win over Vista
EastCountySports.com
 
EL CAJON - KYLE LUHNOW was sizzling hot with his shooting, nailing 13 of 17 shots from the field en route to a career-high 30-point scoring burst to carry the Valhalla Norsemen to an 81-69 overtime victory over the Vista Panthers in Wednesday's (Dec. 22) Grossmont Winter Classic consolation finale.
 
Luhnow, who also garnered 9 rebounds and netted 4 of 6 free throws, was supported by the career-best 21 points of senior guard VINCE HOUSTON.
 
"They played us man in the first half, then switched to zone to slow the game down," said Valhalla coach ERIC THOMAS. "We tried to give the game away but we battled back."
 
The Norsemen (3-6) outscored the Panthers 17-5 in the four-minute extra frame to secure the victory.
 
Valhalla shot 58.5 percent from the field (31 of 53) and nailed 18 of 26 free throws for the win.
 
Houston completed his effort with 5 rebounds and 3 steals, while PAUL MARTINS added 10 points and 5 rebounds.
 
Valhalla scoring: Conner Ruyeras 9, Ronnie Schwandt 7, Jordan Maitilasso 4.
 
GRANITE HILLS 61,  MOUNT MIGUEL 43 - In a battle of Grossmont South League rivals, the Eagles snapped a four-game losing streak on Wednesday (Dec. 22) thanks to a 23-point scoring effort by NICK TAYLOR.
 
Taylor, a 6-foot-2 junior guard, connected on 9 of 15 shots from the field, including four three-pointers.
 
"We played them once in the summer and once in the fall, so we were familiar with them," said Granite Hills coach RANDY ANDERSON. "I really didn't want to play someone from our (Grossmont South) League, but I'm happy for our team because we needed the win."
 
DAVID BAXTER added 11 points, while KURTIS SMITH collected 8 points and 10 rebounds for Granite Hills (4-4).
 
The Eagles' RYAN SNYDER, known mostly for his long distance shooting, took a more conservative approach with 6 points, 6 assists and 7 rebounds.
 
Six-foot-6 junior center CLARK GORDON blocked 4 shots, hauled down 8 rebounds and tossed in 6 points.

"He was a demon on the boards," Anderson said.
 
But it was the total cohesiveness that made the Eagles click.
 
"We ran our offense real well, were able to get some good, open shots," Anderson said. "Taylor had a great game and Snyder did a good job getting him the ball."
 
Gordon's presence in the middle was a plus for Granite Hills.
 
"Mount Miguel spent most of the game penetrating, so Gordon was set up to block shots," Anderson noted.
 
The Matadors (2-7) were pinned with their fourth straight loss.
 
"We tried to do more trapping, got some stops early, but they got too many second chances," said Mount Miguel coach MIKE GOLOVKO.
 
"I thought we had better shots today than yesterday, they just wouldn't go in," Golovko said. "I thought the team played hard and did OK, and we defended well."
 
Still, it was not good enough for the slumping Matadors, who were paced by DEVIYON CARTER's career high 18 points.
 
Other Granite Hills scoring: Gordon 6, Snyder 6, Rickey Peitz 5, Branden Pride 2.
 
Other Mount Miguel scoring:  Karlin Stewart 7, Bud Newborn 4, Jonathan Holmes 4, Michael Love 4,  Donnie Hiebing 3, Warren Thodile 3.
 
SANTANA 61,  VALLEY CENTER 56 (OT) - It's beginning to look a lot like Santana as the favorite in the race for the Grossmont North League championship.
 
RICKY MICHELMORE scored a season high 24 points to snap a two-game Santana losing streak and stretch the Sultans' overall record to 6-3.
 
The Sultans had two chances to beat the Jaguars in regulation. TAI PURPERO missed his opportunity to make Santana a winner when he failed to connect on two charity shots. Then it was JON HERNANDEZ's shot at the heroes' role, only he missed two tosses from the foul line.
 
Michelmore, who also netted 10 of 11 free throws, made 6 steals and grabbed 7 rebounds, scored 5 points in overtime to lift Santana to the victory.
 
BILLY WICKENS claimed 12 rebounds and tallied 8 points for Santana.

Other Santana scoring:  Purpero 8, Jon Corbisez 4, Brooks Bass 2, Brian Bailey 2.
 
MONTE VISTA 73,  LAS VEGAS CIMARRON 55 - The Monarchs were so elated by their performance in Wednesday's (Dec. 22) final round of consolation play in the Grossmont Winter Classic, that they put on an unscheduled dunking exhibition at Grossmont High.
 
While the crowd enjoyed the antics of BRANDYN HARVEY and CLINTON SNYDER, Monte Vista's ZACH PECK was not in the mood to judge the style of the exhibitionists in terms of a 1-to-10 score. Forget the style points. Peck was not impressed by his athletes' extra-curricular efforts.
 
"I didn't appreciate that showboat stuff when we had the kind of lead we did," Peck said. "But I realize that Harvey is an excellent athlete and Snyder is the kind a kid you get to coach once in a lifetime. I just need them to follow our game plan."
 
Harvey, a 6-foot-3 senior forward, hammered in 9 of 14 shots from the field and 7 of 10 free throws for a game high 25 points. He also handed out 6 scoring passes.
 
The Stanford-bound Snyder swished 14 points and cleared 11 rebounds.
 
"This was a good tournament for us in that we went 3-1," Peck said.
 
Other Monte Vista scoring: Trevor Peck 11, Chris Humphries 6, Ryan Slade 6, David Murguia 5, Ian Croft 4, Allan Watson 2.
 
OCEANSIDE 60,  WEST HILLS 48 - After a flashy 2-0 start to the season, which included a four-point win over highly regard Horizon, West Hills has skidded to five consecutive losses with a trail of injuries left in its wake.
 
RYAN SHUMAKER muscled in 18 points and E.J. BROWN scored a career high 13 points for West Hills (2-5).
 
"It was a pretty close game," said West Hills coach JEFF ARMSTRONG of the Pack's loss to Oceanside. "We outscored them 16-9 in the 4th quarter, but we're a little outmatched right now, with four starters out."
 
KYLE HAMANN may have a fractured ankle but Armstrong will know for sure after a medical appointment on Thursday (Dec. 23). NATHAN MUZQUIZ is out with a swollen, sprained ankle, BO HART is relegated to the bench with torn ligaments in his foot, and senior floor leader MATTHEW GILSON is out indefinitely.
 
PHILIP STABACK, up from JV for his first varsity game, played 30 of the 32 minutes. MATTHEW SUTTON played 27 minutes.
 
"We played all seven (healthy) guys, and all seven scored," said Armstrong. "The kids are playing extra hard through all this and I'm really happy with the effort they are giving us. We only have two guards and we have got to learn to win with this group. It's an opportunity for more kids to get minutes."
 
Other West Hills scoring: Sutton 7, Staback 4, Troy Nowlin 2, Peter Gilson 2, Miles Pivonka 2.
 
CARLSBAD 62, EL CAPITAN 57 - The Vaqueros followed a similar script as they had earlier in Sweetwater Lions Tournament contests, starting out slowly before roaring back in the second half. But Wednesday's (Dec. 22) game with the Lancers took an unfortunate twist.
 
After transforming a 24-16 halftime deficit into a 50-45 lead with three minutes remaining, El Capitan hit a wall by forcing poor shots early or simply turning the ball over down the stretch. Carlsbad closed the ballgame on a 17-7 run by making 7-of-9 shots to stun the Vaqueros.
 
Included was a steal and breakway layin by Thomas Kearns to take a 52-50 lead with 2:04 left, then Chris Kirk buried a 3-ball to mount a 5-point lead.
 
Senior guard DAVID REEDER single-handedly carried the Vaqueros (2-6) throughout the contest, collecting a season-high 20 points and passing for three assists. Reeder connected on 8 of 15 shots from the floor and all four free throws.
 
CORY BROWN and DANIEL KRUEGER each added 13 points, but both missed three shots in the waning moments.
 
Brown finished with 8 rebounds and 8 blocked shots, including a sequence of three consecutive rejections in a 5-second span of the 4th period when Carlsbad (4-3) forced the ball inside.
 
Other El Capitan scoring: Tyler Hill 3, Josh Ziegler 2, Jason Ziegler 2, Ray Harris 2, Nick Murico 2.
 
RAMONA 59,  GROSSMONT 41 - TYLER HAJOSY scored a career-high 27 points - hitting a handful (5) of 3-pointers in the process - but the Foothillers went flat otherwise as they fell to the visiting Bulldogs in Wednesday's (Dec. 22) consolation championship of the Grossmont Winter Classic.
 
Hajosy, a senior guard, has scored 51 points in his last two starts.
 
"Tyler is a great scorer, but he disappears like Casper the ghost when we need him most," said Grossmont coach FRANK FOGGIANO.
 
With Grossmont lagging 32-24 entering the third quarter, the Foothillers were outscored 14-6 as Hajosy drew blanks.
 
Other Grossmont scoring: Justin Rutherford 5,  Dane Jensen 4, Tyler Barbour 3, Robert Gange 2.
 
CALEXICO 58,  CHRISTIAN 52 - When you began the season as a team ticketed for a year of futility, rarely would you be considered a favorite. Christian High, which has surprised the experts with a promising start, could have been rated the better team when the Patriots engaged the Bulldogs in Wednesday's (Dec. 22) consolation finale of the Otay Ranch Holiday Festival.
 
Poor shooting by the Patriots and clutch free-throw shooting by Calexico cost Christian a game it could have won.
 
"Turnovers killed us (20)," lamented Christian coach KEN BAILEY. "(Calexico) is a scrappy team that plays hard. They like to push the ball."
 
The Bulldogs (3-6) pushed the Patriots (5-4) over the edge with a 17-8 burst in the second quarter.
 
Nevertheless, the Patriots still had chances to pull out a victory. Trailing 56-53, Christian's hot-handed DEREK LARSON missed a 3-pointer with 11 seconds to play.
 
The Patriots fouled with six seconds left ands the Bulldogs clinched the victory by sinking a pair of free throws.
 
Other Christian scoring:  Wayne Richards 17, Blaine Fodor 10, C.J. Schroeder 6, Larsen 6, Jon Fuller 5, Grant Mills 4, Lawrence Walker 4, Andrew Criswell 1.
(12-22-04)

Vaqueros overcome slow start to push past Oceanside
EastCountySports.com
 
NATIONAL CITY -- Seconds following an early, 1st period timeout, El Capitan coach ROSS FURROW, flabbergasted when nothing changed on the court, signaled for yet another timeout. "Thirty seconds or a full (timeout)?" asked the referee. "I want 10 minutes," Furrow retorted, who went on to re-explain to his troops the changes he sought after the sputtering Vaqueros managed a mere two points in the opening four minutes against winless Oceanside.
 
Although the Pirates' lead reached 7 points, the Vaqueros seemed to grasp the gist of Furrow's strategy. El Capitan closed the half on a 10-4 run, then busted out of the gates in the second half with an 11-2 scoring spree and continued on for a 51-42 triumph over Oceanside in Tuesday's (Dec. 21) 16th annual Sweetwater-Lions Club Holiday Prep Classic.
 
"We were forcing the ball -- that's what the timeouts were all about," added Furrow. "Most of it was our offensive execution.  We weren't running our stuff. But towards the end of the first half, we were getting outside shots because we got the ball underneath."
 
The recipient inside was junior center CORY BROWN, who collected 18 points and 19 rebounds -- including 14 boards in the second half -- to pace both teams.
 
However, igniting the initial rally was guard DAVID REEDER, who nailed a jumper, stole the ball for a breakaway layin, then fed the ball to DANIEL KRUEGER for a 3-point-play to move the Vaqueros to within 27-25 at the midway mark.
 
"David played real well for us," noted Furrow. "Our guards can be out of control at times, so we want them to tone it down just a touch or else bad things will happen."
 
And just when the offense started heating up, the play ignited the defense, too. El Capitan limited Oceanside to just 15 points in the second half.
 
The Vaqueros recorded 12 blocks of Pirates shots. Not surprisingly, the 6-foot-7 Brown registered nine of the rejections.
 
When Reeder came up with his own stuff in the third period, then hit the jump shot on the back end of a fast break, El Capitan (2-5) was on its way to snapping a five-game losing streak.
 
Krueger finished with 17 points and 7 rebounds, while Reeder totaled 8 points and 3 assists.
 
Other El Capitan scoring: Jason Ziegler 3, Nick Murico 2, Ray Harris 2, Josh Ziegler 1.
 
MONTE VISTA 60, VALLEY CENTER 48 - Monte Vista senior CLINTON SNYDER and the Monarchs were denied a shot at the San Diego CIF Division III football championship by these Jaguars nearly three weeks ago.
 
Snyder helped Monte Vista gain a bit of revenge Tuesday (Dec. 21), stuffing in 23 points and grabbing 10 rebounds as the Monarchs improved to 3-5 and qualified for the fifth place in the Grossmont Winter Classic.
 
The Stanford-bound Snyder scored 13 of his points during the second half when the Monarchs (3-5) outscored the Jaguars 33-15 to wipe out a six-point halftime deficit.
 
Valley Center (1-7) might have made a serious run at the Monarchs had the Jaguars not turned the ball over eight times and missed 7 of their 8 shots from the floor in the final period.
 
Guard BRANDYN HARVEY, a senior receiver on the Monte Vista football team, added 12 points, 11 rebounds, 3 assists and 3 steals for the Monarchs.
 
Other Monte Vista scoring: Allan Watson 8, Ryan Slade 6, Trevor Peck 5, Ian Croft 2, David Murguia 2, Chris Humphries 2.
 
GROSSMONT 45,  VISTA 42 - Senior guard TYLER HAJOSY scored a season-high 24 points and raked in 8 rebounds to lead the Foothillers past the visiting Panthers in Tuesday's (Dec. 21) Grossmont Winter Classic action.
 
"It was a very physical game, but we handled being physical," said Grossmont coach FRANK FOGGIANO. â¤We had a chance to put them away, had a decent lead then went 3-for-10 on free throws in the 4th quarter. We let them back in the game."
 
Sophomore JUSTIN RUTHERFORD chipped in with 11 points and 10 rebounds for the Foothillers (4-4) who have won three of their last four.
 
TYLER BARBOUR chipped in with 6 assists, 3 steals and 7 points for Grossmont, which led 48-37 after three quarters.
 
Other Grossmont scoring: Luis Gonzales 2, Trevor Thomas 1.
 
CARLSBAD 58, WEST HILLS 53 - The Wolf Pack, which began the season with 12 players, opened the day with only eight active players. By the time the night ended in the Sweetwater-Lions Club tournament contest, the Pack's roster had shrunk to six in Tuesday's (Dec. 21) action.
 
Nevertheless, West Hills came close to erasing a 15-point deficit before falling to the Lancers.
 
Guard E.J. BROWN will be back; he only fouled out in the third quarter with the Wolf Pack trailing, 49-34. But with the only legitimate speed option on the bench, West Hills began an improbable rally, moving to within 55-53 with 10.9 seconds to play, then getting a chance to force overtime when Carlsbad made only one foul shot with 7.3 left on the clock.
 
"I'm really proud of the kids, because we were in a situation where we could've rolled over," said coach JEFF ARMSTRONG. "But we got it down there to two or three points and had the ball."
 
However, pressure on the ball while attempting to advance out of the backcourt forced a turnover, as the Lancers finally escaped with a win.
 
"Our guys showed a lot of heart," added Armstrong. "But now we have another injury, so we'll have to deal with it, too."
 
After losing two players in the team's first contest at Sweetwater High, the Pack now will face the immediate future without guard KYLE HAMANN, who rolled an ankle on a drive to the basket for a layin with 1:20 left, cutting the margin to 55-51. Bench personnel demanded a foul for a Lancers defender cutting under Hamann, causing the collision and the injury, but the officials ruled a no-call.
 
Meanwhile, West Hills got the ball inside to center RYAN SHUMAKER, who scored 13 of his game-high 22 points in the second half. Shumaker also collected 15 rebounds and blocked five shots.
 
Other West Hills scoring: Hamann 12, Peter Gilson 7, Nathan Muzquiz 6, Brown 3, Matt Sutton 2, Troy Nowlin 1.
 
RAMONA 59,  VALHALLA 57 - ERIC THOMAS believes his Norsemen should much better than their 2-6 record.
 
"We've lost four games in which we had the lead in the last two minutes," Thomas said.
 
Valhalla was up 29-22 in the 2nd quarter and maintained a 47-40 advantage in the 3rd quarter.
 
Ramona ripped off a 15-10 scoring edge in the final eight minutes to stick the Norsemen with the Grossmont Winter Classic defeat on Tuesday (Dec. 21).
 
"We blew a game we should have won," Thomas said. â¤We're not learning as fast as we should be. We had a chance to put them away but failed to do so."
 
On the bright side, CONNER RUYERAS continued to provide Valhalla with plenty of scoring punch. The 6-foot senior forward rang up a career high 24 points in the loss to Ramona and has cashed in 45 points in two games this week.
 
KYLE LUHNOW contributed 8 rebounds, 5 assists and 3steals to go along with 6 points for the Norsemen.
 
"It was a run-and-gun game," Thomas noted.
 
Casey Hight hammered down 26 points to lead the Bulldogs.
 
Other Valhalla scoring: Vince Houston 14 (3 steals), Ronnie Schwandt 7, Luhnow 6, Paul Martins 3, Nasheel Raja 2, Jordan Maitilasso 1.
 
CHRISTIAN 48,  IMPERIAL 44 - A 12-2 third quarter run proved to be the difference as the Patriots (5-3) tamed the Tigers of Imperial in Tuesday's (Dec. 21) second round of the Otay Ranch Holiday Invitational.
 
"Our pressure bothered them," said Christian coach KEN BAILEY. "Our full press was important in the 3rd quarter. We came out of zone and played hard man."
 
Hot-handed DEREK LARSON paced the Pats with 21 points and 5 steals.
 
"This was a great win for us, the kids were really happy," said Bailey. "We need to cut down our turnovers and I think we'll be a good team."
 
The Patriots played the last six minutes without the services of junior point guard WAYNE RICHARDS, who fouled out, but not before he tossed in 8 points.
 
Other Christian scoring:, Blaine Fodor 9, C.J. Schroeder 4, Andrew Criswell 4, Lawrence Walker 2.
 
LAS VEGAS CIMARRON 71,  SANTANA 62 - Trailing only 33-32 at the half, the Santana Sultans appeared to have a shot at knocking off the No. 9-ranked team in Nevada during Tuesday's (Dec. 21) Grossmont Winter Classic action.
 
Santana (5-3) fell back by 19 points early in the 4th quarter, but then went on a 12-0 run to cut the deficit to seven.
 
"We shot OK but missed some easy shots late in the game," said Santana coach TIM BARRY.
 
RICKY MICHELMORE turned in a season-best double-double, chipping in 23 points and grabbing 13 rebounds.
 
"Michelmore's complete game has been impressive," said Barry. "He has become a leader, has shown a ton of maturity."
 
Other Santana scoring: Tai Purpero 7, Brooks Bass 7, Garrett Happ 6, Brian Bailey 6, Jonathan Hernandez 5, Jon Corbisez 4, Billy Wickens 4.
 
MISSION HILLS 42,  MOUNT MIGUEL 36 - The struggling Matadors suffered their 3rd consecutive loss in the Grossmont Winter Classic Tuesday (Dec. 21), tumbling to coach CURTIS HOFMEISTER's Grizzlies of Mission Hills.
 
Mount Miguel's problem? Little to no offense.
 
"It's a mental thing, lack of experience," said Matadors coach MIKE GOLOVKO, commenting on the Matadors' 28 percent shooting (14-for-50) from the field. "If we shoot better, we win. We played good defensively to get back in the game."
 
Indeed. Mount Miguel (2-6) clawed back from an 18-9 first quarter deficit only to lose connection in the 3rd period. The Grizzlies limited the Matadors to one point during that 8-minute period.
 
"I don't know what happened in the 3rd quarter," Golovko said. "We're playing hard but we just can't get over the hump."
 
BUD NEWBORN was Mount Miguel's main man with 11 points, 5 steals and 4 rebounds.
 
Other Mount Miguel scoring:, Eddie DeArcos 8, Deviyon Carter 6, Nick Campbell 4, Donnie Hiebing 3, Karlin Stewart 3, Jonathan Holmes 1.
 
CLAIREMONT 40, GRANITE HILLS 37 - Cold shooting continued to plague the Granite Hills Eagles who suffered their 4th straight loss after opening the season 3-0.
 
Clairemont took the lead with two minutes to play and the Eagles missed a chance to force overtime when a 3-ball missed its mark with 0:05 remaining.
 
"We tried to be a lot more patient, but we missed too many shots," said Eagles coach RANDY ANDERSON, whose team shot a paltry 29 percent from the field. "We played a great defensive game."
 
Nobody reached double scoring digits for the Eagles, who got three steals apiece from BRANDEN PRIDE and NICK TAYLOR.
 
CLARK GORDON led the Granite Hills board brigade with 11 rebounds.
 
Other Granite Hills scoring:  Ryan Snyder 8, David Baxter 8, Taylor 6, Gordon 6, Kurtis Smith 4, Pride 3, Ricky Peitz 2.
(12-21-04)

Young Foothillers have the long-ball edge to down Eagles
EastCountySports.com
 
EL CAJON - In a battle of two teams with green talent and high aspirations, the host Grossmont Foothillers flew past the Granite Hills Eagles 63-50 in round two of Monday's (Dec. 20) Grossmont Christmas Classic.
 
Senior TYLER HAJOSY scored a season-high 22 points and CASEY RUMMEL and JUSTIN RUTHERFORD tossed in 12 points apiece for the Foothillers (3-4).
 
All of Rummel's points came from above the arc, including a trio of 3-pointers in the 1st quarter that propelled Grossmont into an 18-6 advantage it wouldn't lose.
 
While pleased by his team's offensive surge, Grossmont coach FRANK FOGGIANO wanted to talk about the Foothillers' defense.
 
"That's where the game is won," Foggiano said. "We played steady, aggressive man defense and rebounded very well."
 
Granite Hills coach RANDY ANDERSON agreed that the Hillers dominated on the glass.
 
"They beat us 39-25 on the boards," Anderson noted.
 
Even more aggravating to the Eagles (3-3) was Grossmont (3-4) edged the Granite Hills "Long Rangers" 6-4 in three-point buckets.
 
"Hajosy just killed us," Anderson said.
 
It had to be humiliating for Granite Hills to watch Grossmont gain the scoring edge in 3-point shooting.
 
"We fell behind early again," said Anderson. "It's tough battling back all the time."
 
The Eagles, who have suddenly lost three in a row, shot a paltry 35 percent from the field overall.
 
Other Grossmont scoring: Tyler Barbour 7, Robert Gange 6, Luis Gonzales 4.
 
Other Granite Hills scoring:  Ryan Snyder 16, Nick Taylor 12, David Baxter 8, Kurtis Smith 5, Justin Villanueva 4, Clark Gordon 3, Branden Pride 2.
 
ST. AUGUSTINE 58,  SANTANA 39 - In one of their biggest tests to date, the Sultans failed to garner a passing grade in Wednesday's (Dec. 20) Grossmont Winter Classic.
 
There are those who believe St. Augustine (8-0) to be one of the strongest teams in the San Diego CIF. Add the Sultans (5-2) to the list of believers.
 
Santana matched buckets at the outset, but the Saints broke a 10-10 tie by scoring the final 10 points of the quarter.
 
"We just didn't shoot very well," said Santana coach TIM BARRY.
 
RICKY MICHELMORE enjoyed a double-double of 11 points and 10 rebounds for Santana.
 
Other Santana scoring:  Jonathan Hernandez 7, Brooks Bass 6, Brian Bailey 5, Billy Wickens 4, Tai Purpero 4, Luke Eisele 1, Jeremy Patterson 1.
 
VALHALLA 72,  MISSION HILLS 66 - The Norsemen found some much needed scoring muscle from VINCE HOUSTON and CONNER RUYERAS Monday (Dec. 20) as Valhalla vanquished Mission Hills in a free-wheeling Grossmont Winter Classic contest.
 
Houston, a 5-foot-9 senior guard, scored a career high 23 points while recording 4 steals. Senior forward Ruyeras added 21 points and 3 steals, while PAUL MARTINS netted 12 points and snared 5 rebounds). KYLE LUHNOW chipped in 11 points and 10 rebounds.
 
"We made a lot of free throws (13-of-17) and 13-of-22 field goals in the second half," said Valhalla coach ERIC THOMAS. "Every time they did something, we were able to effectively counteract them."
 
Valhalla also hit 3 of 6 treys, with PAUL MARTINS accounting for two threes in the second half.
 
"We played pretty smart ball," a pleased Thomas said.
 
Other Valhalla scoring:  Ronnie Schwandt 4, Jordan Maitilasso 1.
 
UNIVERSITY CITY 56,  WEST HILLS 40 - The depleted Wolf Pack, missing three players that either start or contribute important minutes off the bench, hung tough for a half before the Centurions pulled away with a victory to clinch their pool in the Lions Club tournament at Sweetwater. Junior guard Danny Creagh paced UC (7-2) with 19 points and five assists.

KYLE HAMANN, receiving a rare start due to the injury bug, scored 10 of his career-high 19 points in the 2nd half. However, the Centurions' defense disrupted West Hills so much that the rest of the team managed just eight points combined following halftime.

"We'll just have to work through the injuries and see what happens," noted West Hills coach JEFF ARMSTRONG. "There's not much we can do about it, but it does give other guys a chance to play and contribute."

The key injury is to senior floor leader MATTHEW GILSON, who has already sat out 10 days with a hamstring pull. Then in the opening day of this tournament, BO HART (ankle) and QUENTIN LONDON (knee) were lost. All three will remain absent for the balance of the event and even into the Grossmont Conference crossover series in January.

Senior center RYAN SHUMAKER kept the Pack close early on, grabbing nine of his 14 rebounds in the 1st half. Shumaker also scored nine points, while Hamann nailed a trio of 3-balls to stay within 27-22 at intermission.

Other West Hills scoring: Peter Gilson 5, Nathan Muzquiz 4, Matt Sutton 3.

KEARNY 67,  EL CAPITAN 56 - Kearny guard Brandon Desing defused a Vaqueros rally in the second half by draining five straight shots from the baseline as part of his team-high 20 points, allowing the Komets to capture their pool at the 16th annual Sweetwater-Lions Club Holiday Prep Classic.
 
Among Desing's shots were four 3-point goals from behind El Capitan's zone after the lead was cut to eight.

El Capitan center CORY BROWN collected game-highs of 24 points and four blocked shots, but poor ball-handling by the Vaqueros and lack of team rebounding sent them into an 11-point hole late in the 1st period.

"Too many turnovers and not enough rebounding killed us in the first half," said veteran El Capitan coach ROSS FURROW, whose team held the short end of an 11-3 rebounding margin at quarter's end to trail 20-11. "Then we got back into it with our zone before they found the spot to beat it."

The Vaqueros (1-5) also received nine points each from NICK MURICO, DANIEL KRUEGER and DAVID REEDER, but the team shot just 17 percent from beyond the arc in an attempt to rally.

Trailing 37-20 at intermission, El Capitan came buzzing out of the locker room, as Brown converted four straight shots, including a layin off a Krueger pass, then a 3-point bomb to cut the margin to 53-45.
 
That's as close as the Vaqueros would get.

Other El Capitan scoring: Ray Harris 4, Josh Ziegler 1.
 
SANTA FE CHRISTIAN 66,  MONTE VISTA 53 - Although senior BRANDYN HARVEY enjoyed the finest scoring night of his career Monday (Dec.20), the Monarchs still came up short against Santa Fe Christian in the second round of the Grossmont Winter Classic.
 
Harvey, a 6-foot-3 guard, popped in 25 points and grabbed 5 rebounds to pace the Monarchs (2-5). But SFC (5-1) dominated the middle two quarters 36-20, helped significantly by the absence of Monte Vista center CLINTON SNYDER, who was in early foul trouble and then drew a second quarter technical foul that earned him a seat on the bench for the entire second half.
 
Snyder, who finished with 4 points and 5 rebounds, figured he played "about five minutes total."
 
Other Monte Vista scoring: Chris Humphries 6, Ryan Slade 6, Ian Croft 5, Clinton Snyder 4, Allan Watson 4, Trevor Peck 3.
 
FOSHAY 67,  CHRISTIAN 46 - Off to a surprisingly stout start, the Patriots couldn't make it out of second gear in Monday's (Dec. 20) opening round of the Otay Ranch Holiday Invitational.
 
Foshay raced to a 20-9 lead and never looked back, outscoring the Patriots in each of the four quarters.
 
"They got off to an early lead, pressured us early, and we did not handle it well," said Christian coach KEN BAILEY. "They took us out of what we wanted to do."
 
Foshay dominated the boards, claiming a 42-28 advantage that included a 21-9 edge on the offensive glass.
 
"We gave them too many second-chance points," Bailey admitted.
 
DEREK LARSON and WAYNE RICHARDS garnered 14 points apiece to lead Christian (4-3).
 
Other Christian scoring: Blaine Fodor 7, Andrew Criswell 6, Grant Mills 2, Kellen Rossitto 2, C.J. Schroeder 1.
 
RAMONA 49,  MOUNT MIGUEL 37 - Ramona's Casey Hight got the best of the Mount Miguel Matadors for the second time in 10 days in Monday's (Dec. 20) second round of the Grossmont Winter Classic.
 
Hight scored a game high 19 points to carry the Bulldogs to their latest conquest. He was Ramona's ticket to victory on Dec. 10 when the Matadors failed to hold a one-point lead in the final 8 seconds.
 
A stunning difference between the two games was Mount Miguel poured in 22 first quarter points in the initial meeting, but netted a meager 3 markers in the rematch.
 
"We played well defensively this time, but we are still having trouble making plays and scoring," Mount Miguel first-year head coach MIKE GOLOVKO said.
 
 DEVIYON CARTER was the lone Matador to reach double figures, finishing with 11 points.
 
Mount Miguel scoring:, Eddie DeArcos 8, Michael Love 8, Bud Newborn 5, John Holmes 5.
(12-20-04)

Shelton is chairman of boards as Highlanders gain consolation at Red Bluff event
EastCountySports.com
 
RED BLUFF - One of JOHN SINGER's primary concerns going into the season was how well his big men would perform. The loss of DAVID JEFFERSON to a foot injury during football season didn't help boost his confidence even though the aforementioned sophomore could return to the team next month. In the meantime, Singer has basically rotated a handful of players inside. Senior CLINTON SHELTON, a 6-foot-5 senior, seems to have earned a spot. Shelton grabbed a season high 17 rebounds and added 11 points Saturday (Dec. 18) as the Highlanders  (6-2) popped Pleasant Valley 65-43 to capture the consolation championship of the Red Bluff Daily News Christmas Classic.
 
Shelton collected 46 caroms in the three games, while chipping in 24 points for the Highlanders.
 
"Clinton is one of our most improved players," said Helix assistant coach ANDY MERIDETH. "He was a force on the boards. He was grabbing everything off the glass, and loose balls, too."

Shelton, who was named to the all-tournament team, also blocked 3 shots in the win over Pleasant Valley.
 
Steady senior guard LANCE HURDLE, an all-tournament pick, scored 29 points, dished off 11 assists and ripped off 7 rebounds.
 
But it was defense that made the Helix coaches smile.
 
"Lance and Clinton make our guys so much more active," Merideth said. "Our on-the-ball defense was solid. And great defense starts out front. We got a lot of easy baskets off our defense."
 
Life wasn't so good for these Vikings from Pleasant Valley (Chico) on this occasion as the Highlanders led by as many as 35 points.
 
Senior GREG HARVEY, another 6-5 post, bounced back from a poor game in the semifinals to contribute 9 points, 8 rebounds and 2 blocks.
 
Other Helix scoring: Lawrence Hurdle 7, Matt Caldwell 4, Brandon Fountain 3, Jericho Toilolo 2.
 
SANTANA 63,  VALHALLA 45 - A two-week layoff didn't seem to hurt the Santana Sultans, who streaked to a 7-0 lead in the opening two minutes of Saturday's (Dec. 18) 1st round of the Grossmont Winter Classic.
 
"We should have buried them right there," Santana coach TIM BARRY said. "But we didn't."
 
The Norsemen (1-5) scrambled back to take an 8-7 edge only to see Santana close the opening quarter with a one-point advantage.
 
Sparked by a 7-point burst from JONATHAN HERNANDEZ in the 2nd quarter, the Sultans regained control by halftime, 27-19.
 
"This was an important win for us as Valhalla is a (San Diego CIF) Division III team like we are," Barry said.
 
Senior BILLY WILKENS bolstered the Santana victory with a nifty double-double of 11 points and 10 rebounds. RICKY MICHELMORE added 10 points and 8 rebounds for the winners.
 
Santana secured its 5th win against a single loss as Hernandez banged in 18 points, secured 8 rebounds, logged 3 assists and made 2 steals.
 
This is Santana's best start since a 6-2 beginning three years ago.
 
"I thought they blew us out the whole game," conceded Valhalla coach ERIC THOMAS. "We came out flat in the 3rd quarter, missed our first three shots â¤" two of them airballs. Then we missed two front ends of a one-and-one."
 
The Norsemen were, in fact, a miserable 2-for-12 from the charity stripe in the middle two quarters and 12-for-25 in the game.
 
"We were off Thursday a week ago and that's too long between games," Thomas admitted. â¤We were very stale at times.â¤?
 
KYLE LUHNOW was the lone Norsemen to reach double scoring digits with 10 points.
 
Other Santana scoring:  Brock Bass 8, Garrett Happ 6, Tai Purpero 6, Brian Bailey 2, Jon Corbisez 2.
 
Other Valhalla scoring:  Conner Ruyeras 8, Brett Hansen 7, Paul Martins 5, Ronnie Schwandt 5, Nasheel Raja 4, Vince Houston 2, James Connelly 2, Jordan Maitilasso 2.
 
MONTE VISTA 51,  CLAIREMONT 47 - Senior CLINTON SNYDER continues to shine for Monte Vista as the Monarchs (2-4) mowed down Clairemont 51-47 in Saturday's (Dec. 18) opening round of Grossmont Winter Classic.
 
The Monarchs' 6-foot-4, 220-pound senior pivot poured in 20 points and snagged 15 rebounds. His totals included 6-for-7 free throw shooting, which is mighty fine accuracy - in fact rare - for Monte Vista's men taking aim from the charity stripe.
 
As a team, the Monarchs cashed in 15 of 21 free throws, but did not do so well from the floor, netting just 17 of 48 shots (.354 percent).
 
BRANDYN HARVEY 12 kept up his consistent scoring, throwing down 12 points for Monte Vista.
 
Kenny Welch rang up a game-high points 22 for Clairemont (3-3).
 
Other Monte Vista scoring: Allan Watson 7, Remil Landrum 6, Trevor Peck 3, Ryan Slade 2, Ian Croft 1.
 
LAS VEGAS CIMARRON MEMORIAL 55,  MOUNT MIGUEL 46 - The Matadors blew a 5-point lead in the final quarter as Nevada's No.8-ranked team upended Mount Miguel in Saturday's (Dec. 18) opening round of the Grossmont Winter Classic
 
Mount Miguel had a 5-point lead entering the 4th quarter. But the Spartans (6-3) outscored the Matadors 22-8 over the final eight minutes.
 
"We just ran out of gas," Mount Miguel lamented MIKE GOLOVKO said. "They are a real good team. Once they got momentum, they forced us to change our defense."
 
Mount Miguel was down two with four minutes to play.
 
"We just couldn't shoot in the 4th quarter," said Golovko.
 
EDDIE DeARCOS was Mount Miguel's main man with 14 points, 5 rebounds and 2 steals. KENNY KEY added 11 points while WARREN THODILE chalked up 10. BUD NEWBORN rolled in 8 points and handed out 4 assists for the Matadors (2-4).
 
Other Mount Miguel scoring: Deviyon Carter 3.
 
SCRIPPS RANCH 50, GRANITE HILLS 41 - It's no secret that the Eagles' success hangs on the 3-point line. When they're hot, they are tough to beat.
 
Granite Hills' long distance shooters drew more iron than net, misfiring on 25 of 33 shots (24.2 percent) and it cost them.
 
Senior guard RYAN SNYDER had the hot hand for the Eagles, hitting 5 of 12 shots from beyond the arc en route to his team high 17 points. He had little help, however, as the birds of a feather failed to flock together.
 
Two 8-0 runs by Scripps Ranch helped the Falcons fly to a 29-17 halftime lead. The Falcons (4-1) enjoyed a 7-0 flight early in the 4th quarter, but Granite Hills continued to hang around at 47-41 with 2 minutes unplayed.
 
"Overall we played well defensively," Granite Hills coach RANDY ANDERSON said. "We just could not convert offensively."
 
NICK SNYDER and CLARK GORDON shared Granite Hills' rebounding highs of 7 apiece. BRANDEN PRIDE and DAVID BAXTER also garnered 4 steals each.
 
Other Granite Hills scoring: Taylor 9, Baxter 5, Gordon 4, Pride 4, Justin Villanueva 2.
 
VALLEY CENTER 46,  GROSSMONT 44 - The flu bug bit the host Grossmont Foothillers and the visiting Jaguars of Valley Center took advantage for an opening round win in Saturday's (Dec. 18) Grossmont Winter Classic.
 
"We had two key players so sick that after they played the first half they had to go home," lamented Grossmontâ's veteran coach FRANK FOGGIANO. "We were already short one of our starters who missed a practice for 'personal reasons.' Even so, I thought the kids we did have put up quite a fight."
 
Grossmont (2-4) trailed by two points, had possession of the ball and the luxury of a last shot with 28 seconds remaining. But a late three-point shot was off the mark.
 
Sophomore JUSTIN RUTHERFORD paced the Foothillers with 10 points and senior CASEY RUMMEL added 9.
 
Other Grossmont scoring: Tyler Barbour 8, Tyler Hajosy 8, Luis Gonzales 5, Robert Gange 2, Trevor Thomas 2.
(12-18-04)

Win over Enterprise a pick-me-up for Highlanders
EastCountySports.com
 
RED BLUFF - The Helix Highlanders flexed their newfound muscle in Friday's (Dec. 17) second round of the Red Bluff Daily News Christmas Classic, dismantling Enterprise of Redding, 62-44.
 
Displaying their finest scoring balance in seven starts, the Highlanders (5-2) dribbled into Saturday's (Dec. 18) consolation championship game opposite powerful Pleasant Valley at 1:30 p.m.
 
"We had to just throw our football players out there on the court and let them use their athleticism," Helix coach JOHN SINGER said. "We picked them up the morning after the football finals, threw them on an airplane and turned them loose without a single day of practice."
 
So far, so good.
 
Senior BRANDON BROWN dropped his shoulder pads and slipped into his sneakers for the second game in a row, contributing 10 points. He matched sophomore LAWRENCE HURDLE for 3-point shooting honors at two apiece.
 
Free safety MATT CALDWELL, although standing only 6-foot-2, produced 11 points and collected 7 caroms in the post against Enterprise.
 
"They've adapted quickly, given us a ton of minutes," Singer said of his gridiron warriors that include quarterback JERICHO TOILOLO. "When we put those guys into the game they change the personality of our team. Matt gives us stability inside and Brandon is a hawk on defense who can give us some points outside."
 
The spearhead of the Helix offense remains senior point guard LANCE HURDLE, who netted 22 points and dished off 10 assists.
 
CLINTON SHELTON added 9 points and a game-high 14 rebounds for the Highlanders. Shelton is the tournament's leading rebounder with 29.
 
Other Helix scoring: Lawrence Hurdle 8, Brandon Fountain 2.
(12-17-04)

Helix loses in OT to top Oregon squad at Red Bluff event

EastCountySports.com

RED BLUFF - Bolstered by the return of three multi-sport football players, the Helix High basketball team was finally at full strength for Thursday's (Dec. 16) opening round of the Red Bluff Daily News Christmas Tournament. And the Highlanders put up a mighty effort against South Medford ­ the No. 2-ranked team in Oregon ­ before succumbing to the Panthers 67-64 in double overtime.

Senior guard LANCE HURDLE rattled in 31 points ­ his 4th scoring burst of 30-plus points ­ but the Highlanders (4-2) still came up short as they were outscored 22-19 in the two 4-minute extra sessions.

While obviously disappointed with the outcome, the Highlanders were pleased by the contributions of football players BRANDON BROWN and MATT CALDWELL.

"We are a whole different team with our football players," Helix assistant coach ANDY MERIDETH said. "Even though we haven't had a chance to have them practice with us, they just walked out on the floor and gave us a lot more intensity."

Brown, a quarterback-wide receiver-defensive back who played in the San Diego CIF Division II championship game on Tuesday (Dec.14), scored 6 points, dished off 2 assists and secured 2 rebounds.

Caldwell, an All-EastCountySports.com first team free safety who made a key interception in the title game with Oceanside, scored 4 points in overtime and totaled 10 rebounds for the evening.

But the outcome of the game boiled down to Lance Hurdle, who made a pair of clutch buckets in the 1st overtime, but failed to nail a 3-pointer in the waning seconds of overtime No. 2.

"Too many turnovers, too many missed free throws," Merideth said. Helix was a paltry 5-for-14 from the foul line.

Lance Hurdle added 5 assists, 3 rebounds and 3 steals to his totals, while sophomore Lawrence Hurdle chipped in 10 points, 6 assists, 6 steals and a pair of caroms.

Helix continues in consolation play on Friday (Dec. 17) against the loser of Lake Oswego (Ore.)-Redding Enterprise at 1 p.m.

Other Helix scoring: Greg Harvey 7, Clinton Shelton 4, Brandon Fountain 2.

(12-16-04)

Early deficit no problem for Patriots against Castle Park
EastCountySports.com
 
EL CAJON - Junior DEREK LARSON banged in 19 points to help Christian High overcome an early 7-point deficit Tuesday (Dec. 14) and then proceed to a 68-53 non-league victory over Castle Park at the Ryan Athletic Center.
 
"We started off slow, down 14-7, then went on a 23-7 run to lead at the half 30-21," said Christian assistant coach BRIAN COX. "We had lots of turnovers early, which led to easy baskets. We're upping the intensity level on both ends of the floor and cutting down on mistakes."
 
Senior WAYNE RICHARDS tossed in a game-high 22 points to help Christian roll  its record to 4-2.
 
"Richards is really playing well, breaking down defense and driving for the basket," said Cox. "Same for Larson, and he's also hitting post shots."
 
Other Christian scoring:  C.J. Schroeder 9, Andrew Criswell 8, Grant Mills 8, Kellen Rossitto 2.
(12-14-04)

Aggressive Cougars not bothered by RB's transition game in tournament final
EastCountySports.com
 
EL CAJON - Don't mess with the Steele Canyon Cougars. Certainly don't challenge them to a game of transition. Bolstered by the finest backcourt tandem in San Diego County, brothers RICHIE and RAYMOND WILLIAMS, the Cougars raced past Rancho Bernardo 74-54 in Monday's (Dec. 13) finals of the Vaquero-Eagle Classic at Granite Hills.
 
Senior RICHIE "Wizard" WILLIAMS whistled in a game-high 24 points - hitting 9 of 11 shots from the field including 3 of 4 from above the arc. The 5-foot-9 point guard also dealt 8 assists, pilfered 8 passes and snagged 6 rebounds.
 
Rancho Bernardo (4-2), which dropped a 66-46 decision to these Cougars last week in North County came out firing. A trio of 3-pointers helped the Broncos gain an early 14-6 advantage. At that point, the Broncos and their fans were no doubt thinking just maybe they could control these Cougars.
 
A change in philosophy and a turned up-tempo revitalized the Cougars (6-0) and baffled the Broncos. Steele Canyon went on a 14-4 scoring burst to buck the Broncos from their early edge 20-18. The lead changed hands twice after that until GEORGE CUNNINGHAM gave the Cougars a 27-26 advantage. Ray Williams followed with a pair of free throws, Cunningham netted another jumper and the younger Williams closed out the half with a bucket and a free throw on separate possessions.
 
Steele Canyon started the 3rd quarter with a 23-4 scoring run ignited by 9-for-10 shooting mostly by the Williams brothers.
 
After that, it was game over.
 
"We just try not to get too big-headed," Richie Williams said of the No. 1-ranked Cougars. "We don't want to look at a team's record and think they're not going to be that good and end up having to struggle."
 
Struggling has not impeded Steele Canyon's progress. Even when the Broncos grabbed the early lead there was no panic around the Cougars' sidelines.
 
"We believe in ourselves and what we know we're capable of doing," Richie Williams said.
 
Steele Canyon led by as much as 71-35 and could have added to the blow if its starters had remained in the game. Coach BRAD LEAF cleared the floor of his regulars for the majority of the 4th quarter.
 
"I'd say this was our best game of the year so far,â" Leaf said.
 
JASON BEAUCHAMP did not have a major shooting outbreak, but was a force on the boards with 14 rebounds. Also a top-notch linebacker, the 6-foot-4, 205-pound Beauchamp provides the Cougars with a physical prowess underneath the basket along with 6-foot-7 senior pivot Cunningham.
 
"Honestly, because of my height I think my best chance (for a college scholarship) is in football," Beauchamp said. â¤If I do get something for football, I'll try to walk on for basketball. I really would like to play both."
 
Cunningham fouled out in the 3rd quarter, but not before he rang up 13 points and collected 15 rebounds.
 
Raymond Williams added 17 points, 5 steals and 4 assists for the Cougars, who also received 8 points and 6 steals from junior WESLEY DAVIS.
 
"They tried to shut Richie out with their box-and-one defense," Leaf said. "But our defense took over in the 3rd quarter and it didnâ't matter what they played. We just broke loose.
 
"It was by far our most aggressive game of the season. It was fun."
 
Other Steele Canyon scoring: Lionel Ball 5, Emorey Mitchell 2.
(12-13-04)

Patriots take two in one day at Small Schools event
EastCountySports.com
 
EL CAJON - Nobody's talking championship, but the Christian High Patriots of coach KEN BAILEY have rebounded from an 0-2 start to capture three victories in succession at the San Diego Small Schools Tournament. The Patriots executed a twin killing on Saturday (Dec. 11), knocking off Lutheran 72-44 and The Preuss School 56-29.at La Jolla Country Day.
 
CHRISTIAN 72,  LUTHERAN 44 -The Patriots, who surrendered 25 points to Lutheran's Steven Reed in the first half, still maintained a 36-33 advantage at the break. The difference in the second half is Christian limited Reed to 2 points.
 
Bailey's bunch played an effective box-and-one defense, with 5-foot-9 freshman LAWRENCE WALKER applying the personal attention.
 
Senior WAYNE RICHARDS set the offensive pace for the Patriots with 19 points.
 
"He did a great job of taking the ball to the basket," Bailey said.
 
All of Christian's scoring came from the field, including one 3-ball from Richards and another from JON FULLER.
 
Other Christian scoring: Fuller 13, Derek Larson 12, Andrew Criswell 12, Kellen Rossitto 8, Grant Mills 6, Porter 2.
 
CHRISTIAN 56,  PREUSS 29 - Senior WAYNE RICHARDS knocked down 16 points as the Patriots toppled the Tritons in Saturday night's consolation finale at La Jolla Country Day.
 
Christian rationed Preuss to two field goals over the final three periods after falling behind 14-11 in the 1st quarter.
 
Other Christian scoring: Blaine Fodor 12, Andrew Criswell 10, Kellen Rossitto 6, Grant Mills 4, Jon Fuller 4, Justin Ballard 2, Lawrence Walker 2.
 
GROSSMONT 66,  ELSINORE 43 - TYLER HAJOSY connected on five of Grossmont's season-high nine 3-pointers Saturday (Dec. 11) as the Foothillers (2-3) riddled Elsinore in the final consolation round of the Eastlake Tip-Off Classic.
 
Hajosy, a 6-foot-2 senior, scored a game-high 19 points, while 6-foot-5 senior center ROBERT GANGE delivered career highs of 15 points and 14 rebounds. He also netted 5 of 6 free throws.
 
Eight of Gange's points came in the 3rd quarter as Grossmont used a 24-9 scoring streak to put the game away. Hajosy landed three of his 3-balls in the decisive period.
 
Senior CASEY RUMMEL rang up a career best 14, much of that coming off a trio of 3-pointers in the opening quarter that staked Grossmont to a 19-10 lead.
 
JUSTIN RUTHERFORD contributed 8 points and 8 rebounds.
 
Senior point guard TYLER BARBOUR was the main ingredient as he handed out 10 assists.
 
"They started out in a triangle-and-two on the two Tylers," Grossmont coach FRANK FOGGIANO said. "But Rummel got them out of it in a hurry."
 
Other Grossmont scoring: Barbour 6, Dominic Elder 2, Luis Gonzales 2.
 
MOUNT MIGUEL 45, VALLEY CENTER 38 -  Junior KARLIN STEWART tossed in 11 points and snagged 6 rebounds Saturday (Dec. 11) as host Mount Miguel dunked Valley Center in a Vaquero-Eagles Classic consolation contest.
 
EDDIE DeARCOS chimed in with 9 points and a team-high 8 rebounds. DEVIYON CARTER cashed 9 points and 7 rebounds.
 
The Matadors used a 16-6 second quarter scoring burst to take a nine-point halftime lead they wouldn't lose.
 
Other Mount Miguel scoring: Bud Newborn 7, Jonathan Holmes 5, Michael Love 3.
 
SERRA 72,  WEST HILLS 65 - Playing for the second night without senior team leader MATTHEW GILSON, the Wolf Pack (2-2) gave visiting Serra (3-1) a battle in Saturday's (Dec. 11) third place skirmish of the Horsman-Wolf Pack Tournament.
 
Senior NATHAN MUZQUIZ cranked in a season high 19 points to help keep the Wolf Pack a float.
 
"Just a great second half by Muzquiz, who scored 15 of his points in the last two quarters," West Hills coach JEFF ARMSTRONG said.
 
It's obvious to those who have seen West Hills play that Matthew Gilson - who boasts a 4.82 gpa and a 1560 S.A.T. - is the king of the court.
 
"He's an academic perfectionist," Armstrong said. "Harvard wants him, Stanford wants him. He can literally name his college academically. And he carries those smarts over to the basketball court. If I make even a simple change, Matthew is quick to note that I am making that change."
 
The coach had positive words for his players, including junior E.J. BROWN, who scored all of his six points in the 4th quarter. "He's so fast that he causes people a lot of problems," Armstrong said.
 
Sophomore PETER GILSON added 13 points and RYAN SHUMAKER slipped in 10 for the Wolf Pack.
 
Other West Hills scoring: Kyle Hamann 7, Bo Hart 6, Quentin London 2, Troy Nowlin 2.
 
BONITA VISTA 70,  VALHALLA 68 - The Norsemen (1-4) placed four players in double scoring digits Saturday (Dec. 11), but failed to maintain a four-point lead in the final 1:20 of their Vaquero-Eagle Classic consolation finale.
 
Sitting on a 68-64 advantage, the Norsemen watched Bonita Vista's Mark Kiefer bury his 4th and 5th three-pointers of the game to steal a victory away from Valhalla (1-4).
 
Valhalla had the ball with nine seconds left. PAUL MARTINS, who led the Norsemen with 15 points, positioned himself for a game-tying bucket.
 
"Paul got a good look, made a great fake on his defender and shot from 15 feet," Valhalla coach ERIC THOMAS said. "It rattled around and came off. That's the second time we've lost games we've led inside of two minutes.
 
 "We are still a young team that doesn't know how to put a team away," Thomas added. "We are doing a better job of taking high percentage shots, but we need to do a better job at crunch time."
 
Other Valhalla scoring: Vince Houston 14, Kyle Luhnow 11, Ronnie Schwandt 10, Conner Ruyeras 9, Jordan Maitilasso 4, Brett Hansen 3, Nasheel Raja 2.
 
RANCHO BUENA VISTA 59,  EL CAJON VALLEY 57 - The visiting Longhorns netted a pair of free throws in the final 16.4 seconds Saturday night (Dec. 11) to deny the Braves the upset victory in the final round of the Vaqueros-Eagle Classic.
 
In a game where the lead changed hands seven times in the 4th quarter, the Braves (2-7) had two legitimate chances to create a tie and send the game into overtime.
 
Playmaker guard NATE SCHAD drove the lane with 15 seconds remaining. He missed his shot, but FRANK COLLINS followed with a tip that missed at the buzzer.
 
"We're learning and improving every game," said El Cajon Valley coach NATE REED said.
 
Collins finished with 24 points, 13 rebounds and 2 steals. SHANE MYERS netted 8 points and corralled a dozen rebounds.
 
RBV's Cameron Harris scored a game-high 29 points, but was rationed to a mere 4 markers in the second half.
 
Other El Cajon Valley scoring: Stephon Stafford 7, Schad 6, Dori Laramore 5, Chris Reynolds 4, Cameron Santos 3.
(12-11-04)

Patriots scramble to come up with win at Small Schools event
EastCountySports.com
 
SAN DIEGO - It wasn't a full, 32-minute effort, but if you're winless, you'll take a victory any way you can get it. Propelled by the 15 points of WAYNE RICHARDS and 13 more by DEREK LARSON, Christian High mounted a 19-point lead, but wound up scrambling at the end before nailing down a 50-47 victory over Calvary Christian in the 17th annual San Diego Small Schools Invitational.
 
Calvary Christian guard David Lopez scored 19 of his game-high 30 points over the final 6:19 minutes of the 4th  quarter, including a trio of 3-balls against the reserves in the final two minutes, cutting the lead down to four before the Patriots starters mopped up to secure their first win in three starts. Calvary Christian, located in Vista, fell to 0-3.

"We're all still learning, with a new coach, a new system, and a lot of new players," noted Christians senior forward C.J. SCHROEDER, who led the defense with 8 rebounds and taking-a-charge. "We have a lot of new information we're trying to get into our heads."

Richards and Larson each scored eight points in the first half, as the Patriots led with each passing quarter, from 10-5 to 26-12 to 39-21. And when Richards, a forward who normally posts inside, stepped out to nail a 3-ball, the margin reached a seemingly insurmountable 44-25 with six minutes to go.

However, Lopez's sharp-shooting made the finish, at the very least, interesting.
"He's some shooter, yet our defense did a good job stopping them most of the game," noted Christian coach KEN BAILEY.

The Christian frontline also did a solid job handling the Lions' 6-foot-6 center Cory Leitzke, who was held to just a single bucket in the first half. Leitzke finished with 15 points, but converted just 5-of-15 shots, with most of the makes coming long after the outcome was decided.

"At halftime, we stepped up and realized what we had to do to win," noted Larson, who added five boards and four first-half steals.

Other Christian scoring: Grant Mills 8, Andrew Criswell 8, Blaine Fodor 3, Schroeder 3.
 
STEELE CANYON 79,  MT. CARMEL 32 - Top-ranked Steele Canyon streaked past outmanned Mt. Carmel with relative ease Friday night (Dec. 10) as the Cougars (5-0) earned a berth in Monday's (Dec. 13) finals of the Vaquero-Eagle Classic against Rancho Bernardo at Granite Hills at 7 p.m.
 
Senior guard RICHIE WILLIAMS rang up 17 points, 12 assists, 6 steals and 5 rebounds to carry the Cougars past the visiting Sundevils.
 
Six-foot-7 senior GEORGE CUNNINGHAM cashed in 16 points and 15 rebounds to top Steele Canyon's supporting cast of which there were many. Junior guard RAYMOND WILLIAMS whistled in a dozen points, pilfered 9 steals and dished off 12 assists in the rout in what was his best game of the season to date.
 
Steele Canyon had victory in hand after one quarter as the Cougars controlled a 28-4 advantage.
 
Not to be overlooked was Steele Canyon's JASON BEAUCHAMP who muscled in 13 points and collected 12 rebounds for the Cougars.
 
Nine Cougars contributed to the scoring. 
 
Other Steele Canyon scoring: Emory Mitchell 7, Wes Davis 6, Lionell Ball 4, Tony Minnifield  2, Andrew Tim 2.
 
EL CAJON VALLEY 65,  CALEXICO 48 -One of the biggest pluses El Cajon Valley has going this season is the upbeat personality of second-year head coach NATE REED, Sr. This guy never gives up on his kids, and that should be a factor in the Grossmont North League race next month.
 
For the first time in eight starts the Braves placed four players in double figures. FRANK COLLINS led the way with 16 markers (along with 6 rebounds and 1 steal).
 
"We ran the floor well and forced enough turnovers to set up our offense," Reed said. "The guys decided to settle down and play tough defense (mainly man) in the 4th quarter. That's why they felt good coming off the floor after the game."
 
SHANE MYERS turned in a solid game, generating 13 points, 8 rebounds and 6 blocks for the Braves (2-6).
 
NATE SCHAD chipped in with 11 points and DORI LARAMORE added 10 for the Braves.
 
Other El Cajon Valley scoring:  David Kachi 4, Tim Widjiji 4, Stephon Stafford 3, Cameron Santos 2, Mark Afoa 2.
 
MISSION HILLS 51,  GROSSMONT 49 (OT) - Credit Grossmont senior guard TYLER BARBOUR for finding his basketball legs in rapid fashion. The Foothillers' four-year starting point guard was an offensive force, pouring in 19 points, based on his 8-for-10 free throw shooting.
 
Barbour also tossed in a trio of 3-pointers, logged 3 assists and picked off two Mission Hills passes.
 
"I couldn't believe what I was seeing," said former Christian High coach and now Mission Hills coach CURTIS HOFMEISTER. "Barbour was killing us with his shooting. We weren't expecting that from him."
 
The Foothillers (1-3) were leading 38-30 late in the 4th quarter, but the visiting Grizzlies (2-3) pecked away and eventually tied the game 38-all on an Erick Casarez 3-pointer with 0:25 remaining in regulation.
 
Casarez scored 8 of the Grizzlies' 13 points in the 4-minute overtime. Elliot Tan canned a key 3-pointer during that period to help Mission Hills secure the victory, and the Foothillers were left to scramble.
 
Grossmont's DOMINIC ELDER scored a bucket with 0:07 remaining in overtime, but the Hillers never touched the ball again.
 
TYLER HAJOSY drilled in 15 points and grabbed 4 rebounds for the Foothillers.
 
Other Grossmont scoring: Justin Rutherford 4, Elder 4, Luis Gonzales 3, Robert Gange 2, Trevor Thomas 2.
 
RAMONA 61,  MOUNT MIGUEL 60 - It was a painful last-second defeat for the visiting Matadors who saw a probable victory result in a plunging blow Friday night (Dec. 10) in the Ramona Roundball Classic.
 
A lay-up by DEVIYON CARTER hoisted the Matadors into a 60-59 lead with 8 seconds left.  Ramona rallied on the strength of a runner by Casey Hight with 01.4 left.
 
"We got a decent last shot at the hoop," Mount Miguel coach MIKE GOLOVKO said. "DONNY HIEBING took a shot just inside halfcourt. It was on line, but was a little bit high.
 
"We did everything right but win."
 
KENNY KEY led the Matadors (1-3) with 18 points and 10 rebounds. EDDIE DeARCOS scored a career high 17 points and landed 8 rebounds. Carter chalked up 15 points for the hard-luck Matadors.
 
BUD NEWBORN racked up game-high 8 steals, handed out 3 assists and chipped in 6 points.
 
Other Mount Miguel scoring: Nick Campbell 4.
 
HELIX 64,  POINT LOMA 57 - LANCE HURDLE, the Highlanders' 6-foot-2 senior point guard, electrified the Hilltop Tournament crowd with a game-opening dunk and two others during the course of Friday's (Dec. 10) third place game won by Helix (4-1).
 
Albeit it was spectacular 1st quarter dunk, Hurdle struggled for most of the first half, finishing with a paltry 4 points. Hurdle, who will play at UC Santa Barbara next season, erupted for 18 points in the 3rd quarter as the Highlanders put the Pointers away.
 
Senior center GREG HARVEY, recovering from a slight groin strain, turned in  his third straight double-double of 18 points and 14 rebounds.
 
Forward CLINTON SHELTON grabbed 15 boards, handed out 5 assists and blocked 3 shots.
 
Other Helix scoring: Lawrence Hurdle 8, Aaron Tinsley 6, Brandon Fountain 4,  Shelton 4.
 
SCRIPPS RANCH 64,  WEST HILLS 41 - Any doubt as to the value of West Hills senior guard MATTHEW GILSON to the Wolf Pack was cleared up in Friday's (Dec. 10) Horsman/Wolf Pack Automotive Tournament semifinals against the high-flying Falcons of Scripps Ranch.
 
Gilson, a 6-foot-2, senior guard, was confined to the bench after suffering a slight hamstring pull earlier this week. That's a major setback for the Pack, considering Gilson carries an 18.0 scoring average plus plenty of other positive intangibles.
 
"We were a team without a leader," West Hills coach JEFF ARMSTRONG said. "We didn't have a go-to guy without Matthew in there. It's a slight pull, but we don't want to push it now and risk losing him for four weeks."
 
Sophomore PETER GILSON was the lone Wolf to reach double figures, rolling in 10 points on 3-for-4 shooting from the field and 4-for-5 accuracy from the foul line.
 
Senior RYAN SHUMAKER was lost without his playmaker partner Matthew Gilson on the floor. The 6-foot-6, 285-pound pivot, who came in averaging more than 18 points and 12 rebounds per game, contributed 6 points (on 3-for-10 shooting from the field and 0-for-4 from the charity stripe) and 6 rebounds.
 
KYLE HAMANN chipped in with 6 points and 4 assists. QUENTIN LONDON made 4 steals.
 
Other West Hills scoring: Nathan Muzquiz 7,  E.J. Brown 5, Miles Pivonka 4, Bo Hart 3.
 
CHULA VISTA 62,  MONTE VISTA 60 - BRANDYN HARVEY was an excellent receiver for the run-oriented Monarchs. The 6-foot-3 senior is proving to be an even more potent scorer for the Monte Vista basketball team with a 20-point average after three games.
 
In just his third start of the hardwood season, Harvey hammered home a game-high 27 points but it wasn't enough as the Monarchs wobbled and tumbled in the final minute in a Hilltop Tournament consolation game loss to Chula Vista.
 
A 55 percent shooter from the field, Harvey was not the man with the ball when the game was on the line.
 
Chula Vista took a 61-60 lead on a 3-pointer with a minute to play. The Monarchs missed a chance to regain the lead when they blew a lay-up. Another missed shot and a pair of turnovers in the final seconds saddled the Monarchs with their third loss in four starts.
 
Other Monte Vista scoring: Clinton Snyder 15, Allan Watson 8, Trevor Peck 4, Remil Landrum 2, Ian Croft 2, Ryan Slade 2.
 
EL CAMINO 80,  EL CAPITAN 55 - Those who believe that this will be a down year for the El Camino Wildcats need only ask the El Capitan Vaqueros for the validity of that statement.
 
The Wildcats roared to a 42-27 second half scoring edge to dump the Vaqueros (1-4) in Friday's (Dec. 10) final round of the Vaquero-Eagle Classic.
 
CORY BROWN paced El Capitan (1-4) with 21 points, 4 rebounds and 4 blocks.
 
Other El Capitan scoring:  David Reeder 14, Daniel Krueger 12, Ray Harris 6, Nick Murico 2.
(12-10-04)

Braves finally hit the home hardwood to taste victory
EastCountySports.com
 
EL CAJON - Credit El Cajon Valley High second year coach NATE REED for not giving up. Stung by a forfeit earlier in the day, Reed and his Braves opened their home season with a convincing 63-33 win over Mt. Carmel on Wednesday night (Dec. 8).
 
Senior FRANK COLLINS cashed in 28 points, including 12 in the 1st quarter as the Braves claimed a 17-4 lead in the opening period.
 
"All I can say is what a relief," Reed said. "Winning this game has to be a boost for us."
 
SHANE MYERS added 14 points for the Braves (1-5).
 
Other El Cajon Valley scoring: Tim Widjiji 5, David Kachi 4, Nate Schad 4, Dori Laramore 2, Wisam Patros 2, Kevin Bridge 2, Chris Reynolds 2.
 
CAPISTRANO VALLEY CHRISTIAN 65, CHRISTIAN 42 - The Patriots opened the season on a sour note as first-year head coach KEN BAILEY saw his squad fall to Capistrano Valley in Wednesday's (Dec. 8) San Diego Small Schools Tournament at La Jolla Country day School.
 
"This was pretty much what I expected, being the first game of the season for both teams," Bailey said.
 
Capistrano Valley buried the Patriots 17-3 from the free throw in the first half to take a 38-21 lead.
 
"We get to play several games early in the season which will give us a chance to find out what we need to work on and what each player can do," Bailey added.
 
DEREK LARSON and KELLEN ROSSITTO shared game-high honors for Christian with 10 points apiece.
 
Other Christian scoring: Lawrence Walker 8, C.J. Schroeder 6, Wayne Richards 4, Andrew Criswell 2, Grant Mills 2.
 
STEELE CANYON 66,  RANCHO BERNARDO 46 - RICHIE WILLIAMS scored 15 points (13 in the 2nd quarter) and grabbed 8 rebounds as the top-ranked Cougars (4-0) busted the Broncos (3-1) in Wednesday's (Dec. 8) Eagles-Vaqueros Tournament semifinal victory.
 
The Cougars, who shot a paltry 31 percent from the field, led by as many as 23 points in the 4th quarter. And then their offense went flat.
 
"This was our best defensive game of the season," Steele Canyon coach BRAD LEAF said. "To win a game when we shoot that poorly is certainly a plus."
 
JASON BEAUCHAMP added 14 points and 9 rebounds, while GEORGE CUNNINGHAM chipped in 11 points and 9 rebounds. Richie Williams chalked up 3 steals and 5 assists.
 
Steele Canyon's WES DAVIS was an all-around powerhouse for the Cougars, pouring in 9 points, pulling down 7 rebounds and dishing 6 assists.
 
Other Steele Canyon scoring: Raymond Williams 9, Lionell Ball 4, Emory Mitchell 4.
 
EL CENTRO SOUTHWEST 2, EL CAJON VALLEY 0 (Forfeit) - This was the result of a scheduling conflict.
 (12-08-04)
 
 

 
EL CAJON - A year ago, the Granite Hills Eagles lived on the edge. That is, they did most of their shooting from above the 3-point line. And they were successful, ringing up 218 treys - third best in Grossmont Conference history and the 7th-highest total on the San Diego CIF books. Yet, the young Eagles staggered to the finish line with a 6-21 mark. Take note. Granite Hills hasn't lost its long distance shooting touch nor have the Eagles lost a game under first-year head coach RANDY ANDERSON this season. The Eagles (3-0) hit 15 three-pointers in a 78-57 romp over visiting and previously unbeaten San Diego Southwest (3-1) on Tuesday night (Dec. 7).
 
Granite Hills' latest 3-ball barrage ties the Eagles for 7th on the all-time SDCIF tables. Junior guard NICK TAYLOR led the way, drilling in seven 3-pointers en route to a game-high 27 points. Taylor netted 10 of his 14 shots and scored 16 points in the 2nd quarter. He also handed out 4 assists.
 
"We started out fine, leading 18-7 after the 1st quarter," Anderson said. "Southwest picked up the pressure in the second quarter, but they couldn't stop Nick, who hit a 3-pointer at the buzzer before halftime."
 
Thus Granite Hills led 37-32 at the break.
 
DAVID BAXTER scored 7 of his 15 points and RYAN SNYDER tallied 7 and his 12 markers in the 3rd quarter as Granite Hills extended its advantage to 56-46.
 
The Eagles slapped a lock on the victory in the 4th quarter when senior KURTIS SMITH scored 11 points in 90 seconds.
 
"He hit three 3s in a row," Anderson said. "The guy can shoot. It's just a matter of getting him to do it." Smith was 7-for-10 from the floor and finished with 17 points against Southwest. The 6-foot-4 senior also corralled a team-high 10 rebounds.
 
Despite their long-distance shooting habits, the Eagles managed to connect on better than 49 percent of their 63 shots. Ironically, they connected on only one of six shots from the free throw line.
 
"These are great kids who play hard every night," Anderson said. "That's what makes this job so much fun."
 
Other Granite Hills scoring: Justin Villanueva 5 (7 assists, 4 steals), Ricky Peitz 2.
 
HELIX 86,  CHULA VISTA 77 - The core of the Highlanders line-up may be as solid as any in the East County. Yet how long can just six players last over the course of an entire season?
 
"Yes, I'm happy with our top six players," noted Helix coach JOHN SINGER. "But we have no depth with any experience.  So when we get four guys back from the football team after next Tuesday (Dec. 14, the date of the SDCIF Division II football final against Oceanside), we leave for Red Bluff the very next day, so we may have to throw them on the bus and put them right onto the court."
 
In the meantime, the Scotties are glad to field point guard LANCE HURDLE. The UC Santa Barbara bound senior reached the 30-point plateau for the third straight outing, collecting 31 points Tuesday (Dec. 7) to best the Spartans in the Hilltop's Dakine Tournament, running the Highlanders' record to 3-0 out of the gate.
 
"Except for Lance, five of our current six players are inexperienced on varsity, so it's hard to feel too comfortable," added Singer. "But when we get our players back from football, we'll have to accelerate the learning process."
 
Helix led throughout much of the first three periods, but Chula Vista sharp-shooter Andrew Singleton nailed four 3-balls in the 2nd period - part of his game-high 32 points - then the Spartans crashed the boards in the 3rd quarter, as Kenneth Wilson's late put-back basket cut the led to 64-62 entering the final period.
 
However, the Hurdle was an important cog in an 8-0 run to stretch the lead to 10 to put away the victory. Included was a Hurdle slam off a long lead pass by CLINTON SHELTON, who later blocked a Spartans shot to start a fast-break, capped by a driving layin by Hurdle.
 
Meanwhile, LAWRENCE HURDLE, Lance's sophomore brother, collected five assists, including a nice pass to BRANDON FOUNTAIN for a layin to break the press.
 
Chula Vista made a late-gasp run to cut the lead to five with just under a minute to play, but the older Hurdle stole the ball and raced ahead for another slam.
 
Center GREG HARVEY scored 19 of his season-high 23 points in the first half to build an early lead, including 6-for-6 from the foul line for a 49-44 halftime lead. He also grabbed 12 rebounds, while Shelton registered a double-double with 11 points and 15 boards.
 
Other Helix scoring: Lawrence Hurdle 8, Aaron TInsley 9, Fountain 4.
 
GROSSMONT 64,  MONTGOMERY 43 - The patient Foothillers effectively moved the ball into the paint for easy baskets, gaining their first victory in three starts after disposing of the host Aztecs in Tuesday's (Dec. 7) Titan Tip-Off Classic.
 
With senior point guard TYLER BARBOUR distributing the ball, forwards TYLER HAJOSY and BOB GANGE each registered season highs in points, scoring 24 and 19 points, respectively. Hajosy also hit on four 3-balls, while Barbour added seven points, helping the Hillers extend a 10-point halftime lead to as many as 32 points.
 
"We executed our offense a whole lot better," noted Hillers coach FRANK FOGGIANO. "We were much more patient, so I'm pleased."
 
After Montgomery trimmed a 15-point deficit to 33-24 midway through the third quarter, Hajosy ended the comeback.
 
On consecutive possessions, he hit a short jumper and drained a 3-ball. Barbour then stole the ball and went the other way for a layin, converting the foul shot to complete a 3-point play to inflate Grossmont's lead to 49-27 lead with 42.4 seconds left in the 3rd period.
 
Other Grossmont scoring: Dominic Elder 4, Trevor Thomas 3, Casey Rummel 2, Dane Jensen 2, Luis Gonzales 2, Justin Rutherford 1. 
 
MURRIETA VALLEY 52,  EL CAPITAN 51 - The Vaqueros (1-3) are four points away from being 3-1 in their opening four games this season.
 
El Capitan made a furious comeback against the Nighhawks in Tuesday's (Dec. 7) Vaquero-Eagle Classic contest in Lakeside. Trailing by 5 with 0:18 remaining, the Vaqueros scored four points in 13 seconds. Six-foot-9 junior CORY BROWN was fouled as he attempted a 3-point shot. The big fella converted 2 of 3 free throws to make it a one possession game.
 
Both teams missed shots in the ensuing 13 seconds before El Capitan junior NICK MURICO cashed in an offensive rebound to make it a one point game with 5 seconds remaining.
 
The Nighthawks were able shut the lights out on El Capitan from there.
 
The sore point for the Vaqueros was their lack of execution from the free throw line where they were a pitiful 7-for-23. Murrieta Valley was 17-for-29 from the charity stripe.
 
Brown finished with 21 points, a dozen rebounds and 2 blocks to lead the Vaqueros. DANIEL KRUEGER added 10 points, 4 rebounds and 2 assists.
 
Other El Capitan scoring:  Murico 6, David Reeder 4, Jason Ziegler 3, Tyler Hill 3, Josh Ziegler 2, Ray Harris 2.
 
UNIVERSITY CITY 74,  MONTE VISTA 56 - The winless Monarchs (0-3) welcomed the return from the football team of center CLINTON SNYDER, who scored 22 points and grabbed more than a dozen boards with hardly a full practice under his belt Tuesday (Dec. 7) at University City.
 
But the rest of the Monarchs could muster just 10 points in the first half against the Centurions (1-2), who once built a 22-point lead in this Hilltop's Dakine Tournament pool play contest.
 
"We had it down to nine (points) 2-or-3 times and we had the ball," noted Monte Vista coach ZACH PECK
 
Meanwhile, University City's Tim Island proved too formidable for the Monarchs to stop, pouring in a tournament-high 40 points, including 23 in the second half to quell any Monarchs rally. Joseph Olivera added 20 points, including nine in the opening period to mount an 18-9 UC advantage.
 
The Monarchs also received 12 points from CHRIS HUMPHRIES, while football player BRANDYN HARVEY added 10 points.
 
Other Monte Vista scoring: Trevor Peck 6, Remil Landrum 3,  Ryan Slade 2, David Murguia 1.
 
ORANGE GLEN 44,  MOUNT MIGUEL 31 - Great defense, no offense. That was the dilemma for Mount Miguel first-year coach MIKE GOLOVKO in Tuesday night (Dec. 7) Ramona Roundball home opener.
 
The bottom line is the Matadors made only 2 of 20 shots from above the arc.
 
"We got good looks from the guys we wanted to take the shots," Golovko said. "We have to make those shots. The good thing is we held our opponent below the 50-point mark two games in a row. We should sweep those games."
 
KENNY KEY led Mount Miguel (1-2) with 13 points and 6 rebounds. EDDIE DeARCOS added 7 points and BUD NEWBORN bagged 6 rebounds, made 4 steals and dealt 2 assists.
 
Orange Glen's Ryan Dew knocked down 5 three-pointers en route to a 16-point finish.
 
Other Mount Miguel scoring: Donnie Hiebing 5, Michael Love 3, Newborn 2, Jonathan Holms 1.
 
UNIVERSITY CITY 74, MONTE VISTA 56 -- The winless Monarchs (0-3) welcomed the return from the football team of center CLINTON SNYDER, who scored 22 points and grabbed more than a dozen boards with hardly a full practice under his belt. But the rest of his teammates could muster just 10 points in the first half against the Centurions (1-2), who once built a 22-point lead in this Hilltop's Dakine Tournament pool play contest on Tuesday (Dec. 7).
 
"We had it down to nine (points) 2-or-3 times and we had the ball," noted Monte Vista coach ZACH PECK.
 
Meanwhile, University City's Tim Island proved too formidable for the Monarchs to stop, pouring in a tournament-high 40 points, including 23 in the second half to quell any Monarchs rally.
 
The Monarchs also received 12 points from CHRIS HUMPHRIES, while football player BRANDYN HARVEY added 10 points.
 
Other Monte Vista scoring: Trevor Peck 6, Remil Landrum 3,  Ryan Slade 2, David Murguia 1.

Key opens the door to Matadors' first win of season
EastCountySports.com
 
SAN DIEGO - The Mount Miguel Matadors presented coach MIKE GOLOVKO with his first varsity victory Monday night (Dec. 6) as they punched out the host Morse Tigers 56-49 in a Ramona Roundball Tournament contest.
 
Senior KENNY KEY rang up 17 points and collected 12 rebounds as the Matadors (1-1) took charge from the outset and held on for the win.
 
"I'm ecstatic to get this one - a road win in a place where it's tough to win," Golovko said.
 
Mount Miguel senior guard DONNIE HIEBING popped in a pair of 3-pointers on his way to a 10-point finish - a career high.
 
Other Mount Miguel scoring: Bud Newborn 8, Eddie DeArcos 8, Deviyon Carter 7, Nick Campbell 3, Jonathan Holmes 2, Karlin Stewart 1.
 
SANTANA 60, SAN PASQUAL ACADEMY 27 - The Sultans (4-1) raced out to a 24-0 lead in the opening 10 minutes and then cruised to the non-league victory Monday (Dec. 6) in Santee.
 
"We played tremendous defense again," said Santana coach TIM BARRY. "I'm really proud of the progress we've made. Now we have two weeks off. We play in the Grossmont Winter Classic right before Christmas (Dec. 18-22) and then, for the first time in three years, we'll be playing in a post-Christmas Tournament."
 
RICKY MICHELMORE (12 points, 10 rebounds), BILLY WICKENS (12 points, 6 rebounds) and JON HERNANDEZ (10 points, 6 rebounds, 4 steals, 2 assists) directed the Sultans past the outmanned Dragons.
 
Other Santana scoring: Clint Harper 9, Tai Purpero 6, Luke Eisele 4, Brock Bass 3, Brian Bailey 2, Brooks Bass 2.
 
SD SOUTHWEST 69,  VALHALLA 67 - The inexperienced Norsemen failed to connect on a jumper off a pick-and-roll with 4 seconds left Monday (Dec. 6) as they lost for the second time in three starts.
 
"I thought about calling time out when we had the ball with 7 seconds left, and I'll probably toss-and-turn all night because I didn't call a time out," Valhalla coach ERIC THOMAS said.
 
Valhalla is in a complete rebuilding mode, as the Norsemen do not return a single starter from last year's 11-18 team.
 
The Norsemen trailed 31-19 midway through the second quarter, but thanks to some spark provided by NICK RUIZ and NASHEEL RAJA off the bench, Valhalla closed the period with a 10-2 run.
 
"We did a great job of battling back tonight," Thomas said. "This is a young team just learning how to play during crunch time."
 
Valhalla forged into a 65-61 lead with 3:15 left only to fold down the stretch.
 
KYLE LUHNOW led the Norsemen with 16 points, 13 rebounds and 2 assists. RONNIE SCHWANDT chipped in with 15 points and 3 assists.
 
Other Valhalla scoring: Raja 10, Brett Hansen 7 (5 rebounds), Paul Martins 7 (5 rebounds), Conner Ruyeras 6, Jordan Maitilasso 4 (6 rebounds), Vince Houston 2 (3 assists).
 
RANCHO BERNARDO 88,  EL CAJON VALLEY 56 - The visiting Braves surrendered 50 points to the Broncos in the 2nd half as they suffered their 4th straight loss Monday (Dec. 6) in North County.
 
CHRIS REYNOLDS paced the Braves with a season high 18 points, while ABRAHAM MUHEIZE netted 11 and FRANK COLLINS and SHANE MYERS added 10 points apiece.
 
Other El Cajon Valley scoring: Stephon Stafford 3, Nate Schad 3, Kevin Bridge 1.
(12-06-04)

Wolf Pack duo combines for 49 in nice win over Horizon
EastCountySports.com
 
SANTEE - For those who doubt that West Hills is worthy of a Top 10 ranking, pay attention. Coach JEFF ARMSTRONG's Wolf Pack is for real. The Pack, ranked No. 10, proved that point by punching out the 7th-ranked Panthers 74-70 in Saturday's (Dec. 4) Horsman-Wolf Pack Invitational.
 
MATTHEW GILSON paced the Pack with 26 points and RYAN SHUMAKER added 23 as host West Hills (2-0) offset the 33-point scoring spree by Horizon's Quincy Robinson.
 
"Our kids did a good job when the game was on the line in the 4th quarter," Armstrong said. "Matthew (Gilson) was relentless. He attacked the basket, made some great moves."
 
Indeed. Gilson executed a pair of 3-point-plays as part of his 10-point splurge in the final 8-minute stanza.
 
Shumaker, an agile 6-foot-6, 285-pound post player, hassled a tall Horizon with his mobility and eventually sealed the West Hills victory by sinking a pair of free throws in the final 5 seconds.
 
"Big Shu was huge inside," Armstrong said. "He did some real nice work down low."
 
Other West Hills scoring: Nathan Muzquiz 11, Bo Hart 6, Peter Gilson 4, Miles Pivonka 2, Kyle Hamann 2.
 
HELIX 63,  UNIVERSITY CITY 50 - Senior guard LANCE HURDLE netted 32 points for the second night in a row as the Highlanders stung the Centurions in Saturday's (Dec. 4) Hilltop Tournament action in Chula Vista.
 
The hustling Hurdle netted 12 of 17 shots from the floor, including four 3-pointers against the physical Centurions.
 
Hurdle, who has a UC Santa Barbara scholarship in hand, nailed his first six shots - four behind the arc - helping the Highlanders (2-0) take a 32-27 halftime lead.
 
University City turned more physical in its attention to Hurdle, but it didn't matter as the Highlanders held on.
 
GREG HARVEY grabbed a game-high 17 rebounds for Helix.
 
"We only played six kids tonight," Helix coach JOHN SINGER said. "But we got a lot of mileage out of them."
 
Other Helix scoring: Aaron Tinsley 10, Lawrence Hurdle 9, Harvey 6, Clinton Shelton 4, Brandon Fountain 2.
 
FRANCIS PARKER 75,  SANTANA 46 - The undefeated Santana Sultans found out why Francis Parker is ranked No. 9 in the San Diego Section during Saturday's (Dec. 4) championship game of the Parker Invitational.
 
"We scrimmaged Horizon and played Parker," Sultans coach TIM BARRY said. "And I'll tell you what, Parker is head and shoulders the better team. They are solid up and down."
 
The Sultans (3-1) were trailing only 28-21 when Parker buried a 3-ball to end the half. The Lancers (4-0) hit another trio of 3-point bombs to begin the 3rd quarter and suddenly the Sultans were staring at a 17-point deficit.
 
"All the Parker players shoot threes, and right at the (halftime) buzzer they hit a three that was questionable, in my opinion," said Barry said. "But it stood, and it kind of caused us a letdown. That (10-point spread) got to us."
 
RICKY MICHELMORE (18 points, 10 rebounds) and BRIAN BAILEY (5 assists) represented Santana on the All-Tournament team.
 
"I'm proud of my kids," Barry said. "But Parker just had too many weapons. Once they hit those early 3-pointers in the 3rd quarter, I could see than our kids knew they were in trouble."
 
Other Santana scoring: Jeremy Patterson 6, Jon Hernandez 4, Billy Wickens 4, Tai Purpero 4, Luke Eisele 3, Bailey 3, Jon Corbisez 2, Garrett Happ 2.
 
ESCONDIDO 58,  GROSSMONT 46 - As tough as the Foothillers' loss to Helix was in Saturday's (Dec. 4) San Diego CIF Division II football semifinals, Grossmont's basketball program will welcome the return of quarterback/point guard TYLER BARBOUR back to the hardwood.
 
While Barbour - a QB-cornerback was playing his final high school football game - the Foothillers (0-2) were struggling on the court. Escondido barged in front 36-19 by intermission and never looked back.
 
"They killed us with their 3s," Grossmont coach FRANK FOGGIANO said, noting that the Cougars netted a dozen treys to ice the Hillers. Nick Ness nailed 7 three-pointers for Escondido (2-0).
 
JUSTIN RUTHERFORD (14 points), ROBERT GANGE (14) and TYLER HAJOSY (12) paced the Foothillers.
 
Other Grossmont scoring: Trevor Thomas 4, Casey Rummel 2.
 
BONITA VISTA 70,  EL CAPITAN 54 - Six-foot-7 junior CORY BROWN scored a career high 27 points -" 19 in the first half -" but it wasn't enough to save the Vaqueros (1-2) who fell to visiting Bonita Vista in Saturday's (Dec. 4) Vaquero-Eagle Classic contest.
 
Brown added 8 rebounds and a pair of blocks to his totals.
 
Other El Capitan scoring: Ray Harris 8, Jason Ziegler 7, Tyler Hill 5, David Reeder 3, Daniel Krueger 2, Nick Murico 2.
 
GRANITE HILLS 59, RANCHO BUENA VISTA 53 - NICK TAYLOR buried a trio of 3-pointers on his way to a game-high 23 points Saturday (Dec. 4) as the Eagles (2-0) roped the visiting Longhorns in an Eagle-Vaquero Classic contest.
 
RYAN SNYDER logged 17 points and DAVID BAXTER added 15 for the unbeaten Eagles.
 
Other Granite Hills scoring: Kurtis Smith 2, Justin Villanueva 2.
 
SWEETWATER 56,  MONTE VISTA 51 - The Monarchs will be happy to have their football players join the lineup, as they fell to 0-2 in Saturday's (Dec. 4) loss to Sweetwater in the Hilltop Tournament.
 
CHRIS HUMPHRIES (18) and ALLAN WATSON (14) were the Monarchs scoring leaders in the disappointing loss.
 
Other Monte Vista scoring: Remil Landrum 7, Trevor Peck 5, Ryan Slade 4, Alex Guinto 3.
(12-04-04)
 

El Camino plays stall ball, but No. 1 Cougars will have none of it
EastCountySports.com
 
RANCHO SAN DIEGO - This was slated to be a major Top 10 showdown between perennial powers Steele Canyon and visiting El Camino. The Cougars, ranked No. 1 in the county, were squaring off against the two-time San Diego CIF Division I champion Wildcats Friday night (Dec. 3) at Steele Canyon.
 
Turns out El Camino, rated No. 4 in the preseason polls, fell on its collective face to the Cougars, 70-50.
 
"It wasn't much of a game," Steele Canyon coach BRAD LEAF said. "El Camino tried to walk the ball up the whole time, turning the game into a half-court game."
 
Nice try. The Cougars (3-0), who prefer a fast-paced game, were forced to adapt  to  the hypnotic stance taken by El Camino (0-2).
 
"Our kids were very disciplined," Leaf said. "We have to expect that a lot of teams are going to try to slow the ball down against us. It's not the game we want to play, but we have to be able to adjust."
 
Case in point was junior WES DAVIS, who was scoreless after scoring 18 points in his first two starts.
 
"Even though he didn't score Wes was very valuable to us," said Leaf of Davis who handed out 4 assists. "He made only one turnover and played great defense. He did a good job of penetrating and kicking."
 
Senior RICHIE WILLIAMS scored a game-high 18 points, grabbed 6 rebounds, dished 4 assists and recorded 3 steals to pace Steele Canyon.
 
GEORGE CUNNINGHAM chipped in 14 points and 10 rebounds, while JASON BEAUCHAMP banged in 17 points and grabbed 8 rebounds.
 
RAYMOND WILLIAMS added 14 points for the Cougars.
 
Other Steele Canyon scoring: David Evans 3, Andrew Tim 2, Emory Mitchell 2.
 
SANTANA 63,  MADISON 54 - Coach TIM BARRY's undefeated Sultans (3-0) will dribble into Saturday's (Dec. 4) finals of the Francis Parker Invitational against the host Lancers at 5:30 p.m.
 
JON HERNANDEZ (13 points), BILLY WICKENS (10 points, 6 rebounds), and RICKY MICHELMORE (10 points, 7 rebounds, 5 assists) led Santana to its semifinal win over Madison on Friday (Dec.3).
 
"The way we played defense in the first half I thought we'd lead the county in defense," said Barry, whose Sultans led the Warhawks 35-21 at halftime. "If we did a better job at the free throw line we would have had a chance to put them away."
 
Instead, the Sultans nearly blew their 14-point halftime advantage as Madison cut the deficit to 3 points in the 3rd quarter. One of the key shots of the night belonged to Wickens, who netted a 3-pointer late in the 3rd quarter that gave Santana an 8-point advantage.
 
"That was a crucial bucket for us," Barry said. "Not only because it added to our lead, but in the sense of our momentum."
 
Other Santana scoring: Tai Purpero 8, Brian Bailey 7, Garrett Happ 6, Jon Corbisez 5, Brooks Bass 2, Jeremy Patterson 2.
 
CENTRAL UNION 78,  EL CAJON VALLEY 65 - Don't blame El Cajon Valley senior FRANK COLLINS if he doesn't send out an S-O-S any time soon. Collins scored a career-high 29 points in Friday's 3rd round of the Horsman-Wolf Pack Invitational against the Spartans of Central Union.
 
In his first three outings, Collins has cashed in 62 points, but the Braves have failed to win any of their first three starts.
 
"Frank has played extremely well, but I need to find more scoring depth," El Cajon Valley coach NATE REED said.
 
Collins added 6 rebounds, 5 steals and 4 assists to his latest game against Central, but the supporting cast fizzled. The Braves leading co-star was ABRAHAM MUHEIZE, who netted 4 three-pointers for 12 points and 8 assists.
 
SHANE MYERS chipped in 8 points and 5 rebounds, while DAVID KACHI dished off 7 assists.
 
Other El Cajon Valley scoring: Stephon Stafford 6, Dori Laramore 6, Kachi 2, Clifton Thomas 2.
 
HOOVER 72,  GROSSMONT 43 - Senior TYLER HAJOSY hammered in 20 points and collected 7 rebounds as the Foothillers opened the season with a lopsided loss to visiting Hoover Friday night (Dec. 3).
 
The rebuilding Foothillers did receive an emotional boost from 6-foot-4 sophomore forward JUSTIN RUTHERFORD, who landed 10 points and 12 rebounds in his varsity debut.
 
"Justin gave us a solid game and should be a big plus for us this season," Grossmont coach FRANK FOGGIANO.
 
Hoover's quickness in the second half was too much for the Foothillers in the second half as the Cardinals claimed a 46-24 scoring edge.
 
Other Grossmont scoring: Robert Gange 8, Casey Rummel 3, Trevor Thomas 2.
 
HELIX 80,  SWEETWATER 42 - The Hurdle brothers - senior Lance and sophomore Lawrence - combined for 48 points as the visiting Highlanders opened the season by swamping the Red Devils in Friday's (Dec. 3) Hilltop Tournament.
 
Senior LANCE HURDLE netted 15 of 22 shots from the field en route to a career high 32 points. The UC Santa Barbara-bound guard also garnered 7 rebounds, passed off 5 assists, notched 6 steals and blocked one shot.
 
LAWRENCE HURDLE came off the bench to deliver 16 points on 8-for-10 shooting, while logging 6 steals and handing out 4 assists.
 
CLINTON SHELTON chipped in with 11 points and 7 rebounds for the Highlanders.
 
Clinging to a 35-33 halftime lead, the Highlanders metamorphosed from Scottie dogs to Wolverines in the second half as they turned the game into a rout.
 
Other Helix scoring: Clinton Shelton 11,  Aaron Tinsley 8, Greg Harvey 5, Brandon Fountain 4, Joel Aftreth 2, Edwin Hutsona 2.
 
SAN MARCOS 63,  VALHALLA 54 - The Norsemen had too many flaws in their game Friday night (Dec.3) as they saw their season slate level at 1-1.
 
The Norsemen gave it a see-saw effort, but could not overcome a 24-16 fourth quarter burst by the visiting Knights.
 
San Marcos buried the Norsemen from the free throw line, netting 20 of 34 chances. Valhalla was a paltry 11 for 22 from the charity stripe.
 
Even more impacting was Valhalla made only 3 of 23 from 3-point range.
 
 "We did OK in the first quarter," Valhalla coach ERIC THOMAS said. "They played us a match-up zone and we didn't handle it very well."
 
But the Norsemen did not have an answer for San Marcos' Alex Benjamin, who netted a game high 35 points after scoring 37 against Santana a night earlier.
 
 "He's a tough player, gets all the opportunities to shoot and knows how to get in for the shot," Thomas said. "He uses his body well, gets ahead of people."
 
CONNER RUYERAS paced a balanced Valhalla attack with 12 points and 9 rebounds. KYLE LUHNOW added 11 points and 5 rebounds, while PAUL MARTINS muscled in 10 points and 5 rebounds. BRETT HANSEN stepped up for a game-high 11 caroms.
 
"Ruyeras had a big scoring game for us," Thomas said. "He got a lot of junk baskets. He's our good rebounder."
 
"We were down 10 at the half and battled back to within one point at the end of the third and took the lead," Thomas recalled. "Then with about five minutes left, they went on an 8-0 run. With 50 seconds left we pressed and drew within 7 points, then got the rebound off missed free throws and threw it away twice in a row."
 
"But we didn't give up, and we gave ourselves a chance," Thomas said. "This team's got a lot of fight in it."
 
Other Valhalla scoring:  Vince Houston 8, Hansen 6, Ronnie Schwandt 5, Nasheel Raja 2.
 
HILLTOP 80,  MONTE VISTA 29 - It was an ugly beginning for a Monte Vista program used to mingling with the SDCIF elite.
 
The short-handed Monarchs (0-1) fell behind the veteran Lancers 21-7 in the 1st quarter and never recovered.
 
TREVOR PECK paced the Monarchs with 11 points.
 
Other Monte Vista scoring: Chris Humphries 7, Ryan Slade 4, Allan Watson 4, Junior Wells 2, Remil Landrum 1.
(12-03-04)

Stingy Sultans stymie San Diego
EastCountySports.com
 
SAN DIEGO  - Some might call it an upset, but Santana coach TIM BARRY hopes it's a harbinger of things to come. The Sultans sprinted to a 6-0 lead and then turned up the defensive heat in the second half Thursday night (Dec. 2) to hand San Diego a 44-29 loss in the Francis Parker Invitational.
 
RICKY MICHELMORE closed the 3rd quarter with a 3-pointer and then opened the final period with back-to-back treys as Santana (2-0) soared into a 38-21 advantage.
 
"Our kids were pretty excited at that point," Barry admitted. "But they showed a lot of poise, kept getting good looks and playing tough defense.
 
"We forced six 35-second counts. We zoned them and they got so frustrated that eventually they started launching 25-to-30 footers."
 
Michelmore, a 6-foot-1, 200-pound junior guard, paced the Sultans with 18 points and 11 rebounds. BILLY WICKENS added 14 points and 7 rebounds, while JON HERNANDEZ chipped in with 6 points, 5 rebounds, 4 assists and 2 steals. TAI PURPERO pulled down 8 rebounds. BRIAN BAILEY pitched in 5 assists.
 
"We did a great job on the defensive boards - it was one and done," Barry added. "We did a serious job of controlling the tempo. It was a great night for us."
 
Other Santana scoring: Bailey 3, Clint Harper 2, Purpero 1.
 
EL CAPITAN 68,  SAN MARCOS 58 - Senior guard DANIEL KRUEGER scored 14 of his 15 points in the 1st quarter Thursday (Dec. 2) as host El Capitan stormed to a 25-10 lead and never looked back in the Vaquero-Eagle Classic contest.
 
CORY BROWN funneled in 19 points, blocked 10 shots and cleared 9 caroms as the Vaqueros balanced their season ledger at 1-1. Brown, who scored 15 of his points in the second half and also dished off 3 assists, was 7-for-7 from the free throw line.
 
JASON ZIEGLER added 10 points for El Capitan, while his brother JOSH ZIEGLER handed out 5 assists.
 
Other El Capitan scoring: Ray Harris 8, Josh Ziegler 7, David Reeder 6, Nick Murico 3.
 
STEELE CANYON 85, RANCHO BUENA VISTA 63 - The top-ranked Cougars (2-0) warmed up for Friday night's (Dec. 3) showdown against No. 4 El Camino by roping the Longhorns (0-2) in an Vaquero-Eagle Classic encounter Thursday in Vista.
 
For the second time in as many outings, all five Steele Canyon starters reached double scoring digits. Senior guard RICHIE WILLIAMS led the way with 21 points and 7 assists.
 
"We played a lot better game than we did against Bonita Vista (in the season opener)," SC coach BRAD LEAF said. "We really moved the ball around, sometimes making as many as six passes. And, I mean, crisp passes, too."
 
A 28-12 third-quarter scoring burst sealed the deal for the Cougars. GEORGE CUNNINGHAM banged in 11 of his 20 points during that stretch, while RAYMOND WILLIAMS knocked down 9 of his 15 markers in the period.
 
Cunningham paced the Cougars' board brigade with 14 rebounds. In addition, JASON BEAUCHAMP corralled 8 caroms and tossed in 10 points.
 
Steady WES DAVIS netted 10 points to go with 5 assists, 5 steals and 5 rebounds.
 
Other Steele Canyon scoring: Corey Morfey 6, Jacob Pruitt 3.
(12-03-04)

22-point edge in fourth gives Wolf Pack margin of victory against San Pasqual
EastCountySports.com
 
SANTEE - Credit West Hills for not resting on its early season laurels. Tabbed as the No. 10 team in the San Diego Union-Tribune's preseason rankings, the Wolf Pack overpowered visiting San Pasqual 26-4 in the 4th quarter and continued on to a 74-51 victory in Wednesday's (Dec. 1) campaign opener.
 
"This is the first time in West Hills history that we've been ranked in the preseason Top 10," Wolf Pack coach JEFF ARMSTRONG noted. "I know our kids appreciate it, and they are deserving of such a high honor due to the hard work they've put in during the summer and fall."
 
For three quarters, though, the Pack battled at an even keel against a determined San Pasqual squad. West Hills took a 48-47 edge into the final period before breaking the game open.
 
"San Pasqual is a guard-oriented team and they seemed to run out of gas in the last quarter," Armstrong said.
 
Perhaps that was having to deal with 6-foot-6, 285-pound senior post RYAN SHUMAKER, who scored 8 of his 20 points in the 4th quarter.
 
"Big Shu took control of the game in that last quarter," Armstrong said. "We did a good job of feeding him the ball."
 
On top of that, West Hills dominated the defensive boards in the 4th period.
 
"We got every missed shot," Armstrong said.
 
Sophomore BO HART hurled in 17 points - 10 coming in the 2nd quarter - as West Hills scrambled to a 36-36 draw by the break.
 
"It was a good effort for the first night," said Armstrong, who also received 10 points apiece from MATTHEW GILSON, NATHAN MUZQUIZ, and PETER GILSON.
 
West Hills scoring: Kyle Hamann 3, Troy Nowlin 2, Miles Pivonka 2.
 
ST. AUGUSTINE 77,  EL CAJON VALLEY 39 - The Braves of El Cajon Valley found out why the Saints of St. Augustine are ranked No.3 in the UT's preseason Top 10.
 
The Saints streaked to a 30-18 lead after one quarter and never looked back as the Braves suffered their second straight loss.
 
"Saints ran a half-court trap and we committed 15 turnovers in the first quarter," Braves coach NATE REED said. "That gave them a lot of transition points that we couldn't make up."
 
FRANK COLLINS and SHANE MYERS poured in 15 points apiece to pace the Braves. Collins included 4 three-pointers in his totals.
 
"We have a lot of new players who played JV last year. They need to learn to follow Collins' lead," said their coach.
(12-01-04)

Top-ranked Cougars pound Barons in second quarter to pull away in opener
EastCountySports.com
 
SANTEE - It's hard to believe how good the Steele Canyon High basketball team looked Tuesday night (Nov. 30) after just two practices with its full squad intact. However, the Cougars are the top-ranked team in the San Diego CIF for a reason.
 
"We didn't have three of our starters until two days ago because of football," explained senior guard RICHIE WILLIAMS. "And with time, we'll be coming together."
 
The learning process seemed to take only the time to flip on a light switch. The visiting Cougars raced to a 24-point lead before clearing the bench in the waning moments, claiming a 73-65 win over Bonita Vista in a Vaquero-Eagle Tournament contest.
 
"Bonita had a couple of pretty good post players," noted WES DAVIS, one of three late additions from the Cougars football team that reached the SDCIF playoffs for the second straight season. "So they hung with us for a while. But you'll see us play more unselfishly in the future - we'll get better."
 
Steele Canyon opened on a 7-1 run, only to watch the Barons answer with a 9-0 streak behind 3-balls from Mark Kiefer and Tre Dennis, followed by a traditional 3-point play by Dennis.
 
However, Richie Williams poured in 9 of his 20 points in the 2nd period as the Cougars used a 27-19 edge to mount a 12-point halftime advantage.
 
The Cougars out-muscled the hosts inside, as GEORGE CUNNINGHAM scored a game-high 26 points and grabbed 14 rebounds, including eight off the Bonita Vista glass. That enabled Steele Canyon to slowly stretch out the lead to 71-47 with six minutes remaining before head coach BRAD LEAF cleared the bench.
 
"That's one of the differences with this team," added JASON BEAUCHAMP, who tallied 11 points and grabbed a game-high 16 rebounds after donning his basketball duds upon hanging up his football cleats. "Overall, our starters are okay, but we have a lot of young players, so we need to build up our bench. That's what made us great last year."
 
All of the Steele Canyon scoring came from the five starters. Davis contributed 8 points, 6 steals and 5 rebounds. Ray Williams added 8 points.
 
"We're looking to find a sixth and seventh man," Leaf said. "But, a first game, we got a monster effort from Beauchamp and solid support from our football players."

Richie Williams added 8 assists and 7 rebounds.

VALHALLA 65,  MT. CARMEL 38 - The visiting Norsemen did not play like a team without any returning starters in Tuesday's (Nov. 30) season opener at Mount Carmel.
 
Senior KYLE LUHNOW ripped off 22 points, 11 rebounds and 3 assists to lead the Norsemen to the impressive victory. Luhnow knocked down 8 of 11 free throws and a pair of 3-pointers.
 
Junior PAUL MARTINS also came up big for Valhalla, pouring in a career-high 19 points while clearing 10 rebounds.
 
"I've never been 1-0 before," said fourth-year Valhalla coach ERIC THOMAS. "The personality of this team is better than past teams I've had. The seniors are happy that the juniors are doing well. That's a good sign."
 
Valhalla outscored the Sundevils in every quarter.
 
Other Valhalla scoring: Nasheel Raja 8, Conner Ruyeras 6, Jordan Meitalasso 6, Chris Zukose 4.
 
GRANITE HILLS 59,  EL CAJON VALLEY 52 - NICK TAYLOR rattled in a game-high 25 points, snagged 7 rebounds and recorded 3 steals as the Eagles won the Battle of Madison Avenue in Tuesday night's (Nov. 30) Eagles-Classic season opener at Granite Hills.
 
"We had a stretch toward the end of the first quarter, beginning of the second when we outscored them 13-0," said Granite Hills coach RANDY ANDERSON. "We held them without a basket for seven minutes."
 
Not that it spelled doom for the visiting Braves, who clawed back into contention in the waning moments. El Cajon Valley drew as close as 3 points before Taylor iced the Granite Hills victory from the free throw line.
 
Taylor was 6 for 6 from the line in the 4th quarter - 4 in the last 2 minutes of play.
 
One dab of disappointment for Granite Hills was DAVID BAXTER finished with a mere 9 points.
 
"He was the leading 3-point shooter in the County last year, but (El Cajon Valley) played tough "D" on him tonight," Anderson said.
 
Baxter logged 63 threes a year ago to lead East County and also led all players at the line with an 81.3 percentage.
 
"We got close but didn't take advantage of some opportunities," said El Cajon Valley coach NATE REED. "We had a couple of people foul out, but we played decent and look to get stronger as the year goes on. I was not too unhappy with a first game performance."
 
FRANK COLLINS rang up career-high 18 points to pace the Braves. He also collected 6 rebounds and blocked 2 shots.
 
Multi-talented athlete ABRAHAM MUHEIZE led the Braves on the boards with 10 rebounds to go along with 8 points, 3 assists and 3 steals.
 
STEPHON STAFFORD added 7 points and 8 rebounds for El Cajon Valley.
 
Other Granite Hills scoring:  Ryan Snyder 10, Justin Villanueva 7, Kurtis Smith 4, Clark Gordon 3, Ricky Peitz 1.
 
Other El Cajon Valley scoring: David Kachi 6, Shane Myers 5, Cameron Santos 4, Dori Laramore 4.
 
SANTANA 72,  SAN YSIDRO 33 - As lopsided as Santana's season-opening victory appears, Sultans coach TIM BARRY wasn't overly excited by Tuesday's (Nov. 30) conquest in the 1st round of the Francis Parker Invitational.
 
Junior southpaw JON HERNANDEZ hammered down 24 points on 10-for-13 shooting. He netted 4 of 5 free throws and also had 7 steals.
 
"I was kinda surprised when I checked the scorebook to see Hernandez had so many points, considering he only played 17 minutes," Barry said. "He played a solid game, and scored a quiet 24 points. I couldn't believe how many points he has when I looked at the scorebook."
 
Santana, which finished 11-14 a year ago, jumped out to a 21-10 lead in the opening quarter and never looked back. RICKY MICHELMORE scored 7 of his 9 points in the opening frame and Hernandez chipped in 6.
 
Michelmore compiled a nice line that included 9 rebounds, 4 assists and 3 steals.
 
JEREMY PATTERSON chipped in with 6 steals.
 
Other Santana scoring: Tai Purpero 8, Garret Happ 6, Luke Eisele 6, Patterson 5, Jon Corbisez 4, Clint Harper 4, Brian Bailey 4, Brock Bass 2.
 
SD SOUTHWEST 59,  EL CAPITAN 58 - The Vaqueros blew a four-point lead in the final quarter of Tuesday's (Nov. 30) season opener against the visiting Raiders from South Bay.
 
After falling behind by four points with 22 seconds remaining, the Vaqueros shaved the deficit to one on a three-point-play by center CORY BROWN.
 
El Capitan would have another shot at a come-from-behind victory after Southwest missed the front end of a 1-and-1 with 0:07 remaining. The Vaqueros cleared the rebound but never managed to launch a final shot.
 
Brown finished with 18 points, a dozen rebounds, 7 blocks and 2 assists for El Capitan.
 
DANIEL KRUEGER canned 14 points to go with 4 assists, while RAY HARRIS connected on 6 of 7 from the free throw line to finish with 12 points and 5 rebounds.
 
Other El Capitan scoring: David Reeder 6, Nick Murico 5, Jason Ziegler 2, Tyler Hill 1.
 
SAN MARCOS 67,  MOUNT MIGUEL 51 - The Matadors could not deliver first-year coach MIKE GOLOVKO with an opening night victory in Tuesday night's (Nov. 30) Ramona Roundball Tournament.
 
"We were 17-3 in the summer, but this is different in terms of intensity," Golovko said. "I'm glad we played this game against a disciplined North County team. We need to see where we need to improve. I know this is only one game, but we found out a lot about ourselves tonight."
 
KENNY KEY scored a Mount Miguel-high 20 points, but converted only 2 of 8 chances from the free throw line. He was the lone Matador to reach double scoring digits.
 
As a team, Mount Miguel was a measly 14-for-29 from the free throw line.
 
"I think we have the talent to get better - to play better than we did in this game," Golovko said. "It's going to take time to put everything together."
 
Other Mount Miguel scoring:  Deviyon Carter 8, Eddie DeArcos 5, Nick Campbell 7, Bud Newborn 3, Donnie Hiebing 3, Karlin Stewart 2, Warren Thodile 2, Jonathan Holmes 1.
(11-30-04)
 

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