© East County Sports.com
EL CAJON (12-30-07) -- Every San Marcos High player and coach knew exactly which Granite Hills players to defend with the championship on the line in Saturday's (Dec. 29) Granite Hills Holiday Tournament finale.

Tied at 61-all and both teams strategizing during a late timeout, the Knights came on the court and all pointed at Granite Hills stalwarts DEAN MILLER and WAYNE MARTIN -- they definitely knew where the potent Eagles duo were on the court.

"We knew they'd be looking for Dean and Wayne," pointed out guard KYLE SNYDER, one of the three other Eagles on the court. "We knew whoever had the ball, the San Marcos defense would collapse on them."

So Granite Hills coach RANDY ANDERSON scripted a play just for the scenario -- and it worked to perfection.

With three Knights looking to sandwich Miller as he started to drive down the lane, the Eagles seniors had two wide-open options to kick the ball out to. Miller, being right-handed, took the easier route and whipped the ball to Snyder in the left corner of the court.

For Snyder, just call it the first in his TOM BRADY-like list of accomplishments, draining a deep 3-pointer with 6.0 seconds to play, lifting Granite Hills to the tournament title in a dramatic 64-61 triumph. The decision avenges a 75-65 loss to San Marcos on Dec. 3.

"I made a buzzer-beater to end the third quarter earlier in the week," admitted Snyder, a sophomore who averages just under 3 points per game -- usually on treys. "But this is my first game-winning basket."

Snyder may not look like a shooter with his flat-top hair and goggles across his eyes. However, he looked great while accepting the championship trophy to hold high for the postgame team picture.

"They dominated us the first time we played," noted Snyder. "But the reason we won this time was because we finally kept them from getting a ton of offensive rebounds. Along with Dean and Wayne 's scoring, it was IAN BIRMINGHAM, AARON HARRIS and LANDON TURLEY grabbing a bunch of rebounds for us."

"I only made one shot."

Miller's pass to the corner hit Snyder's hands perfectly in front of his chest. The sophomore, completely in rhythm, squared up and calmly sank his high-arching shot, allowing the Eagles to rally from a 9-point deficit.

"We practice that every day in practice," Snyder added. "All I had to do was hit a wide-open shot."

San Marcos guard Ryan Dipinto led all scorers with 27 points, including five treys. However, his final attempt at the buzzer to force overtime landed short off the front of the rim.

Interestingly, Granite Hills limited its shooting from the beyond the arc in the fourth period to grab the lead, while San Marcos was shooting blanks (0-for-7 on treys in the final quarter).

Included was a layin by Birmingham for a 59-57 lead with 1:48 to play, then after the Knights re-tied it, Martin connected on a baseline jumper with 1:10 left.

Zach Ramirez, who beat the Eagles in the teams' first meeting with his foul shooting, answered with a short-range jumper with 38 seconds left to setup Snyder's heroics.

Miller paced the Eagles with 23 points and 9 rebounds, while Martin finished with 20 points and 4 assists. Harris kept Granite Hills close early with 9 of his 12 rebounds in the first half.

For San Marcos, French exchange student Adrien Briens recorded 16 points and a game-best 14 boards. Included were 9 points in the first period for a 22-16 lead, then Dipinto tallied 14 points of his team's 17 points in the second quarter for a 39-37 halftime advantage.

Both teams own 10-4 records.

Granite Hills scoring: Dean Miller 23 (9 reb.), Wayne Martin 20, Kyle San Nicolas 6, Vicente Stafford 5, Aaron Harris 4 (12 reb.), Kyle Snyder 3, Clint Davis 3.

GROSSMONT 59, HELIX 44 – This inter-school rivalry is the longest on the East County books. Through the years some of the pump and circumstance has waned. What is left in the flickering rivalry centers mostly around football and alumni from both schools.

Nonetheless, Grossmont coach FRANK FOGGIANO, a starting point guard for the Foothillers in the late 1960s, takes a touch more satisfaction when his team knocks off Helix, coached by Highlanders alum and former basketball player JOHN SINGER.

"Anytime you beat Helix it’s special,” said Foggiano, whose Foothillers claimed a 19-2 first quarter lead in Saturday’s (Dec. 29) third place game in the Spartan Classic at Chula Vista High. “Being a graduate of Grossmont makes it a bigger deal. My kids know a win like this is important to me. I’m sure Singer feels the same way.”

Singer, who no doubt clearly owns the upper hand in his battles with Grossmont over the past three decades, was hardly distraught by the latest outcome.

“They are a better team than us right now,” Singer said. “Give them credit, they dominated the game.”

All-tourney pick IAN COCHRAN paced Grossmont (7-6) with 22 points and 11 rebounds. Banged up RICHARD OGUNSALU, who was nursing a sore ankle, garnered 14 points and 10 boards. Guards KHALID WATERS and MICHAEL GRAHAM combined for 20 points, 9 steals, 6 assists and 6 rebounds.

“The high point for us is Richard and Khalid played hard even though they were hurting,” said Foggiano, noting that Waters has a deep thigh bruise.

Equally as impressive was senior guard MICHAEL GRAHAM, who contributed 11 points and 5 steals.

“Graham caused havoc out there,” Foggiano said. “He got some key steals shooting the passing lane, generally disrupted Helix’s offense.” Graham also landed a pair of 3-pointers.

ANDRAY JACKSON led Helix (6-6) with 12 points. Over his last two appearances, Jackson has connected on 10 of 11 shots from the floor. Outside of his 6-for-7 marksmanship against Grossmont, the Highlanders netted just 9 of 38 chances (.237 percent).

Grossmont hosts Helix in a rematch on Wednesday, Jan. 9. Action tips off on the Foothillers’ floor at 6 p.m.

Grossmont scoring: Ian Cochran 22, Richard Ogunsalu 14, Michael Graham 11 (3 reb, 2 ast, 5 stl), Khalid Waters 9 (3 reb, 4 ast, 4 stl), Alex Leon 2 (6 reb), Drew Forehand 1.

Helix scoring: Andray Jackson 12, Dimitar Topalov 10, Donald McGowan 4, Levine Toilolo 4 (7 reb, 2 stl, 1 blk), Joubert Ballard 3, Derrall Chandler 3, Red Narcisse 3 (5 reb, 2 ast, 2 stl, 2 blk), Patrick Winston 2, Terrance Cole 2, Anthony Diaz 1.

CHRISTIAN 60, SANTA FE CHRISTIAN 53 – Christian High coach KELVIN STARR and SFC’s coach CHAD BICKLEY were basketball teammates at Christian Heritage College a few years back.

That provided a little extra spice when Starr’s Patriots and Bickley’s Eagles (8-4) tangled in Saturday’s (Dec. 29) third place game of the Tri-City Christian Holiday Tournament.

“Chad was a great (3-point) shooter and I’m not surprised that he is also a very fine coach,” Starr said. “He devised a great game plan against us.”

Santa Fe Christian surrounded Christian’s 6-foot-8 all-tourney pick VANDER JOAQUIM with triple coverage, and ran a Box-and one against Patriots senior guard DANIEL HAZLETT.

Joaquim, who clicked on 47 of 68 shots from the field in four tournament games, was limited to 14 shots by SFC. The native of Angola still managed to produce 22 points, corral 19 rebounds and block 7 shots.

Hazlett was only 5-for-12 from the floor, but three of his bull’s-eyes were 3-pointers and part of a 16-point night. He also put through 3 of 4 free throws and handed out three assists.

The swing vote in the game was supplied by Christian sophomore MANNY WALKER, who tallied 12 points and made a pair of key steals.

“Manny came up big for us,” Starr said.

Clinging to a one-point lead in the final minute, the Patriots got a steal by Walker that led the underclassman to the free throw line where he converted two free throws. Walker made a second theft and passed to Joaquim, who drew a foul and made the first of two charity shots. Walker rebounded that miss and tacked on a free throw to close out the victory.

Christian scoring: Vander Joaquim 22, Daniel Hazlett 16, Manny Walker 12, Taylor Eichhorst 6, Andrew Sexton 2, Brad Johnston 2.

FOOTHILLS CHRISTIAN 83, VILLAGE CHRISTIAN 64 – Sophomore guard TROY LEAF – an All-Tournament pick – was at the top of his game, hitting 14 of 19 shots from the field and 3 free throws for a game-high 34 points as the Knights nailed the Village people in Saturday’s (Dec. 29) final round of the Above the Rim Tournament at Cathedral Catholic.

In spite of all the maladies that have stalked the Knights (10-4) of late, this game was vintage Foothills Christian basketball. The Knights hit 33 of 58 shots from the floor (57 percent), including 9 of 19 attempts from beyond the arc.

As perfect as the results may sound, Village Christian (4-10) grabbed an early 14-5 lead. That seemed to raise the Knights’ ire. ZACH KAUL was the driving force behind the Foothills Christian rally. He nailed a 3-ball and then made 2 steals and accompanying assists that setup KALOB HATCHER and Leaf for 3-pointers.

Suddenly, Foothills Christian was on top 18-14 and in total control.

“We had 8 steals in the 1st quarter, including 4 by Hatcher and 3 by Kaul,” Knights assistant coach JAMES McHUGH said.

Foothills finished with 17 steals in the game, with Hatcher’s 7 thefts leading the way.

The Knights led 48-27 by intermission and 70-30 after three quarters.

“Our press caused many turnovers in the middle quarters and that was basically the end of this game,” said McHugh.

BRANDON HALE'S 9 points against Village Christian gave him 805 for his career, which is 2nd only to Leaf’s 1,152 points in Foothills Christian’s brief school history.

“We finished our tournaments 10-3 this year, which is pretty impressive knocking off 2 Division I schools (Otay Ranch and Mission Hills), one Division II school (West Hills), Division III St. Augustine twice, Division IV (Christian and Army-Navy) and whatever Burroughs and Village Christian happen to be,” McHugh said.

Foothills Christian scoring: Troy Leaf 34 (5 reb, 5 ast, 2 stl), Aaron Hale 14 (5 reb, 5 blk, 3 stl, 2 ast), Brandon Hale 9 (4 reb), Zach Kaul 9 (4 stl, 5 ast), Andrew Atia 2 (2 reb), Kalob Hatcher 14 (11 ast, 7 ast, 3 reb), Travis George 1.

PACIFIC HILLS 64, MONTE VISTA 63 – A long day for the Monarchs began with an unusual opening quarter in Saturday’s (Dec. 29) first game of a double-header in the

Torrey Pines Classic, Governor’s Cup division at Rancho Bernardo.

During the first 8 minutes the Bruins of Pacific Hills pulled out to a 31-28 advantage. That scoring fest computes to one point scored every 8.14 seconds.

Things calmed down after the rapid-fire 1st period.

The Monarchs were on the verge of earning a victory but missed a chance to clinch the win as they misfired on two free throw attempts with 7 seconds remaining.

That left the door open for Pacific Hills (6-7), which gobbled up the rebound and raced downcourt to nail an 18-footer from the right corner at the buzzer and win the game.

Geoff Hartman put together another solid game for the Monarchs, converting 10 of 17 shots from the field on his way to a 26-point outing. Hartman also hogged 9 rebounds, blocked 3 shots and dished 3 assists.

Monte Vista scoring: Geoff Hartman 26 (9 reb, 3 ast, 3 blk), Mike Watkins 8 (2 stl), Trent Watkins 7 (5 reb), Kris Galloway 7 (4 reb, 2 stl), Ryan Houser 6 (6 reb), Chris Jones 3 (2 ast), Alex Robinson 2, Anthony Bell 2 (4 reb), Tony Jackson 2 (4 reb).

PONDEROSA 56, MONTE VISTA 28 – With only 15 minutes allotted between games, the Monarchs could hardly catch their breath before the tip-off of the second game Saturday (Dec. 29) at Rancho Bernardo

This is not baseball, my friends. This is end to end physical exertion. While Ponderosa of Shingle Springs was going through routine pregame warm-ups, the Monarchs were switching uniforms.

It didn’t take long to see that Monte Vista (5-8) was out of gas and were no match for the Bruins (11-2). Ponderosa outscored the Monarchs in all four quarters. No one on the Monte Vista squad scored in double digits, although GEOFF HARTMAN managed to net half of his 8 field goal attempts for a team-best 8 points.

ANTHONY BELL hit 3 of 5 from the floor for 7 points.

“We started the same group as the first game,” said Monarchs coach JAMES CARROLL. “I was going to rest some of our players during the game and give everybody a lot of playing time. This was a back-to-back game experiment that just didn’t work.”

“You could just see the players get tired as the game went on and their legs all just tightened up.

Monte Vista scoring: Geoff Hartman 8, Anthony Bell 7, Chris Jones 5, Mike Watkins 2, Trent Watkins 2, Kris Galloway 2, Tony Jackson 2.

WEST HILLS 47, EC SOUTHWEST 38 – Considering the Wolf Pack began the season with five straight losses, veteran coach JEFF ARMSTRONG and his squad have to be pleased to be sitting on a 6-8 mark following the holiday tournaments.

The Wolf Pack won 3 out of 4 and captured the 3rd place trophy at the Aztec Holiday Invitational at Montgomery by knocking off El Centro Southwest in Saturday’s (Dec. 29) final round.

The final game was decided in the 4th quarter as the Wolf Pack dominated the Eagles 18-10. CHASE SENTER scored 8 of his 15 points in the final stanza and sank 2 key treys.

West Hills led 36-31 with a little more than 2 minutes left. As the Pack worked the clock to perfection, Senter hit a 3-pointer at the shot clock buzzer that extended West Hills’ advantage to 8 points.

GARRETT CABRAL took over from there, scoring 7 of the Pack’s last 8 points.

“The key was our defense – the kids were inspired and it’s fun to watch them when they’re focused and communicating, helping each other,” Armstrong said. “We held (the Eagles) to 22 points over the last three quarters.”

“KYLE NAVARRE has been a key thread to our defensive success of late,” Armstrong noted.

West Hills kingpin TIM NOWLIN produced another double-double of 15 points and 11 rebounds to earn a spot on the All-Tournament Team. He clicked on 6 of 11 shots inside the paint, dished 3 assists and made 2 steals.

West Hills scoring: Chase Senter 15, Tim Nowlin 15, Garrett Cabral 7 (5 stl), Ryan Bozelle 6, Lucas Armstrong 2 (6 ast, 3 reb), Kyle McLaughlin 2 (2 blk), Ashur Gelyana (2 reb.)

EL CENTRO-CENTRAL 66, VALHALLA 65 – The Norsemen are kind of the East County wild card – sort of a mystery team. When the season tipped off, Valhalla was basically a forgotten lot.

While it is true that the Norsemen feature a wide-angle photo of new faces, this is a team that is beginning to mesh and may make waves in the Grossmont South League race.

“We haven’t played our best game yet,” said Valhalla coach KEITH JACKSON. “We are kinda on the bubble. I think we could have gotten this one today with a couple of defensive rebounds. We made some mental errors.”

With 7 seconds left the Norsemen had the ball with a chance to win Saturday’s (Dec. 29) Granite Hills Holiday Tournament game, but missed a shot at the buzzer.

Despite the disappointing loss there was some sparkle to Valhalla ’s latest outing.

Sophomore KYLE KRIEBEL scored a career-high 20 points and crashed the boards for 16 rebounds for the Norsemen (8-5). Kriebel netted 8 of 13 shots from the field and 4 of 6 free throws.

Junior playmaker AUSTEN SUHAY pitched in 19 points, giving him 80 markers in his last four starts. He also had 4 steals and, at 5-11, blocked 2 shots.

EV ALCANTAR doesn’t take a whole lot of shots, but when he does they’re usually on target. Alcantar has a preference for the long ball and converted a trio of treys against Central Union.

“We made a good run at the start (19-10) then they crept back into it,” said Jackson.

“We came out really good out of the gate – we were hot but didn’t finish our shots. We got into some turnover problems in the 2nd half.”

With the start of Grossmont Conference crossover action only a week ahead, Jackson is confident.

“Where we are right now with a young team we are still in pretty good shape,” he added.

Valhalla scoring: Kyle Kriebel 20, 2 blk, 2 stl), Austen Suhay 19 (2 reb, 4 stl, 2 ast), EV Alcantar 9, Trevor Cahoon 7 (3 reb), Josh Austel 4, Damaine Bradshaw 2 (4 reb, 2 stl, 3 ast), David Zetts 2 (2 reb), Derek White 2, Alex Merutka (2 blk, 3 stl).

STEELE CANYON 74, MATER DEI 50 – A dozen Cougars scored as Steele Canyon equaled its season-best point production in Saturday’s (Dec. 29) final day of the Chula Vista Spartan Classic.

ELIJAH CARTER, who was chosen to the All-Tournament Team, paced the Cougars with 12 points – half of them coming on 3-point bombs.

JOSIAH SMITH pitched in with 10 points, while JEBARI ROBINSON added 9.

“We told the team to just forget about records and just concentrate on one game at a time,” said Steele Canyon coach DEREK STEPHENS.

Steele Canyon (4-9) led 33-16 by the break and then unleashed a 29-point scoring burst in the 3rd period to break the game open.

“We played exceptional defense today, especially in the 1st half,” Stephens said. “We spread the scoring load around to the whole team. Every player contributed to the total team effort.”

Steele Canyon scoring: Elijah Carter 12, Josiah Smith 10, Jebari Robinson 9, Cameron Moss 8, Jake Ransom 8, Stephen Howell 7, Riley Balikian 5, Zane Keith 5, Casey Gayton 4, Jeff Reid 3, Castor 2, Alex Robinson 1.

MOUNT MIGUEL 79, LEDUC (Canada) 44 – Host Mount Miguel blazed out to a 22-4 first quarter lead over the Canadians in Saturday’s (Dec. 29) last round of the Granite Hills Holiday Tournament.

BRAD BARRETT canned 24 points and TRAVON CAPLES coined a double-double of 16 points and 10 rebounds to spark the Matadors (9-4) to their third straight victory and 4th in five starts.

“Caples was active on the boards,” said Matadors coach JAY ROWLETT. “Barrett was in foul trouble but did well while he was in there. DEVYN MOORE played great defense, as usual.”

“Once again we started off playing defense right away,” Rowlett added. “We played defense very well, especially in the 1st half (when the Matadors built a 39-15 lead.”

Mount Miguel scoring: Brad Barrett 24, Travon Caples 16, Arthur Hobbs 10 (4 ast, 4 stl), Matt Miles 8, AJ Stanford 7, JJ Norton 6, Charles Graves 6 (5 reb), Devyn Moore 2 (4 ast).

EL DORADO 56, EL CAPITAN 35 – The slumping Vaqueros, who have played the last three games without starter JON MOLZEN, suffered their 5th consecutive loss and 7th in eight games in Saturday’s (Dec. 29) final day of the Mt. Carmel Holiday Hoops Classic.

Molzen’s status is unknown.

El Dorado ’s Golden Hawks from Placentia bounced out to a 34-18 halftime advantage and were never threatened.

El Capitan scoring: Barrett Braun 18 (3 reb, 2 stl, 1 blk), Jake Zawlacki 5 (3 blk, 2 reb, 2 stl), Tila Case 4 (7 ast, 2 reb), Michael Landis 4, Armon Worrell 2, Will Radasa 2, Michael Overson (3 reb).

EL CAJON VALLEY 57, NORTHERN (Canada) 56 – The Braves (7-8) closed out the Granite Hills Holiday Tournament Saturday (Dec. 29) with three consecutive victories. No further information was offered.

El Cajon Valley scoring: LaRoy McGee 18, Raylondo Ford 10, Chris Franco 11, Anthony Ussery 9, Kevin Benton 9.

© East County Sports.com
EL CAJON (12-29-07) — As the second hectic week of holiday basketball tournaments winds down, the Granite Hills Eagles will be the only East County boys basketball team vying for a championship trophy on Saturday (Dec. 29). Coach RANDY ANDERSON’s club will host San Marcos in the finals of the Granite Hills Holiday Tournament at 8:15 p.m.

Meanwhile, three East County teams will meet for third place tournament honors on Saturday. Longtime rivals Grossmont and Helix tangle for third place in the Spartan Classic in Chula Vista at 6:30 p.m.; West Hills faces El Centro Southwest in the Aztec Holiday Invitational at Montgomery High at 5 p.m.; and Christian tackles rival Santa Fe Christian in the Tri-City Christian Holiday Tournament at 11:30 a.m. in Solana Beach.

FOOTHILLS CHRISTIAN 76, ARMY-NAVY 66 – This one was all about pride, revenge and payback.

After suffering a stinging 98-79 loss to the giant Warriors earlier this season, the Knights, who are giving away more than four inches per man, used their speed and guile to topple an Army-Navy squad that has six players taller than any one in the Foothills Christian uniform.

For the record, Army-Navy’s players stretch from 6-foot-5 to 6-foot-10 inside the paint.

The HALE brothers, BRANDON and AARON, are Foothills Christian’s big men – asked to hold those giants in check. Obviously the Warriors exploited that mismatch the first time around.

So, what was the difference in Friday’s (Dec. 28) Above the Rim Tournament encounter at Cathedral Catholic?

Knights head coach BRAD LEAF executed a new game plan and challenged his players with specific goals.

“Some of those goals were to run our defense well, keep ourselves to 12 turnovers or less and keep the points allowed to 65 or less,” said Knights assistant coach JAMES McHUGH. “We had 11 turnovers and we gave up 66 points so we were right on.”

The pivotal turnaround was the 3rd quarter when the Knights scorched the Warriors with a 27-10 scoring spree.

At no time this season has Foothills Christian displayed better offensive balance than they did on this night.

KALOB HATCHER set the pace with 21 points, 8 rebounds, 7 steals and 11 assists. Right on his heels was TROY LEAF with 20 points, 8 rebounds, 7 assists and 4 steals.

Five other Foothills players reached the scoring column including freshman MIKE WNEK, who hit 5 of 10 shots from the field (3 of them treys) for a career-best 13 points. Wnek had accounted for only 11 points in eight appearances prior to Friday’s banner outing.

Two of Wnek’s 3s came in the crucial 3rd period as the Knights turned a 2-point edge into an 8-point advantage.

“Wnek came through in a huge way tonight playing the biggest role of his young career,” said McHugh. “With Brandon Hale fouled out just 13 minutes into the game, someone had to step up and fill his role.”

Although he is still hobbled by injuries, ZACH KAUL pitched in 11 points, 4 rebounds, 4 steals and a pair of assists.

“Troy and Kalob moved the ball around so well tonight we had their defense moving and shifting all night long,” said McHugh. “Nearly every basket the entire game was created by a great pass. We had an assist on nearly every bucket with the exception of a few that Troy and Kalob simply created on their own by getting to the basket.”

Army-Navy closed to within 2 in the 4th before Hatcher delivered another 3 from Leaf and that pretty much sealed it.

“Our defense really came through,” McHugh said. “We tipped pass after pass, we forced bad shots and we played smart.”

Foothills Christian scoring: Kalob Hatcher 21, Troy Leaf 20, Aaron Hale 6, Brandon Hale 3, Zach Kaul 11, Mike Wnek 13, Ryan Smith 2.

VALHALLA 84, L.A.-BANNING 72 (2-OT) – Valhalla coach KEITH JACKSON makes no bones about it that junior guard AUSTEN SUHAY is the main cog in the Norsemen’s plans for this year and next.

Suhay, a 5-foot-11 floor monitor, hit 7 of 12 shots from the floor – two of them treys – and 8 of 12 free throws for a career-high 28 points in Friday’s (Dec. 28) Granite Hills Holiday Tournament contest.

“Suhay is our go-to guy,” said Jackson. The last three games are proof of that, as Suhay has scored 61 points.

Jackson was equally as proud of 6-foot-5 sophomore KYLE KRIEBEL, who netted 7 of 13 shots from the floor en route to 18 points and a double-double that included 14 rebounds. Kriebel also blocked 5 Banning shots and recorded a pair of steals.

Sounds like a highlight reel worthy of consideration for the various players of the week awards.

Most impressive about Valhalla ’s latest endeavor was the Norsemen’s ability to erase a 33-22 halftime deficit. The biggest momentum switch came on the shooting end. The Norsemen were a forgettable 7 of 25 in the 1st half, but a sizzling 18 of 27 in the final two periods and overtime.

Valhalla led 69-67 with 11 seconds remaining in regulation. Banning hit an open shot but the shooter’s foot was on the (3-point) line to send it into OT.

Each team scored 9 points in the first overtime, but then the Broncos seemed to run out of steam in the second extra session.

“I think we are just a little more ready for this kind of game,” said Jackson, who’s Norsemen busted the Broncos 16-4 during the final four-minutes. “You’re always looking for the breakout game, and maybe this could have been it.”

Valhalla scoring: Austen Suhay 28 (3 stl, 2 ast), Kyle Kriebel 18, Trevor Cahoon 9, EV Alcantar 6, Derek White 5 (6 reb), David Zetts 4, Steven Kleist 3 (4 ast), David Fakhoury 3, Josh Austel 3, Alex Merutka 2, Damaine Bradshaw 2 (5 ast, 2 blk), Ruffy Bacong 1 (5 reb, 3 ast).

GRANITE HILLS 61, KEARNY 51 – It was a typical Granite Hills’ performance with the M&M boys – DEAN MILLER and WAYNE MARTIN – generating the bulk of the offense in Friday’s (Dec. 28) Granite Hills Holiday Tournament game.

The 6-foot-3 Miller attacked the basket against the Komets, who repeatedly sent him to the foul line. Miller netted 11 of 16 free throws on his way to a game-high 24 points. Miller’s game didn’t stop on the offensive end as he also claimed 10 rebounds, blocked 4 shots and made 4 steals. He topped off his effort with 6 assists.

Martin, the Eagles’ senior backcourt sharp-shooter, clicked on 4 of 6 shots from beyond the arc and settled for 18 points. Equally as crisp as his shooting was his pinpoint passing of 7 assists.

No question, Granite Hills can rebound with any team in the San Diego CIF. AARON HARRIS, although only 6-feet tall, overcame foul problems to lead the Eagles with 11 rebounds, giving his 32 in his last two off-the-bench performances.

IAN BIRMINGHAM, one of the stealth members of the Eagles’ cast ripped off 9 boards, while football sack leader LANDON TURLEY cleaned the glass for 8 rebounds and still found time to top the team with 5 steals.

“Birmingham had a real good game,” said Eagles coach RANDY ANDERSON. “He guarded Kearny ’s 6-foot-7 twins and did a good job defensively. Turley had his best game of the year.”

“We rebounded well against a bigger team,” Anderson added. “I was real happy with the way we rebounded against them.”

Granite Hills scoring: Dean Miller 24, Wayne Martin 18, Ian Birmingham 4, Aaron Harris 4, Vicente Stafford 4, Kyle Snyder 3, Landon Turley 2, Kyle San Nicolas 2.

CHRISTIAN 82, SAN PASQUAL ACADEMY 53 – The “real” Christian High Patriots showed up for the evening half of Friday’s (Dec. 28) Tri-City Christian Holiday Tournament double-header.

Once again the focus of the Patriots attack was 6-foot-8 VANDER JOAQUIM, who connected on 14 of 21 shots from the field – one of them a trey – for a team-high 29 points. Clearly becoming more comfortable playing with his back to the basket, Joaquim netted 41 of 54 shots for 76 percent shooting for the three tournament games.

Joaquim’s game is not all about shooting, however. He also has become more aggressive on the boards (51 rebounds) and defensively (7 blocks) during the Tri-City event.

“Our game plan has been pretty simple,” said Christian assistant coach TOBIN WILKINS. “We’re playing four out and one in. When Vander posts up, you can’t stop him. He has incredible touch around the basket.”

Senior guard DANIEL HAZLETT regained the shooting touch that he’d lost in the morning game, hitting 10 of 14 from the floor on his way to a 26-point finish. Most of those points came on 6 three-point buckets.

The Patriots (8-4) pulverized San Pasqual in the opening half for a 42-19 lead. They continued their energy in the second half to finish with their highest scoring total of the season.

ANDREW SEXTON (8 points) and ANDREW WHITTEN (7) led the Patriots’ supporting cast.

Christian scoring: Vander Joaquim 29, Daniel Hazlett 26, Andrew Sexton 8, Andrew Whitten 7, Taylor Eichhorst 6, Brad Johnston 4 (5 ast), Michael Pitts 2.

CANYON CREST 47, CHRISTIAN 46 – Apparently playing morning games doesn’t suit the Christian High Patriots too well, as they proved in Friday’s (Dec. 28) first game of a Tri-City Christian Holiday Tournament double-header.

Talk about flat… by the time the Patriots flipped open their eyelids the Ravens of Canyon Crest were sitting on a 12-0 lead.

“It happened so fast, like, less than 4 minutes into the game,” said Christian assistant coach TOBIN WILKINS. “That early spurt by Canyon Crest was the difference in the game. It just killed us.”

Forced to play catch-up throughout, the Patriots narrowly missed stealing this one back.

VANDER JOAQUIM was solid inside for the Patriots, dropping in 11 of 15 shots from the field and 4 free throws for 26 points. The 6-foot-8 native of Angola pounded the boards for 19 rebounds and rejected 4 Canyon Crest shots.

DANIEL HAZLETT shot only seven times from the floor, hitting a pair of 3s. He also was 6 for 8 from the free throw line for 12 points.

Christian scoring: Vander Joaquim 26, Daniel Hazlett 12 (3 ast), Brad Johnston 2, Taylor Eichhorst 2, Lawrence Walker 2, Manny Walker 2.

WEST HILLS 66, MONTGOMERY 48 – After falling behind in the opening period of Friday’s (Dec. 28) Aztec Holiday Invitational, the Wolf Pack caught fire, scoring 41 points in the middle two quarters and continued on to defeat the tournament hosts in what could be labeled the Santee quintet’s finest outing of the season.

A balanced team effort was how Coach JEFF ARMSTRONG described the Wolf Pack’s highest scoring outing to date.

“It was nice to see the boys bounce back from the butt whuppin’ we took last night,” he said.

Nine members of the Pack contributed to the scoring bonanza, with 6-foot-4 senior center TIM NOWLIN setting the pace with 14 points and 10 rebounds.

“I thought the big fella was key tonight,” said Armstrong. “They collapsed on Tim several times and he kicked out to open men and we were able to knock them down. He made his job look easy.”

Scoring at will has not been in the cards for West Hills, which entered the contest averaging slightly more than 43 points per outing.

“Several players, including LUCAS ARMSTRONG (4 for 5 FG, 9 points, 4 assists) and KYLE McLAUGHLIN (3 for 5 FG, 4 rebounds) gave great support to Nowlin.”

Coach Armstrong, no doubt overjoyed by the impressive performance, heaped accolades on CHASE SENTER who “was solid at point with 5 assists and a couple of 3s and played well defensively too.”

GARRETT CABRAL chipped in with 3 steals, 5 boards and was perfect from the stripe, hitting 6 of 6 and finishing with 11 points for the night.

West Hills scoring: Tim Nowlin 14, Garrett Cabral 11, Lucas Armstrong 9, Ryan Bozelle 9 (5-6 FT), Chase Senter 8, Kyle McLaughlin 6, Kyle Navarre 4, Jon Darby 3 (5 reb), Garrett Middleton 2 (3 reb).

MOUNT MIGUEL 70, NORTHERN 50 – BRAD BARRETT rang up a quartet of 3-pointers on his way to a game-best 22 points to lead host Mount Miguel to a convincing Granite Hills Holiday Tournament victory over Northern High of Toronto, Canada, on Friday (Dec. 28).

The Matadors (8-4) leaped out to a 20-9 first-quarter lead and gradually widened the margin.

But Mount Miguel coach JAY ROWLETT, while pleased by the offensive efforts, was more impressed by his club’s defensive performance.

“This was the first game that we played defense from the opening tip,” said Rowlett. “I was proud of our defense – both execution-wise and effort-wise. Hopefully we can carry it into tomorrow.”

TRAVON CAPLES, who had been mired in a slight slump, broke loose for 14 points and 12 rebounds. Sophomore guard JJ NORTON delivered 10 assists, and defensive specialist ARTHUR HOBBS chalked up 5 steals, one more than DEVYN MOORE.

Mount Miguel scoring: Brad Barrett 22 (7 reb, 2 stl), Travon Caples 14, Donte Allen 8 (5 reb), AJ Stanford 6 (3 ast), JJ Norton 6, Devyn Moore 6, Arthur Hobbs 3 (5 stl), Matt Miles 3, Charles Graves 2.

FOUNTAIN VALLEY 53, HELIX 50 (OT) – Highlanders coach JOHN SINGER has been directing the nation’s youth for so long that he’s able to grade a performance on things other than winning and losing.

He was disgusted after Helix’ triple overtime victory one night earlier, but was ecstatic by the Highlanders’ overtime loss in Friday’s (Dec. 29) Chula Vista Spartan Classic game.

“I’m happy more about this game than any of the others we’ve played this season,” Singer said. “I know my kids look at me and think I’m crazy, but we can build our future on a game like this.”

Singer knows what it takes to win and up until this game had his doubts whether this band of Highlanders had the intestinal fortitude to live up to the Helix tradition.

“I saw a semblance of what I think this team can be in terms of intensity and grinding tonight,” Singer said. “I know we’re going to struggle offensively, but I’m more pleased that our kids showed that they can compete on the defensive end. And even more exciting was that our bench rallied us.”

ANDRAY JACKSON came off the bench to hit all four of his shots from the field for 9 points and still found time to deal 4 assists.

Singer also praised ANTHONY ANDERSON, PATRICK WINSTON and LEVINE TOILOLO for their work at the post.

Fountain Valley (9-5) flew to a 10-0 lead, but the Highlanders put on the brakes defensively to force a 17-all tie by intermission.

The game eventually trickled into overtime and Helix (6-5) appeared to have forced a second extra stanza when RED NARCISSE tied the game 50-50 on a layup with 3 seconds left.

Fountain Valley dashed that idea with a quick inbound pass and a buzzer beater from half-court for the victory. Some questioned whether the Barons’ decisive bucket was launched prior to the bell.

Said Singer, “It looked good to me. Give them credit, they won the game.”

Helix scoring: Donald McGowan 12, Red Narcisse 9 (4 ast, 3 stl, 3 reb), Andray Jackson 9, Derrall Chandler 7 (4 reb), Levine Toilolo 6 (6 reb), Anthony Diaz 2 (3 reb), Terrance Cole 2 (4 reb, 5 ast), Dimitar Topalov 2, Joubert Ballard 1.

VISTA 61, STEELE CANYON 58 – The Cougars (3-9) might look at this game as the one that got away Friday (Dec. 28) at Chula Vista High.

Steele Canyon struck for a 10-0 run in the 3rd quarter and seemed to have things under control, leading Vista 49-43 with eight minutes remaining in this Spartan Classic encounter.

The Panthers refused to be declawed, as they used an 18-9 scoring burst in the final period to steal the victory.

“We have trouble closing out games,” Cougars coach DEREK STEPHENS said. “We turned the ball over too much in the 4th quarter.” Starting guard ELIJAH CARTER (6 assists) also fouled out during the fateful period.

Steele Canyon ’s JEBARI ROBINSON drilled in a team high 20 points and 6-foot-5 CAMERON MOSS enjoyed his finest day on the court with 18 points and 6 boards.

“Moss dominated the paint and had a solid game for us,” Stephens said.

Steele Canyon scoring: Jebari Robinson 20 (3 ast), Cameron Moss 18, Jake Ransom 8, Eric Gilbert 7 (5 reb, 3 stl), Riley Balikian 2 (4 reb, 3 ast), Elijah Carter 2, Josiah Smith 1.

EASTLAKE 65, GROSSMONT 39 – For the visiting Foothillers (6-6) Friday’s (Dec. 28) Spartan Classic game at Chula Vista High had football-like overtones.

Power forward RICHARD OGUNSALU sprained an ankle, point guard KHALID WATERS suffered a bruised thigh at the beginning of the game, and wing ROBERT SULLIVAN suffered a gash in his face requiring stitches.

Not good news for the Foothillers and coach FRANK FOGGIANO, who tripped the Titans 55-52 earlier this season.

“Waters and Ogunsalu won’t play (Saturday against Helix),” said Foggiano, who’s Hillers will get a second shot at Helix on Wednesday (Jan. 9). The availability of Sullivan was not known.

Senior IAN COCHRAN attempted to carry Grossmont in the Eastlake rematch. An inside force by trade, Cochran was asked to bring up the ball at times which took further toll on the Hillers’ top point maker.

The 6-foot-6 Cochran finished with 13 points, most of which came on 11-for-15 free throw shooting. He also captured 10 rebounds.

Not to be overlooked was the work of junior guard BILLY GANGE, who tossed in a season-best 10 points. He accounted for Grossmont’s only two 3-pointers.

“Eastlake (8-4) did things that hurt us,” Foggiano said. “They used a fast break and ran the floor well. We didn’t get back defensively.”

Grossmont scoring: Ian Cochran 13, Billy Gange 10, Alex Leon 4 (6 reb), Richard Ogunsalu 3 (5 reb), Aaron Griffin 3 (7 reb), Robert Sullivan 2, Graham Hajosy 2, Alden Tollgaard 2.

CORONADO (Nev.) 86, MONTE VISTA 73 – The WATKINS brothers – senior MIKE and junior TRENT – went on a scoring binge, generating 45 points between them in Friday’s (Dec. 28) Governor’s Division of the Torrey Pines Classic.

The older Watkins scored a career high 26 points, nailing half of his 18 shots from the field and all five free throw attempts. Included in his totals was a trio of threes.

Trent Watkins also landed three 3-balls as he finished with a career best 19 markers.

GEOFF HARTMAN pitched in a double-double of 16 points and 10 rebounds for Monte Vista (6-6).

The Monarchs stepped out to an early 13-4 edge, but Coronado scored the last 13 points of the 1st quarter to take a lead it held the rest of the game.

Coronado clearly had a size advantage with a front line of 6-8, 6-8 and 6-5.

“And they all could shoot 3s,” noted Monarchs coach JAMES CARROLL.

In the 2nd quarter Coronado banged in 7 threes on its way to scoring 35 points.

“I created our schedule over the summer so we could play tough teams early to get our players ready for league play in January,” Carroll said. “I think they are beginning to see that, because of the improvement they are showing.”

Monte Vista scoring: Mike Watkins 26 (6 reb, 3 stl), Trent Watkins 19 (3 ast, 2 stl), Geoff Hartman 16 (3 stl, 2 blk, 2 ast), Ryan Houser 6 (6 reb), Kris Galloway 2 (4 reb, 3 blk), Alex Robinson 2 (3 reb), Anthony Bell 2.

VALLEY CENTER 59, EL CAPITAN 26 – Another poor shooting effort Friday (Dec. 28) morning in the Mt. Carmel Holiday Hoops Classic added up to a fourth straight loss for El Capitan (5-8).

The Vaqueros shot less than 26 percent from the field (9 for 35) as only BARRETT BRAUN reached double digits with 18 points. The 6-foot-4 senior also snagged 9 rebounds, two less than 6-2 sophomore ARMON WORRELL.

Thirty-three turnovers also contributed to the Vaqueros’ demise.

El Capitan scoring: Barrett Braun 18 (5 stl, 3 blk), Tila Case 6 (7 reb, 3 stl, 2 ast), Michael Overson 2, Jake Zawlacki (4 reb, 3 blk).

EL CAJON VALLEY 52, PATRICK HENRY 50 – The Braves posted their second straight Granite Hills Holiday Tournament victory on Friday (Dec. 28). No further information, including individual scoring, was reported. by the Braves' coaching staff.

© East County Sports.com
EL CAJON (12-28-07) — It seemed like pretty exciting stuff at the time, when DEAN MILLER executed 2 buzzer-beating baskets to close the second and third quarters of Thursday’s (Dec. 27) Granite Hills Holiday Tournament contest.

Miller nailed a 30-footer to give Granite Hills a 38-25 halftime lead. And then in the 3rd quarter, Miller fetched a rebound and unleashed an off-balance shot in the lane that found the bottom of the net, allowing the Eagles to maintain their 13-point advantage.

Those two rather heroic efforts wound up being the difference in Granite Hills’ 61-56 victory over visiting El Centro Central Union.

“We talk about shots like that all the time, but I’m not sure all of our kids take it seriously,” said Eagles coach RANDY ANDERSON.

Obviously, the 6-foot-3 Miller does.

“Sometimes when you throw the ball up, it just goes your way,” said Miller, who finished with a game-high 26 points and 13 rebounds. “It’s nice when that happens.”

Miller’s first buzzer beater came with his shoulders squared to the basket. It was not a thing of beauty as it actually turned out to be a bank shot. It was one of 4 treys Miller had in the game.

Miller’s second clutch shot was a little bit more acrobatic.

“I just threw it in and hoped it would help us down the stretch,” he said.

You don’t have to be a math major to deduce that Miller’s 5 points in those fleeting seconds led to Granite Hills’ 8th win in 12 starts.

This was a physical battle between the taller Eagles and the smaller but quicker Spartans from El Centro. Despite an obvious imbalance in size, the Spartans were every bit as physical as the Eagles.

“Yeah, it was pretty physical down inside and stuff, but we tried to keep it at our tempo instead of turning it into a running game with them,” Miller added.

Granite Hills turned a 14-13 edge into a 15-point lead with 3:14 remaining in the 3rd quarter. The pesky Spartans, however, kept pecking away, closing the deficit to 58-56 with 28 seconds left.

Granite Hills staved off Central’s upset bid when Miller hit both ends of a one-and-one bonus free throw situation with 20 seconds remaining.

Central got one more shot and missed, with Miller clearing the rebound. After a Granite Hills timeout, Central fouled in desperation and AARON HARRIS added a free throw in the final 2 seconds.

Harris finished with 8 points, most of which came on 6 of 8 free throw shooting. More impressive were his 21 rebounds.

WAYNE MARTIN added 14 points and 6 assists, while VICENTE STAFFORD chipped in 7 points, 4 rebounds, 2 assists and 2 steals. LANDON TURLEY scored a key layup with 50 seconds left to finish with 2 points and 6 rebounds.

The scary part for Granite Hills is that the Eagles hit only 3 of 17 shots from the floor in the final period.

“We held them off by playing great defense with the game on the line,” Anderson said. “We’ve been in this situation before where we’ve let a sizable lead slip away, and lost. This is a credit to our kids for not letting that happen this time.”

Granite Hills scoring: Dean Miller 26 (2 ast, 1 blk), Wayne Martin 14, Aaron Harris 8, Vicente Stafford 7, Ian Birmingham 2 (4 reb), Landon Turley 2 (6 reb), Kyle San Nicolas 2.

HELIX 68, MATER DEI 63 (3-OT) – LEVINE TOILOLO, a 6-foot-8 junior post, blew out some heady numbers, scoring 25 points and corralling 23 rebounds as the Highlanders outlasted Mater Dei in Thursday’s (Dec. 27) second round of the Chula Vista Spartan Classic.

Toilolo’s point total is more than half of what he produced in his previous six appearances. Same is true of his rebound count.

Nonetheless, Toilolo scored 8 of the Highlanders’ 25 points in the three overtimes.

Senior DONALD McGOWAN tallied 10 of his 13 points in overtime.

“It wasn’t a great game,” said Helix coach JOHN SINGER, whose Highlanders improved to 6-4. “It was a long game. We had 25 turnovers, which is proof that we were out there making simple things look hard – like it was rocket science or something. And those other guys weren’t much better.”

Singer admitted he might be a bit on the cynical side. No argument there.

“Yeah, Toilolo’s numbers look like he dominated, but he didn’t,” Singer said.

Let the record show that Toilolo was 11 of 21 from the floor and 3 of 6 from the free throw line. He also logged 6 steals and took a charge.

“The thing that really bugs me is that Toilolo has no explosion to his game,” Singer said. “He did make some key shots and I have to remember that he’s only a junior. I know he wants to play football, but to do that or to be the kind of player he can be, he needs to get into the weight room in the off-season.”

Playing in only his second game, McGowan also retrieved 11 rebounds.

RED NARCISSE also logged a double-double of 15 points and 11 rebounds to go along with 4 steals and 3 assists.

DERRALL CHANDLER chipped in with 8 points, 5 rebounds, 5 steals and 3 assists.

“I don’t think we’ve had a game where we’ve had three guys in doubles (scoring figures) this year,” Singer noted. “We still have a long way to go but I think we have a chance to be decent.”

Helix scoring: Levine Toilolo 25, Red Narcisse 15 (2 blk), Donald McGowan 13, Derrall Chandler 8, Patrick Winston 4 (4 reb), Terrance Cole 2, Anthony Diaz 1 (4 reb).

MONTE VISTA 66, RANCHO BUENA VISTA 63 (OT) – Nobody quite knows what to make of these Monte Vista Monarchs. One night they’re up challenging to become one of the elite, then a day later they’re attempting to execute the routine play with some consistency.

Such behavior must drive first-year head coach JAMES CARROLL nuts. If so, Carroll doesn’t show it. He’s a man going about his business.

“We expected to play Carlsbad but the schedule was changed at the last minute and that scuttled our pre-game preparation,” Carroll said of the Monarchs’ slate in the Governor’s Division of the Torrey Pines Classic.

That didn’t show in Thursday’s (Dec. 27) duel with Rancho Buena Vista at Rancho Bernardo. Led by GEOFF HARTMAN’s clutch double-double of 23 points, a dozen boards and 4 blocks, the Monarchs bulldogged the Longhorns in the extra four-minute stanza.

TRENT WATKINS pulled the Monarchs even and forced the overtime when he drained a 3-pointer to knot it at 56-all with two minutes to play to tie in regulation.

Monte Vista (6-5) outscored RBV 10-7 in the overtime as Trent Watkins hit 5 of 6 free throws (giving him all 8 of his points over the final six minutes). Hartman and RYAN HOUSER knocked down a bucket apiece and MIKE WATKINS tacked on a free throw, giving the Monarchs the 10 points in OT.

Mike Watkins, a 5-foot-10 senior guard, contributed 17 points, 4 assists and 3 steals. Houser, not known for his offensive prowess, clicked on 3 of 6 shots from the field for 6 points, cleared 8 rebounds and made 3 steals.

“We did a great job rebounding and had only 14 turnovers,” added Carroll. “Our shooting today (47 percent) was much better than in yesterday’s game.”

“Mike Watkins and Geoff Hartman were outstanding in all phases of the game. ALEX ROBINSON and ANTHONY BELL were excellent defensively. We are really starting to come together as a team.”

Monte Vista scoring: Geoff Hartman 23, Mike Watkins 17, Trent Watkins 8 (3 ast), Kris Galloway 6 (5 reb, 1 blk), Ryan Houser 6, Anthony Bell 4 (4-4 FT, 2 blk, 2 stl, 2 reb), Alex Robinson 2.

GROSSMONT 53, VISTA 39 – Arguably, nobody in East County has a better starting five than the Grossmont Foothillers.

The Foothillers (6-5) raced out to a 35-10 halftime lead over the Panthers (8-4), and then survived a sloppy 3rd quarter to post a convincing victory in Thursday’s (Dec. 27) second round of the Chula Vista Spartan Classic.

This game was not loaded with surprises, as Grossmont beat up another team inside the paint. IAN COCHRAN set the pace with 19 points, 9 rebounds, 2 steals and 2 assists.

RICHARD OGUNSALU added 11 points and 9 rebounds, and ALEX LEON chipped in 11 points and 7 boards.

Senior guard KHALID WATERS gave the Foothillers four players in double digits, finishing with 10 points, 4 assists, 4 rebounds and 2 steals.

“We played very, very good in the first half,” said Grossmont coach FRANK FOGGIANO. “We executed our offense and defense well and got a bunch of our kids playing time. Cochran had 13 of his 19 points in the first half.”

Grossmont scoring: Ian Cochran 19, Richard Ogunsalu 11, Alex Leon 11, Khalid Waters 10, Robert Sullivan 2 (6 reb, 2 ast), Aaron Griffin (4 reb).

CHRISTIAN 86, SANTA CLARA-SAINT LAWRENCE 54 – Who knows what kind of offensive numbers Christian’s Patriots might have garnered against Santa Clara ’s Saint Lawrence Celtics in Thursday’s (Dec. 27) first round of the Tri-City Holiday Tournament.

As it was, the Patriots (7-3) scored more than 20 points in each quarter while rolling to a season-high scoring total. A season-best eight players contributed to the offensive output, including 6-foot-8 VANDER JOAQUIM (32 points) and DANIEL HAZLETT (20).

Joaquim, a native of Angola, missed only 2 of 18 shots while grabbing 13 rebounds and making 3 steals.

“Vander was a man amongst boys today,” said Christian assistant coach TOBIN WILKINS. “He played inside and they didn’t have an answer to him. He picked up three quick fouls in the 1st half and played for just 2 ½ quarters. We put him in the middle and our guys did a good job getting him the ball. He’d just catch it, turn and shoot it.”

Hazlett nailed 8 of 16 shots from the floor – 2 of them from beyond the arc. The veteran point guard also handed out 5 of Christian’s season-high 17 assists in addition to posting 3 steals and 4 rebounds.

BRAD JOHNSTON and ANDREW SEXTON chipped in with 8 points apiece. Johnston also gathered 5 rebounds and handed out 4 scoring passes.

Freshman TYRONE SAULS tossed in a career-best 7 points off the bench, while TAYLOR EICHHORST added 4 assists.

Christian scoring: Vander Joaquim 32, Daniel Hazlett 20, Brad Johnston 8, Andrew Sexton 8, Tyrone Sauls 7, Andrew Whitten 5, Michael Pitts 4, Aaron Whitten 2.

NEWBURY PARK 73, EL CAPITAN 56 – Despite a 27-point outing by senior scoring machine BARRET BRAUN, the Vaqueros (5-7) suffered their third straight setback, stumbling in Thursday’s (Dec. 27) second round of the Mt. Carmel Holiday Hoops Classic.

The Vaqueros actually registered a superior shooting percentage (49 percent) than did the Panthers (45 percent). The difference here was Newbury Park put up 67 shots from the floor – nearly double the number of attempts launched by the Lakeside quintet, which made 17 of 35.

“We played a lot better today than we did yesterday,” JASON CAVAZOS said. “We competed a lot better than we have lately. I’ve seen a lot of improvement on defense lately, especially on the perimeter. We need to improve our interior defense.”

JAKE ZAWLACKI continues to establish himself as a major contributor behind Braun. The 6-foot-7 Zawlacki dropped in 10 points and bagged 8 rebounds, one less carom than Braun.

“We’ve stumbled a bit lately, but I see some ray of sunshine on the horizon,” Cavazos said.

El Capitan scoring: Barrett Braun 27 (9 rebs), Tila Case 13 (4 rebs, 3 asts, 2 stls), Jake Zawlacki 10, Michael Overson 4 (7 rebs), Will Radasa 2.

MOUNT MIGUEL 49, MAPLE RIDGE (B.C., Canada) 33 – If nothing else Mount Miguel coach JAY ROWLETT had to take solace in that his Matadors overcame a 13-8 first quarter deficit to pancake Maple Ridge in Thursday’s (Dec. 27) Granite Hills Holiday Tournament action.

Not that Rowlett is satisfied with Mount Miguel ’s 7-4 record.

“We are still not where we need to be defensively. Every basketball team has something they have to get better at, and ours is defense. I was pleased with our 2nd half effort on defense.”

BRAD BARRETT banged in 18 points, wrestled down 6 boards and dished 4 assists for the Matadors. AJ STANFORD pitched in with 12 points and 5 assists, while TRAVON CAPLES tallied 12 points and snared 8 rebounds for the Matadors.

“We had some good moments from Stanford and JJ NORTON passing the ball. I liked when everybody shares the ball,” Rowlett said. “Norton had a lot of hockey assists.”

Mount Miguel scoring: Brad Barrett 18, AJ Stanford 12, Travon Caples 12, JJ Norton 5, Donte Allen 2.

PERRIS 75, FOOTHILLS CHRISTIAN 68 – Although listed as a mere Division V school, the Foothills Christian Knights continue to stalk teams with much greater resources, and somehow manage to hold their own.

It’s not all about winning and losing at this point in the season. It’s about gaining experience, finding new ways to out-maneuver superior opponents.

Playing Thursday (Dec. 27) in the second round of the Above the Rim Tournament at Cathedral Catholic, the Knights (9-4) went toe to toe with the Division I Panthers.

Foothills Christian trailed by 14 points in the 3rd quarter but scrambled back, shaving Perris’ advantage to a single point with 3 minutes remaining.

“This isn’t a group that you can get flustered very easily,” said Knights assistant coach JAMES McHUGH. “Just coming back like they did from that kind of deficit shows they have a lot of composure.”

TROY LEAF was back on his game, hitting 11 of 20 shots from the floor, including 6 of 13 from above the arc for a game-high 34 points. The 6-foot-2 sophomore also shared team-high rebounding honors with BRANDON HALE at 7, blocked 2 shots (same as AARON HALE), and dished 3 assists.

“Troy was pretty solid on both ends of the floor,” McHugh said. “We rebounded better in the 2nd half tonight than we have in a long time and that was key because our rebounding numbers have been abysmal at best. We are still yielding far too many 2nd, 3rd or 5th chance points.”

KALOB HATCHER added 17 points, 7 assists, 2 steals and 4 rebounds for the Knights.

“Perris' coaches had great things to say to us following the game and our boys should take that as a tremendous compliment,” McHugh said.

“This tournament has been a great test for us,” McHugh continued. “This is where these kids want to be, they would not have been satisfied playing in Borrego like we did last year and stacking our schedule with easy wins – not with the amount of work they have put in. This is a group of players that wants challenge and they learn from their mistakes.”

Foothills Christian scoring: Troy Leaf 34, Kalob Hatcher 17, Zach Kaul 10 (3 ast, 3 reb, 2 stl), Brandon Hale 5, Aaron Hale 2.

SAN PEDRO 73, VALHALLA 52 – By the time the Norsemen found their feet, the visiting Pirates (4-5) of San Pedro had fired out to leads of 10-0 and 14-1 in Thursday’s (Dec. 27) Granite Hills Holiday Tournament action.

“They hit their first six shots and 7 of their first 8,” Valhalla coach KEITH JACKSON said. “We were playing catch up the rest of the way.”

Junior guard AUSTEN SUHAY led Valhalla (7-4) with 13 points. He nailed a pair of 3-balls and didn’t miss from the foul line in three tries.

“It’s his time to step up and be the guy,” Jackson said.

Jackson was also pleased to introduce 6-foot-4 sophomore JOSH AUSTEL, who made his varsity debut against San Pedro. Austel was 3-for-3 from the field, netted 2 of 4 free throws and grabbed 5 rebounds coming off the Valhalla bench.

”We had four sophomores who had significant minutes out there today,” the Norsemen’s second-year head coach said. One of them was KYLE KRIEBEL, who finished with 7 points and 7 boards.

Valhalla scoring: Austen Suhay 13, Josh Austel 8, Kyle Kriebel 7, EV Alcantar 6, Trevor Cahoon 4 (4 rebs), David Zetts 4, Ruffy Bacong 3, Derek White 3, Damaine Bradshaw 2 (4 ast, 3 rebs), Steven Kleist 2.

EASTLAKE 69, STEELE CANYON 41 – Just when it appeared the Cougars were turning the corner they crashed and burned in Thursday’s (Dec. 27) Spartan Classic bout with Eastlake in Chula Vista.

“This was the worst performance I’ve ever seen out of a Steele Canyon team,” said Cougars coach DEREK STEPHENS. “I can’t play for them, I can only tell them what to do and hope they do it.”

Of course, the Titans (7-4) – winners of five straight – are no easy mark. They stomped on Steele Canyon (3-8) by a 24-8 score in the first quarter and upped that advantage to 45-17 by intermission.

One bright spot glimmered in Stephens’ eyes and that was the long distance shooting of junior ERIC GILBERT, who canned a trio of 3-pointers, earning a share of the club’s high-point honors.

“Gilbert played an inspired game tonight, he plays with a lot of heart,” Stephens praised.

Steele Canyon scoring: Eric Gilbert 11, Elijah Carter 11, Cameron Moss 7, Jebari Robinson 6, Zane Keith 4, Jake Ransom 2.

PARAMOUNT 70, WEST HILLS 39 – The Pirates of Paramount (10-5) buried the Wolf Pack 48-19 in the middle two quarters of Thursday’s (Dec. 27) Aztec Holiday Invitational action at Montgomery.

“ Paramount is a very athletic team, and were able to stay with them for the first quarter (trailing only 13-9),” West Hills coach JEFF ARMSTRONG said. “But after that we could not stop the penetration of their guards in the middle of the key. We didn’t get good ball pressure or decent (defensive) help once they did reach the key.

“Bottom line is we just lost focus once we fell behind.”

West Hills scoring: Tim Nowlin 13, Lucas Armstrong 7, Jon Darby 7, Kyle McLaughlin 3, Garrett Middleton 3, Chase Senter 2, Ashur Gelyana 2, Garrett Cabral 2.

EL CAJON VALLEY 62, LEDUC (Canada) 53 – The Braves defeated the Canadians in a Granite Hills Holiday Tournament game on Thursday (Dec. 27).

El Cajon Valley scoring: Kevin Benton 20, Raylondo Ford 12, LaRoy McGee 11, Chris Franco 9, Charles White 6, Anthony Ussery 2, Shivan Sulyman 2.

© East County Sports.com
CHULA VISTA (12-27-07) — The Helix Highlanders welcomed some reinforcements to their anemic lineup in time for Wednesday’s (Dec. 26) opening round of the Chula Vista Spartan Classic.

Seniors KAREEM ABUKAR and DONALD McGOWAN, the most experienced players on the roster, combined for 14 points, 6 rebounds, 3 assists and 3 steals as the Highlanders whipped Cowichan of Vancouver Island, British Columbia, 56-43.

“We’ve played eight games with no true varsity experience,” Helix coach JOHN SINGER said. “Abukar and McGowan are the only guys who spent much time on the floor last year.”

However, Abukar’s return was cut short as he suffered a sprained ankle. His status is in limbo.

“It’s just hard to get a barometer on this team,” Singer said. “We lost Abukar again and we’re back another step. We haven’t had a top five identified after nine games – we’re still searching. We’re just not very good right now, we can’t sustain anything.”

DERRALL CHANDLER, who had brief varsity appearances a year ago, scored 9 points as did PATRICK WINSTON and Abukar.

RED NARCISSE also had 5 steals, 4 assists and 4 rebounds.

LEVINE TOILOLO led the Highlanders (5-4) with 10 rebounds, while JOUBERT BALLARD pitched in 5 assists and 7 points.

Helix scoring: Derrall Chandler 9, Kareem Abukar 9, Patrick Winston 9, Joubert Ballard 7, Red Narcisse 6, Donald McGowan 5, Dimitar Topalov 5, Levine Toilolo 4, Terrance Cole 2.

VALHALLA 62, NORTHERN (Canada) 57 – It’s early in the season, but the Valhalla Norsemen – a team most pundits have dismissed as challengers for the Grossmont South League championship – can take a bow for now for having the best record of the circuit’s six squads.

Not a bad start for a team in a so-called rebuilding year.

Bouncing back from a 38-29 halftime deficit, the Norsemen (7-3) dominated the 2nd half of Wednesday’s (Dec. 26) Granite Hills Holiday Tournament opener to turn back the Red Knights from Toronto Northern.

AUSTEN SUHAY, a 5-foot-11 junior, scored a career-high 20 points, including a pair of 3s, to pace the Norsemen. Fifteen of his points came in the 2nd half as Valhalla earned a 33-19 scoring advantage.

“We really needed someone to step up and Suhay did it,” said Valhalla coach KEITH JACKSON. “He had a huge block in the 3rd quarter (and 3 blocks in the game) that changed the momentum in the game for us.”

Junior TREVOR CAHOON and sophomore KYLE KRIEBEL contributed 8 points and 10 rebounds apiece for Valhalla. Kriebel also had 3 blocks.

DAMAINE BRADSHAW led Valhalla with 5 assists and 4 steals.

“At halftime we challenged the kids to step up,” said Jackson. “For the first 14 minutes of the 2nd half we held them to 11 points.”

Valhalla scoring: Austen Suhay 20, Kyle Kriebel 8, EV Alcantar 8, Trevor Cahoon 8, Steven Kleist 6, Derek White 6, Damaine Bradshaw 4, David Zetts 2.

GRANITE HILLS 83, EDWIN PARR (Canada) 32 – WAYNE MARTIN nailed 7 shots from above the arc to take over the East County 3-point shooting lead at 42 as the Eagles pounded the Pacers from Edwin Parr (80 miles north of Edmonton, Alberta) in the Granite Hills Holiday Tournament Wednesday (Dec. 26).

Martin, a 5-foot-11 senior guard, has connected for 16 treys in his last two games and 26 over his last five outings.

Granite Hills’ 6-foot-3 junior DEAN MILLER rejected a career-high 8 shots to vault himself into the East County lead for blocks with 27. Miller also had 15 points, a trio of treys, 5 assists and 5 rebounds.

Five Eagles reached double scoring figures as Granite Hills (7-4) racked up its highest offensive output of the season.

Unsung IAN BIRMINGHAM put together one of the better complete games of his career with 13 points and 7 rebounds.

VICENTE STAFFORD also enjoyed a big night with 10 points, 7 assists and 5 steals. Not far off that pace was sophomore KYLE SNYDER with 10 points and 6 assists.

Granite Hills outscored the Pacers 50-11 in the second half.

“It wasn’t the intensity we’d have liked in the first half,” said Granite Hills coach RANDY ANDERSON. “We needed to play with more intensity. We started playing the way we’re capable of in the second half.”

Granite Hills scoring: Wayne Martin 23, Dean Miller 15, Ian Birmingham 13, Kyle Snyder 10 (6 ast), Vicente Stafford 10, Parker Dow 6, Landon Turley 2, Aaron Harris 2 (9 reb), Cameron Roberts 2.

STEELE CANYON 74, POINT LOMA 45 – JEBARI ROBINSON scored a season-high 23 points, the majority of it coming on 4 three-points connections as Steele Canyon pounded Point Loma in Wednesday’s (Dec. 26) opening round of the Chula Vista Spartan Classic.

Steele Canyon, which has played better than its 3-7 record, pulverized the porous Pointers (0-9) from the outset, storming to a 47-22 halftime lead.

ELIJAH CARTER chipped in with a brilliant game that included 15 points, 9 rebounds, 9 assists, 2 steals and 1 block.

“Jebari and Elijah really set the pace for us at guard,” said Steele Canyon coach DEREK STEPHENS.

Not to be overlooked were the contributions of 6-foot-5 junior CAMERON MOSS and senior guard CASEY GAYTON. Moss muscled in 12 points and collected 5 rebounds, while Gayton nailed a trio of treys and logged 2 steals.

ZANE KEITH, a 6-foot-5 junior, was tough inside with 4 blocks and 5 rebounds.

“Cameron and Zane were in complete control down low,” said Stephens.

“We got a chance to get a lot of players some minutes in today’s game,” said Stephens. “We came out fast and we were able to run the floor. I’m really happy with our defensive effort today.”

Steele Canyon scoring: Jebari Robinson 23 (4 ast, 2 stl), Elijah Carter 15, Cameron Moss 12, Casey Gayton 9 (2 stl), Eric Gilbert 4 (3 reb), Jake Ransom 4 (2 ast, 3 stl), Stephen Howell 3 (2 reb, 1 blk), Zane Keith 2, Riley Balikian 2 (3 reb, 1 blk, 4 stl), Jeff Reid (3 reb).

WEST HILLS 60, BRAWLEY 54 – Coaches never know what they’re going to see from their players following a major holiday. More often than not some key players fall on their face… and take their team down with them.

That didn’t happen to the Wolf Pack of West Hills (4-7) in the opening round of the Aztec Holiday Invitational at Montgomery Wednesday (Dec. 26).

“Our starting group came out of the gate very well,” said West Hills coach JEFF ARMSTRONG. “We were pretty close to having all five guys in double figures. But our bench support was not there like it usually is.”

“It was the same thing, both halves – the starters played well and the guys off the bench didn’t add much.”

TIM NOWLIN (15 points), GARRETT CABRAL (13), RYAN BOZELLE (12) and CHASE SENTER (10) carried West Hills’ balanced scoring effort.

“All five of our starters shot the ball much better,” Armstrong said. “But turnovers allowed (Brawley) to get back into the game.”

West Hills led by 11 points with 3 minutes remaining, but the Wildcats clawed back to within 2.

“It got a little sloppy there at the end because I think our guys tried to overdo things instead of running the clock,” said Armstrong. “We were rushing things – we were making one pass and firing it up. And then we were called for two charges.”

“The main thing is we won the game, and hopefully we learned a little bit more important it is to put people away and not wait until the final seconds.”

West Hills scoring: Tim Nowlin 15, Garrett Cabral 13, Ryan Bozelle 12, Chase Senter 10, Lucas Armstrong 8, Kyle McLaughlin 2.

GROSSMONT 59, CRAWFORD 49 – Coaches from ages past have discussed the importance of the opening round of any tournament. A first-round victory shows the character of a team and also propels that squad into the winner’s bracket.

Grossmont’s FRANK FOGGIANO has been coaching for decades, and he took Wednesday’s (Dec. 26) opener of the Chula Vista Spartan Classic for what it’s worth.

“We didn’t do anything spectacular, we just kept plugging away,” said Foggiano.

The Foothillers led 18-9 after the first quarter and then held off the upset-minded Colts. Once again it was Grossmont’s inside trio of IAN COCHRAN (21 points, 11 rebounds), RICHARD OGUNSALU (11 points, 15 rebounds, 2 steals) and ALEX LEON (10 points, 7 rebounds).

“Cochran shot the ball well,” said Foggiano. “He’s picking it up every game. He and RICHARD OGUNSALU are pretty effective when you get them both on the same side of the floor. It’s hard to defend. And ALEX LEON is another presence inside for us.”

Grossmont scoring: Ian Cochran 21, Richard Ogunsalu 11 (2 stl), Alex Leon 10, Robert Sullivan 8 (4 reb), Khalid Waters 6 (4 ast, 3 stl), Alden Tollgaard 2, Billy Gange 1.

LACES 88, MONTE VISTA 77 – Things started out in style for the Monte Vista Monarchs, a team some might believe is over its head in the Governor’s Division of the Torrey Pines Holiday Prep Classic at Rancho Bernardo.

For the first 3 minutes of Wednesday’s (Dec. 26) opening round, the Monarchs proved that they can run with the best when they opened up a 12-point lead against Los Angeles Center for Enriched Studies (LACES).

“Their full-court press did not allow us to get into our set offense after that,” said Monte Vista coach JAMES CARROLL.

Still, Monte Vista scored 29 points in the first quarter to lead by one. Although the pace slowed down a bit, the Monarchs maintained a 41-36 edge by intermission.

GEOFF HARTMAN was a force inside for Monte Vista, knocking down 14 of 19 shots for 32 points to go along with 8 rebounds.

RYAN HOUSER also enjoyed one of his better games in the paint, netting 8 of 15 shots for 16 points while procuring a team-high 14 rebounds.

KRIS GALLOWAY was another Monarch nugget that lived off the glass, finishing with 10 points and 9 rebounds.

In the 3rd quarter, LACES played longball, hitting six 3s en route to a 30-point scoring burst and a 66-52 lead. The Monarchs added 25 points over the final 8 minutes, but by then the issue had been decided.

“Their outside game killed us in the 2nd half,” said Carroll. “Our outside shooting was horrendous. We did most of our damage inside.”

Monte Vista, which was 0-14 from 3-point range, got no closer than 9 points in the 4th quarter.

Monte Vista scoring: Geoff Hartman 32 (2 ast, 2 blk), Ryan Houser 16 (2 ast, 1 blk), Kris Galloway 10 (1 blk, 2 stl), Anthony Bell 9 (4-4 FG, 5 reb, 2 ast, 2 stl), Chris Jones 4 (3 stl), Mike Watkins 2 (4 reb, 5 ast, 2 stl), Trent Watkins 2, Alex Robinson 2.

CORONA 73, FOOTHILLS CHRISTIAN 64 – The injury bugaboo continued to haunt the Foothills Christian Knights in Wednesday’s (Dec. 26) Above the Rim Tournament opener at Cathedral Catholic.

“This was a game we certainly could have won,” said Foothills Christian assistant coach JAMES McHUGH.

Maybe so, but when team leader TROY LEAF rolled his ankles and had to be helped to the bench with 1:20 left in the 1st quarter, the Knights’ chances did not appear all that promising.

Yet living up to his school’s nickname, Leaf somehow regained his footing and returned to the court with 3 minutes left in the half. The game was deadlocked at 32-all by the break.

Corona gradually pecked away at Foothills Christian (9-3). The Knights, who trailed 53-51 after three quarters, wound up playing chase the rest of the way.

“I think these little stints without certain players can help us a lot later in the season,” McHugh said. “We've had to learn to play without ZACH KAUL for a few games and now during this game we were forced to play without Troy for a stretch. Then later in this game we lost KALOB HATCHER for a stretch when he went out with an ankle injury.”

Kaul led the Knights with 21 points, including a pair of treys and 5 steals. Leaf added 17 points and 3 rebounds, while Hatcher finished with 13 points, 9 assists and 2 steals.

As a team Foothills Christian hit a season-low 14 of 26 free throws.

“There are 5 or more guys on this squad that can shoot 90 percent and then some from the line for an entire season, and right now we're just not getting it done,” McHugh said. “Kaul was a bright spot for us returning from an injury and looking like he was feeling well.”

Foothills Christian scoring: Zach Kaul 21, Troy Leaf 17, Kalob Hatcher 13, Brandon Hale 7, Aaron Hale 6, Ryan Smith (4 reb).

WEST RANCH 77, EL CAPITAN 40 – Having seen Valencia’s West Ranch rope visiting El Capitan Wednesday (Dec. 26) afternoon, the director of Mt. Carmel Holiday Hoops Classic, Sundevils coach Chris Vitous said, “They might be the best team in our (16-team) tournament.”

The Wildcats of West Ranch galloped off to a 52-24 halftime lead and that pretty much decided the issue.

BARRETT BRAUN paced El Capitan (5-6) with 17 points, 7 rebounds and 3 steals. JAKE ZAWLACKI added 10 points, 3 rebounds and a pair of blocks.

“We came out and bombed the whole first half,” El Capitan coach JASON CAVAZOS said. “In the second half we did a lot better. As long as the kids learn something from these games we’ll be able to compete in league.”

El Capitan scoring: Barrett Braun 17, Jake Zawlacki 10, Tila Case 6 (3 reb, 3 ast, 2 stl, 1 blk), Michael Overson 4 (3 reb, 1 blk), Armon Worrell 2, Jon Molzen 1 (3 reb).

A.N. MYER (Canada) 61, MOUNT MIGUEL 38 – As a rule, Canadian teams don’t do too well when they venture south of the border. A.N. Myer of Niagara Falls, Ontario is an exception to that line of thinking.

These particular Canadians ran roughshod over host Mount Miguel in Wednesday’s (Dec. 26) first round of the Granite Hills Holiday Tournament. Perhaps that is why they sport a 9-1 record.

“We didn’t do the things we need to do defensively, especially,” said Mount Miguel coach JAY ROWLETT. “They had a 6-foot-6 Division I prospect that scored 38 points – he shot inside and outside. That one guy beat us. I’ll be interested in seeing how he does against other teams in the tourney.”

Mount Miguel scoring: Brad Barrett 14, Matt Miles 6, AJ Stanford 4, JJ Norton 4, Donte Allen 4, Devyn Moore 2, Arthur Hobbs 2, Travon Caples 2.

KEARNY 74, EL CAJON VALLEY 41 – LaROY McGEE scored 19 points as the Braves (4-8) were manhandled by Kearny in Wednesday’s (Dec. 26) opening round of the Granite Hills Holiday Tournament. No other details were reported.

El Cajon Valley scoring: LaRoy McGee 19, Kevin Benton 7, Anthony Ussery 5, Raylondo Ford 5, Chris Franco 3, Shivan Sulyman 2.

© East County Sports.com
BULLHEAD CITY, Ariz. (12-23-07) — A trip to the Mohave Desert reaped many benefits for the Granite Hills Eagles, who captured the 3rd place trophy in Mohave High School's 20th annual Matador Shootout.

Granite Hills senior guard WAYNE MARTIN hit a tournament record 9 three-pointers to carry the Eagles to an 81-43 victory over Sir Winston Churchill (Ontario, Canada) in Saturday’s (Dec. 22) final round of the tournament.

Martin finished with a career-high 32 points for the Eagles (6-4), who opened up a 46-19 lead by halftime.

This was no case of Martin simply firing up shots from all over the court. He was accurate; he made his efforts count, hitting 7 of 9 shots from above the arc in the 1st half.

As a team, Granite Hills scored 35 treys in the four tournament games, including 19 by Martin.

“I was pretty happy with how we finished the tournament,” said Eagles coach RANDY ANDERSON. “Churchill wasn’t a bad team, we just played pretty well. Everybody did a good job working the ball and getting it to Wayne.”

Junior AARON HARRIS, who plays much bigger than his 6-foot stature, added 13 points and crashed the glass for 11 rebounds.

“He continues to play really, really tough – all out every game,” said Anderson.

IAN BIRMINGHAM pulled down 7 rebounds to go along with 4 points.

“Even though he doesn’t score a lot, Ian plays good defense and rebounds well for us,” added Anderson.

DEAN MILLER contributed 11 points and 5 steals to the Eagles’ coffers.

VICENTE STAFFORD dished a team-best 6 assists.

Granite Hills scoring: Wayne Martin 32, Aaron Harris 13, Dean Miller 11, Landon Turley 7, Kyle Snyder 6, Ian Birmingham 4, Kyle San Nicolas 2, Vicente Stafford 2, Clint Davis 2, Andre Lewis 2.

FOOTHILLS CHRISTIAN 79, ST. AUGUSTINE 70 – KALOB HATCHER of Foothills Christian is neither the tallest nor the fastest player in the San Diego CIF. But the 6-foot sophomore guard can produce results with any player in town.

Hatcher hammered down a season-high 32 points, hitting 9 of 14 shots from the field and 9 of 12 free throws to spark the Knights (9-2) past St. Augustine in Saturday’s (Dec. 22) final round of the Grossmont Winter Classic.

Hatcher’s game extended well beyond just scoring, as he led the Knights with rebounds (8), assists (8) and steals (5).

“This was a huge game for Kalob,” said Foothills Christian assistant coach JAMES McHUGH.

It could not have come at a better time considering Foothills was operating without one of its more versatile players, ZACH KAUL, on the bench with a bruised tailbone.

Foothills fired out to a 47-28 halftime lead.

The Knights set the tempo early and then went on a shooting spree in the 2nd quarter, including 5 straight treys in that quarter.

“This was a great win for us with one of our big scorers on the bench,” said McHugh.

“We dropped 10 of 13 threes in the first half and we knew they would defend on that in the second. In the 4th quarter Saints applied a lot of pressure and doubled Kalob and TROY LEAF every time they touched the ball.”

Leaf finished with 26 points, including 5 of 7 shooting from above the arc. Hatcher hit 5 of 8 from long distance, while BRANDON HALE nailed 3 of 5 treys.

“We only had 8 field goals in the 2nd half but it wasn't because of poor shooting, it was because we made a huge adjustment based on Saints' defense,” noted McHugh.

Nearly half of Foothills’ 19 points in the final quarter came on Hatcher’s ability to convert 9 of 13 free throws.

Defensive accolades once again went to junior TRAVIS GEORGE.

“I think the key for Travis was that he stayed in our game plan even when Saints’ 6-foot junior Stephon Lamar started heating up,” said McHugh.

George limited Lamar to 7 points on just 7 shots in the first half, but the high-scoring Lamar managed to get his points, finishing with 33.

“In the 4th quarter Lamar started hitting shot after shot and Travis just stayed with him, he never looked worried or frustrated, he simply did what we asked him to do,” added McHugh.

“Our defense did a great job tonight keeping the big guys from getting too many easy baskets in the lane.”

Foothills Christian scoring: Kalob Hatcher 32, Troy Leaf 26 (7 reb, 2 stl, 6 ast), Brandon Hale 10 (3 reb, 2 ast), Travis George 5, Aaron Hale 4 (2 ast, 2 stl, 1 blk), Ryan Smith 2.

CHRISTIAN 69, BONITA VISTA 51 – No question, the Christian High Patriots have two of the most prolific scorers in San Diego CIF this season. The Patriots would like to find a third consistent contributor to their scoring efforts.

All that considered, Christian’s first-year head coach KELVIN STARR took solace in the fact that his Patriots produced 15 assists in Saturday’s (Dec. 22) surprisingly easy Grossmont Winter Classic romp over Bonita Vista.

Seven of those assists were dealt by junior TAYLOR EICHHORST, who also had 6 rebounds and 3 points.

“We did a better job on offense because of the number of assists we had,” said Starr.

DANIEL HAZLETT capitalized on those scoring passes to ring up a season-high 33 points. The senior guard connected on 11 of 17 shots from the field, including 4 treys. He was also 7 of 9 from the free throw line.

Six-foot-8 junior VANDER JOAQUIM netted 11 of 18 shots from the floor – one of them a 3 – and captured a team-best 12 rebounds.

“Vander was effective playing from the outside today,” said Starr of the Angolan native whom he hopes can contribute more from the inside in the future.

Another spark of hope was provided by sophomore MANNY WALKER, who only two weeks ago was on the football field. Walker could be that No. 3 scoring entity that Starr so badly desires. Walker finished with 7 points, including one trey.

As a team Christian shot 61 percent from the floor (27 of 44).

Christian scoring: Daniel Hazlett 33 (3 reb.), Vander Joaquim 23, Manny Walker 7, Brad Johnston 3, Taylor Eichhorst 3.

MONTE VISTA 60, RAMONA 40 – Obviously, Monarchs first-year head coach JAMES CARROLL realizes what preseason tournament games really mean. It’s about experimenting, it’s about learning the strengths and weaknesses of your players.

The stakes weren’t high when Monarchs engaged Ramona in Saturday’s (Dec. 22) final day of the Grossmont Winter Classic. While many coaches and players complained about being tournament weary, the Monarchs came out and looked sharp.

Monte Vista (5-4) romped to a 34-15 halftime lead and never looked back.

To combat any lingering fatigue, Carroll made wholesale substitutions on a regular basis.

“We started our regular lineup but had a second lineup that I put in as a unit in the 1st quarter,” said Carroll. “We did the same thing in the 2nd and 3rd quarters. We got off to a great start and were able to give all the players significant minutes tonight.”

That philosophy has worked for Rancho Bernardo all season as the Broncos own a San Diego CIF-best 11-0 mark.

Monte Vista senior RYAN HOUSER put together a powerful double-double of 14 points and 14 rebounds.

GEOFF HARTMAN also tallied 14 points, bagged 9 boards and logged 4 steals. Both players netted 6 of 12 shots from the field.

TONY JACKSON, a 6-foot-4 sophomore, made his only two shots from the field, crashed the boards for 8 rebounds and blocked 2 shots.

“Houser, Jackson and Hartman all were a force inside,” said Carroll. “They controlled both boards. ANTHONY BELL played another great game defensively. He is the energy that drives our engine.”

Monte Vista scoring: Geoff Hartman 14, Ryan Houser 14 (2 ast, 1 blk), Kris Galloway 8 (7 reb, 4 blk), Trent Watkins 6 (2 reb, 2 ast, 1 blk), Mike Watkins 4 (4 reb, 3 ast, 2 stl), Tony Jackson 4 (2 blk), Alex Robinson 4, Brian Williams 2 (4 reb), Josh Gossmeyer 2, Chris Jones 2 (4 reb, 2 ast).

MAR VISTA 70, WEST HILLS 65 – Despite producing its highest scoring total in 10 games, the Wolf Pack came up short in Saturday’s (Dec. 22) Otay Ranch-Mater Dei Holiday Tournament finale at Otay Ranch.

The Pack marched in front 16-11 in the first quarter, but then was out-scored 42-26 in the middle two periods.

Attempting to work around 26 turnovers, West Hills (3-7) clawed back to within 2 points with two minutes remaining. Forced to foul in that situation, the Pack just couldn’t get over the hump.

“We started to play with a purpose too late,” said Wolf Pack coach JEFF ARMSTRONG, whose team averaged just 46.6 prior to Saturday’s offensive breakout.

Six-foot-5 TIM NOWLIN, who was named to the All-Tournament Team, led the Wolf Pack with 20 points, 10 rebounds, 3 assists, 3 steals and 2 blocks.

Nowlin hit 8 of 11 shots from the field and converted all four of his free throw chances.

Junior guard CHASE SENTER also had an excellent shooting touch as he hit 5 of 9 attempts above the arc for a season-high 15 points.

Another plus for the Wolf Pack was five players contributed to a perfect 11 for 11 free throw shooting night. RYAN BOZELLE made all three of his charity shots and totaled 10 points in the game.

West Hills scoring: Tim Nowlin 20, Chase Senter 15 (4 ast), Ryan Bozelle 10 (2 reb), Garrett Cabral 6 (5 reb), Lucas Armstrong 3 (7 ast, 4 reb), Kyle McLaughlin 3 (4 reb, 2 ast, 1 blk), Kyle Navarre 2 (3 stl), Jon Darby 2 (2 reb, 3 ast), Ashur Gelyana 2, Garrett Middleton 2.

UNIVERSITY CITY 55, GROSSMONT 50 – Although forced to play catch-up the majority of Saturday’s (Dec. 22) third-place game of the Grossmont Winter Classic, the host Foothillers nearly pulled out a victory against a strong University City squad.

Trailing 53-50 with 17 seconds remaining, Grossmont got the ball inside to one of their most reliable scorers, but the senior who took the shot missed a 2-foot hook in the middle of the key.

“That miss really hurt us because then we had to foul to stop the clock,” said Grossmont coach FRANK FOGGIANO.

University City capitalized by sinking 2 free throws in the waning seconds to claim the victory.

RICHARD OGUNSALU led Grossmont with 19 points and 13 rebounds.

IAN COCHRAN, who was a non-scoring factor for the first three quarters, knocked down 9 points in the 4th period to help put Grossmont in position for a last-second victory. Cochran finished with 13 points, 11 rebounds and 2 steals.

ALEX LEON added 8 points inside the paint and tugged down 8 rebounds.

Grossmont scoring: Richard Ogunsalu 19, Ian Cochran 13, Alex Leon 8, Khalid Waters 5 (3 ast, 3 stl, 2 reb), Robert Sullivan 3 (4 reb, 3 stl).

SERRA 67, STEELE CANYON 56 – It’s been a struggle for first-year coach DEREK STEPHENS and his Steele Canyon Cougars. The club’s problems were magnified in Saturday’s (Dec. 22) final day of the 61st Kiwanis Tournament at Mission Bay.

Steele Canyon was operating without leading scorer ELIJAH CARTER and No. 1 rebounder JOSIAH SMITH. Even so, had it not been for a slow start, the Cougars (2-6) could well have created a more favorable outcome.

“We played hard and really well,” Stephens said. “I think it was hard missing some leadership at the beginning. We came out sluggish in the 1st quarter (and trailed 24-10).”

JEBARI ROBINSON (18 points) took over some leadership and JAKE RANSOM (8 points) and NICK STATHAS (13 points) helped fill in the void.

“It was a blessing in that some of our guys that normally don’t play in crunch times got to play,” Stephens said.

However, there is no making up for missing six free throws in the 4th quarter, which thwarted Steele Canyon ’s comeback bid.

Steele Canyon scoring: Jebari Robinson 18, Nick Stathas 13, Cameron Moss 8, Jake Ransom 8, Zane Keith 4, Riley Balikian 3, Eric Gilbert 2.

CLAIREMONT 46, SANTANA 43 – Santana coach TIM BARRY called Saturday’s (Dec. 22) Grossmont Winter Classic loss “probably the worst coaching loss I’ve ever had.”

It didn’t start out that way as the Sultans (10-4) streaked to a 12-0 lead in the opening 2:13 of the game.

“We just lost our focus,” said Barry, whose Sultans had earlier this season beaten Clairemont 50-48. “I know our kids were tired so I didn’t want to leave anyone out there too long.”

Clairemont, meanwhile, didn’t find its focus until the 2nd quarter when the Chieftains outscored the Sultans 19-9 to leave the game tied at 21-all by intermission.

What momentum Santana had built in the early going was completely diluted in the 2nd half as the teams went back and forth.

Reliable TYLER BLACKLEDGE paced the Sultans with 13 points and 9 rebounds.

Guard JESSE VARGAS hit a pair of 3s and finished with 10 points.

However, Santana’s overall shooting was a forgettable 25 percent (16 of 64).

“We’ve had a very good start to our season, and then to end it this way really leaves a sour taste,” Barry said. “I’ll take the blame for this loss because I’m the coach. We don’t play again until Jan. 5 so we really need to work hard in these next few practices and go out and get it (momentum) back.”

Santana scoring: Tyler Blackledge 13, Jesse Vargas 10 (3 ast), Carlos Vargas 6 (5 ast), Brett Romero 5, Blake Harper 5, Ryan Garlin 2, Kevin Engelke 2.

SAN PASQUAL 71, EL CAPITAN 52 – Not unlike most new coaches attempting to build a team, El Capitan ’s JASON CAVAZOS admits playing four games in as many days without any practice creates a stressful situation.

No question, El Capitan gave one of its poorest performances in Saturday’s (Dec. 22) Kiwanis Tournament consolation contest at Mira Mesa.

“We strive on trying to get better every game, but this game we kinda took a step backwards,” said Cavazos. “We will get one practice before our next game.”

BARRETT BRAUN scored only 13 points – about half of his season average. All but three of Braun’s points came in the 2nd quarter as the Vaqueros eked out a 35-34 halftime lead.

The 3rd quarter was a complete bust for El Capitan as San Pasqual (3-7) claimed a 16-1 scoring edge.

TILA CASE, who scored 12 points in the 1st half, hit one free throw in the decisive 3rd period to keep El Capitan from being blanked.

Despite being dogged by foul problems JON MOLZEN delivered 14 points, 3 rebounds and 3 steals to the El Capitan attack. He also blocked a shot, as did Braun and JAKE ZAWLACKI. Braun topped his team with 11 rebounds.

Cavazos has been suffering from the flu and mentioned that his kids were complaining of not feeling well.

“Today was a downhill day,” he added. “We can only get better from here. We’re already better than we were last year. We just hit a pretty big speed bump today.”

El Capitan scoring: Jon Molzen 14, Barrett Braun 13 (2 stl), Tila Case 13 (2 reb, 3 ast, 2 stl), Jake Zawlacki 6 (4 reb), Michael Overson 3 (4 reb, 3 ast), Michael Landis 2 (4 reb), Brian Deuel 1.

VALHALLA 56, PARIS (Ontario, Canada) 47 -- The Norsemen (6-3) won easily over the Canadians in Saturday's (Dec. 22) final day of the Matador Shootout in Bullhead City, Ariz.

Valhalla scoring: Austen Suhay 14 (2 treys, 5 steals), Kyle Kriebel 12 (rebs), Trevor Cahoon 8 (4 rebs), Steven Kleist 8, Derek White 7, Damaine Bradshaw 3, David Zetts 3, Alex Merutka 1.

MATER DEI 56, EL CAJON VALLEY 37 – The Braves saw their record dip to 4-7 on Saturday (Dec. 22) as they lost to the co-hosting Crusaders in the Otay Ranch-Mater Dei Holiday Tournament. No information was reported by the coaching staff.

© East County Sports.com
EL CAJON (12-22-07) – Although it doesn’t probably stand up there with the so-called “holy wars” between Cathedral Catholic and St. Augustine, Friday’s (Dec. 21) Grossmont Winter Classic action between East County rivals Foothills Christian and Christian High was not lacking for intensity.

The trump card in Foothills Christian’s 64-60 win over Christian was the play of virtual unknown junior guard TRAVIS GEORGE.

Making only his third appearance in 10 games, George was designated a defensive cog in Foothills Christian’s pregame plans against their crosstown foe. His job was to keep a tight rein on Christian sharpshooter DANIEL HAZLETT.

“Today we stuck Travis George on Hazlett and basically gave him the duty of being Daniel's shadow for 32 minutes,” said the Knights’ assistant coach JAMES McHugh. “Travis did a great job in his first high school start. Hazlett still got his 20 points but he worked for them.”

Perhaps more impressive than his sterling defense was George’s unexpected contributions on offense. George had not taken a varsity shot before Friday’s game – ever – but was 4 for 4 from the floor and added a free throw to finish with 9 points.

This was a dogfight to the finish. Foothills Christian (8-2) barged in front 32-24 by the break. The third quarter, however, belonged to the Patriots, who cut the deficit to a single point heading into the final eight minutes.

The lead exchanged hands five times in the first four minutes of the final period.

TROY LEAF, who paced Foothills with 30 points, scored 9 of the Knights’ last 12 points over the final 3:55.

Christian (5-3) erased a 54-53 deficit on a 5-point scoring burst by VANDER JOAQUIM to lead 58-54 with 2:42 left.

After KALOB HATCHER pulled the Knights to within one by hitting his second trey of the day, Hazlett countered by converting both ends of a one-and-one, staking Christian to a 60-57 advantage.

The final 2:11, however, belonged exclusively to Leaf as he converted a 3-pointer, a bonus free throw situation and a layup for 7 points, and the victory.

Perhaps the most impressive of Foothills Christian’s ability to pull out a win is that they did so without ZACH KAUL, one of their top 3-point shooters and an excellent defender.

“Zach’s X-rays showed he was ok, just bruised,” McHugh said. “The doctors recommended 6 days off so we're giving him a rest. It's tough to replace Zach's scoring.

Joaquim hit 12 of 20 shots in the field to finish with 32 points for Christian, including 6 of 7 free throw shooting. He also dominated the glass with 25 rebounds.

Hazlett settled for 20 points, including 4 treys.

Foothills Christian scoring: Troy Leaf 30, Kalob Hatcher 11, Brandon Hale 9, George Travis 9, Aaron Hale 5.

Christian scoring: Vander Joaquim 32, Daniel Hazlett 20, Brad Johnston 3, Taylor Eichhorst 3, Manny Walker 2.

RANCHO BERNARDO 83, GROSSMONT 67 – The host Foothillers ran into one of the hottest teams in the San Diego CIF during Friday’s (Dec. 21) semifinals of the Grossmont Winter Classic.

The Broncos (10-0) were relentless as they used the old “hockey line change” to run over the Hillers into Saturday’s (Dec. 22) championship game opposite Westview.

“That team is 10 players deep,” said Grossmont coach FRANK FOGGIANO. “They rotated two 5-team units. When you have that kind of quality depth, you can run and gun the whole game, which is what they do.”

Rancho Bernardo sprinted to a 26-11 first-quarter lead.

“We tried to slow it down and dump it inside,” Foggiano said. “And we did a pretty good job on the offensive end. If we play it like we did tonight we will win most of our games. Rancho Bernardo is a very good team.”

In addition to their continuous rotating substitutions, the Broncos utilized a full-court press and a half-court trap on the defensive end.

“We had trouble adapting to their complete line changes,” said Foggiano. “We don’t have that kind of depth so our guys had trouble concentrating at times. I can’t tell you for sure but I’ll bet they scored at least 10 points on layups because we didn’t know who we had defensively.”

Despite all the apparent disadvantages, the Foothillers pulled to within four points of the Broncos with 5 minutes remaining.

Bottom line is, Rancho Bernardo was 10 for 10 from the free throw line in the final quarter compared to Grossmont’s 5 for 10.

For the game, Rancho Bernardo was 10 of 24 from the charity stripe while Grossmont was 14 of 27.

Foggiano was proud of his inside trio – 6-foot-5 RICHARD OGUNSALU (20 points, 11 rebounds), 6-6 IAN COCHRAN (18 points, 12 rebounds) and 6-5 ALEX LEON (18 points, 10 rebounds).

“I can’t complain when I get that kind of play out of my three bigs,” Foggiano said.

Grossmont scoring: Richard Ogunsalu 20 (3 stl), Ian Cochran 18 (2 ast), Alex Leon 18, Khalid Waters 4 (4 ast, 2 stl), Michael Graham 4, Robert Sullivan 3 (2 ast).

CANYON CREST 63, SANTANA 54 – Without any powerhouse programs on Grossmont Conference hardwoods this winter, the team which plays the most consistent over 32 minutes will gain the upper hand towards a league title.

Santana has displayed more steady play than any of its Grossmont North League rivals so far, yet two short spurts Friday (Dec. 21) cost them a shot at a victory.

Despite game highs of 21 points and 13 rebounds by forward KEVIN ENGELKE, the Sultans fell to visiting Canyon Crest, 63-54, in a Grossmont Winter Classic consolation contest.

"You're going to go through bad shooting streaks, but you can't go through bad turnovers streaks if you expect to win," said Santana coach TIM BARRY. "Sometimes I think it would be better to take a bad shot rather than turn the ball over, because maybe we could get a rebound and a putback."

Trading baskets throughout the first half, suddenly a 19-16 Santana lead disappeared when the Ravens (6-3) went on a quick 13-0 tear over a 4:20 span. The Sultans roared back to tie it, but Canyon Crest opened the fourth period on a 10-0 run, with both spurts caused by the inability to make an entry pass when starting the offense.

Instead, turnovers in the backcourt led to a series of easy baskets by Canyon Crest.

"I'm a little bit disappointed by that, yet it was a good effort by us," added the coach.

And when the Ravens did run their offense, they converted nine 3-point baskets, including four by Travis Steinberg, who was 6-for-6 from the floor for 16 points. Meanwhile, Peter Fink drained three treys to finish with a team-high 18 points.

"Canyon Crest is a solid team with a bunch of great shooters -- they will hold their own in a tough league for teams like Horizon and ( La Jolla ) Country Day," added Barry. "As for us, take away those two little runs and we're right in the ballgame. At least we know what we need to fix to become a better ballclub."

JESSE VARGAS kept Santana close early with five of his 10 points coming in the first period. TYLER BLACKLEDGE added 7 points, 6 rebounds and 5 assists for the Sultans (10-3).

The first Ravens run gave them a 29-19 lead, but Santana got even at 36-all, capped by a Vargas drive to the basket, followed by a last-second feed to Engelke for the layin.

The game would be tied two more times, but after a putback by BRETT ROMERO to trim the Ravens lead to 49-45 late in the third period, Canyon Crest forced six turnovers over the next five minutes, not allowing Santana to score again until there was 2:50 left to play in building a 16-point lead.

Santana scoring: Kevin Engelke 21 (13 reb), Jerrell Patacsil 10 (2 stl), Jesse Vargas 7 (2 stl), Tyler Blackledge 7 (6 reb, 5 ast, 3 stl, 1 blk), Carlos Vargas 5, Brett Romero 2, Anthony DeBarrows 2, Chris Sodergren (2 ast, 2 stl).

MONTE VISTA 73, BURROUGHS 54 – Monte Vista coach JAMES CARROLL did some shuffling in the Monarchs lineup for Friday’s (Dec. 21) Grossmont Winter Classic consolation contest in Santee.

Nice move, coach.

The Monarchs (4-4) scored 41 points in the first half to take a 13-point lead they wouldn’t lose.

“I mixed up the starting lineup tonight. ANTHONY BELL and TONY JACKSON started and GEOFF HARTMAN and ALEX ROBINSON came in off the bench,” Carroll said. “Tony and Anthony really played well. Hartman sparked us defensively. When Geoff and Alex were in the game we were able to press more.”

Hartman snapped out of a mild scoring slump with 17 points to go along with 8 rebounds, 5 assists, 3 steals and 1 block. Definitely a solid effort off the bench.

Team-high scoring honors went to MIKE WATKINS, who like Hartman hit 6 of 15 shots from the field. Watkins was 5 for 5 from the free throw line and 2 of 5 from above the arc.

Although Carroll was most pleased with RYAN HOUSER’s work on the glass, he couldn’t help but notice the 6-foot-3 senior’s 5 for 10 shooting from the field. Houser totaled 7 rebounds, blocked a shot, dished 3 assists and made 2 steals.

“Houser was a force inside and on the boards,” said Carroll.

Nine Monarchs contributed to the scoring. TRENT WATKINS did a nifty job of distributing the ball as he collected a team-best 8 assists.

KRIS GALLOWAY was a stable force inside with 5 rebounds, 2 blocks and 3 steals.

Although Bell ’s contributions might be considered subtle on the surface, he made the most of his opportunities, hitting both of his two shots from the field for 4 points while nabbing 4 rebounds.

Jackson also was a stealth contributor, converting both of his field goal shots and adding one free throw and 6 rebounds.

“Everybody contributed in all phases of the game tonight,” noted Carroll.

Monte Vista scoring: Mike Watkins 19, Geoff Hartman 17, Ryan Houser 10, Alex Robinson 8, Kris Galloway 6, Tony Jackson 5, Anthony Bell 4, Trent Watkins 2, Brian Williams 2.

EL CAPITAN 64, MORSE 55 – If nothing else, first-year head coach JASON CAVAZOS can look back to the second game of the season when his Vaqueros were mauled by Morse 81-64.

Since then the Vaqueros have made giant strides to right their ship, including a payback win over the Tigers in Friday’s (Dec. 21) Kiwanis Tournament action.

“It was a definite advantage having played them before,” said Cavazos. “We were familiar with their offensive and defensive tendencies, who liked to shoot the ball and where they liked to shoot it.”

To measure El Capitan ’s defensive progress one needs only look to Morse’s one-two scoring punch of Remil Landrum and Chris Humphries. In the first go-round Landrum tallied 28 points but was held to 17 in the rematch. Humphries burned the Vaqueros for 26 points in November but was limited to 13 on Friday.

“We did a good job on both offense and defense,” said Cavazos. I’m pleased with the way we played today.”

As usual, senior BARRETT BRAUN carried the offensive torch for the Vaqueros with 27 points – 20 of them coming in the first half. Braun also hit 4 threes, grabbed 7 rebounds and handed out 3 assists.

Junior JON MOLZEN chimed in with 15 points, the majority coming on a trio of 3-pointers. He also gobbled up a team-best 10 rebounds, one more than MICHAEL OVERSON.

“We have more players stepping up on offense now. They want the ball in key moments and are not afraid to shoot it,” Cavazos said.

El Capitan scoring: Barrett Braun 27, Jon Molzen 15 (4 stl, 3 ast), Tila Case 7, Michael Overson 6 (4 ast), Jake Zawlacki 6 (5 reb), Michael Landis 3.

FRANCIS PARKER 58, WEST HILLS 35 – After spinning off three straight wins, the Wolf Pack hit a stone wall when it tipped off against Francis Parker (5-1) in Friday’s (Dec. 21) Otay Ranch-Mater Dei Holiday Invitational in Chula Vista.

“It was a tough night for the Pack versus a tough team,” emphasized West Hills coach JEFF ARMSTRONG.

West Hills held Parker’s best player, Jerome Fried, scoreless. While defensively sound, however, the Wolf Pack could not find its offense, hitting just 10 of 33 shots from the field and 11 of 23 free throws. Twenty-one turnovers didn’t help matters.

Parker capitalized from the outset, taking a 21-9 first quarter lead.

“We appeared tired from two games yesterday,” Armstrong said. “Once we settled in we stayed with them for two of the next three quarters.”

Parker extended its advantage with a 12-5 scoring spree in the 3rd period.

TIM NOWLIN, the Wolf Pack’s top scorer and leading rebounder, picked up his third foul early in the 2nd quarter. That limited his playing time and scoring to 4 points, but he still managed to scoop up 11 rebounds.

GARRETT CABRAL led the Wolf Pack in scoring with 11 points and JON DARBY chipped in 8 points.

“Darby is getting better every game,” Armstrong said. “He’s starting to figure out how to play this game. He’s so fast and strong and has the best vertical jump on the team. Give him a couple more weeks and he’s really going to help us.”

West Hills scoring: Garrett Cabral 11, Jon Darby 8, Ryan Bozelle 6, Tim Nowlin 4, Chase Senter 3, Kyle Navarre 1, Kyle McLaughlin 1, Garrett Middleton 1,

HILLTOP 59, GRANITE HILLS 44 – It seems funny that these two San Diego County teams would travel some five hours and 300-plus miles to the Matador Shootout in Bullhead City, Ariz., only to find themselves staring across from each other in Friday’s (Dec. 21) second-round matchup.

It was not advantageous for Granite Hills, as the Eagles turned in a lackluster performance and suffered their 3rd loss in eight decisions.

Once again Granite Hills relied on the one-two scoring punch of DEAN MILLER (14 points) and WAYNE MARTIN (13), but it was hardly enough as Hilltop built a 51-31 lead by the end of three quarters.

Martin knocked down a trio of 3s. AARON HARRIS banged the boards for 9 rebounds, while Miller and IAN BIRMINGHAM collected 8 caroms apiece.

“We played poorly,” admitted Granite Hills coach RANDY ANDERSON. “We came out not ready to play. Our intensity level was not where it should be.”

Granite Hills scoring: Dean Miller 14, Wayne Martin 13, Aaron Harris 5, Kyle Snyder 4, Parker Dow 3, Kyle San Nicolas 2, Clint Davis 2, Lewis 1.

SANTA RITA (Tucson) 79, GRANITE HILLS 64 – The Eagles picked up their intensity in the second game of Friday’s (Dec. 21) Matador Shootout double-header in Bullhead City, Ariz., but it may not look like it considering Granite Hills was tackling the No. 2 ranked team in Arizona.

Although the Eagles (5-4) trailed most of the way, they crept to within four points of Santa Rita (9-0) late in the 3rd quarter, but that’s as close as they would get.

“We played much better in the second game, played hard the whole time,” said Granite Hills coach RANDY ANDERSON. “We’ll use this tournament as a valuable learning tool in getting ready for league.”

DEAN MILLER nailed a trio of 3s on his way to a game-high 26 points for Granite Hills. WAYNE MARTIN popped in 4 three-pointers on his way to an 18 point finish. Martin also had 8 assists and 4 steals.

Although they didn’t score a whole lot of points between them, AARON HARRIS and IAN BIRMINGHAM combined for 24 rebounds – 13 by Harris.

The fact that Harris, a 6-foot junior, and the 6-3 senior Birmingham were able to battle a Santa Clarita front line that included 6-8 and 6-5 jumping jacks was impressive.

“Harris had a good all-around game, and Birmingham played a real solid defensive game on their 6-foot-8 guy.”

Anderson also noted that Santa Rita’s talent-laden lineup included a 6-foot guard who is being recruited by UCLA and Arizona, and who scored 27 points against the Eagles.

“They were pretty tough,” said Anderson.

Granite Hills scoring: Dean Miller 26, Wayne Martin 18, Landon Turley 7, Vicente Stafford 5, Kyle Snyder 3.

ROCKY MOUNTAIN (Colo.) 92, VALHALLA 53 – Colorado’s Rocky Mountain Lobos ran roughshod over the Norsemen in Friday’s (Dec. 21) Matador Shootout in Bullhead City, Ariz., in the first of two games.

The Lobos (8-1) laced Valhalla (5-2) by knocking down 10 three-pointers on their way to a 61-16 halftime lead.

One of the bright spots for Valhalla continues to be the play of 6-foot-5 sophomore KYLE KRIEBEL, who punched in 18 points, grabbed 6 rebounds and blocked 2 shots.

“We came out a little bit lethargic and you can’t do that against a good team,” said Valhalla coach KEITH JACKSON. “The kids played a lot more solid and with more intensity in the 2nd half.”

Valhalla actually outscored the Lobos 37-31 in the 2nd half.

Valhalla scoring: Kyle Kriebel 18, Damaine Bradshaw 10, Steven Kleist 5, David Cahoon 4 (4 reb, 3 stl), David Zetts 3, Austen Suhay 3 (4 reb), Rod Fakhoury 3, Alex Merutka 2, Scott Sturgeon 2, Derek White 2, Ruffy Bacong 1.

MOHAVE (Ariz.) 61, VALHALLA 46 – It was another big outing for sophomore KYLE KRIEBEL as he scored 16 points, bagged 10 boards and blocked 6 shots in Valhalla’s second game of Friday’s (Dec. 21) Matador Shootout double-header in Bullhead City, Ariz.

“Kriebel had a good game for us,” said Norsemen coach KEITH JACKSON. “We shot 18 of 51 (35 percent) from the field. But other than that, not a lot of things went well for us. We didn’t play like a confident, experienced team today.”

Valhalla scoring: Kyle Kriebel 16, Austen Suhay 9 (3 ast), Derek White 7, EV Alcantar 6 (2 stl), Trevor Cahoon 4 (2 stl), Rod Fakhoury 2, Steven Kleist 2.

LA COSTA CANYON 55, STEELE CANYON 50 – Riding the crest of a 31-point blowout victory the night before, Steele Canyon came out steaming in the first half of Friday’s (Dec. 21) of Kiwanis Tournament at Mission Bay.

The Cougars led La Costa Canyon 34-27 after the first 16 minutes, but faltered in the 3rd quarter and was unable to pick up the slack in the final period.

“This was the best first half we have played this year,” said Steele Canyon coach DEREK STEPHENS. “But they shot us down in the 2nd half. We did not shoot the ball well in the last two quarters. Our defense was just a little shoddy in the 2nd half.”

JOSIAH SMITH paced the Cougars (2-6) with 14 points, while JEBARI ROBINSON tallied 12 markers, most of which came on a trio of 3-pointers.

“I feel we are getting better with each game we play,” added Stephens.

Steele Canyon scoring: Josiah Smith 14, Alex Robinson 12, Elijah Carter 6, Jake Ransom 5, Nick Stathas 4, Eric Gilbert 3, Cameron Moss 2, Jeff Reid 2, Riley Balikian 2.

EL CAJON VALLEY 63, MONTGOMERY 33 – The Braves (4-6) snapped a six-game losing streak in Friday’s (Dec. 21) Otay Ranch-Mater Dei Holiday Invitational action. No game report by the ECV coaching staff.

El Cajon Valley scoring: Kevin Benton 18, Dove Dove 16, Shivan Sulyman 16, Laroy McGee 5, Charles White 3, Trevor Sines 2.

© East County Sports.com
EL CAJON (12-21-07) — Grossmont High senior IAN COCHRAN was blazing hot coming out of the chute in Thursday’s (Dec. 20) Grossmont Winter Classic contest against visiting Bonita Vista.

And then, for much of the middle two quarters, the 6-foot-6 senior seemed to disappear on the offensive end. That is, until the game was on the line.

Leading for most of the night – by as much as 9 points early on – the Foothillers went flat in the stretch run as the visiting Barons barged in front 53-45 with 2:48 remaining.

Grossmont (4-3) refused to fold.

RICHARD OGUNSALU, dogged by foul problems throughout the contest, led the comeback that culminated with Cochran’s game-winning basket in a 56-54 victory that vaulted Grossmont into Friday’s (Dec. 21) semifinals opposite undefeated Rancho Bernardo (9-0).

Grossmont finished off Bonita Vista with an 11-1 scoring run over the final 2:22 spearheaded by Ogunsalu’s 8 points.

“Coach (FRANK FOGGIANO) told me to calm down and relax,” said Ogunsalu, who was saddled with his fourth foul with 7:01 remaining. “So when I came back into the game I just picked my spots and focused on the ball.”

The 6-foot-6 Ogunsalu tied the game 54-54 with his fourth bucket in 59 seconds. That set the stage for Cochran’s game-winner.

“I think the key to the game is we went into our 4-4 pressure defense after they went up on us by 8,” said Cochran, who finished with 22 points and 12 rebounds. “We got a steal (by KHALID WATERS) that led to a layup. That got us going again.”

Speaking of steals, guard MICHAEL GRAHAM, who did not contribute a single point to the Grossmont total, made two key thefts that helped produce the victory. It was a steal by Graham that led to Cochran’s game winning bucket with 50 seconds remaining.

“I knew we had to score and I wanted the ball,” Cochran said.

Bonita Vista was equally as aware, as the Barons smothered the Foothillers’ scoring ace with triple coverage.

“They gave me the ball and I saw an opening,” Cochran said. “In some cases I might drive to the basket in that situation, but there was too much traffic. So I pulled up and let it fly.”

Credit Graham for helping save the win, as Bonita Vista had two chances to tie the game.

After Grossmont missed the front end of a 1-and-1, the Barons plucked the rebound and were headed downcourt for a potential tying bucket with 8 seconds left. That’s when Graham spoiled the plans as he filled the passing lane and came up with a steal.

Ogunsalu finished the game with 17 points and a game-high 15 rebounds.

Grossmont scoring: Ian Cochran 22, Richard Ogunsalu 17 (2 blk), Alex Leon 7, Robert Sullivan 6, Michael Waters 4 (3 stl, 3 ast, 2 reb).

STEELE CANYON 71, SAN PASQUAL 40 -- The Cougars would like to note a distinct difference on how they operate on offense compared to other teams.

While many ballclubs "can" run or have the ability to push the ball, for the Cougars, that's just what they do.

"Basically, coach tells us to go out and run," said Steele Canyon guard ELIJAH BROWN, who scored a game-best 18 points to subdue the Golden Eagles. "We saw we were more athletic, so we decided to come out here and play."

And with the starting lineup intact for the first time this season, Steele Canyon would rather choose to ignore its 1-4 start entering the 61st annual Kiwanis Tournament.

"We needed that one week break to get ourselves together after we got our football players back," added Carter. "We needed that week to get settled -- we're playing like we should."

Included was a narrow first-round loss in the tournament, then Thursday's (Dec. 20) big bounce-back. Along with Brown's performance, JEBARI ROBINSON posted 10 points, while forward JOSIAH SMITH cleaned the boards with 18 rebounds.

"All our big guys are grabbing boards and getting physical to start the break," Carter noted. "And once we get the ball, we're working to break down the zone. A lot of teams zone us because our guards are so quick that they can break them down."

The Cougars utilized a 14-0 run in the second quarter to build a 31-20 halftime lead, featuring 14 points by Brown. Then a 14-3 run to open the third period built the lead to 20 points.

Steele Canyon scoring: Elijah Carter 18 (7 reb.), Jebari Robinson 10 (4 ast.), Zane Keith 6, Eric Gilbert 6, Josiah Smith 5 (18 reb.), Casey Gayton 5, Jeff Reid 5, Cameron Moss 4, Stephen Howell 4, Jake Ransom 3, Alex Robinson 2, Nick Stathas 2, Riley Balikian 1.

WEST HILLS 55, KWANTLEN PARK (Canada) 49 – Coach JEFF ARMSTRONG and his Wolf Pack were little more than relieved by picking up a forfeit win from Maranatha Christian in the opening round of the Otay Ranch-Mater Dei Holiday Invitational, but went about business more aggressively in Thursday’s (Dec. 20) double-header.

It took the Wolf Pack (2-5) until the 2nd half to move ahead of the Canadians, who maintained a 24-22 halftime lead.

A 21-point third quarter – one of West Hills’ highest scoring splurges of the young season – staked the Pack to a 43-38 advantage they would not lose.

“KYLE NAVARRE came up with a big steal and a basket to go up by 6 with a minute left to play,” Armstrong said.

Stalwart TIM NOWLIN paced the Pack with 19 points and 11 rebounds. The 6-5 senior was 9 of 16 from the floor and helped West Hills capitalize on his 6 offensive rebounds.

West Hills singed the Canadians by nailing half of their 20 three-point shots. Junior point guard CHASE SENTER led the way with 5 treys, RYAN BOZELLE had 3 and LUCAS ARMSTRONG had 2.

“We have been shooting 3s at a 16 percent clip so far,” said Coach Armstrong. “Tonight, hitting 10 of 20 was key. Threes were coming from both sides of the court. We also took better care of the ball this afternoon.”

“Chase is playing solid basketball. Not only did he shoot well but he handed out a team-high 8 assists. Lucas dished 7 assists.”

West Hills scoring: Tim Nowlin 19 (2 blk), Chase Senter 15 (8 ast), Ryan Bozelle 9 (4 ast), Lucas Armstrong 8 (2 blk, 7 ast, 2 reb), Kyle Navarre 2 (2 stl), Garrett Cabral 2 (2 ast, 2 stl), Jonathan Darby (3 reb).

WEST HILLS 60, SAN YSIDRO 44 – Playing in their second game in three hours, the Wolf Pack showed no signs of exhaustion in Thursday’s (Dec. 20) Otay Ranch-Mater Dei Holiday Invitational. The bottom line here is West Hills outscored San Ysidro in each of the four quarters.

Junior guard GARRETT CABRAL snapped out of a shooting slump to connect on 6 of 10 from the floor, scoring 14 to lead the Pack.

CHASE SENTER played well in back-to-back games, scoring 13 points – 3 of 4 threes – and dishing out 6 assists.

Off the bench KYLE McLAUGHLIN scored 9 points – 7 of them coming in the 4th quarter – and hauled in 7 boards.

TIM NOWLIN again was chairman of the boards, leading the way with 14 caroms.

“We were having a hard time attacking the Cougars’ zone,” said Pack coach JEFF ARMSTRONG. “We moved LUCAS (ARMSTRONG) to the high post and he spotted Nowlin and McLaughlin several times for easy baskets. Lucas led the team with 7 assists.”

“It’s nice to pick up a couple of wins today. It adds confidence to the boys’ play. We’ll be tested tomorrow night against a very good Francis Parker team.”

West Hills scoring: Garrett Cabral 14 (4 reb, 3 ast), Chase Senter 13 (6 ast), Kyle McLaughlin 9 (7 reb, 2 stl), Tim Nowlin 8 (4 ast, 3 stl), Ryan Bozelle 6 (4 reb), Kyle Navarre 4, Lucas Armstrong 4 (7 ast, 3 reb), Jonathan Darby 2 (3 reb).

SANTANA 53, BURROUGHS 49 – CHRIS SODERGREN probably will never lead the Santana Sultans in scoring, although he might hover around the top of the list in terms of rebounds.

One thing about Sodergren though, is the 6-foot-5, 280-pound junior doesn’t get pushed around very often. Sodergren turned in a powerful bucket and accompanying free throw to help the Sultans extend their East County-best record to 10-2 in Thursday’s (Dec. 20) Grossmont Winter Classic in Santee.

“Sodergren had an old-fashioned “and-one” play” that we were able to extend till the end,” said Santana coach TIM BARRY. “And we can’t overlook a key 3-point basket by ANTHONY DeBARROWS that put us up by four at the end of the 3rd quarter.”

TYLER BLACKLEDGE led the Sultans with 12 points, including 6 of 8 free throw shooting. He also had 7 rebounds.

JESSE VARGAS came up big again for Santana with 10 points, 7 rebounds and 3 steals.

Santana scoring: Tyler Blackledge 12 (2 ast, 2 stl), Jesse Vargas 10 (3 stl), Kevin Engelke 10, Chris Sodergren 7, Anthony DeBarrows 5, Carlos Vargas 5 (4 reb, 4 ast, 2 stl), Blake Harper 3, Brett Romero 1.

GRANITE HILLS 61, RIVER VALLEY (Ariz.) 37 – This was no contest as the Eagles (5-2) blew out the Dust Devils of River Valley (Mohave, Ariz.) in Thursday’s (Dec. 20) Matador Shootout in Bullhead City, Ariz.

DEAN MILLER and WAYNE MARTIN landed a trio of treys apiece and totaled 28 points between them in the Granite Hills triumph. Miller finished with 17 points to lead the squad and also had a team-high 9 rebounds and 5 assists. Miller settled for 11 points.

The Eagles put this one away in the 2nd quarter with a 14-0 run that added up to a 34-16 halftime lead.

“VICENTE STAFORF played a good all-around game and made some nice passes. He did a good job defensively,” said Granite Hills coach RANDY ANDERSON. “AARON HARRIS, with 8 rebounds, really provided a spark for us.”

Granite Hills scoring: Dean Miller 17 (5 ast), Wayne Martin 11, Aaron Harris 9, Kyle Snyder 6 (4 ast), Vicente Stafford 6 (4 ast), Kyle San Nicolas 6 (6 ast), Iam Birmingham 2, Landon Turley 2, Parker Dow 2, Ronnie Von Hagen (6 reb).

VALHALLA 54, KINGMAN (Ariz.) 42 – Only minutes after completing their final exams, the Norsemen embarked on a lengthy road trip across the Mohave Desert Thursday (Dec. 20) to the Matador Shootout in Bullhead City , Ariz.

Once the Norsemen finished the trek they found their basketball legs in a hurry. They edged in front of the Bulldogs of Kingman, Arizona , 10-8 in the 1st quarter and gradually extended their advantage before securing their fifth win in six starts.

AUSTEN SUHAY was the driving force for Valhalla , popping in 17 points, grabbing 8 rebounds and making 5 steals.

Sophomore sensation KYLE KRIEBEl chipped in with 11 points and 6 rebounds in addition to blocking 6 shots. Kriebel was also 5 for 5 from the free throw stripe.

“Kriebel had a nice game and Suhay had a pretty complete game,” said Valhalla coach KEITH JACKSON. “We came out a little flat and we only had two offensive rebounds. We need to do a better job on the offensive boards. The kids took their last finals today and it was a long drive up here. We were a serious road team – we only had a handful of fans and 90 percent of the people in the gym were Kingman fans.”

Valhalla scoring: Austen Suhay 17, Kyle Kriebel 11, Derek White 9, EV Alcantar 7, Trevor Cahoon 7, Rod Fakhoury 2, Damaine Bradshaw 1.

UNIVERSITY CITY 50, CHRISTIAN 35 — Playing in the Grossmont Winter Classic seemed fitting for the Christian High Patriots Thursday (Dec. 20) night at Grossmont High.

The Pats, who had won four straight, couldn’t melt ice cream. They were stone cold shooting the ball.

“Any time you make only 11 buckets and shoot 24 percent your chances of winning a game are not very good,” said Christian assistant coach TOBIN WILKINS. That chilly touch carried over to the free throw line where Christian converted just half of 14 shots.

Six-foot-8 VANDER JOAQUIM, who came into the game averaging 23.5 points per game, spent as much time on the bench as he did on the floor due to foul troubles. He made a season-low 8 points, hitting just 3 of 12 shots and 2 of 4 free throws. Joaquim collected just 7 rebounds, about one-third of his season average.

The absence of Joaquim placed added pressure on sharp-shooter senior guard DANIEL HAZLETT. Rarely did Hazlett get off an uncontested shot, as he netted just six of 21 chances to finish with 17 points.

“If you stop Vander, you stop us,” Christian coach KELVIN STARR said. “We need to distribute our scoring between more than two people. It makes us too easy to defend if we don’t.”

Christian (5-2) was tied 21-all in the final seconds of the opening half. When Joaquim picked up his fourth foul in the first minute of the second half, the Centurions opened up a 15-point lead and never looked back.

Christian scoring: Daniel Hazlett 17, Vander Joaquim 8, Brad Johnston 5, Tyrone Sauls 3, Lawrence Walker 2.

WESTVIEW 68, FOOTHILLS CHRISTIAN 56 – The battered and bruised Knights of Foothills Christian showed their lack of depth in Thursday’s (Dec. 20) Grossmont Winter Classic on the Foothillers’ floor.

Oh, things started out alright, as the Knights (7-2) stormed in front 26-15 after the first eight minutes. From that point on the game gradually slipped in the hands of the ever-patient Wolverines (5-2).

For a team that lives and dies by the 3-ball, Foothills Christian was 8-for-28 from beyond the arc. KALOB HATCHER set the tone, hitting 3 of 7. Hatcher finished with 15 points, 5 assists and 3 steals.

“This was the second straight game that we came out and destroyed a team offensively in the 1st quarter and then our defense let us down in the next three,” Foothills assistant coach JAMES McHUGH said. “Our shooting wasn't stellar by any means in the final three periods but it is clear for anyone to see that defense is what has been killing us the last four games.”

That and a boat-load of nagging injuries.

Guard ZACH ZAUL is hobbled with a severely painful tail bone bruise. Yet, he still toughed it out to pour in 14 points and snag a team-high 10 rebounds. His status is day-to-day.

“Zach will be in for an X-Ray Friday morning so hopefully that comes back negative,” McHugh said. “It's hard to tell with him. Zach is hurting but he's being forced into the role of our third scorer almost every game.”

Foothills Christian scoring — Troy Leaf 21 (2 rebs, 2 ast), Kalob Hatcher 15, Zach Kaul 14 (4 ast), Aaron Hale 6.

CANYON CREST 75, MONTE VISTA 55 – The numbers don’t lie. The Ravens of Canyon Crest clicked on 17 of 24 three-point shots to stun Monte Vista in Thursday’s (Dec. 20) Grossmont Winter Classic contest at Santana.

The 17 treys by the Ravens ties Canyon Crest for 5th most on the all-time San Diego CIF books with El Cajon Valley ’s 1998-99 crew. The record of 21 was registered by Mountain Empire against Borrego Springs in 2002.

“They were shooting 3s like they were layups,” said Monte Vista coach JAMES CARROLL. “We were doing well and then towards the end of the 1st quarter there was a barrage of 3s.”

“When you let a team shoot 17 of 24 times from the 3-point line, you don’t win. They just killed us with 3s. If you were a fan it was fun to watch.”

Monte Vista scoring: Ryan Houser 12 (4 reb, 2 blk), Trent Watkins 12 (3 reb, 2 ast), Kris Galloway 8 (5 reb, 3 stl), Geoff Hartman 7 (3 reb, 2 ast, 2 blk), Mike Watkins 6 (5 reb, 2 ast, 2 stl), Anthony Bell 5, Chris Jones 2, Tony Jackson 1, Alex Robinson (2 reb).

MOUNT MIGUEL 47, SWEETWATER 45 – Sitting on a 12-point cushion with four minutes remaining in Thursday’s(Dec. 20) Sweetwater Holiday Classic contest, the Matadors nearly tripped and gave one away to the tournament’s host team.

Only four players scored for Mount Miguel (6-3), which won for 4th time in its last five starts. BRAD BARRETT paved the way with 18 points, 6 rebounds and 3 assists. AJ STANFORD pitched in with 14 points, 3 rebounds and 3 assists. TRAVON CAPLES dipped a little in scoring with 11 points, but hauled down a team-high 7 rebounds.

After falling behind 12-10 in the first quarter, Mount Miguel zoomed in front 38-26 with a pair of solid middle quarters. But then they faltered over the final 8 minutes.

“What we need is practice time,” Mount Miguel coach JAY ROWLETT said. “We haven’t had but a couple of days with our full team together to do that.”

Mount Miguel scoring: Brad Barrett 18, AJ Stanford 14, Travon Caples 11, JJ Norton 4 (3 stl), Devyn Moore (3 stl).

SCRIPPS RANCH 69, EL CAPITAN 55 – The Vaqueros (4-4) seemed to have enough offensive steam, but lacked consistency on the boards as they fell to the host Falcons in Thursday’s (Dec. 20) Kiwanis Tournament action.

BARRETT BRAUN banged in 24 points, but cleared only four rebounds for El Capitan . JON MOLZEN came up big on the glass collecting 10 caroms, but his teammates mustered only a dozen more among them.

Scripps Ranch used a 41-point second half burst to erase El Capitan ’s 30-28 halftime edge.

El Capitan scoring: Barrett Braun 24 (4 reb, 4 stl), Jake Zawlacki 10, Jon Molzen 9 (4 ast), Tila Case 6 (6 ast, 3 stl), Michael Overson 6 (2 reb, 3 ast, 3 stl).

ORANGE GLEN 69, EL CAJON VALLEY 67 – The Braves’ losing streak ballooned to six games after Thursday’s (Dec. 20) Otay Ranch-Mater Dei Holiday Invitational setback to Orange Glen (6-2).

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SANTEE (12-20-07) — The scouting report on KELVIN STARR’s Christian High Patriots is simple. Or is it?

More than 75 percent of the Patriots’ points in the first six games of the season have been a two-way split. Six-foot-8 center VANDER JOAQUIM has cleaned up inside, while senior sharpshooter DANIEL HAZLETT has been pouring in the points from the outside.

As obvious as Christian’s offensive game plan seems, it’s hard to argue with the Patriots’ 5-1 record to date.

Hazlett gave Christian a 62-60 victory over Canyon Crest in Wednesday’s (Dec. 19) opening round of the Grossmont Winter Classic at Santana when he hit a 15-footer with one second left in the second overtime.

The game-winning basket gave Hazlett a 30-point outing, which is just 2 points shy of his season high. No question, Hazlett has seen better shooting days, as he netted just 9 of 22 attempts. He did hammer down four 3-pointers, giving him 17 treys for the season. Better yet, Hazlett missed only 1 of 9 free throw attempts, raising his shooting percentage from the foul line to .848.

Joaquim was dominant inside the paint, as usual, converting 12 of 15 shots for 24 points. He also gathered 17 rebounds.

“We’ve been struggling as a team offensively,” Starr said. “But at the same time we’ve played great defense to keep ourselves in the game.”

Christian scoring: Daniel Hazlett 30 (3 stl., 2 ast., 3 reb.), Vander Joaquim 24, Brad Johnston 6, Andrew Sexton 2.

FOOTHILLS CHRISTIAN 70, BURROUGHS 61 – Sometimes this game looks awfully easy, as coach BRAD LEAF’s Foothills Christian Knights showed in taking a 27-5 first quarter lead in Wednesday’s (Dec. 19) Grossmont Winter Classic.

But behind the scenes the 7-1 Knights, who aren’t laden with a lot of depth in the first place, are hurting physically.

“We're looking to be the best team we can come playoff time and right now that may mean sitting several players to get them healthy,” said Foothills Christian’s assistant coach, JAMES McHUGH.

East County scoring leader TROY LEAF hit 11 of 26 shots from the field and 8 of 9 free throws for a game-best 31 points. He also gobbled up 10 rebounds, dished 4 assists and made 3 steals for the Knights.

KALOB HATCHER led Foothills Christian’s supporting cast with 17 points, 9 rebounds, 10 assists and 3 steals.

Although the Knights came out on top they did not do their typical damage from long distance. Foothills Christian’s trademark if 3-point shooting, but the club hit only 5 treys in 19 attempts against Burroughs.

“We're still not playing our best basketball by any means,” said McHugh. “We're happy to be 7-1 but at this point we're working on some things and working out those kinks that may have to take the priority over winning.”

According to McHugh, it is not likely that junior guard ZACH KAUL will play much more this week. Kaul contributed 11 points in the victory over Burroughs, but his effort was painful to watch.

“The kid is hustling his heart out but he has a bad tail bone injury and it isn't going to get better on the court,” said McHugh.

AARON HALE, Foothills’ only senior starter and one of the club’s tallest players at 6-foot-3, scored 8 points, grabbed 4 rebounds, blocked 2 shots and made 3 steals before going down with a knee injury.

McHugh said that Hale’s availability in Thursday’s (Dec. 20) game against Westview is questionable.

And then there’s Hatcher, who has been playing hurt most of the season.

“We're really looking at getting those guys some rest,” said McHugh.

Foothills Christian scoring: Troy Leaf 31, Kalob Hatcher 17, Zach Kaul 11 (4 reb., 3 stl., 2 ast.), Aaron Hale 8, Ryan Smith 3, Brandon Hale (4 reb.).

GROSSMONT 52, CLAIREMONT 30 – The host Foothillers used their basic 1-2 punch to knock out visiting Clairemont in Wednesday’s (Dec. 19) opening round of the

Grossmont Winter Classic.

RICHARD OGUNSALU anchored Grossmont surge with 21 points and 14 rebounds that enabled the Foothillers to level their season ledger at 3-3. His senior sidekick, IAN COCHRAN, cashed in 18 points and bagged 15 boards.

Grossmont broke out of the gate with a 17-8 and added to its margin as the game progressed.

“We played just a normal game, nothing special,” said Grossmont coach FRANK FOGGIANO. “Cochran rebounded very, very well, and played solid defense. MICHAEL GRAHAM scrambled and had a lot of steals.”

Graham and backcourt buddy KHALID WATERS combined for 10 steals, with Graham getting 6.

Although he did not contribute a whole lot in the scoring column, senior ALEX LEON made a presence on the boards by grabbing 8 rebounds.

Grossmont scoring: Richard Ogunsalu 21, Ian Cochran 18, Khalid Waters 4 (6 ast., 2 reb.), Alex Leon 3, Michael Graham 2 (2 reb.), Aaron Griffin 2 (2 reb.), Ryan Woempner 2.

MIRA MESA 59, STEELE CANYON 58 (OT) – Despite losing for the fifth time in six starts, the Cougars of Steele Canyon showed signs that they will make some noise sometime down the road this season.

Steele Canyon was nursing a 55-51 edge with less than a minute to play in Wednesday’s (Dec. 19) Kiwanis Tournament opener at Mira Mesa.

A key SC turnover, coupled with a pair of free throws and a bucket by Mira Mesa (5-3) knotted the game with a handful of ticks left in regulation. Still, SC would have one more chance to win it sans overtime.

RILEY BALIKIAN ‘s long range 3-point launch at the buzzer had promise.

“From where I was sitting, I thought it was going in,” said Steele Canyon coach DEREK STEPHENS. “It rimmed and came out. BRANDEN BROWN got the rebound and went up for a put-back and it didn’t go. There was a lot of contact on that board, but just like it was the whole night, we didn’t get the call.”

The Marauders won it in overtime with a basket and two free throws. SC countered with a pair of charity shots from JEBARI ROBINSON (19 points) and one from NICK STATHAS.

ELIJAH CARTER canned 13 points, while Balikian landed a trio of 3-balls on his way to an 11-point night.

Steele Canyon scoring: Jebari Robinson 19, Elijah Carter 13, Riley Balikian 11, Nick Stathas 7, Cameron Moss 4, Zane Keith 2, Jake Ransom 2.

WESTVIEW 60, SANTANA 47 – The sizzling Sultans fizzled in Wednesday’s (Dec. 19) Grossmont Winter Classic opener. It was not a total collapse by Santana, which was tied with the Wolverines 16-16 after one quarter.

“It was one of those games where we did little things wrong that made the difference,” Santana coach TIM BARRY said. “We missed a backdoor cut that had we made it would have left us down 30-28 at the half. But not only did we miss the shot, Westview got it down to their end and hit a 3-pointer at the buzzer. That left us down 33-26.

“We just couldn’t get it over the hump after that. It stayed between a 5-to-7 point lead for them.”

Santana shot 50 percent from the floor in the second half, but launched only 14 attempts. For the game, the Sultans were 13-for-36 (36 percent).

Westview (5-2) netted 55 percent (24-for-44) of its field goals. Big thing here is the Wolverines made 30 of those attempts outside the key.

TODD BLACKLEDGE paced Santana with 18 points (including a pair of threes) and 4 rebounds.

Santana scoring: Tyler Blackledge 18, Jesse Vargas 11 (4 reb.), Anthony DeBarrows 6, Kevin Engelke 5, Carlos Vargas 3, Chris Sodergren 2, Kyle Salzman 2.

UNIVERSITY CITY 65, MONTE VISTA 45 – If the Monarchs had elected to do more of their shooting closer to the basket, perhaps the outcome of Wednesday’s (Dec. 19)

Grossmont Winter Classic opener against University City might have had a more favorable conclusion.

Monte Vista (3-3) connected on 17 of 36 shots from 2-point range (47.2 percentage), but trailed off to a dismal 1-for-15 from above the arc.

The Monarchs made a game out of it for better than a half, trailing only 27-25 by intermission. But they never could take command and gradually fell out of contention.

GEOFF HARTMAN did not enjoy his usual soft shooting touch, but managed to lead the Monarchs with 10 points and 10 rebounds.

“We weren’t ready to play. We came out flat and played that way the whole game,” said Monte Vista coach JAMES CARROLL. “ University City played extremely well in the 2nd half. They killed us on the offensive boards. They hit two key 3s in the fourth quarter to break the game open.”

Monte Vista scoring: Geoff Hartman 10 (3 ast., 3 stl.), Alex Robinson 9, Mike Watkins 7, Kris Galloway 6 (5 reb., 3 blk.), Ryan Houser 6, Chris Jones 4, Trent Watkins 3 (4 reb., 3 stl.).

TORREY PINES 76, EL CAPITAN 28 – No. 2-ranked Torrey Pines stepped on the Vaqueros in Wednesday’s (Dec. 19) first round of the Kiwanis Tournament at Scripps Ranch.

The Falcons flew out to a 25-6 first quarter advantage and were nesting on a 54-18 lead by the close of the opening half.

BARRETT BRAUN was held to half his season average, yet still paced El Capitan (4-3) with 14 points and 9 rebounds as the Vaqueros saw their four-game win streak end.

Twelve players scored for Torrey Pines, which landed 10 of 22 shots from three-point range.

El Capitan scoring: Barrett Braun 14, Jake Zawlacki 4 (2 reb, 3 blk.), Michael Overson 4 (2 reb., 3 ast., 4 stl.), Jon Molzen 3 (6 reb., 3 stl.),Tila Case 3 (2 ast., 2 stl.).

CARLSBAD 70, MOUNT MIGUEL 49 – Outside of senior scoring machine TRAVON CAPLES, the Mount Miguel Matadors proved they are not ready for prime time players in Wednesday’s (Dec. 19) third round of the Sweetwater Holiday Classic in National City .

Caples registered 23 points and 10 rebounds, but the remainder of the Matadors struggled offensively.

Carlsbad (6-2) connected for scoring spikes early on, breezing out to 44-22 halftime advantage as Mount Miguel (5-3) saw its modest three-game winning streak snapped.

“We had a bad day. In the first half we gave them way too may easy looks on the offensive end,” said Mount Miguel coach JAY ROWLETT. “We started off too slow and we couldn’t afford that against a team like Carlsbad . We got the looks, just couldn’t get the ball in the hole.”

Mount Miguel scoring: Travon Caples 23, AJ Stanford 9 (4 ast.), Brad Barrett 9 (5 reb.), JJ Norton 6 (4 stl.), Devyn Moore 2 (3 stl.), Arthur Hobbs (4 ast.).

WEST HILLS 2, MARANATHA CHRISTIAN 0 [Forfeit] – The Wolf Pack won its first game of the season without stepping onto the floor in Wednesday’s (Dec. 19) opening round of the Otay Ranch-Mater Dei Holiday Invitational. Apparently, Maranatha Christian did not have enough players to field a team.

OTAY RANCH 87, EL CAJON VALLEY 50 – The Braves, who began the season with three straight wins, suffered their fifth loss in a row in Wednesday’s (Dec. 19) Otay Ranch-Mater Dei Holiday Invitational. No other information was provided.

Valhalla's Ruffy Bacong sinks a foul shot. (Photo by John Austel)

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NATIONAL CITY (12-19-07) — Don’t look now but the Mount Miguel Matadors have won three games in a row, averaging 75 points in each of those conquests.

Not that coach JAY ROWLETT is demanding a team parade through the streets of Spring Valley.

“We’re pleased by our start, but we know we still have plenty of work to do,” Rowlett said after Mount Miguel overpowered Shawnigan Lake School of Canada, 81-46, in Tuesday’s (Dec. 18) Sweetwater Holiday Classic. “Like tonight we play Carlsbad (at 5 p.m.). That will be a good test for us.”

AHMAAD NUNLEY led Mount Miguel against the Canadians with 21 points, 4 rebounds and 3 assists. TRAVON CAPELS added a beefy double-double of 14 points and 15 rebounds.

A.J. STANFORD served up 8 points and 7 assists for Mount Miguel (5-2) and DEVYN MOORE contributed 8 points and 6 steals.

Rowlett realized that meeting the Canadian team would not be the kind of challenge his club will face down the road. Not that Shawnigan Lake is not unique. This bunch comes from a pricy boarding school where all students must participate in organized sports.

Not all of those on the court Tuesday were standout basketball players. It proved to be a nice runway to the future for Mount Miguel.

“I’m hoping we learned a lot about ourselves – that we’re one team with one goal,” Rowlett said. “I’m optimistic that we got the message that we play together as one. It was an eye opener tonight.”

Mount Miguel scoring: Ahmaad Nunley 21, Travon Caples 14, Brad Barrett 12, Devyn Moore 8, AJ Stanford 8, Arthur Hobbs 8, Donte Allen 6, Matt Miles 3, JJ Norton 1.

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NATIONAL CITY (12-18-07) — TRAVON CAPLES scored 23 points and grabbed 12 rebounds to lead Mount Miguel past Castle Park, 82-36, in Monday’s (Dec. 17) Sweetwater Holiday Classic.

Caples connected on 10 of 14 shots from the field and 3 of 6 free throws. It was behind his 13-point burst that the Matadors blazed out in front of the Trojans 32-7 in the first quarter.

AHMAAD NUNLEY nailed a trio of 3-pointers on his way to a 17-point night, and also contributed 7 rebounds, 7 assists and 3 steals for the Matadors (4-2).

Sophomore AJ STANFORD pitched in 12 points, 6 rebounds and 5 assists for Mount Miguel , which won back-to-back games for the first time this season.

“They couldn’t handle our pressure,” Mount Miguel coach JAY ROWLETT said. “We’re not going to dwell on this game – just take the win and move on.”

Mount Miguel scoring: Travon Caples 23 (2 stl.), Ahmaad Nunley 17, AJ Stanford 12, JJ Norton 9 (4 stl, 2 ast.), Donte Allen 6, Matt Miles 6, Devyn Moore 4 (4 stl.), Charles Graves 3, Arthur Hobbs 2.

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VISTA (12-16-07) — Nine wins and two tournament championships in 10 games – that’s not a bad start for the Santana Sultans.

Facing host Tri-City Christian twice on Saturday (Dec. 15), the Sultans were a little bit schizophrenic but managed to post a sweep to capture the championship of the Eagle Classic.

After pulling a narrow escape with a 49-47 win in Saturday morning’s semifinals, Santana returned with a vengeance that evening, stomping Tri-City Christian 68-27 in the finals.

“That’s two tournament trophies for us now – the Ram Classic in Borrego was the other,” Santana coach TIM BARRY said. “We’re 3 seconds away from being 10-0.”

Sophomore JESSE VARGAS, who last year was named to the Grossmont All-League team as a freshman for the first time in Santana history, paced the Sultans with 21 points.

“Although they didn’t name an all-tournament team, I told Jesse if they had, he would have been named the MVP,” said Barry. “He averaged 18 points for the tournament. His stats and leadership for the tournament were just great.”

After Saturday morning’s sluggish performance, Barry tried something different for the finale.

“I thought I’d throw fresh bodies at (TCC) so we played a 12-man rotation from the start of the game,” Barry said. “I told my guys everybody is going to get in there and play. We didn’t have a lot of high individual stats, but all 12 of the kids felt that they had a big part of the win tonight.”

Santana (9-1) turned a 32-18 halftime lead into a 51-20 advantage by the close of the 3rd quarter.

“Our pressure was sickening in the 3rd quarter,” exulted Barry. “We outscored them 19-2.”

Santana scoring: Jesse Vargas 21, Sean Doyle 9, Kyle Salzman 7 (4 reb., 4 stl., 2 ast.), Chris Sodergren 6, Tyler Blackledge 6, Blake Harper 5, Brett Romero 5, Anthony DeBarrows 4, Carlos Vargas 2.

SANTANA 49, TRI-CITY CHRISTIAN 47 – Many of the Sultans attended Santana’s Winter Formal dance Friday night (Dec. 14). So when tipoff arrived for Saturday’s Eagle Classic at Tri-City Christian, Santana was a little bit lethargic.

It turned out to be a virtual scramble for Santana, which scored only 4 points in the 3rd quarter yet entered the final period tied at 45-all.

“I thought our effort – top to bottom – was just a blue-collar, work hard effort,” said Sultans coach TIM BARRY. “We shot the worst that we have all year – shooting in the 3rd quarter was horrendous. I called out every set and play I know but nothing put the 2-footers in the basket. But we found a way to gut it out and win.”

Once again, JESSE VARGAS came up big, netting 10 of 13 free throws en route to a team-best 18 points. TYLER BLACKLEDGE added 10 points and 6 rebounds.

Santana scoring: Jesse Vargas 18, Tyler Blackledge 10, Brett Romero 7, Anthony DeBarrows 6, Carlos Vargas 4, Kevin Engelke 4.

VALHALLA 39, VALLEY CENTER 31 – In a battle of tournament-weary teams, the Norsemen used a fast start and a strong finish to defeat Valley Center in Saturday’s (Dec. 15) consolation championship of the Tiger Classic in the Imperial Valley.

It was the 2nd game in 5 hours for Valhalla, and the 5th in 5 days.

“Both teams looked a little fatigued,” said Norseman coach KEITH JACKSON.

Valhalla (4-1) jumped out in front 17-6 and maintained a 31-22 lead early in the fourth quarter.

“They slowed the tempo of the game down on us a lot, took us out of our game,” said Jackson. “We had to work for this one. It was a hard-fought game.”

The Jaguars closed the deficit to 32-31 with 4 minutes remaining, but Valhalla didn’t buckle. Instead the Norsemen scored the final 7 points of the game.

Because the Norsemen shot only 32 percent from the field and connected on just half of their 10 free throws, they had to rely on their defense to pull this one out.

“AUSTEN SUHAY was in foul trouble with three fouls in the first half, but he and DAMAINE BRADSHAW forced some turnovers down the stretch that helped us win it,” Jackson said.

Despite the foul problems, Suhay remained aggressive and led the Norsemen with 8 points and 6 steals and 12 deflections. He also had 3 assists as did ROD FAKHOURY.

KYLE KRIEBEL crashed the boards for Valhalla and came down with 12 caroms.

Valhalla scoring: Austen Suhay 8, Trevor Cahoon 7, EV Alcantar 6, Rod Fakhoury 5, Kyle Kriebel 5, Derek White 4, AJ Dobransky 2, Damaine Bradshaw 2.

VALHALLA 63, BORREGO SPRINGS 40 – The Norsemen used a balanced attack as five players reached double scoring digits in Saturday morning’s (Dec. 15) consolation semifinal game of the Tiger Classic in the Imperial Valley.

Most remarkable about that scoring effort was Valhalla did it without leading scorer,

RUFFY BACONG, who suffered a game-ending ankle sprain in the first 30 seconds.

“We hope to have him back in time for our game on Thursday (Dec. 20) in the opening round of the Bullhead City ( Ariz. ) Matador Shoot-Out,” Valhalla coach KEITH JACKSON said.

Junior TREVOR CAHOON set the pace for Valhalla, pouring in 12 points, grabbing 8 rebounds and notching 6 steals.

DAMAINE BRADSHAW chipped in 10 points, 7 rebounds and 2 steals, while AUSTEN SUHEY popped in 10 points and corralled 6 caroms.

Sophomore KYLE KRIEBEL canned 10 points, blocked 2 shots, picked up 5 rebounds and notched a pair of steals. DEREK WHITE also had 10 points and hit 3 of 4 free throws.

EV ALCANTAR accounted for one of Valhalla ’s three 3-pointers and picked up 7 rebounds off the bench. Suhay and White also hit treys.

“We really rebounded well this game, had 23 offensive boards,” Jackson said. “And we forced 23 turnovers. We maintained pretty good defensive pressure, we’ve got a lot of guys contributing.”

Valhalla scoring: Trevor Cahoon 12, Austen Suhay 10, Derek White 10, Damaine Bradshaw 10, Kyle Kriebel 10, Steven Kleist 7, EV Alcantar 3, Greg Goldberg 1.

ENTERPRISE 54, HELIX 32 – All things considered, the Helix coaches cannot be despondent with the Highlanders 4-4 record to date. This is not to say that they’re overjoyed to be sitting at the .500 mark.

A 4th place finish at the Red Bluff Christmas Tournament, which concluded with a decisive loss to 8-2 Enterprise on Saturday (Dec. 15), left the Highlanders with a 1-2 mark in this annual sojourn to Northern California.

Helix was in the game early on and trailed only 15-13 after one quarter. Then the bottom fell out in the middle two periods, as the Highlanders were outscored 29-10.

PATRICK WINSTON paced the Highlanders with 8 points and 8 rebounds. LEVINE TOILOLO also bagged 8 boards. Other than that it was a pretty long day for the Highlanders.

“Winston had another great game for us,” said Helix assistant coach ANDY MERIDETH.

Helix coaches JOHN SINGER and Merideth welcome an 11-day break before their next game.

“We are not mentally tough right now,” Merideth said. “We got pushed around a little bit and their pressure hurt us. We are going to regroup after we get home. We’ll have a good week of practice. We don’t have guys that have played a lot at this level right now. Varsity is a big step up from JV.”

Helix scoring: Patrick Winston 8, Demond Narcisse 7, Joubert Ballard 4, Levine Toilolo 4, Terrance Cole 3, Andray Jackson 2, Hartwell Jones 2, Dimitar Topalof 2.

El Capitan cheerleaders perform vs. Ramona. (Photo by Chris DeRosier)

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LAKESIDE (12-15-07) -- In a rollercoaster ride bigger than Fujiyama, Eejanaika and the Steele Dragon -- the world's tallest such structures -- rolled into one, El Capitan opened with its best basketball of the season in the first quarter, followed by its poorest period.

When it mattered most, however, forward BARRETT BRAUN carried the Vaqueros over the game's final moments Friday (Dec. 14), pulling away late for a 66-57 decision over visiting Ramona at Cook Gymnasium.

Playing in a fury in the final minutes, Braun dominated the boards en route to a 26-point, 20-rebound performance, lifting El Capitan to its fourth straight triumph. He also blocked six shots.

Ramona (4-6) opened the game with a full-court press, but it finally took 12 consecutive baskets -- 11 on layins, including the first nine for a 12-point lead -- before the Bulldogs finally figured out that the game plan had backfired.

"We were picking them apart, so they backed out of the press" noted Vaqueros guard TILA CASE, who was among nine East County players just named to the All-CIF football team by the San Diego Hall of Champions. "Man, then we starting going down by being a little lackadaisical."

Ramona held El Cap in check to just four second-quarter points to erase the deficit and take a 34-28 lead at the intermission. So the Vaqueros went back to fundamentals to regain control.

"Our rebounding was the difference," noted Case. "That's all we practiced on lately because early in the season, that's what kept us down -- and that's what got us this game."

"All coach (JASON) CAVAZOS says is he wants us to do is improve. The team can go far because we're still improving."

Braun led the way down the stretch, grabbing seven boards over the final seven minutes, closing the contest making 5-of-6 shots from the floor. Meanwhile, El Cap held Bulldogs scoring leader Dodge McIntosh in check without a single fourth-quarter point.

Tied at 48-all early in the final quarter, a Braun tip-in would ignite a 13-4 run. Near the end of the stretch, Case stole the ball and scored while being fouled. Although he missed the foul shot, Braun grabbed an offensive board and was fouled for more free throws.

"The kids are playing hard and getting better," said Cavazos. "All we ask is that they play hard every day and they're doing that."

"We've got to learn to play four quarters, yet we finally understood to get on the boards, take care of the ball, and be strong with it."

Spiked by their 12-for-12 shooting to start the contest, the Vaqueros shot a cool 58 percent (26-for-45) from the field. Ramona finished taking 33 more shots than El Cap, but the hosts blocked 14 shots, including three each by JAKE ZAWLACKI and JON MOLZEN.

El Capitan scoring: Barrett Braun 26 (20 reb., 6 blk.), Michael Overson 19, Tila Case 11 (5 stl.), Jon Molzen 6 (8 reb.), Jake Zawlacki 5 (8 reb.).

HELIX 54, PARADISE 36 – Rebounding from one of its poorest performances in recent memory, the Helix Highlanders pounded Paradise on Friday to earn a spot in Saturday’s (Dec. 15) consolation championship game of the Red Bluff Christmas Tournament.

The Highlanders (4-3) will take on Enterprise for the consolation crown at 1 p.m.

“Even though we didn’t tell our kids, the goal coming up here this year was to make sure we won at least one game,” said Helix assistant coach ANDY MERIDETH. “Of course, now that we’ve split the first two, we want more.”

TERRANCE COLE scored a career-high 11 points to pace a balanced Helix attack that included nine contributors. DERRALL CHANDER knocked down 10 points.

“Our defensive intensity was probably as high as it’s been all year,” Merideth said. “We played with pride. We had 10 steals and converted all but two of them into layups. We did a superb job of filling the passing lanes. Basically, we gave ourselves a chance to win.”

PATRICK WINSTON crashed the boards for a team-high 8 rebounds in addition to scoring 6 points, logging 2 steals and blocking a shot.

“This was his best game so far,” Meredith said. “He was active in the middle and gave us quality time out there.”

DEMOND “RED” NARCISSE chipped in 7 boards, 5 points, and 3 steals.

For the second day in a row, the Helix coaches were pleased by the work of junior ANTHONY DIAZ, who generated 5 points, 6 rebounds and 6 steals in his first varsity start.

“The kid has zero basketball skills, but makes up for that because he is strong, tough and smart,” Merideth said. “He knows his limitations, but always plays hard. He’s the ingredient we didn’t have until we came up to this tournament.”

Helix scoring: Terrance Cole 11, Derrall Chandler 10, Joubert Ballard 6, Patrick Winston 6, Levine Toilolo 6 (6 rebs, 2 steals, 2 blocks), Demond Narcisse 5, Anthony Diaz 5, Dimitar Topalof 3, Hartwell Jones 2.

VALHALLA 78, CALIPATRIA 51 – Even though they do not have any so called big-name standouts, do not count the Valhalla Norsemen out. Not that they should be rated the team to beat in the Grossmont South League, but the Norsemen certainly should be considered a wild card.

The Norsemen (2-1), who scored 55 points in the middle two quarters of Friday’s (Dec. 14) Tiger Classic at Imperial High, forced Calipatria into 29 turnovers.

“We started slow once again, so I had to light a fire under them at halftime,” said Valhalla coach KEITH JACKSON said. “We picked up the pressure in the 2nd half, outscoring Calipatria 29-5 in the 3rd quarter.”

In terms of offense Valhalla is all about balance. Eleven Norsemen contributed to Friday’s bonanza. Senior guard RUFFY BACONG registered a career-high 16 points to lead the way. KYLE KREIBEL (11) and AUSTEN SUHAY (11) also reached double digits.

“Kyle has been a very good leader so far this season. We have a very young team. We have had a different person to step up to be the leader in every game.”

EV ALCANTAR was 3 for 3 on treys, all in the 2nd half, to account for his 9 points.

TREVOR CAHOON grabbed a game high 9 rebounds for Valhalla , while Suhay and Kriebel each had 8.

Valhalla scoring: Ruffy Bacong 16, Kyle Kriebel 11, Austen Suhay 11, EV Alcantar 9, AJ Dobransky 7, Derek White 6, Damaine Bradshaw 6 (3 stl.), Trevor Cahoon 4 (3 stl.), Rod Fakhoury 3 (3 stl.), Steven Kleist 3, David Zetts 2.

CHRISTIAN 66, FAITH BAPTIST 44 – Christian High pulled another inside-out job Friday night (Dec. 14) en route to an easy non-league victory over Faith Baptist of Canoga Park.

Guard DANIEL HAZLETT was the guiding light for the Patriots (4-1), pouring in 25 points, while nabbing 6 steals and dealing 3 assists. Nine of Hazlett’s points came from above the arc. He also put through 6 of 8 free throws.

Most of that came in the opening half when the Patriots paraded to a 37-23 lead. After Faith Baptist hit a handful of 3-point baskets early and Hazlett answered with 4 treys of his own in the first half along with 4 of 5 free throws.

“Hazlett was pushing the ball really well and the other guys were running the lanes well,” noted Christian assistant coach TOBIN WILKINS.

VANDER JOAQUIM was a bully in the middle, banging in 24 points while securing 17 rebounds.

“Vander got most of his points on offensive rebounds and tips,” Wilkins noted..

Senior ANDREW SEXTON gave Joaquim solid support inside, scoring a season-best 10 points.

“He complemented Joaquim very well because Joaquim was getting double and triple teamed,” Wilkins said.

Christian scoring: Daniel Hazlett 25, Vander Joaquim 24, Andrew Sexton 10, Brad Johnston 2, Andrew Whitten 2, Taylor Eichhorst 2, Michael Pitts 1 (3 ast).

SANTANA 54, SAN DIEGUITO ACADEMY 50 – TYLER BLACKLEDGE scored 16 points and JESSE VARGAS added 14 as Santana edged San Dieguito Academy in Friday’s (Dec. 14) Eagle Classic contest at Tri-City Christian.

The Sultans (7-1) are one win away from reaching Saturday night’s championship game.

Santana started fast against the Mustangs, taking a 13-6 first quarter lead. They fell behind in the 2nd quarter against their Division III rivals and needed a 19-12 scoring sprint in the 4th quarter to pull out the victory.

Blackledge led the 4th quarter comeback with 3 buckets and 4 free throws.

“Blackledge definitely showed his leadership in the 4th quarter,” said Santana coach TIM BARRY.

The primary reason Barry got into this tournament was for the chance to play San Dieguito Academy. If all goes according to Hoyle, the Sultans could play the Mustangs again Saturday night for the tournament title.

“We wanted to play San Dieguito,” said Barry. “This was a great chance for us to play another Division III team. They are a good team and return 4 of 5 starters from last year’s team.

Santana scoring: Tyler Blackledge 16, Jesse Vargas 14, Carlos Vargas 6, Anthony DeBarrows 6, Kevin Engelke 5, Brett Romero 5, Kyle Salzman 2.

© East County Sports.com
ESCONDIDO (12-14-07) — Those who follow the fortunes of Foothills Christian probably thought Thursday’s (Dec. 13) non-league game at Escondido Adventist Academy was going to be little more than a bump in the road.

WRONG. Furthermore, this game matched a pair of San Diego CIF Division V rivals where a victory would carry significant weight in the playoff seedings.

The Knights, surprisingly, found themselves trailing 46-44 after three quarters, but rallied for a 71-58 victory.

Although the Knights (6-1) sprinted out to a 21-14 first quarter advantage. They hit their first 4 shots – 2 threes by KALOB HATCHER, then a layin by TROY LEAF and another 3 by MIKE WNEK, who was starting for the injured ZACH KAUL.

“After that it was downhill,” said Foothills assistant coach JAMES McHUGH. “We had no intensity through the second quarter.”

“The best hustle I saw until after halftime was when our cheerleaders showed up after many of them had just played a soccer game at Calvin Christian,” said McHugh.

Foothills Christian made 41 percent from the field (25 of 61 in the game), but was uncharacteristically off the mark in the middle two quarters.

“In the third quarter our defense finally stepped it up again but we still couldn't shoot or buy a foul,” lamented McHugh. “We shot 9-35 from the field in the second and third quarters combined.”

In the fourth quarter the Knights found their offense and hammered the Hawks 27-12 over the last eight minutes.

“Going into the last quarter it seemed like we finally realized we were actually losing and we wanted to prove we were as good as the team that went 5-0 over the past two weeks,” McHugh said.

Probably because he couldn’t stand watching anymore, Kaul played a huge role for the Knights in the final quarter with some key steals and passes.

Kaul finished with 13 points and 5 steals.

“We honestly didn't want to use him tonight at all,” commented McHugh.

Although he shot less than 50 percent from the floor and gathered in only 5 rebounds, Leaf led Foothills with 26 points.

Hatcher added 23 markers, which included 5 of 8 shooting from above the arc. He was credited with just 5 assists but could have doubled that total had the Knights converted inside the paint.

“Kalob tried to get us jump-started with passes for easy baskets down low when we weren't shooting well,” said McHugh. “We clanked at least 7 or 8 layups tonight. I haven't seen these kids miss that many layups in 2 years. It was crazy.”

“It was a good finish for us tonight though. The boys showed once again that when it mattered most they could finish, now if we can stop digging holes and falling in we'll see.”

Foothills Christian scoring: Troy Leaf 26, Kalob Hatcher 23, Zach Kaul 13, Aaron Hale 4, Mike Wnek 3, Ryan Smith 2.

SANTANA 72, SAN PASQUAL ACADEMY 53 – If the Sultans thought they were going to have an easy go about it when they met tiny San Pasqual Academy in Thursday’s (Dec. 13) Eagle Classic contest at Tri-City Christian, it didn’t take long for them to get slapped back into reality.

Santana trailed 9-0 after the first two minutes, but fought back as CARLOS VARGAS and KEVIN ENGELKE landed back-to-back 3-pointers. The Sultans’ surge continued as Engelke and TYLER BLACKLEDGE scored off putbacks to put Santana in front.

It was the sixth win in seven starts for Santana.

“I know there are people out there that question our strength of schedule,” said Santana coach TIM BARRY. “But it’s not like we’re ducking and dodging. We play more Division I and II teams because of the conference that we’re in. And I have no problem with that. But we need to play Division III teams because that carries a lot of weight with the (playoff) seeding committee.”

Barry noted that the only Grossmont Conference team Santana plays this season that is also in the Division III bracket is El Capitan . Thus, the veteran coach has manipulated his schedule so that his Sultans face off against teams with the same playoff affiliation.

“We got in this tournament because we wanted to play San Dieguito Academy, a Division III team,” Barry said. Santana meets the Mustangs in Friday’s (Dec. 14) tournament action. “We need to win that game.”

Santana secured a 16-13 first quarter lead against San Pasqual Academy and then proceeded to outscore the Dragons in each of the last three quarters.

All five Santana starters reached double scoring digits against the Dragons. JESSE VARGAS led the way with 18 points, which included 8 for 8 free throw shooting. Carlos Vargas added 14 points, 5 assists and 4 rebounds, while Engelke contributed 11 points and 7 rebounds.

Blackledge also tossed in 11 points, most coming of 7 of 8 free throw shooting. He pitched in 5 assists and 4 rebounds.

As a team Santana converted 24 of 31 free throws.

Santana scoring: Jesse Vargas 18, Carlos Vargas 14, Kevin Engelke 11, Tyler Blackledge 11, Brett Romero 10, Anthony DeBarrows 5, Blake Harper 2, Jerell Patacsil 1.

PLEASANT VALLEY 43, HELIX 31 – ANDY MERIDETH has been associated with Helix basketball for 14 years – 10 of them as a coach.

“I’ve never seen a Helix team quite like the one we have right now,” Merideth said after the Highlanders (3-3) dropped Thursday’s (Dec. 13) opening round game in the Red Bluff Christmas Tournament. “We don’t have any firepower and we have no killer instinct at all.”

They didn’t have very many points in the first half, either. Helix trailed the Vikings of Pleasant Valley 21-13 at intermission.

“When was the last time you saw a Helix team score 13 points in a half,” Merideth mused. “We missed 11 layups in the first half alone. Our defensive effort was good, we just couldn’t finish.”

Nobody reached double scoring digits for the Highlanders in this one.

LEVINE TOILOLO came closest with 9 points, despite missing 7 of 12 free throws. The 6-foot-8 Toilolo shared team-high rebounding honors of 7 with RED NARCISSE.

The one bright spot for the Highlanders was the debut of junior guard ANTHONY DIAZ. The 6-foot, 186 pound junior chipped in with 7 points and 5 rebounds in his first varsity basketball game. Diaz, who played quarterback, defensive back and handled the punting chores for the Helix football team, missed the first five games due to a concussion he suffered on the gridiron.

“The only time Anthony has ever practiced with us was a shoot-around this morning,” said Merideth. “He just got cleared by the doctors this week. I’m so impressed with his work ethic. I hope it becomes contagious among the rest of our guys.”

Helix continues without two of its top players from a year ago, for a variety of reasons.

“I know that we’re gonna turn it around,” Merideth said. “And I think we’ll be alright down the road.”

Helix scoring: Levine Toilolo 9, Anthony Diaz 7, Demond Narcisse 5, Dimitar Topalof 3, Andray Jackson 3, Joubert Ballard 2, Terrance Cole 1, Derrall Chandler 1.

PALOMA VALLEY 77, VALHALLA 54 – For one quarter anyway, the Norsemen managed to match strides with Menafee’s Paloma Valley at Thursday’s (Dec. 13) Tiger Classic at Imperial High.

The second quarter was a different story, as Paloma Valley (4-2) turned a 3-point lead into a 40-22 halftime advantage.

“That second quarter really killed us,” said Valhalla coach KEITH JACKSON.

It was during that 8-minute segment that the Panthers sank 5 of their 9 three-pointers.

“We got some good looks against their zone but just didn’t hit shots,” Jackson said. “But we’re young and this was a good test for us.”

Six-foot-5 sophomore KYLE KRIEBEL turned in 16 points and 9 rebounds to pace the Norsemen (1-1).

ROD FAKHOURY and EV ALCANTAR each hit a pair of 3s for Valhalla , which never challenged in the second half.

“What we have here is a fresh-faced group of kids,” Jackson said. “We have no returning starters from last year. But I have a lot of hope for this group. I think we have a higher ceiling than last year.”

Valhalla scoring: Kyle Kriebel 16, Rod Fakhoury 8, EV Alcantar 6, Austen Suhay 6, Ruffy Bacong 5, Derek White 4, Scott Sturgeon 3, Damaine Bradshaw 2, AJ Dobransky 2, Trevor Cahoon 2.

CANYON CREST ACADEMY 61, EL CAJON VALLEY 40 – In a non-league contest, the host Braves wasted a 6-point lead in the first period, as the Hawks rallied behind 15 points by Peter Fink.

© East County Sports.com
POINT LOMA (12-13-07) — Granite Hills turned to its M&M marshals to march past host Point Loma 64-49 in Wednesday’s (Dec. 12) non-league game on the peninsula.

DEAN MILLER scored 18 of his game-high 24 points to propel the Eagles (4-2) to a 33-19 first half advantage. Then it was WAYNE MARTIN’s turn to shine as he tallied 17 of his 19 points in the second half to secure the victory.

Miller clicked on 11 of 22 shots from the field, including a pair of threes. At one stretch the 6-foot-3 junior hit nine consecutive buckets.

Martin netted 6 of 11 shots – four of them coming from beyond the arc. The senior guard also handed out 7 assists.

Aside from the offensive dealings of Miller and Martin, Granite Hills’ supporting cast did a masterful job on the boards. AARON HARRIS hauled down 11 rebounds, while LANDON TURLEY and IAN BIRMINGHAM collected 9 caroms apiece.

“Harris had a really good game on the boards,” Granite Hills coach RANDY ANDERSON said. “Martin had a good all-around game. They started to key on Martin, and Miller picked it up in the second half.”

Junior guard VICENTE STAFFORD helped pick up the slack for the Eagles with 5 rebounds, 5 assists and 4 points.

“We did a nice job of passing the ball and getting it into the hands of our scorers,”
Anderson said.

Granite Hills scoring: Dean Miller 24, Wayne Martin 19, Kyle Snyder 5, Landon Turley 4, Vicente Stafford 4, Aaron Harris 3, Parker Dow 3, Ian Birmingham 2.

© East County Sports.com
RANCHO SAN DIEGO (12-12-07) -- The last saved their best for, well, last.

With every East County basketball team with several contests under their belts, Valhalla High finally made its 2007-08 debut Tuesday (Dec. 11), demonstrating some surprising ability on several fronts.

The most impressive skill was the outside shooting of the Norsemen, who at one point drained five consecutive 3-point shots in the third period to stretch a 29-24 halftime lead into a 21-point cushion, breezing past visiting Calexico, 70-42.

"You could tell we were a little rusty in the beginning without playing a game," said Valhalla guard AUSTEN SUHAY. "But we picked it up in the second half."

RUFFY BACONG kept Valhalla in the game early, scoring 11 of his game-high 13 points in the opening 10 minutes. Then the long-range gunners took over, featuring E.V. ELCANTAR, who hit three straight bombs during a 14-0 run midway through the third period.

"E.V. really stepped it up and hit three 3s -- that was nice," added Suhay.

With a jumbled Grossmont South League race anticipated -- without a single standout team -- Valhalla hopes to take the game to its opponents with defensive pressure, instead of sitting back like years past.

"We just tried to put a lot of pressure on Calexico, and they wore down in the second half," added Suhay. "We were getting a lot of points off turnovers."

Suhay, a junior shooting guard, also displayed passing ability with a game-best 7 assists to go along with 11 points. He also blocked a pair of shots. For the contest, five different Norsemen hit a shot from beyond the arc, sending Calexico's Bulldogs (0-5) to a fifth straight setback.

"We've been shooting a lot of 3-pointers in practice, with a lot of new guys up from the JV who are really good shooters," said Suhay.

Forward STEVEN KLEIST paced the defense with six rebounds and taking a charge to forge a turnover, while TREVOR CAHOON added 8 points, 4 steals and also took a charge.

Valhalla scoring: Ruffy Bacong 13, E.C. Elcantar 12, Austen Suhay 11, Trevor Cahoon 8, Steven Kleist 6, Kyle Kriebel 6, Derek White 5, Greg Goldberg 4, Rod Fakhoury, Damaine Bradshaw 2.

SANTANA 50, SADDLEBACK VALLEY CHRISTIAN 28 – Santana coach TIM BARRY is no doubt pleased by the Sultans 5-1 start this season, but he’s not going out of his way to brag about it.

At this point in the season what Barry is looking for is improvement, both from a personal and team standpoint.

As a team Santana put the squeeze on Saddleback Valley Christian over the final three quarters of Tuesday’s (Dec. 11) Eagle Classic encounter at Tri-City Christian.

Trailing by one point after the opening quarter, the Sultans outscored Saddleback 36-13 over the final three periods.

TYLER BLACKLEDGE paced the Sultans with 13 points and 6 rebounds. He connected on 5 of 9 shots from the field and hit 3 of 4 free throws. He did most of his scoring in the first half.

“It was really tight the first half,” Barry said. “It was the first game since he returned (from a deep thigh bruise suffered in football) that Blackledge was really healthy. It was nice for him to have a few days off over the weekend.”

Barry was also pleased with the defensive work of the VARGAS brothers, sophomore JESSE and senior CARLOS.

“They were tremendous defensively, and ANTHONY DeBARROWS also had an excellent defensive game. Those three were key in the second half.”

Santana scoring: Tyler Blackledge 13 (6 reb.), Jesse Vargas 11 (5 reb., 3 ast.), Blake Harper 7, Anthony DeBarrows 5, Chris Sodergren 4, Carlos Vargas 4 (3 ast.), Kevin Engelke 4 (4 reb.), Brett Romero 2.

ARMY-NAVY 98, FOOTHILLS CHRISTIAN 79 – Riding high from a five-game sweep of the prestigious Horsman-Wolf Pack Tournament, the feisty fast-breaking Knights discovered that there is something to be said for being laden with giants.

Facing off in a non-league game against Army-Navy (4-1) Tuesday (Dec. 11) in Carlsbad, the Knights were looking up all night. The Warriors’ roster features six players that are taller than 6-feet-5. Foothills Christian’s tallest player stands at 6-4.

“They out-rebounded, out-hustled, out-shot us and they dominated the tempo of the game,” said Foothills Christian assistant coach JAMES McHUGH. “We played their game for 25 minutes tonight. We let them have easy shot after easy shot and they hit and hit and hit.”

The Warriors scored no less than 24 points in a single quarter and led 48-36 at halftime.

“Our defense was terrible and they scored all day long,” said McHugh. “We had 25 fouls, I believe, to 14 and that was because we reached and reached and reached and they just banged it inside.”

ZACH KAUL paced Foothills Christian with 29 points and KALOB HATCHER added 28. Hatcher also had 5 steals and 9 assists.

As a team the Knights netted only 28 of 67 shots from the field.

TROY LEAF, who came into the game averaging more than 32 points per game, was limited to 18 points, 7 rebounds, 2 blocks, 2 steals and 3 assists.

The HALE brothers – AARON and BRANDON – who play inside the paint, both fouled out. Between them they totaled only four shots, 2 points, 4 rebounds and 3 blocks.

“Kalob tried to pick us up,” said McHugh. “He scored three straight possessions and then he kicked it out and we could not hit a shot and he scored again and drew contact but he didn't get half the free throws we thought he earned.”

“This was a good game for us though,” McHugh added. “It got us at a high point and made us remember how much work we still have to do. We ran into a team that wasn't going to hand one to us no way no how. Every time we cut the lead to 5 or 6 they kept scoring.”

Foothills Christian scoring: Zach Kaul 29, Kalob Hatcher 28, Troy Leaf 18, Aaron Hale 2, Mike Wnek 2.

EC SOUTHWEST 53, EL CAJON VALLEY 49 – The Braves (3-3) dropped their third straight to the visiting Eagles in a non-league game Tuesday (Dec. 11).

No information reported.

© East County Sports.com
SANTEE (12-9-07) — It’s a bit soon to be concerned with polls and the rating of high school basketball teams. Heck, the prep football season still has another week to go with the California Bowl Championship games slated next week in Carson.

None of that seemed to matter to the youthful Knights of Foothills Christian as they tackled Mission Hills in Saturday’s (Dec. 8) duel of unbeatens in the Horsman-Wolf Pack Tournament championship game at West Hills, emerging with a 74-72 victory.

Sure it was an early-showdown. But it also might have long range ramifications on polls and, more importantly, playoff pairings. Both teams went after the championship trophy as if it were solid 24 karat gold.

Monte Vista's Geoff Hartman with the slam in Hilltop Invitational action. (ICrew photo by Brian Antoniszyn)

ADDITIONAL HILLTOP HIGH TOURNAMENT PHOTOS HERE Courtesy of Hilltop High and ICrew

But this latest effort by the Knights (5-0) was more about heart and determination than pure basketball technique. Plus there was a balanced scoring attack led by KALOB HATCHER (24 points, 10 assists, 6 steals), tournament MVP TROY LEAF (23 points, 12 rebounds) and ZACH KAUL (17 points).

“These kids have been together for a long time, and they don’t think there is anybody they can’t beat,” said Foothills Christian coach BRAD LEAF. “They are a special group. They work so well together.”

Led by 6-foot-8 Taylor Darby, Mission Hills controlled the boards, gaining a 44-27 advantage. Darby collected 21 rebounds to go with his 21 points. Just his presence under the basket led the Knights into foul trouble. Darby put through 11 of 14 free throws.

What bothered the Grizzlies was Foothills’ tenacious man-to-man defense ignited by the mini-backcourt tandem of Hatcher and Kaul, who combined for 10 steals.

Trailing by 12 points with less than 12 minutes to play, it appeared that Mission Hills had beaten down the smaller, foul-plagued Knights and were about ready to break open the game.

At that point Coach Leaf called a time out. It is not known what he said in that 60-second huddle, but his players definitely took heed.

A 3-point basket by tournament Troy Leaf keyed a 16-3 scoring tear that vaulted Foothills Christian into a 64-58 advantage with 4:02 remaining. Momentum was clearly in the Knights’ hands.

Not for long. The next 6 points – half of them coming on Darby’s free throws – pulled Mission Hills even at 64-all.

A 3-point jumper by Kaul from the right corner gave the Knights a 69-66 edge. Mission Hills erased that deficit by connecting on 4 free throws with less than a minute remaining.

Troy Leaf, who did not enjoy his finest shooting night (8 for 21), rallied the troops once again. He scored 9 points and garnered 9 rebounds during the final stanza, and picked up a key assist when he drove down the middle of the key only to fire a pass to BRANDON HALE, who was unguarded.

Standing above the arc, Hale launched and hit a 3-pointer, giving Foothills a 72-70 lead with 39 seconds left.

Mission Hills missed a shot with 21 seconds remaining and Leaf grabbed the rebound only to be fouled 5 seconds later. The Foothills 6-foot-2 sophomore made the first free throw but missed the second, and the Grizzlies gobbled up the rebound.

Racing to the other end of the court, Mission Hills put up another missed shot, and once again it appeared that Leaf had the rebound, only to be knocked to the floor. The officials called Leaf for traveling.

Down by 3, Mission Hills got a layup from Jensen Moore with 5.7 seconds on the clock. Forced to foul, the Grizzlies sent Leaf to the free throw stripe again, where he converted the second of two chances.

Mission Hills had 4 seconds to either tie the game or win it. But Hatcher stepped in to foil those plans with a steal near midcourt.

Foothills Christian scoring: Kalob Hatcher 24 (6 stl.), Troy Leaf 23 (4 ast.), Zach Kaul 17 (4 stl.), Brandon Hale 8, Aaron Hale 2 (3 blk.).

CHRISTIAN 52, ST. MARGARET’S 47 – The Christian High Patriots are one point shy of a perfect record, but they can probably live with that fact, considering they won the Silver Division Championship of the La Jolla Small Schools Tournament Saturday (Dec. 8) at La Jolla Country Day.

Only three Patriots scored in the title knockout of St. Margaret’s of San Juan Capistrano .

All-Tournament pick DANIEL HAZLETT paved the way for the Patriots (3-1) with 25 points on 8 of 15 shooting from the field and 8 of 9 accuracy from the foul line. Hazlett also netted his 10th three-pointer of the season. In the four tournament games he scored 100 points and converted 14 of 18 free throws.

Junior center VANDER JOAQUIM hit 9 of 17 shots from the field and finished with 23 points. The 6-foot-8 native of Angola turned in his most impressive numbers underneath the basket where he corralled 26 rebounds and blocked 5 shots.

Senior BRAD JOHNSTON accounted for the Patriots’ other 4 points.

Christian held St. Margaret’s to 38 percent field goal shooting.

“I thought we played very well defensively and did a good job handling the basketball,” said Christian coach KELVIN STARR. “That’s the way we’re going to have to play basketball this year. We’re going to have to play solid defense. We’re not going to be able to outrun and outscore most opponents this season.”

Christian scoring: Daniel Hazlett 25 (3 reb., 3 ast.), Vander Joaquim 23, Brad Johnston 4 (3 reb.).

MOUNT MIGUEL 62, CALEXICO 44 – One thing the Mount Miguel Matadors can count on from TRAVON CAPLES is consistency.

The 6-foot-2 senior forward, who little more than a week ago was catching passes for the football team, has taken to the basketball court like the veteran he is.

Caples coined a double-double of 19 points and 13 rebounds in Saturday’s (Dec. 8) Eagle-Vaquero Classic contest in Spring Valley . After five games, Caples is averaging 20.6 points and 12.4 rebounds per game.

AJ STANFORD added 13 points and 6 assists. The sophomore is producing 11 points and 4.5 assists per game.

Although he scored only 9 points and bagged 8 rebounds against Calexico, junior guard BRAD BARRETT has been an early force for the Matadors. He is sporting a 16.6 scoring average and pulling down 7 rebounds per game.

Other high points in the Matadors’ latest conquest included the 6 for 6 free throw shooting of AHMAAD NUNLEY, and the trio of 3-pointers hit by MATT MILES.

“We played in spurts tonight, both on offense and defense,” said Mount Miguel coach JAY ROWLETT. “We played hard when we had to. Caples and Stanford were our most consistent players tonight.”

Mount Miguel scoring: Travon Caples 19, AJ Stanford 13, Brad Barrett 9, Matt Miles 9 (6 reb.), Ahmaad Nunley 6 (5 ast., 3 stl.), Devyn Moore 4 (3 ast.), Donte Allen 2.

SERRA 66, WEST HILLS 24 – It was another long night for the youthful Wolf Pack of West Hills on Saturday (Dec. 8) as they were roughed up by visiting Serra in the Horsman-Wolf Pack Tournament.

West Hills made only 7 baskets in 33 attempts (21 percent), which included 0 for 10 from 3-point range. The situation from the free throw line wasn’t a whole lot better as the Pack netted only 10 of 25 chances.

Twenty-five turnovers only made matters worse as Serra built a 35-12 halftime lead.

TIM NOWLIN, a 6-foot-4 senior center, was the lone shining star for West Hills, producing 15 points, 10 rebounds and 2 blocks. He was named to the All-Tournament Team.

“This is a very tough tournament and there was no place to hide,” West Hills coach and tournament director JEFF ARMSTRONG said. “Now we’ll have some time off from games and we’ll try to get a little better.”

West Hills’ next game is against Maranatha Christian in the first round of the Otay Ranch-Mater Dei Holiday Invitational on Saturday (Dec. 22) at Otay Ranch.

West Hills scoring: Tim Nowlin 15, Kyle Navarre 3, Lucas Armstrong 2, Garrett Cabral 2, Jonathan Darby 2.

CARLSBAD 69, EL CAJON VALLEY 46 – The Braves concluded the Eagle-Vaquero Classic with a 3-2 record. No other information reported.

El Cajon Valley scoring: Laroy McGee 9, Dove Dove 8, Kevin Benton 7, Raylondo Ford 7, Shivan Sulyman 4, Anthony Ussery 3, Lucas Stafford 2, Jamal Eze 2, Charles White 2, Trevor Sines 2.

© East County Sports.com
SANTEE (12-08-07) — Two of the top boys basketball teams in the San Diego CIF will face off tonight at 8 o’clock in the championship game of the Horsman-Wolf Pack Tournament at West Hills High.

High-flying Foothills Christian (4-0) advanced to the finals by holding off Otay Ranch 90-83. Mission Hills (4-0) manhandled La Costa Canyon 72-52 to earn its ticket.

FOOTHILLS CHRISTIAN 90, OTAY RANCH 83 -- The South Bay based Mustangs were taking notes after Horizon -- with its 7-foot center -- got whipped by 20 points by the Knights, looking for ways to take advantage with their own big man.

Thanks to his teammates pouring the ball into the post at every opportunity in Friday’s (Dec. 7) semifinal, Otay Ranch center Anthony Cosentino, the 6-foot-8 son of Southwestern College coach John Cosentino, scored 22 points in one of the top individual performances ever against Foothills Christian.

But Mustangs (2-2) ran into two problems.

The first occurred in the third period when Cosentino went to the bench with foul trouble. The second was the counter-punching efforts of Knights guard TROY LEAF, who scored a school-record 50 points.

"Just like against Horizon, BRANDON HALE guarded the big guy, doing his best not to give him any easy looks," said assistant coach JAMES McHUGH. "Sure, he took it to the hole a couple of times, but then Troy came through with the game of his life."

Leaf, a sophomore, drained 20-of-30 shots from the field, helping Foothills outscore Otay Ranch over each of the first three periods to mount a 64-55 advantage.

"I think Otay had triple the number of rebounds we had," added McHugh. "But when you shoot more than 50 percent from the field (34 of 66) at this level, it's pretty hard to beat. "

KALOB HATCHER always seems to be an afterthought behind Leaf, the San Diego Section's third-leading scorer as a freshman last season. Still, Hatcher registered 25 points for the third time in four starts this season, now averaging 23.3 points (93 points) in the season's early going.

Hatcher also recorded a season-high 11 assists, most on the transition to Leaf for layins, and five steals. Meanwhile, AARON HALE had 10 points and four shot blocks.

Leaf's 50 points broke his previous individual and school mark of 45, set in his 5th career start last season against Santa Fe Christian. The East County scoring record is 64, set by Christian's TONY CLARK against La Jolla Country Day in 1990. The Grossmont Conference mark is 59, set by current European pro KEMMY BURGESS when he played for El Cajon Valley in 1998.

EL CAPITAN 67, SD SOUTHWEST 42 – For first-year Vaqueros coach JASON CAVAZOS Friday’s (Dec. 7) conquest of the visiting Raiders was a milestone of sorts.

El Capitan notched its third straight win in the Eagle-Vaqueros Classic, pushing its season ledger to 3-2.

As usual, BARRETT BRAUN was at the forefront, ringing up 25 points and gathering in 10 rebounds for the Vaqueros. The talented senior scored 13 points in the opening period,helping El Capitan to a 21-12 advantage.

MICHAEL OVERSON led the supporting cast with 13 points, 7 rebounds and 6 assists.

“We came out playing hard, making baskets,” Cavazos said. “We’re getting better every single day. It’s a different thing for them because we have as many wins this year already as the team did all last year. The kids are starting to believe and when you believe you start to become better basketball players.”

El Capitan connected on half of its 50 shots from the floor and claimed a 38-24 edge on the boards.

“Once you can get a group of people to become one unit then you can become a team,” Cavazos said. “That’s what we’re trying to do.”

El Capitan scoring: Barrett Braun 25, Michael Overson 13, Jake Zawlacki 9, Tila Case 7 (5 steals, 3 assists), Jon Molzen 6 (rebs, 4 steals), Michael Landis 3 (4 rebs), Will Radasa 3, Casey Harty 1.

Hartman, who also blocked 4 shots, was named to the All-Tournament Team.

The Monarchs raced out to a 38-17 advantage during the first 16 minutes.

“The first half of tonight’s game was the best half we have played all year,” said Monte Vista coach JAMES CARROLL. “We played solid defense and offense the whole game, and our bench again contributed a great deal to our success.”

Monte Vista shot 53 percent (24 of 46) from the floor with Watkins’ 7 for 10 marksmanship setting the pace. The redhot Watkins was 4 for 4 from 3-point range, while his brother TRENT WATKINS hit 3 of 5 from above the arc to finish with 11 points.

Carroll was obviously pleased with his offense, but he wanted to single out sophomore KRIS GALLOWAY for a sterling defensive effort.

“Galloway was outstanding again for the second game in a row,” said Carroll. “He has definitely earned his spot as a starter.”

Monte Vista (3-2) wasn’t quite as fiery in the second half, as the Islanders outscored them by 10.

“We’re still learning how to close teams out, but our overall team concepts are improving each game,” added Carroll.

Monte Vista scoring: Mike Watkins 21 (4 ast.), Geoff Hartman 21, Trent Watkins 11, Alex Robinson 5, Kris Galloway 4 (5 reb.), Tony Jackson 2 (4 reb.), Chris Jones 2.

CHRISTIAN 63, LUTHERAN 42 – VANDER JOAQUIM muscled in 28 points and hauled down 21 rebounds to lead Christian to an easy La Jolla Small SchoolsTournament over Lutheran on Friday night (Dec. 7).

The 6-foot-8 Joaquim, who connected on 13 of 22 shots (2 of them threes), could have scored a lot more had the Patriots coaching staff elected to leave him on the floor the entire night.

“Vander had his way – shooting and rebounding at will,” said Christian assistant coach TOBIN WILKINS. “It was nice that the officials allowed him to play tonight so we could see his ability. He got to play freely tonight. They weren’t calling ticky-tack fouls.”

DANIEL HAZLETT connected for 23 points, more than half of them coming on 4 3-pointers.

Christian led 33-15 by halftime.

“We got a good lead on them and put in our subs,” Wilkins said. “It wasn’t very close at any point in the game. Our guys were kinda tired from the overtime game last night.”

Next up for Christian is the Silver Bracket championship of the tourney on Saturday (Dec. 8) versus St. Margaret’s of San Juan Capistrano at La Jolla Country Day at 2:30.

Christian scoring: Vander Joaquim 28, Daniel Hazlett 23, Andrew Sexton 5, Andrew Whitten 3, Aaron Whitten 2, Brad Johnston 1.

THE BISHOP’S 85, MOUNT MIGUEL 71 – Junior guard BRAD BARRETT scored a career-high 31 points but it wasn’t enough as the visiting Knights KO’d the Matadors in Friday’s (Dec. 7) Eagle-Vaqueros Classic.

Barrett connected on 11 of 19 shots from the floor, hitting 6 threes.

AJ STANFORD chipped in 16 points, including a pair of threes and 4 of 5 free throws.

Steady TRAVON CAPLES turned in his usual double-double of 13 points and 11 rebounds.

“I was proud of our effort,” said Mount Miguel coach JAY ROWLETT. “Our defensive principles and rotations were lacking because we haven’t had practice time. ARTHUR HOBBS, one of our starters, was ill. It hurt not having him.”

The Matadors scored 27 points in the final quarter, but saw their ranks decimated by foul problems throughout the contest.

“We got into foul trouble with (DEVYN) MOORE and (JJ) NORTON, our best two perimeter players, and Caples, Barrett and Stanford all fouled out,” Rowlett said. We just have to learn how to adjust to how the refs are calling it.”

Mount Miguel scoring: Brad Barrett 31 (5 reb.), AJ Stanford 16, Travon Caples 13, Ahmaad Nunley 6 (4 ast.), JJ Norton 4, Devyn Moore 1 (4 ast.).

HOOVER 84, GRANITE HILLS 74 – One thing you know right away about the Hoover Cardinals, is they like to play an up-tempo game. Host Granite Hills seemed to enjoy that pace as well on Friday’s (Dec. 7) Eagle-Vaqueros Classic.

The Cardinals grabbed a 20-14 first quarter lead and extended it to 45-35 by halftime. Hoover (4-1) continued to increase its advantage and twice led by as many as 16 points.

“We played pretty well, got within 4 points with three minutes to play,” said Granite Hills coach RANDY ANDERSON. “The kids really battled tonight.”

One of the standouts for Granite Hills was 6-foot junior wing AARON HARRIS, who collected a career high 15 caroms, dished 7 assists, blocked 3 shots and scored 8 points.

“Harris had a great game,” Anderson said. “I was really happy with his hustle.”

Senior guard WAYNE MARTIN hit 8 of 14 shots from the floor (4 of them threes) on his way to leading the Eagles with 24 points.

Ever reliable DEAN MILLER punched in another double-double, pitching in 18 points while garnering 11 rebounds. He also handed out 4 assists.

IAN BIRMINGHAM, who usually aids the scoring efforts of others, dropped in a 10-spot for Granite Hills, But it was his defense that caught Anderson ’s eye.

“ Birmingham , at 6-foot-3, guarded Hoover ’s 6-9 kid (Angelo Chol,12 points) and did a great job on him. He played a solid game defensively overall.”

Granite Hills scoring: Wayne Martin 24, Dean Miller 18, Ian Birmingham 10, Aaron Harris 8, Kyle San Nicolas 5, Vicente Stafford 5, Clint Davis 2, Parker Dow 2.

MIRA MESA 60, GROSSMONT 52 – Playing without leading scorer IAN COCHRAN (ill) the Foothillers battled visiting Mira Mesa wire-to-wire in Friday’s (Dec. 7) Bulldog-Titan Tip-Off Tournament.

Cochran’s absence left a void of approximately 16 points and 10 rebounds per game.

However, the return of ALEX LEON, a 6-foot-5 senior who has been missing from the lineup since an opening day injury, filled the rebounding cavity as he cleared 11 boards.

“ Leon is a solid player and will really help us,” said Grossmont coach FRANK FOGGIANO. “It will give Ian and Richard a chance to rest. We are tough to beat when all three of them are there.”

Solid senior RICHARD OGUNSALU produced an impressive double-double of 23 points and 14 rebounds for the Foothillers (2-3).

Grossmont’s backcourt also enjoyed one of its better nights as KHALID WATERS and MICHAEL GRAHAM netted 9 points apiece. Graham also recorded 6 steals and grabbed 5 rebounds.

“It was close the whole way,” Foggiano continued. “They made a run at us and got up by 10 with three minutes left. Graham hit a 3 and (ROBERT) SULLIVAN hit a 3 and we cut it to 4. We fouled them and they made all their free throws.”

Mira Mesa was 13 for 16 on free throws – didn’t miss a free throw in the fourth quarter.

Grossmont scoring: Richard Ogunsalu 23, Khalid Waters 9, Michael Graham 9, Robert Sullivan 6, Alex Leon 5.

MT. CARMEL 52, STEELE CANYON 47 – The Cougars got off to a splendid start, taking a 17-10 start in Friday’s (Dec. 7) Eagle-Vaqueros Classic game against visiting Mt. Carmel .

Steele Canyon (1-4) maintained a 39-36 edge entering the final quarter. That’s when the Sundevils took command, using a 16-8 spread over the last eight minutes to steal the victory.

“We played pretty well,” said Steele Canyon coach DEREK STEPHENS. “We shot well in the first half, but we couldn’t throw the ball into the ocean in the second half. ZANE KEITH and JEBARI ROBINSON shot the ball real well.”

Robinson was a multi-task performer for the Cougars with a team-high 14 points to go with 3 assists, 3 steals and 3 rebounds. He also had two 3-point buckets as did Keith.

“I liked our defensive effort tonight,” said Stephens. “Some of these players have not shaken off their football rust yet. We need to get some serious gym time to practice together. I like our potential come league time.”

Steele Canyon scoring: Jebari Robinson 14, Elijah Carter 8, Zane Keith 8 (4 reb.), Casey Gayton 5 (5 reb., 4 stl.), Cameron Moss 4 (2 blk., 2 reb.), Josiah Smith 3 (4 reb.), Riley Balikian 2 (6 reb.).

TORREY PINES 50, HELIX 28 -- Highlanders coach JOHN SINGER had one piece of good news to report following a distressful setback to the No. 2-ranked Falcons in Friday's (Dec. 7) Hilltop Tournament title game.

"At least we won three games in the tournament, which is 1-or-2 better than I thought we'd do," mused Singer. "It wasn't pretty out there tonight. "

Torrey Pines (5-0) hit 12-of-25 shots in the first half, as opposed to 5-for-20 shooting by Helix, forging the Falcons to a 25-11 halftime lead.

Tournament MVP James Rahon poured in a game-high 23 points, including 12 in the third period to push the Torrey Pines lead to 42-26. Meanwhile, center Colin Porter added 16 points, joining teammate Connor Johnson (8 reb., 6 ast.) on the all-tournament team.

Despite its second place finish, Helix (3-2) did not earn an all-tournament selection. For the contest, the Scotties registered a mere seven assists and shot just 33 percent (13-for-39) from the field.

Helix scoring: Demond Narcisse 7 (4 rebs), Derrall Chandler 6, Levine Toilolo 4 (7 reb.), Dimitar Topalou 4, Joubert Ballard 3, Andray Jackson 2, Terrance Cole 2.

HORIZON 69, WEST HILLS 40 – The scrappy Wolf Pack managed to effectively circle the wagons and contain Horizon’s 7-foot center Jeff Withey, limiting the Panthers’ big guy to 14 points in Friday’s (Dec. 7) Horsman-Wolf Pack Tournament contest.

“We did a nice job of playing tag team on Withey, doubling down with help,” West Hills coach JEFF ARMSTRONG said. “And I thought we were still in it after three quarters, but got blown out in the fourth.”

West Hills (0-4), which serves as host of the top local tournament in the SDCIF, is in a rebuilding mode having lost six of its top nine players from a year ago.

“We’re young and inexperienced,” Armstrong said. “It seems that when we make a couple mistakes it snowballs into five or six. Those are growing pains.”

The Pack shot a paltry 24 percent (15 of 62) from the field against Horizon.

GARRETT CABRAL led West Hills with 13 points, while LUCAS ARMSTRONG added 10 points (two threes) and three assists. TIM NOWLIN, who at 6-foot-5 was overmatched by Horizon inside, finished with a season-low 7 points and 10 rebounds.

“We’re not measuring our success right now on wins and losses,” Armstrong said.

West Hills scoring: Garrett Cabral 13, Lucas Armstrong 10, Ryan Bozelle 7 (3 ast.), Tim Nowlin 7, Jonathan Darby 2, Kyle Navarre 1, Chase Senter (4 ast).

SAN PASQUAL 54, EL CAJON VALLEY 40 – The Braves suffered their first loss in four starts in Friday’s (Dec. 7) Eagle-Vaqueros Classic. No other information was available.

© East County Sports.com
CHULA VISTA (12-06-07) — Helix coach JOHN SINGER huddled with his team in the waning seconds of Thursday’s (Dec. 6) Hilltop Invitational encounter against the hosting Lancers.

The game was knotted at 46-all with 0:07 remaining. Singer’s strategy was simple.

“I told RED (NARCISSE) to grab the inbound (pass) and take it to the basket,” Singer related. And Narcisse followed the plan to the hilt – except his shot failed to enter the basket.

Despite the miss, Helix walked off the court 48-46 winners thanks to a tip-in by 6-foot-8 junior LEVINE TOILOLO at the buzzer.

“Toilolo didn’t have time to catch and shoot, he just tapped it,” Singer said of Toilolo’s game-winning bucket with less than a second left. “Red did a great job getting the ball down the court, even though (Hilltop) thought he should have been called for an offensive foul.”

Toilolo, fresh off the football field, finished with 9 points (8 of them coming off put-backs). He also blocked 5 shots and claimed 8 rebounds.

DERRALL CHANDLER led the Highlanders (3-1) with 14 points and added 3 assists. Narcisse finished with 10 points and 4 steals.

Helix scoring: Derrall Chandler 14, Red Narcisse 10, Levine Toilolo 9, Joubert Ballard 7, Terrance Cole 4 (5 rebs), Patrick Winston 2, Dimitar Topalov 2.

LA JOLLA COUNTRY DAY 63, CHRISTIAN 62 (OT) – In the big picture, Thursday’s (Dec. 6) La Jolla Small Schools Tournament game between the visiting Patriots and the Torreys boiled down to free throws.

LJCD made 15 of 20 charity shots compared to Christian’s 6-for-14 accuracy from the foul line.

“That was the difference in the game,” said Christian coach KELVIN STARR. “We have to make our free throws. Our shot management wasn’t good. We took some quick shots at the end and did not manage the clock very well.”

What had to burn Starr was the fact that his Patriots swished 50 percent of 52 shots, while LJCD was a mere 20 of 53 for 37 percent.

With 7 seconds left in regulation, guard DANIEL HAZLETT (32 points,) drove to the basket and was fouled. East County ’s best free throw shooter a year ago at.797, Hazlett made 2 free throws to tie it, 53-53. He was 3-for-3 from the line in the game.

In overtime LJCD hit a 3-pointer and Christian (1-1) was left to play catch-up the rest of the way.

Hazlett accounted for 4 points in overtime, BRAD JOHNSTON scored 3 of his 4 points in OT and TAYLOR EICHHORST added 2 points.

“We didn’t play very smart, didn’t manage the ball very well,” Starr said.

Christian’s 6-foot-8 junior post man VANDER JOAQUIM, who hails from Angola, added 19 points and a team-high 14 rebounds. In his first two starts, Joaquim has tallied 41 points and 38 rebounds.

Starr said Joaquim easily could have scored more had he not gotten into foul trouble.

“He only played about half the game,” Starr said.

Christian scoring: Daniel Hazlett 32, Vander Joaquim 19, Taylor Eichhorst 5, Brad Johnston 4, Andrew Sexton 2.

MONTE VISTA 61, POINT LOMA 50 – JAMES CARROLL tried a couple of experiments during Thursday’s (Dec. 6) consolation game of the Hilltop Invitational in Chula Vista.

He granted starting assignments to a couple of Monarchs, who had been limited to reserves roles. Senior guard ALEX ROBINSON and sophomore forward KRIS GALLOWAY made their starting debuts. Carroll was pleased by the results.

Robinson rattled in 14 points on 6-of-11 shooting, while Galloway grabbed 7 rebounds, blocked 4 shots and made 3 steals as the Monarchs balanced their season ledger at 2-2.

“We shot well from outside,” Carroll said of the Monarchs, who netted better than 46 percent of 56 chances. Four of the connections were 3-pointers, two coming from Robinson.

Paced by the 15 points of GEOFF HARTMAN, the Monarchs opened up a 15-point lead midway through the third quarter.

The statistic that pleased Carroll most was his club’s steals-to-turnovers ratio – 12-to-9.

Monte Vista scoring: Geoff Hartman 15 (5 rebs.), Alex Robinson 14, Mike Watkins 13 (3 rebs, 3 steals, 1 blk), Trent Watkins 9 (3 rebs. 2 assists), 2 steals), Kris Galloway 4, Anthony Bell 2, Josh Gossmeyer 2, Chris Jones 2 (5 rebs, 3 steals), Tony Jackson (4 rebs., 2 steals).

MOUNT MIGUEL 74, SAN YSIDRO 38 – Senior TRAVON CAPLES canned 21 points and jerked down 13 rebounds to lead host Mount Miguel past San Ysidro in Thursday’s (Dec. 6) Eagle-Vaquero Classic.

Four Matadors reached double scoring digits, including AJ SANFORD with 18. BRAD BARRETT banged in 11 points while collecting 10 caroms off the window. AHMAAD NUNLEY also rolled in 11 points, nabbed 4 boards and dished 5 assists.

The Matadors (2-1) jumped out to a 14-3 first quarter lead and then bogged down in the middle two quarters. They finished strong with a 24-8 spread.

“We’re still not in synch,” Mount Miguel coach JAY ROWLETT said. “We’re missing too many bunnies.”

Mount Miguel scoring: Travon Caples 21, AJ Stanford 18, Ahmaad Nunley 11, Brad Barrett 11 (4 assists), Donte Allen 7, JJ Norton 3 (5 rebs), Devyn Moore 2 (4 rebs), Charles Graves 1.

© East County Sports.com
CHULA VISTA (12-6-07) – Never mind that the Grossmont Foothillers are an unspectacular 2-2 at this point in the young season. This is a team, no doubt one of East County’s best quintets, that is going to make an impact.

The Foothillers made an impression in Wednesday night’s (Dec. 5) Titan Tip-Off Tournament game that may be no more than a footnote in the future. It was hardly the shot heard around the world, but for now let it be considered a spark that could ignite one of Grossmont’s better seasons in recent memory.

Senior ROBERT SULLIVAN sank a 3-point bucket from deep in the corner with just 0:00.8 remaining to give visiting Grossmont a 55-52 victory over Eastlake.

“I think we have a pretty good team here,” said Grossmont veteran coach FRANK FOGGIANO. “I think when Robert Sullivan is hitting 3-pointers, we’ve got a very good team.”

Actually, Sullivan sank a pair of 3s for the Foothillers.

Foggiano admitted that the design for the final shot did not list Sullivan as the first option. The obvious plan was for the Foothillers to take the ball inside to either 6-foot-6 IAN COCHRAN or 6-foot-5 RICHARD OGUNSALU.

With the score tied at 52-52, the Titans focused their defense on those two.

“They really packed it inside,” Foggiano recalled. “We talked about if they left Sullivan open in the corner, that we should swing the ball to him. I have all the confidence in the world in Robert, and he came through.”

Cochran led the Foothillers with 19 points and 14 rebounds, while Ogunsalu muscled in 16 points and bagged 18 boards.

Grossmont’s inside game should get even stronger with the return of 6-foot-5 senior ALEX LEON, who suffered a concussion on opening night. Foggiano expects Leon to be back on the floor for Friday’s (Dec. 8) game against Mira Mesa.

“ Leon gives us good presence inside,” Foggiano said. “He’s a strong rebounder and a good shooter. He will take some of the pressure off Ogunsalu and Cochran.”

Grossmont led Eastlake 28-21 at halftime, but the Titans rallied to take a 41-37 lead after three quarters. The Foothillers tied the game 50-50 on a turnaround bank shot by Ogunsalu with 0:41 left.

Eastlake quickly regained the lead, but the Foothillers re-tied it 52-52 on a long inbound pass from Sullivan to KHALID WATERS with 24 seconds remaining.

Eastlake missed two chances to take the lead and Sullivan cleared the defensive rebound with 14 seconds on the clock.

At that point Foggiano called time out to diagram what would be the game-winning play.

“We took the ball to Ian’s side of the floor and reversed it to Richard’s side,” Foggiano said. “Waters had the ball and an open shot but decided to dish the ball to Sullivan in the corner.”

The rest is history.

Leading the team in scoring is not Waters’ bag. He’s Grossmont’s floor leader – the guy who makes things happen.

“Waters runs the show,” Foggiano said. “He likes getting assists and making steals. He doesn’t mind if the other guys score as long as we win.”

Grossmont scoring: Ian Cochran 19, Richard Ogunsalu 16, Khalid Waters 8 (5 ast.), Robert Sullivan 6, Michael Graham 2 (3 reb., 2 stl.), Billy Gange 2, Alden Tollgaard 2.

SANTANA 58, CLAIREMONT 40 – If form holds, the entire Grossmont North League may do a complete flip.

The extremes already show El Cajon Valle , last season's last place finisher, coming out of the gate at 3-0, while defending champion West Hills is winless in three starts.

Among the teams in the middle, Santana is showing signs of reversing a frustrating 11-17 campaign with a 4-1 start, including Wednesday's (Dec. 5) easy 58-40 romp over visiting Clairemont.

"We started out great by hitting our shots early," said Sultans small forward KEVIN ENGELKE, who led all scorers with 17 points. "All we have to do is keep going at the basket, then kicking it out -- that's how we score a lot of our points. "

The Sultans seem to possess just enough size to make opponents respect any drive for a layin. But if they double too soon, Santana fields enough shooters to ignite the team to its quick start this season.

"We actually need to run more," added Engelke. "We know we can get rebounds, then run-and-gun it to get some layups. We can run against the teams in our league. "

Seven different Sultans garnered at least one assist as the team continually searched for the open shooter. And they did it with a minimal amount of turnovers, which has head coach TIM BARRY smiling.

"It's coming together with so many players returning and understanding the system," said Barry. "It's wasn't a full, four-quarter effort -- yet -- but we're going in the right direction. "

Senior forward TYLER BLACKLEDGE became quickly occupied when he got the ball in the first half, but four quick passes to teammates on the perimeter all led to baskets, as the Sultans built leads of 19-5 and 28-7 en route to a 23-point cushion early in the second half.

Emgelke also added eight rebounds in three periods of action, while JESSE VARGAS scored 9 points. In addition, CARLOS VARGAS and BRETT ROMERO scored 7 points apiece.

On defense, Engelke ignited the crowd with a dramatic stuff of a 3-point shot for what was ruled a held ball. Santana got the ball on the alternate possession, with Engelke taking a feed from Carlos Vargas for a 5-footer in the lane for a 39-16 advantage before Barry cleared the bench.

For Clairemont (0-1), point guard Marc Campanero registered team-highs of 17 points and five assists for the Chieftains.

Santana scoring: Kevin Engelke 17, Jesse Vargas 9, Carlos Vargas 7, Brett Romero 7, Blake Harper 5, Chris Sodergren 4, Tyler Blackledge 3, Anthony DeBarrows 3, Jerrell Patacsil 3.

CHRISTIAN 63, CALIPATRIA 45 – As far as season openers go, Christian’s outing against Calipatria in Wednesday’s (Dec. 5) La Jolla Small Schools Tournament was fairly impressive.

Playing without several key players due to Christian High’s playoff commitment in football, the Patriots overcame a 30-26 halftime deficit to win in blowout fashion.

The foundation of this first win centered around 6-foot-8 junior VANDER JOAQUIM, who turned in a powerful double-double of 22 points and 24 rebounds. The big guy hit 10 of 15 shots from the floor and 2 of 3 free throws.

Returning senior point guard DANIEL HAZLETT also came out shooting for Christian. The 5-foot-11 long-ranger nailed four 3-pointers on his way to a 20-point effort. Hazlett also found time to hand out 3 scoring passes.

Another pleasant surprise for the Patriots was the shooting of senior guard BRAD JOHNSTON, who landed 5 of 8 shots from the field – one of them a 3 – for 11 points and also grabbed 6 rebounds and dished 4 assists.

“We defended pretty well out of the locker room in the third quarter,” said Christian first-year head coach KELVIN STARR. “I gave them a little challenge (halftime pep talk) and they responded well. We did a very good job of stopping penetration and making them shoot outside jump shots.”

Christian scoring: Vander Joaquim 22, Daniel Hazlett 20, Brad Johnston 11, Andrew Whitten 6, Andrew Sexton 2, Aaron Whitten 2.

EL CAPITAN 64, CALEXICO 41 – When the visiting Bulldogs turned two early turnovers into a 4-0 lead, El Capitan coach JASON CAVAZOS called back-to-back timeouts in Wednesday’s (Dec. 5) Eagle-Vaquero Classic.

“I don’t know why it was, but we just weren’t ready,” said Cavazos. “Then, after we went back on the floor after the second timeout, we just took off.”

And so they did – outscoring Calexico 15-4 over the final seven minutes of the first period.

Senior BARRETT BRAUN was at the forefront of the El Capitan attack, finishing with 23 points and 13 rebounds.

Junior JON MOLZEN paced El Capitan ’s supporting cast with 19 points and 5 rebounds, while MICHAEL OVERSON contributed 10 points, 5 boards and 6 steals.

“Basketball is a game of layups,” Cavazos said. “We were getting rebounds and scoring a lot off the break.”

El Capitan (2-2), which registered consecutive wins for the first time in more than two years, built a 43-19 halftime lead. Still the Vaqueros had to overcome 30 turnovers in the game.

“It’s difficult to get kids to play hard the whole game when you go up early the way we did,” said Cavazos, who needs only one more win to match last season’s total.

El Capitan scoring: Barrett Braun 23, Jon Molzen 19, Michael Overson 10 (2 blk.), Tila Case 9 (3 stl.), Jake Zawlacki 3 (7 reb.).

GRANITE HILLS 66, SAN YSIDRO 30 – This one was never in doubt as host Granite Hills motored out to an 18-5 lead in the first quarter of Wednesday’s (Dec. 5) Eagle-Vaquero Classic game against San Ysidro.

DEAN MILLER was back on his game, cranking out 20 points, grabbing 7 rebounds, blocking 4 shots, dishing 4 assists and notching 4 steals.

WAYNE MARTIN also had his offensive shoes on, landing 17 points including a pair of 3-balls to go along with 5 assists.

Hard-nosed LANDON TURLEY contributed 8 points and a team-best 11 rebounds, while AARON HARRIS tossed in 8 points and collected 8 caroms.

IAN BIRMINGHAM, who did not score, pounded the boards for 8 rebounds.

Although obviously pleased by the overall balance, Granite Hills coach RANDY ANDERSON was elated by the Eagles’ defensive hustle in the second half.

“We picked up our defensive intensity and held them to 8 points (in the final two quarters),” Anderson said. “We did a better job of contesting their shots and had good overall pressure on the ball.”

Granite Hills scoring: Dean Miller 20, Wayne Martin 17, Landon Turley 8, Aaron Harris 8, Clint Davis 4, Kyle Nicolas 3 (3 stl.), Kyle Snyder 3 (5 ast.), Parker Dow 3.

© East County Sports.com
EL CAJON (12-5-07) — Look who owns the best record among East County's public high schools. It's the El Cajon Valley Braves, which displayed poise under pressure by making several keys plays in the final seconds, staving off host Mount Miguel , 60-58, in Tuesday's (Dec. 4) Eagle-Vaquero Tournament play.

The Braves are off to a 3-0 start, matching the mark of defending SDCIF Division V champion Foothills Christian for the region's top record in the early going.

"It was great defense by our whole team," said guard SHIVAN SULYMAN. "We said in the huddle that we had to finish the game out and play hard. "

The Matadors eliminated the first 11-point lead by the Braves, but Sulyman prevented Mount Miguel from erasing a 47-39 margin over the final 3:43 by registering a steal of an outlet pass which prevented a final shot by the Matadors with 0:08 remaining.

Matadors forward TREVON CAPLES took over inside during the final, frantic four minutes, trimming the lead down to 49-48 by completing a 3-point play following a nice pass from ARTHUR HOBBS for a layin with 1:17 left.

However, El Cajon Valley survived four missed shots in the lane by Mount Miguel.

Most of the Matadors' points down the stretch came on foul shots.

"The refs again tried to get in our heads, but we just kept playing and got through it," noted LAROY McGEE, who grabbed seven of his team-best 12 rebounds in the fourth period. "We just have to keep winning games to get some respect. "

Caples answered with 8 of his 18 points over the final six minutes, along with a game-high 13 rebounds. But all of the members of the Mount Miguel front line combined to miss more than a dozen layins.

"We just have to get the rustiness out -- we'll be okay once we get into the flow," said Matadors head coach JAY ROWLETT. "The football guys have only had one day of practice. But we have a whole week of practice ahead of us, so we'll be fine -- I really like our team. "

It was the opening El Cajon Valley needed to remain undefeated.

"We let them come back, but we did a good job at the end," noted ANTHONY USSERY, who grabbed two key rebounds down the stretch. "Laroy and KEVIN (BENTON) also hit the boards, then we kept our composure when we had to. "

El Cajon Valley scoring: Laroy McGee 18, Kevin Benton 12, Raylondo Ford 8, Lucas Stafford 4, Shivan Sulyman 3, Anthony Ussery 3, Chris Franco 2.

Mount Miguel scoring: Travon Caples 18, Ahmaad Nunley 13, Brad Barrett 9, A.J. Stanford 6, J.J. Norton 2.

HELIX 47, POINT LOMA 42 – Never accuse Helix coach JOHN SINGER of over-rating his teams. As a rule he can be a little bit on the cynical side during his preseason analysis.

Singer did not have high expectations for a quick start this season – too many question marks, too many players hanging in limbo.

Short-handed? Yes. Successful? Yes.

The Highlanders overcame a first quarter deficit to down Point Loma for their second win in three starts in the Hilltop Invitational Tournament on Wednesday night (Dec. 4).

“We just kept letting them back in it,” said Singer. “We’re just not very tough.”

More than half of Point Loma’s points came on 8 three-pointers.

TERRANCE COLE paced the Highlanders with 11 points, while point guard JOUBERT BALLARD tallied 10 points, made 3 steals and handed off 2 assists.

Helix welcomed 6-foot-8 junior LEVINE TOILOLO to the court for the first time.

“I know they had him listed at 6-7 in the football program,” Singer said. “But I measured him myself – the guy is 6-foot-8. And he can jump.”

It was a modest yet impressive debut for Toilolo, who tallied 9 points, grabbed 10 rebouns and blocked 4 shots.

DEMOND “Red” NARCISSE did not have a big scoring night but dished 8 assists and recorded 3 steals.

“We’ve asked Red to be a big scorer for us the first couple of games, but that’s not his strength,” Singer said. “He does a lot of the little things that helps us win games.”

Singer was hoping to have junior ANTHONY DIAZ on the court, but the Highlanders’ quarterback/safety/punter had to go to the doctor first to gain clearance.

“He suffered two concussions in football so we don’t want to play him until he’s given the OK,” said Singer. “We hope to get him out soon because he will give us a toughness that we don’t have now – he will challenge.”

Helix scoring: Derrall Chandler 6 (4 reb., 5 stl.), Terrance Cole 11, Joubert Ballard 10, Demond Narcisse 5 (4 reb., 3 stl., 8 ast.), Dimitar Topalof 6 (6 reb.), Levine Toilolo 9.

OTAY RANCH 85, WEST HILLS 57 – Even though West Hills is off to a 0-3 start in the Horsman-Wolf Pack Tournament, veteran coach JEFF ARMSTRONG can see light at the end of the tunnel.

“Improvements are coming in small strides,” said the ever-optimistic Armstrong, whose squad is hosting some of the top talent in the CIF San Diego Section.

Tied at 14-14 with visiting Otay Ranch after the first quarter on Wednesday night (Dec. 4), the Pack watched the Mustangs produce 24 points in the second period to take a 38-24 advantage by the half.

The Pack trailed by 14 entering the final quarter and the Mustangs’ top player, 6-foot-7 Anthony Cosentino had 4 fouls.

“We felt like we were in the game,” Armstrong said.

Otay Ranch (1-2) foiled any hopes the Pack had of a miracle finish by scoring 31 points over the final 8 minutes.

Despite the loss, West Hills received another stellar effort from 6-foot-5 senior

TIM NOWLIN, who connected on 9 baskets in the second half, finishing with 22 points and 12 rebounds on the night. Junior LUCAS ARMSTRONG added 9 points, hauled in 7 defensive boards and handed out 5 assists for the Pack.

Coach Armstrong also praised GARRETT CABRAL for his contributions – 5 boards , 6 assists and 3 steals.

“CHASE SENTER was 3 for 4 from downtown,” the coach added. “And I thought KYLE NAVARRE and RYAN BOZELLE gave us some quality minutes tonight as well.”

“I felt like we played better tonight, we just need to take better care of the ball,” Armstrong continued. “Our shooting is improving and we’re getting good looks. We also have played three tough teams thus far, and it doesn’t get any easier Friday (Dec. 7) night when we meet Horizon.”

West Hills scoring: Tim Nowlin 22, Chase Senter 9, Lucas Armstrong 9, Ryan Bozelle 8, Kyle Navarre 2, Ashur Gelyana 2, Kyle McLaughlin 2, Garrett Middleton 2, Garrett Cabral 1.

EL CAMINO 73, STEELE CANYON 34 – You won’t get any argument from Steele Canyon coach DEREK STEPHENS as to which team is the No. 1 squad in San Diego CIF boys basketball.

Even a home court advantage could not help the Cougars defuse the rampaging El Camino Wildcats in Wednesday (Dec. 4) night’s Eagle-Vaquero Classic.

“They killed us inside,” said Stephens of the top-ranked Wildcats. “El Camino plays really good defense.”

JEBARI ROBINSON led the Cougars with 10 points.

“We played as hard as they did, we just didn’t execute as well as they did,” said Stephens.”

Steele Canyon scoring: Jebari Robinson 10, Riley Balikian 5, Stephen Howell 5, Elijah Carter 4, Jake Ransom 3, Josiah Smith 3, Alex Robinson 2, Cameron Moss 2.

HILLTOP 68, MONTE VISTA 63 – Monte Vista scoring: Mike Watkins 21, Chris Jones 11, Geoff Hartman 8, Trent Watkins 7, Kris Galloway 6, Tony Jackson 4, Alex Robinson 4, Anthony Bell 2.

© East County Sports.com
LAKESIDE (12-4-07) — Some first-year head coaches might get nervous knowing that their mentor was seated in the bleachers, watching. Not JASON CAVAZOS, who took the El Capitan boys basketball reins from veteran ROSS FURROW this season.

“Ross has been in the stands for our first three games,” said Cavazos, whose Vaqueros presented him with his first varsity boys’ coaching victory – a 67-51 nod over visiting San Ysidro in Monday’s (Dec. 3) Eagle-Vaquero Classic contest.

“At first I thought it might feel strange having him look over my shoulder, but that hasn’t been the case,” said Cavazos. “Actually, I feel better knowing that he’s at the game than if he wasn’t.”

Cavazos played for Furrow at El Capitan a few years back.

“Because I’ve been so close to him my whole life it doesn’t really feel weird, knowing he’s there,” added Cavazos. “I’ve always felt that I’m a part of El Capitan . We’re like family here.”

Cavazos said Furrow has not offered any helpful hints or corrective criticism during these first three games.

“Funny thing, he even left before this game was over,” Cavazos chuckled. “I think it was past his bedtime.”

This is not to say that Furrow treats Cavazos like a stranger. Just as it was when Cavazos was a player, Furrow maintains an open door policy.

“I love to bounce things off of him because he’s so knowledgeable,” Cavazos said. “He’s always been, and still is, a positive influence.”

Steady senior BARRETT BRAUN once again led the way for the Vaqueros against San Ysidro, cranking out 20 points and collecting 14 rebounds. He only missed one of 7 free throws and garnered 3 assists.

Actually it was senior TILA CASE who provided the Vaqueros with a quick start, delivering half of his career-best 16 points in the opening quarter.

Sophomore MICHAEL OVERSON added 10 points, 6 rebounds, 4 assists and 2 steals for the Vaqueros, while junior JON MOLZEN pulled down 13 rebounds, dished 7 assists, made 3 steals, blocked one shot and contributed 8 points.

JAKE ZAWLACKI collected 10 caroms and tallied 8 points for the Vaqueros (1-2).

Another impressive stats was its ability to convert 15 of 20 free throws.

“San Ysidro began by playing two men on Barrett,” Cavazos said. “It took us some time to recognize it, but when we did, our ball movement was outstanding. We had three players in double figures in both scoring and rebounding. It’s a great thing for team morale.”

El Capitan scoring: Barrett Braun 20, Tila Case 16, Michael Overson 10, Jon Molzen 8, Jake Zawlacki 8, Michael Landis 5.

MOUNT MIGUEL 84, SD SOUTHWEST 64 – For an opening game of the season, this one was a scoring free-for-all.

Most remarkable about the Matadors’ belated season lid-lifter in Monday’s (Dec. 3) Eagle-Vaquero Classic were the contributions of senior TRAVON CAPLES and junior AHMAAD NUNLEY. Both finished the football season on Friday (Nov. 30) and participated in just one practice before making their basketball debut.

Caples, a 6-foot-2 jumping jack, scored a career-high 32 points and collected 12 rebounds. Nunley, who played wide receiver, as did Caples, popped in a pair of 3s and finished with 15 points.

“I was pleasantly surprised at Caples’ (performance),” Mount Miguel coach JAY ROWLETT said. “Nunley looked good too.”

So did junior guard BRAD BARRETT, who cast in 23 points – the majority coming on 10 field goals, including one 3. Caples had 13 buckets and was 6 for 9 at the line.

A.J. SANFORD and DEVYN MOORE did a quality job in the Mount Miguel backcourt, handling the ball and pushing it inside. Stanford had 10 assists and 4 steals, while Moore pitched in 7 assists and 5 steals.

“Stanford and Moore had a great all-around game, really unselfish,” said Rowlett.

Mount Miguel scoring: Travon Caples 32, Brad Barrett 23, Ahmaad Nunley 15, A.J. Stanford 5, Devyn Moore 4, Arthur Hobbs 3, Charles Graves 2.

SAN MARCOS 75, GRANITE HILLS 65 – It wasn't a poor call, yet more had been committed earlier in the Monday's (Dec. 3) game without penalty. But when Granite Hills center DEAN MILLER was whistled for a fourth foul with time still remaining in the third quarter, it was the opening San Marcos needed to break open a nip-and-tuck contest to finally defeat the Eagles, 75-65, in Eagle-Vaquero Tournament play.

Miller and San Marcos' Matt Meyers were in a heated one-on-one duel as much as the teams, with Miller holding the advantage with 12 points compared to 5 for Meyers. But moments after a 3-point basket by the Eagles' WAYNE MARTIN tied the ballgame for the 8th time at 47-all, Miller and Meyers went up to grab a rebound.

"We were going at it pretty good for a while," noted Meyers. "The coaches taught me some things on defense and blocking out ever since the summer -- it's been all about defense and it's all come through. "

By the time Miller was forced back onto the court, the visiting Knights (3-1) had scored 11 straight points, handing Granite Hills (2-1) its first setback of the season.

"Sure, we have some things to work on -- everyone does this time of year," said Eagles coach RANDY ANDERSON. "But you have to like what Wayne did on defense tonight, holding San Marcos' top scorer to just 2-or-3 baskets. "

Anderson referred to Knights guard Ryan DiPinto, who Martin successfully hindered to just 3 of his 4 baskets for a season-low 14 points. Meanwhile, Martin was filling up the basket in the first half, when he scored half of his 28 points, with 15 coming on treys and the rest on drives to the basket when defenders guarded him too closely.

Miller finished with 21 points and five rebounds, but a rebounding advantage stayed with the Knights.

"When Dean came out, we got killed rebounding," added Anderson. "San Marcos grabbed too many offense boards on us. "

Included were 19 offensive rebounds, 9 coming with Miller on the sideline over a 2:39 span.

Granite Hills scoring: Dean Miller 21, Wayne Martin 28, Aaron Harris 9, Landon Turley 4, Ian Birmingham 3.

POWAY 60, GROSSMONT 47 – For one quarter the Grossmont Foothillers short-circuited, allowing host Poway to claim a 24-8 scoring edge and then continue on to a relatively easy Titan Tip-Off Tournament victory on Monday (Dec. 3)

Despite the loss, 6-5 senior RICHARD OGUNSALU delivered a double-double of 19 points and 10 rebounds for the Foothillers (1-2).

IAN COCHRAN, a 6-6 senior, finished with 15 points, including hitting a pair of 3-balls.

Each of the Foothillers’ aces was 3 for 4 from the free throw line, but neither started the second quarter.

Outside of Ogunsalu’s efforts the Foothillers did not fare well against the Titans on the boards. No other Foothiller had more than 4 rebounds.

Senior guard KHALID WATERS landed a pair of 3-pointers and finished with 8 points and 3 assists.

The Foothillers did not appear to be too aggressive on this night as they recorded only 4 steals. They were charged with only 7 fouls.

Grossmont scoring: Richard Ogunsalu 19, Ian Cochran 15, Khalid Waters 8, Billy Gange 3, Alden Tollgaard 2.

© East County Sports.com
BORREGO (12-02-03) — Having suffered a last-second loss to Vincent Memorial only two days earlier, the Santana Sultans took a different approach in Saturday’s (Dec. 1) finals of the Ram Desert Classic at Borrego Springs High School.

The Sultans (3-1) decided to avoid Vincent Memorial’s 6-foot-8, 250-pound center Jose Posada by taking their game outside. But coach TIM BARRY’s bunch gradually pulled away to a 64-50 victory.

Santana’s perimeter presence hit hardest in the third quarter as all of the Sultans’ 3-point shots were on the mark. Santana was 7-for-7 from above the arc during that eight-minute stretch.

Sophomore guard JESSE VARGAS hit 4 treys during that long-distance scoring spree. CARLOS VARGAS hit 2 and ANTHONY DeBARROWS put through another.

Santana outscored the Scots 24-15 in the third stanza to turn a 26-18 halftime advantage into a 16-point lead.

KEVIN ENGELKE, the tournament’s Most Valuable Player, led a balanced Santana attack with 18 points and 6 rebounds. Engelke tallied 65 points and gobbled up 31 rebounds in the four games.

“I thought we played great tonight on both ends of the floor and we were able to avenge our only loss,” said Barry. “We’re only two points away from being 4-0 (instead of 3-1).”

Santana scoring: Kevin Engelke 18, Jesse Vargas 15 (6 ast.), Carlos Vargas 12 (8 ast.), Brett Romero 12, Anthony DeBarrows 3, Tyler Blackledge 3 (6 reb.), Ryan Garlin (5 ast.).

HELIX 59, CORONADO 58 – Oh how badly did the Coronado High faithful want to pin a defeat on the seemingly legendary Helix Highlanders in Saturday’s (Dec. 1) Hilltop Invitational Tournament pool play encounter.

Helix raced out to a 21-10 lead using a combination of outside shooting and points off the break. After that the Highlanders began to struggle and led by only one point with two seconds remaining.

The Highlanders’ DARRELL CHANDLER was at the free throw line in a bonus situation. He missed the first attempt. And then coach JOHN SINGER told him to intentionally miss the second shot.

“I figured if Coronado did get the defensive board that they would not have enough time to launch a decent shot,” Singer said. “They showed that they are a pretty decent 3-point shooting team. I didn’t want to give them a chance to get lucky.”

The Islanders did get the defensive rebound but were unable to make a desperation shot as time ran out.

“All we’re doing right now with the guys that we have is shooting from the perimeter and scoring off the break,” Singer said. “We did a good job of that in the first quarter, but until our football guys get their basketball legs and a couple of other guys get their grades up enough to get back with us in three weeks, we’re gonna struggle.”

Chandler was one of three Highlanders to score 16 points. He also collected 8 rebounds, 3 assists and made 2 steals. DEMOND “Red” NARCISSE knocked down 8 of 12 shots from the field, grabbed 7 rebounds and dished 8 assists.

Point guard JOUBERT BALLARD also made 8 scoring passes, logged 5 steals and 16 points.

“At this point in time we’re just scraping along,” said Singer. “We’re playing a lot of guys a lot of minutes that probably shouldn’t be playing that much. We have guys playing a full game that need a rest.”

Helix scoring: Derrall Chandler 16, Joubert Ballard 16, Demond Narcisse 16, Dimitar Topalof 6, Terrance Cole 5.

FOOTHILLS CHRISTIAN 77, ST. AUGUSTINE 69 – Are the Knights of Foothills Christian the best basketball team in the CIF San Diego Section? It’s probably too early to tell, but one thing is certain. These guys can score in a hurry.

In posting victories over Horizon, West Hills and St. Augustine , Foothills Christian has averaged more than 80 points per game while rolling to a 3-0 start.

In their latest Horsman-Wolf Pack Tournament conquest on Saturday (Dec. 1) the Knights had to overcome a 34-31 halftime deficit to slap down St. Augustine .

For the first time in three games, Foothills Christian did not have a banner shooting night, netting just 43 percent of 68 shots.

Scoring ace TROY LEAF connected on only 10 of 26 shots but posted team-bests of 26 points and 12 rebounds before fouling out.

KALOB HATCHER converted 9 of 17 shot attempts, including a trio of treys to finish with 25 points. He also led Foothills with 9 assists and 6 steals.

AARON HALE had the hottest shooting hand for the Knights, nailing 6 of 9 shots from the floor to finish with 13 points, 8 rebounds and 2 blocks.

Although just 5-foot-10, ZACH KAUL collected 10 caroms and had 13 points for the Knights.

Foothills Christian scoring: Troy Leaf 26 (5 ast.), Kalob Hatcher 25, Aaron Hale 13, Zach Kaul 13.

TORREY PINES 72, MONTE VISTA 48 – The Monte Vista Monarchs probably felt like walking out of the gym after Torrey Pines scored 26 of the first 27 points in Saturday’s (Dec. 1) Hilltop Invitational Tournament.

The Monarchs (1-1), however, regained their composure and virtually played the fiery Falcons (2-0) even, finishing slightly on the short end of a 46-42 count over the final three quarters.

“We came out playing on our heels, got off to a rough start,” said Monte Vista coach JAMES CARROLL. “They seemed to have answers to everything we did. I think our players learned a few things tonight.”

One area where the Monarchs truly suffered was shooting above the arc.

TRENT WATKINS, who scored 14 points, as did GEOFF HARTMAN, was the only Monte Vista player to hit a 3-pointer. Watkins, in fact, hit 2. But as a team the Monarchs were only 2 of 16 from long distance.

Monte Vista scoring: Trent Watkins 14, Geoff Hartman 14, Mike Watkins 6, Kris Galloway 5, Anthony Bell 5, Chris Jones 2, Mike Longnecker 2.

© East County Sports.com
EL CAJON (12-1-07) — Impactive graduation, a new coach and basically a band of unknown talent challenged the Monte Vista Monarchs entering Friday (Nov. 30) night’s season opener in the first round of the Hilltop Invitational.

For starters, the Monarchs proved that they aren’t looking back.

GEOFF HARTMAN, a 6-foot-4 junior, scored a career-high 39 points and grabbed 10 rebounds to lead the Monarchs to a 79-62 victory over Chula Vista at Hilltop.

“Being that it was our first game and my first game as head coach, I was happy with our effort tonight,” said Monte Vista coach JAMES CARROLL.

Hartman was deadly from 3-point range, canning 5 of 8 attempts. He was 12 of 27 overall and missed only one of 11 free throws. On top of that, Hartman also had 4 assists and 4 steals.

“Hartman really improved over last season – he did a little bit of everything tonight,” said Carroll.

Monte Vista fell behind by 8 points early and trailed 20-13 after the first quarter. Following that, however, the game belonged to the Monarchs, who outscored the Spartans 47-26 in the middle two quarters.

Senior MIKE WATKINS added two 3 pointers and ended up with 10 points. Junior CHRIS JONES chipped in 8 points (on 4 of 7 shooting), 5 rebounds and 2 steals. TRENT WATKINS pitched in 7 points and 5 rebounds.

“JOSH GOSSMEYER, ANTHONY BELL and ALEX ROBINSON all came off the bench and did a great job defensively for us tonight,” Carroll said.

Monte Vista scoring: Geoff Hartman 39, Mike Watkins 10, Chris Jones 8, Trent Watkins 7, Anthony Bell 5, Kris Galloway 4, Tony Jackson 4, Alex Robinson 2.

FOOTHILLS CHRISTIAN 88, WEST HILLS 54 – There was no letdown for the Knights following their impressive triumph over Horizon, bouncing back to defeat the tournament hosts in Horsman-Wolf Pack Tournament play Friday (Nov. 30).

The fast-breaking Knights (2-0) scored 60 points in the first half and then cruised to the lop-sided victory.

Sophomore TROY LEAF led a balanced attack with 33 points. KALOB HATCHER added 18 points, while AARON HALE and ZACH KAUL got 14 apiece.

It was a clear case of the Pack not being able to match Foothills’ intensity.

“We had a hard time matching up with their quickness and they shot the ball well,” said West Hills coach JEFF ARMSTRONG.

Despite the obvious mismatch, the Wolf Pack received a second straight solid effort from senior TIM NOWLIN, who shot 10 of 16 from the floor en route to 25 points and gobbled up 8 rebounds.

Football free safety JONATHAN DARBY led West Hills (0-2) on the boards with 9 rebounds.

Foothills Christian scoring: Troy Leaf 33 (6 reb., 3 stl., 2 blk.), Kalob Hatcher 18 (3 reb., 4 stl, 9 ast.), Aaron Hale 14 (5 reb., 2 stl., 2 ast.), Zach Kaul 14 (8 reb., 3 stl, 6 ast.), Mike Wnek 6, Brandon Hale 3, Ryan Smith (4 reb.).

West Hills scoring: Tim Nowlin 25, Garrett Cabral 6 (4 reb.), Ashur Gelyana 5, Jonathan Darby 4, Kyle McLaughlin 4 (4 reb.), Garrett Middleton 4, Kyle Navarre 2, Lucas Armstrong 2 (6 reb.), Ryan Bozelle 2.

GRANITE HILLS 50, CALEXICO 40 – Junior DEAN MILLER continued his early season scoring parade by tossing in 27 points Friday (Nov. 30) night to carry the host Eagles to an easy Eagle-Vaquero Classic victory.

Granite Hills (2-0) built a 34-13 halftime lead over the Bulldogs. They did not, however, maintain that sharp edge in the second half.

“We came out at halftime and thought the game was over,” said Granite Hills coach RANDY ANDERSON. “Calexico scrapped and we turned the ball over too many times – had 10 turnovers in the 2nd half. It was sloppy play on our part. We have just got to get more focused.”

LANDON TURLEY and AARON HARRIS led Granite Hills rebounding with 14 and 11, respectively.

Granite Hills scoring: Dean Miller 27 (7 reb., 4 ast., 4 stl.), Kyle Snyder 7, Landon Turley 5, Vicente Stafford 4, Kyle San Nicolas 2, Parker Dow 2, Ian Birmingham 2, Aaron Harris 1.

STEELE CANYON 62, BONITA VISTA 52 – After two tough losses, Steele Canyon ’s first-year head coach DEREK STEPHENS got to celebrate his first victory in Friday night’s (Nov. 30) Eagle-Vaquero Classic at Bonita Vista.

The Cougars featured a balanced attack, led by JOSIAH SMITH’s 14 points. JEBARI ROBINSON added 13 points, ELIJAH CARTER tossed in 12 and RILEY BALIKIAN banged in 11.

This was a come-from-behind effort by the Cougars, who used a 17-6 scoring spread in the final period to erase a one-point deficit.

“We played really well in the fourth quarter,” said Stephens. “Our offense was a lot better than it has been. Defense wasn’t as good but we prevailed. It came down to our guys stepping up in the fourth quarter.”

“Bonita Vista has a 6-foot-8 kid who really hurt us in the first half,” Stephens said. “He scored 16 points in the first half although we held him to four points in the second half. He fouled out early in the fourth quarter. We ran zone when he was in the game.”

Steele Canyon scoring: Josiah Smith 14, Jebari Robinson 13, Elijah Carter 12, Riley Balikian 11, Jake Ransom 5, Jeff Reid 4, Casey Gayton 3.

SANTANA 68, CALIPATRIA 39 – Santana (2-1) clipped Calipatria to qualify for a rematch against Vincent Memorial in Saturday’s (Dec. 1) championship of the Ram Desert Classic at Borrego Springs.

Santana scoring: Carlos Vargas 21, Kevin Engelke 14, Brett Romero 9, Jesse Vargas 7, Kyle Salzman 6, Blake Harper 4, Anthony DeBarrows 3, Jarrell Patacsil 2, Chris Sodergren 2.

MORSE 81, EL CAPITAN 64 – Seems like there’s no stopping El Capitan ’s BARRETT BRAUN. The 6-foot-4 senior banged in a career-high 42 points and collected 10 rebounds but it wasn’t enough for the Vaqueros to stall fast-breaking Morse in Friday’s (Nov. 30) Eagle-Vaquero Classic in Lakeside .

Braun was hot from the outset, scoring 11 points in the first quarter and 12 in the second. He tallied only 4 markers in the third period but landed 3 of his 4 three-pointers in the final quarter.

Junior JON MOLZEN added 12 points and 9 rebounds for the Vaqueros.

El Capitan scoring: Barrett Braun 42, Jon Molzen 12, Tila Case 6 (5 reb.), Michael Overson 2 (5 reb., 4 ast., 2 stl.), Jake Zawlacki 2 (5 reb.).

RANCHO BUENA VISTA 59, HELIX 36 – Coach JOHN SINGER realized that his Highlanders should not be expected to blaze out to a fast start this season. That would be due to the involvement of several key players in the SDCIF football playoffs and two others who are academically ineligible.

That was evident in Friday’s (Nov. 30) season opener and first round of the Hilltop Invitational Tournament. Rancho Buena Vista raced to a 20-8 first quarter lead and held a 35-13 halftime advantage in a game played at Hilltop.

“We were missing three or four starters,” said Helix veteran coach JOHN SINGER. “We only return a couple of varsity players. Right now it’s like we are playing JV.”

No Highlander reached double scoring digits in what had to be one of the lowest scoring totals in Helix history. High point honors were shared by DERRALL CHANDLER and JOUBERT BALLARD at 7 apiece. All of Ballard’s points came from the free throw line, where he took 10 shots.

DEMOND NARCISSE garnered a team-best 10 rebounds for the Highlanders.

“I’m never happy with losing, but I am happy with the effort,” Singer said. “In January if this all comes together we should be all right.”

Helix scoring: Derrall Chandler 7, Joubert Ballard 7, Patrick Winston 4, Mark Taylor 2, Demond Narcisse 4, Hartwell Jones 4, Bryant Johnson 6, Dimitar Topalof 2.

LA JOLLA 46, GROSSMONT 36 – It was not the kind of effort Grossmont coach FRANK FOGGIANO expected from his veteran team in the second round of the Bulldog-Titan Tip-Off Tournament Friday (Nov. 30) night at La Jolla .

Although RICHARD OGUNSALU composed a quiet double-double of 15 points and 10 rebounds, the Foothillers (1-1) were otherwise flat offensively. The 6-5 junior hit a trio of 3-pointers.

IAN COCHRAN added 11 points and 8 rebounds.

Grossmont’s backcourt duo contributed only four points.

La Jolla ’s Matthew Jones scored a game-high 24 points.

Grossmont scoring: Richard Ogunsalu 15, Ian Cochran 11 (, Michael Graham 4 (3 reb., 4 stl.), Alden Tollgaard 3, Billy Gange 1, Drew Forehand 1, Waters (3 ast.).

© East County Sports.com
BORREGO SPRINGS (11-30-07) — Anybody believing that coach TIM BARRY and his Santana Sultans signed up to play in the Ram Desert Classic to get an easy start to the season probably didn’t count on staring up at a rather tall and athletic lineup in Vincent Memorial on Thursday night (Nov. 29).

The Scots out of nearby Calexico included a lineup led by 6-foot-8, 250-pound Jose Posada. And this Posada played up to his size with 14 points and a whopping 24 rebounds.

Still, Santana refused to be intimidated and the game came down to the final :03.2 seconds when Tommy Alexander hit a baseline jumper giving Vincent Memorial a 49-48 win.

“I told the kids that we competed harder than they did,” said Santana coach TIM BARRY. “We forced them into a lot of turnovers, but didn’t shoot very well. We’re hurting without TYLER BLACKLEDGE (injured).”

Santana (1-1) led 48-47 with 31 seconds left. Realizing that it needed to gamble on defense, Vincent Memorial went to foul and the Sultans turned the ball over.

With :07.5 seconds remaining, the Scots got another chance to beat the Sultans as they took possession on a jump ball. That set the stage for Alexander’s game-winner.

Santana got one last chance to steal a victory but a last-second shot hit the rim and bounced away.

KEVIN ENGELKE paced the Sultans with 11 points and 10 rebounds.

Santana scoring: Kevin Engelke 11, Anthony DeBarrows 7, Brett Romero 7, Jesse Vargas 6, Blake Harper 5, Chris Sodergren 5, Jarrell Patacsil 3, Carlos Vargas 2, Kyle Salzman 2.

CARLSBAD 59, STEELE CANYON 50 – DEREK STEPHENS’ Cougars lost for the second time in as many starts Thursday (Nov. 29), but the coach could see much progress between the two Eagle-Vaquero Classic games.

“I thought we played 10 times better than the first game (a 10-point loss to Vista),” Stephens said. “We are playing hard defensively, which is good.”

ELIJAH CARTER, the Cougars’ senior point guard, put together a solid game with 20 points, 5 rebounds, 5 assists and 3 steals.

“Carter controlled the ball really well tonight – had zero turnovers,” said Stephens. “He was our floor leader.”

JEBARI ROBINSON added 9 points and 5 steals, while JOSIAH SMITH netted 7 points, cleared 5 boards and notched 3 steals.

Where Steele Canyon continued to struggle was at the free throw line. The Cougars converted just 13 of 28 chances against Carlsbad .

Steele Canyon scoring: Elijah Carter 20, Jebari Robinson 9, Josiah Smith 7, Zane Keith 4 (3 steals), Nick Stathas 3, Riley Balikian 3 (3 steals), Jake Ransom 2 (3 steals), Casey Gayton 2 (2 steals, 2 assists).

ST. AUGUSTINE 65, WEST HILLS 46 – For a guy who was sporting shoulder pads just a week ago, 6-foot-5 senior TIM NOWLIN made a pretty impressive basketball debut for the Wolf Pack in Thursday’s (Nov. 29) Horsman-Wolf Pack Tournament.

Nowlin knocked down 7 of 13 shots from the floor and 5 of 7 free throws for a team-high 19 points. He also led the Pack with 8 rebounds and 4 blocks against the always-talented Saints.

“Tim has been sick the last couple days and has not practiced this year,” West Hills coach JEFF ARMSTRONG said. “He gave a great effort tonight.”

Junior LUCAS ARMSTRONG also coined a free opening night effort with 7 rebounds, 8 assists, 3 blocks and 6 points for the Wolf Pack.

“Lucas did a nice job of seeing the floor,” coach Armstrong said.

“(Nowlin, Armstrong and KYLE McLAUGHLIN did a fine job of controlling the boards,” the West Hills coach added. McLaughlin corralled 7 caroms, 4 coming off the offensive glass. ”I though CHASE SENTER defended well and also handed out 4 assists.

West Hills started fast, taking a 13-9 first quarter lead. The Saints turned the game around with a 23-9 scoring spread in the second period.

“St. Augustine is a pretty tough team,” coach Armstrong said. “I thought we competed well at times tonight – a good first game for us.”

West Hills scoring: Tim Nowlin 19, Garrett Cabral 8, Lucas Armstrong 6, Kyle McLaughlin 4, Garrett Middleton 4, Jon Darby 3, Chase Senter 2.

© East County Sports.com
SANTEE (11-29-07) -- Someone forgot to tell Foothills Christian High that the San Diego CIF playoffs are still more than three months away.

Looking like a ballclub in midseason -- better, postseason -- form, the No. 9-ranked Knights snagged the inside track to become this season's top small-school basketball team in the San Diego Section after whipping No. 3-ranked Horizon, 76-56, in Wednesday's (Nov. 28) opening round of the Horsman-Wolf Pack Tournament at West Hills High.

Yielding more than eight inches, Knights "center"BRANDON HALE limited Horizon’s
7-foot center Jeff Withey -- a signee to the University of Arizona -- to 24 points, while TROY LEAF triggered a transition game which ran circles around a Panthers side some believe to be the county's best.

"Brandon battled the big guy the whole game -- without him guarding him, we don't win this game," said Leaf, an all-state freshman last season. "Then in the second half with the press, we finally broke them by keeping the same defensive intensity the whole game. "

Foothills Christian led over most of the first half, but Horizon (0-1) battled back for short bursts to take the lead. However, tied at 44-all early in the third period, the Knights created a parade of transition layins by forcing a seemingly endless array of midcourt turnovers.

"We're just in such good shape and didn't get tired," added Leaf. "So our mind stayed perfect the whole game -- we never dropped off and played smart team basketball. "

Even when Horizon got into a half-court offense, they still had trouble. Seven times, the Panthers were called for illegal picks -- five times in the second half -- leading to a bushel of turnovers. Meanwhile, the Knights committed a mere two turnovers over the final two periods.

"We really wanted to push the ball and get them in an up-and-down game," noted Leaf, a "combo"guard who joined several teammates to play for the San Diego Knights club program all summer. "We got them to play our game. Our defense really won the game for us -- in the second half, we were on all cylinders. "

Head coach BRAD LEAF couldn't say enough about Hale's efforts to combat Withey.

"Brandon did a fantastic job trying to battle him, and if the ball got to the post, we did a great job to double-down on him," said the coach. "Brandon kept him out as far as he could all game. "

As a club team, the Knights logged plenty of frequent-flier miles.

"After playing all summer all over the West Coast, they are not intimidated by anyone," coach Leaf said.

Down 44-42, three consecutive steals led to three breakaway layins for a 48-44 Knights lead. Guard ZACH KAUL then took a charge to force another turnover, as Foothills closed the contest on a 34-12 run. Included was a 13-1 stretch when Troy Leaf scored 11 of the Knights' points on layins, 3-point shots or baseline jumpers.

Along with limiting Withey, the Knights also prevented 6-foot-7 forward Richard Walker from getting position inside. Walker was limited to 16 points.

Foothills Christian scoring: Troy Leaf 31 (5 ast., 5 stl.), Kalob Hatcher 25 (9 ast., 5 stl.), Zach Kaul 9 (5 stl.), Brandon Hale 9, Aaron Hale 2.

GROSSMONT 64, RAMONA 54 – For one half, the Grossmont Foothillers were mighty impressive as they stormed out of the gates to open the season in flashy fashion in Wednesday’s (Nov. 28) first round of the Bulldog-Titan Classic.

RICHARD OGUNSALU scored 22 of his game-high 28 points in the first half propelling the Foothillers to a 44-18 halftime lead.

A 6-foot-5 junior, Ogunsalu also grabbed 18 rebounds and made 5 steals for the Foothillers, who seemed to lose a little of their steam over the final two quarters.

“In the 1st half we played very well, just didn’t put two halves together,” said Grossmont coach FRANK FOGGIANO. “Ramona played hard in the 2nd half – made us do some things faster than we wanted to do, but we’ll correct that.”

Despite fouling out in the third quarter, Grossmont senior IAN COCHRAN rolled a double-double of 10 points and 11 rebounds.

Senior guard KHALID WATERS popped in 16 points, dished 6 assists and collected 4 steals. His backcourt mate, MICHAEL GRAHAM, recorded a team-high 7 steals to go along with 4 assists and 5 points.

Grossmont, which will be a prohibitive favorite in the Grossmont North League race, has had its share of injuries.

Just 30 seconds into the game, Grossmont’s 6-foot-5 forward ALEX LEON hit the floor hard and remained down. He revived after a short time but paramedics were called and he was taken to the hospital, where he was found to have a concussion.

“Our third guard, sophomore COLTER RIOS, broke his neck in a JV football game near the end of the season,” said Foggiano. “He’s walking around wearing a neck collar but he’s out for a year to 18 months.”

Grossmont scoring: Richard Ogunsalu 28, Ian Cochran 10, Khalid Waters 16,

Michael Graham 5, Billy Gange 4, Graham Hajosy 1.

SANTANA 70, JULIAN 25 – Coach TIM BARRY welcomes back a veteran band of Santana Sultans, including all five starters from last year’s 11-17 squad.

Barry took his crew for a first spin in Wednesday’s (Nov. 29) Ram Desert Classic at Borrego Springs. It wasn’t much of a challenge for the Sultans, who led 24-5 after one quarter and 49-14 over the out-manned Julian Eagles.

“I feel confident with this team,” Barry said. “Our football players have only been out with us for two practices, and we won’t even have TYLER BLACKLEDGE in this tournament because he suffered a deep thigh bruise in the last football game.”

“But all things considered, this is a nice way to open the season. All 11 kids (in uniform) got to play,” he added.

Junior KEVIN ENGELKE set the pace for Santana, which shot better than 55 percent (31 for 56) from the field. Engelke totaled 22 points and 10 rebounds.

“Kevin had a nice game,” Barry said. “We talked about him being active on the offensive glass, and he got 3 putbacks for 6 points. He also hit 2 deep three-point shots and did all that playing only half a game.”

Senior guard BLAKE HARPER, nephew of former Santana great, TODD HARPER, chipped in 10 points. Sophomore point guard JESSE VARGAS handed out 7 assists, while CHRIS SODERGREN (6-5, 280) muscled in 8 points and grabbed 8 rebounds. BRETT ROMERO collected 6 rebounds.

“We’re going to get a much tougher test when we meet Vincent Memorial (on Thursday, Nov. 29),” Barry said. “They’ve got a 6-9 guy and a couple of good-looking guards. They’ll be a better test for us.”

Santana scoring: Kevin Engelke 22, Blake Harper 10, Chris Sodergren 8, Ryan Garlin 6, Jesse Vargas 6, Kyle Salzman 5, Anthony DeBarrows 5, Carlos Vargas 4, Brett Romero 2, Sean Doyle 2.

SAN MARCOS 76, EL CAPITAN 64 – Returning senior BARRETT BRAUN banged in 29 points and hauled down 14 rebounds for the host El Capitan Vaqueros, but it wasn’t enough to turn back the San Marcos Knights in Wednesday’s (Nov. 28) season opener Eagle-Vaquero Classic.

“We started off really slow – first game jitters,” said El Capitan coach JASON CAVAZOS. “In the second half we played hard, jitters were gone. We played two different games – hard in the second half and timid in the first.”

Football players JON MOLZEN and TILA CASE performed well despite only having a handful of basketball practices.

Molzen contributed 11 points, 9 rebounds, 3 assists and 2 blocks.

The speedy Case tossed in 10 points, cleared 5 rebounds, handed out 2 assists and blocked a shot.

Sophomore MICHAEL OVERSON did some smooth ball handling for the Vaqueros, dealing 7 assists while scoring 6 points and snagging 4 rebounds.

“There’s only one thing I ask, that you play hard all the way to the end,” added Cavazos.

El Capitan scoring: Barrett Braun 29, Jon Molzen 11, Tila Case 10, Michael Overson 6, Michael Landis 4, Jake Zawlacki 4.

EL CAJON VALLEY 65, CALEXICO 43 – No report.

© East County Sports.com
EL CAJON (11-28-07) -- There is a new Dean of the Granite Hills Eagles this season.

That would be DEAN MILLER. The Eagles 6-foot-3 junior captain canned a game-high 25 points to guide host Granite Hills to a 63-41 season-opening victory over San Diego Southwest in Tuesday's (Nov. 27) first round of the Eagles-Vaqueros Classic.

Miller hammered down 9 of 17 shots from the field, including a pair of treys. He also sank 5 of 7 free throws. To complete his gala opening performance Miller grabbed 7 rebounds, blocked 4 shots and dished 3 assists.

After creeping out to an 11-10 first-quarter lead, the Eagles broke the game open with a 26-8 second quarter spread.

Football standout LANDON TURLEY, who registered a Granite Hills record 31 sacks during his recently completed football career, was a monster on the boards for the Eagles with 12 rebounds.

Junior AARON HARRIS also cleared 12 balls off the glass and senior captain IAN BIRMINGHAM bagged 8 boards for Granite Hills. Harris also logged a team high 3 steals.

Senior WAYNE MARTIN, another team captain, hit 4 of 9 from the field (one three) and nailed all four of his free throw attempts to add 13 points to the Granite Hills coffer.

"(Southwest) was smaller than us," Granite Hills coach RANDY ANDERSON said. "Turley and Harris did a real nice job on the boards. Miller had a nice all-around game. I was really happy with Harris' hustle. "

Granite Hills scoring: Dean Miller 25, Wayne Martin 13, Kyle Snyder 6, Aaron Harris 6, Vicente Stafford 5, Landon Turley 3, Cameron Roberts 2, Kyle San Nicolas 1, Cody Hollowell 1, Parker Dow 1.

© East County Sports.com
EL CAJON (11-27-07) -- In what could have been a disaster for a young, inexperienced ballclub, El Cajon Valley High wasted a 20-point first-half lead, but the Braves maintained their composure during the final minutes to stave off visiting Bonita Vista, 65-60, in Monday's (Nov. 26) season opener in Eagle-Vaquero Tournament play.

A steal followed by a lead pass from LEROY McGHEE led to a breakaway layin by RAYLONDO FORD for a 30-10 advantage midway through the second quarter. But when the Barons stopped turning the ball over by slowing the tempo with a half-court game, they scratched back to claim a 54-53 lead with four minutes remaining with the Braves in deep foul trouble.

"The refs tried to get in our heads, but we played through it and played good defense to beat them," said MeGee, a senior who plays the 4-spot. "We just played together and kept it up for the whole game. "

ANTHONY USSERY answered with a 3-point goal to retake the lead, triggering a 12-6 Braves run to close out the triumph.

McGhee paced ECVHS (1-0) with 15 points and nine rebounds, while Ussery and KEVIN BENTON scored 10 each. Ussery also led the Braves with 10 boards, while Benton topped everyone with 4 blocked shots.

"We thought it was over, but they slowed it down with the big dude while we're a bunch of little people," noted Ford, the junior point guard. "But we kept our heads and played hard on the big man. "

For Bonita Vista, which has former Helix High assistant MIKE PERNICANO joining the Barons' coaching staff, saw center D.J. Shields register game highs of 28 points and 13 rebounds to key the comeback. However, the team shot a mere 17-for-40 at the foul line

El Cajon Valley scoring -- Leroy McGhee 15, Anthony Ussery 10 (10 reb.), Kevin Benton 10 (4 blk.), Chris Franco 9, Raylondo Ford 8 (6 ast., 6 stl.), Lucas Stafford, 7, Dominic Dove 5, Shivan Sulyman 1.

VISTA 62, STEELE CANYON 52 -- Given that they trailed 24-7 after one quarter, the visiting Cougars of Steele Canyon could well have folded in Monday's (Nov. 26) season opener in the first round of the Eagle-Vaquero Classic.

The football players were just joining the team after being eliminated from the San Diego CIF Division III playoffs last Friday.

There was no panic in the Steele Canyon ranks as DEREK STEPHENS kept things on the positive side in his first game as the Cougars head coach.

The Cougars clawed back, outscoring the Panthers in each of the final three quarters. It was a nice finish, but not what Stephens wants in the future.

"We played horrendously tonight," Stephens said. "I'll take the blame for that. We started out slow and then we sat them down after the 1st quarter, made a few changes to our offense and that helped us come back. "

One ding in the Cougars' attack was free throw shooting. Steele Canyon was just 4-for-17. Not that Vista was a whole better, hitting 50 percent. But the Panthers had more chances, taking aim 22 times from the charity stripe.

"We were a little sluggish at the start but I thought we played very aggressively in the 2nd half," Stephens said. "We got within 56-52 with two minutes to play. We missed a 3- and then a 2-point field goal and then had to foul. I'm a little disappointed with tonight's loss. I was hoping to start out with a win. "

Vista's Quincy Lawson scored 28 points for the Panthers, including 3 threes, but was just 1-for-6 at the charity stripe.

Steele Canyon scoring: Elijah Carter 16, Jebari Robinson 7, Jeff Reid 6, Riley Balikian 6, Jake Ransom 5, Josiah Smith 5, Zane Keith 4, Casey Gayton 3.

© East County Sports.com
JAMUL (10-15-07) -- A pair of East County based all-state performers -- fastpitch first baseman-pitcher LORENA KLOPP of Steele Canyon High and basketball shooting guard TROY LEAF of Foothills Christian High -- have given verbal commitments to play at San Diego State University in 2010-11.

Both are sophomores and have three seasons in their prep sports careers, yet both took the opportunity to virtually lockdown their futures early.

Per NCAA rules, the coaching staffs from both Aztecs programs can not make public comment until a player officially signs a Letter of Intent as early as a player's junior year. Yet both underclassmen feel comfortable with the direction of both SDSU teams and that full-ride scholarships will be tendered when the appropriate signing periods arrive.

"I always wanted to go to San Diego State," said Klopp, who made a pair of Cal Hi Sports teams, named first-team among medium-size schools and second-team among underclassmen. "I've gone to several camps there and really liked the coaching staff. "

"So when we (Klopp and her parents) met the coaches last Friday, I was already sure this is where I wanted to go. "

Along with the two-time CIF Division III champion Cougars, Klopp is a standout for the Power Surge 18-Gold club program. At Steele Canyon , she captured the East County batting title (.531 with 101 total bases) while driving in 60 runs -- the second-highest RBI total in section history.

"I'll still try as hard as I can, but it does take a lot of pressure off knowing where I will play in college," added Klopp, who foresees being a business major in three years.

Klopp will rejoin high school teammate SAM BEASLEY, the reigning San Diego Section player of the year, who is a freshman this year after being named an EA Sports All-American and one of Cal Hi Sports state players of the year last spring.

Meanwhile, Leaf, tabbed to Cal Hi Sports' all-state freshmen squad is pleased to join head coach STEVE FISHER's Aztecs roster. Leaf led all East County scorers at 25.2 points per contest, en route to leading the Knights to both the Citrus League and CIF Division V championships.

"We've been close to the Aztecs' coaching staff for a while," said BRAD LEAF, Troy's father and head coach at Foothills. "Troy's been wanting to go there since he was little, so we're not worried about what other (offers) may be out there. We're excited about him being an Aztec. "

Leaf was named Citrus League Player of the Year and was a third-team pick on the All-San Diego Union-Tribune team.

As a freshman, Leaf was listed 8th overall on the All-East County team, with seven players in front of him -- all seniors.

© East County Sports.com
LA MESA — Many of those who have gone before him have possessed more height, superior quickness and bigger numbers.

But Helix High senior DAVID JEFFERSON is a player who had to be seen to be believed.

Averaging 17.1 points and 11.7 rebounds per game, Jefferson shot an East County best 57.8 percent (211-for 365) from the field and blocked 80 shots as a senior. Yet, few college coaches expressed keen interest.

Jefferson received lukewarm interest from a handful of colleges outside of Cuyamaca College, which has stalked him all of his senior season.

Wofford (S.C) was the lone Division I institution to make a pitch for Jefferson. Division II schools Chico State and Cal Poly-Pomona also were in touch.

The Lumberjacks of Humboldt State were the lucky winners in the bidding derby to woo Jefferson onboard.

“I really liked the guys up there because they reminded me of my Helix team,” said Jefferson. “We meshed together so well I felt like I was at home.”

The 2007 East County Player of the Year, Jefferson led the Highlanders (31-2) to the San Diego CIF Division I championship. Unheralded Helix advanced to the SoCal Regional playoffs, winning two straight as the underdog before falling in the third round.

The 6-foot-5 Jefferson played the post position for the Highlanders against players much taller than he for the majority of his senior season. He will be asked to expand his game and improve upon his perimeter shooting.

“The Humboldt coaches know that David is undersized for the position he played in high school,” Helix coach JOHN SINGER said. “But once you get to know him, see him on the court, you know he likes to compete."

“David Jefferson is a great find for Humboldt State. I’m very happy for him,” Singer said.