BOYS: Road Dogs win eighth straight

By Ramon Scott
Updated: January 22, 2020

Helix drives against West Hills on Tuesday. / photo by Ken Todd

West Hills’ Ashton Avestro brings the ball up against Helix on Tuesday. / photo by Ken Todd

2020 EAST COUNTY PREP BOYS BASKETBALL

EastCountySports.com staff report

SANTEE – Helix senior star Maurice Holmes missed last Friday’s Grossmont Hills League game against the Grossmont Foothillers.

In his absence, his Highlander teammates stepped up in order to get a close victory.

Helix moves the ball against West Hills on Tuesday. / photo by Ken Todd

On Tuesday, Holmes made sure to return the favor by scoring 26 points in the Scotties’ 61-44 win over West Hills.

Helix improved to 3-0 in the early league race but handed the Wolf Pack their first loss in three starts in one of the most important GHL games of the season.

It was the eighth-straight win for the “Road Dogs” of Helix.

“It took us some time and the whole team – myself included – missed too many easy ones at the rim tonight,” Holmes said. “But we turned up the defense a lot in the second half and extended the lead. I’m proud of us for finding ways to win in the past eight games, and we need five more wins to close out the season.”

The Wolf Pack found themselves down just two at the end of the first quarter and trailed by six at halftime.

But Helix led by 10 entering the fourth.

Helix senior Sammy Stewart had seven points in the first quarter and Holmes hit a pair of threes in the first.

West Hills’ Cash Creighton against Helix on Tuesday. / photo by Ken Todd

Holmes scored eight points in the fourth quarter.

“Just incremental extension of the lead,” West Hills head coach Tim Barry said. “We shot okay, but against Helix, you can’t have 24 turnovers and give up 17 offensive rebounds. It’s tough to beat a team of that stature with those numbers.”

West Hills senior Kyle Dobyns had 15 points. He came out strong in the opening quarter with eight points

“Dobyns gave us the most trouble and played a great game,” Holmes said.

Ashton Avestro kept West Hills in it with nine second-half points.

Jayden Moreno hit a pair of three-pointers for West Hills, while teammate Cash Creighton knocked down a three in the fourth.

MONTE VISTA 62, EL CAPITAN 61 – Brandon Tully scored 15 points and Niamiah Alston added 11 to lead the Monarchs to the Grossmont Valley League win over the Vaqueros.

But it was Sirr Young and Cameron McKan who combined for 12 points in the fourth quarter for the Monarchs.

“Sirr Young and Cameron McKan were key in the fourth quarter,” West Hills head coach Mike Tully said.

Alston also contributed five rebounds, as did teammate Ivan Maynard.

Jake Pfitzner scored 21 points for El Capitan

R.J. Lugtu added 15 points for the Vaqueros.

“Offensively, I was pleased with our performance,” El Capitan head coach Elias Totah said. “We shot at a high percentage tonight and we had multiple contributors in the stat sheet. We have been waiting for multiple double-digit scorers.”

Blaize Saiz finished with 12 points for El Cap, while teammate Daisean Desinor added 11 points

The Vaqueros fell to 8-11 on the season and 0-3 in Grossmont Valley League play.

“Defensively, we couldn’t come up with stops on crucial possessions when it mattered most,” Totah said. “We also turned over the basketball in critical times, especially late in the fourth quarter.”

The teams combined for 45 turnovers.

“It was a great high school basketball game tonight,” Totah said. “We have lost our last three games by a combined four total points. Nobody should feel sorry for us. All we can do is move on and focus on tomorrow. Control the controllable.”

The Monarchs picked up a key win in the early league race, improving to 1-1 and 12-9 overall.

CHRISTIAN 95, LA JOLLA 60 – The eighth-ranked Patriots improved to 2-2 in the Western League with a comfortable victory over La Jolla (0-3 Western).

Christian earned its 17th win of the season.

Kobe Sanders, Vincent Warren, Vinny Signorelli and Desean Lynch all finished in double digits with Sanders leading the way with 18 points, seven assists, five rebounds, and two steals.

Signorelli finished with 14 points going 4-of-7 from three-point range.

Warren added 14 points off the bench and Lynch finished with 13 points and three steals.

The Patriots scored their most points in a single game the season and it all started with great ball movement and unselfish play.

The team went 23-of-38 on field goals and 10-of-11 from the floor in the first quarter.

Christian will play at St. Augustine, which is ranked third in the county, on Friday, Jan. 31 at 7:30 p.m.

The Saints defeated the Patriots at the Ryan Center back on Jan. 10.

The Patriots will surely need to win the remainder of their games in order to contend for the league championship.

SANTANA 73, EL CAJON VALLEY 70 – The Sultans improved to 3-0 in the Grossmont Valley League with the overtime win over the host Braves (0-2 GVL).

Santana went out to the early lead, taking a 20-11 advantage after one. The Braves still trailed by seven at halftime.

However, El Cajon Valley outscored the Sultans 36-29 in the second half.

The Braves led 69-68 in overtime but the Sultans were clutch in the final moments.

Sophomore Jayden Barnett made his biggest splash, scoring 24 points in the game for the Braves. He also had six steals.

Senior Isaiah Woodard added 14 points and a team-high seven rebounds and senior Ralph Estro contributed 12 points.

Santana improved to 7-13 overall.

VALHALLA 59, GROSSMONT 48 – The Norsemen won a key Grossmont Hills League showdown at Grossmont to move to 2-1 in the league.

Joe Avalos led Valhalla with 19 points, while Ryan Razooky added 18 points for the Norsemen.

Josue Amaya came home with 14 points.

The win catapulted the Norsemen into league title contention.

Valhalla improved to 10-11 on the season, while the Foothillers fell to 10-8 overall and 1-2 in the GHL.

On Monday, the Norsemen defeated Jordan High, of Long Beach, in a game played in Costa Mesa.

Amaya, a sophomore, scored 21 points for the Norsemen, while Avalos finished with 14 points and six rebounds.

Razooky dished out six assists.

Valhalla sophomore Calvert Esho had six points, six rebounds, and six steals.

Valhalla will play Steele Canyon on the road on Friday at 7:30 p.m.

STEELE CANYON 54, MOUNT MIGUEL 47 – The Cougars came up big out of the halftime break to separate from the visiting Matadors.

The Matadors led 24-23 at halftime but the Cougars outscored Mount Miguel 17-10 in the third quarter.

Arthur Simpson made six free throws in the second half for Steele Canyon and also contributed a pair of field goals in the second-half rally.

Steele Canyon senior T-Max Nyumah had a pair of field goals in the second quarter, then had another pair of baskets in the third. He also made a key bucket in the fourth.

Fredy Murry had a three-pointer in the three-pointer in the third quarter for Steele Canyon.

The Cougars’ Chance Stout also had key buckets in the second half.

Antoine Walker had a pair of big baskets in the third quarter for the Cougs.

Steele Canyon picked up their first Grossmont Hills League win of the season.

ST. BERNARD 66, FOOTHILLS CHRISTIAN 54 – On Monday, the Knights dropped a game played at St. John Bosco High. Both teams came into the game ranked among the top 35 teams in the state.

Earlier in the day, Foothills Christian was ranked first in the county, alongside the Cathedral Catholic Dons, in the latest San Diego Union-Tribune prep basketball media poll.

Jalai O’Keith and Jaden LeBel led FHCS with 13 points each, while teammates Derrien Carter-Hollinger had 11,

Yale-bound senior Yassine Gharram had seven points, eight rebounds, and seven assists.

Nico Meza had seven points in the first half, as the Knights trailed 37-34 at intermission.

Foothills Christian fell to 14-6 overall.