© East County Sports.com
SANTEE (3-13-09) — Basketball at Foothills Christian High is to the Knights what football is to the USC Trojans.

It’s a big deal!

So when the Knights were eliminated by visiting Pacific Hills of West Hollywood 67-58 in Thursday’s (Mar. 12) Southern California Regional Division V semifinal at Santana, it was a painful setback.

You could see it in the eyes of Foothills Christian coach BRAD LEAF. Reaching the state CIF state finals was a major goal this season, but the Knights (27-6) came up two wins short.

It was the second time in three seasons that Foothills fell to the Bruins, which claimed a triple-overtime triumph in 2006-07.

Things started out on a positive note for the Knights as they used an early 11-0 run to wipe out a 6-0 Pacific Hills lead.

After KALOB HATCHER executed a 3-point play, giving the Knights a 16-10 advantage, the duel was on.

Led by 6-foot-8, 225-pound Alex Osborne, UC Irvine bound Derick Flowers and Marc Porter of the Bruins (28-6) turned up the heat. By halftime Pacific Hills, which connected on 15 of 2 shots from the field, led 36-26.

A change in defense to start the 2nd half helped Foothills Christian climb back into contention. After playing man defense in the 1st half the Knights shifted to a 2-3 zone, which for some reason seemed to befuddle the Bruins.

Foothills Christian also picked up its offensive thrust as junior TROY LEAF scored 11 of his game-high 21 points in the 3rd quarter that concluded with MIKE WNEK hitting a 3-pointer, slicing Pacific Hills’ lead to 49-48.

In a house packed with mostly Knights’ fans, it appeared Foothills Christian had the momentum and a legitimate chance of sending Pacific Hills home with sad faces.

That’s when the giant Osborne stepped on the Foothills Christian rally, scoring the first 6 points of the final quarter.

The Knights kept coming back. A basket and a steal that led to a free throw by Hatcher, followed by a JVONTE BROOKS basket chopped Pacific Hills’ advantage to 57-55 midway through the final period. But the Knights’ offense stalled after that.

Leaf was limited to one free throw in the last quarter as the Bruins did everything but tackle him.

“We just couldn’t get Troy the ball there at the end,” coach Leaf said. “They were determined not to let him beat them.”

Hatcher and Brooks attempted to pick up the slack but the physical Pacific Hills defense seemed to shut down the Knights’ free-wheeling attack in the waning minutes. The duo combined for 9 points in the final 8 minutes.

“(Pacific Hills) knows how to win,” noted coach Leaf. “That No. 32 (Flowers) is really tough. Man, he’s good.”

Flowers, who was 9 of 16 from the floor, repeatedly beat the Knights off the dribble as he finished with 21 points. Despite being hampered by foul trouble Osborne finished with 18 points (6 of 8 field goals, and 6 of 7 free throws), 12 rebounds and 4 blocks.

Foothills Christian, which was shooting close to 50 percent for the season, made only 19 of 52 shots from the floor against the Bruins. Guards Leaf and Hatcher were a combined 11 for 34.

The 6-foot-7 Brooks connected on 7 of 10 shots from the floor, but only 3 of 9 free throws. He also had a game-high 13 rebounds and blocked 2 shots.

Troy Leaf finished the season with 833 points, 6 more than El Camino’s Luke Evans, to give him the San Diego CIF Section scoring title for the second consecutive year.

It was the final game for seniors BRANDON HALE and RYAN SMITH. Hale’s 217 career 3-point baskets rank him 5th in SDCIF history.

Foothills Christian scoring: Troy Leaf 21 (3 reb, 2 ast), Jvonte Brooks 17 (13 reb, 2 blk), Kalob Hatcher 17 (4 reb, 5 ast, 3 stl), Mike Wnek 3, Ryan Smith (4 reb), Brandon Hale (2 reb, 2 ast).

© East County Sports.com
EL CAJON (3-11-09) — Just call Foothills Christian the last man standing – the lone CIF-San Diego boys basketball team remaining in the state playoffs.

For the second time in three seasons, Foothills Christian will meet Pacific Hills (West Hollywood) in a regional playoff contest, with the ballgame to be held at 7 p.m. Thursday (Mar. 12) at Santana High. Pacific Hills advanced with a 64-62 decision over Maranatha Christian, the team Foothills defeated 60-56 to claim the San Diego Section title over the weekend.

The Knights shot a sizzling 59 percent from the floor (33-for-56), as Leaf drained 13 of 19 shots to jump-start the offense and grab the early lead at 25-10 through the first quarter.

"A huge thing for us was hitting some shots for the first time in a while," said assistant coach JAMES McHUGH. "And Jvonte was absolutely dominant under the glass tonight on both ends of the floor."

Brooks was still able to contribute despite playing with three first-half fouls to anchor the defense.

"Jvonte didn't even play much defense for a good 7-to-10 minute span and he still had 21 rebounds," added McHugh, who noted that Brooks will need to do the same against Pacific Hills in order to gain a berth in the Southern California championship game, slated for 3 p.m. Saturday (Mar. 14) at Cal State Fullerton.

"This will be the first time we've faced PacHills with a big man in the middle," McHugh noted. "Yes, AARON HALE did a nice job for us the last two years, but Alex Osborne has always been far taller than anyone on our side."

"It will be interesting to see how things go with a true big man match-up in the middle."

Controlling the ball should make a difference. After committing just five turnovers against Maranatha, the Knights' doubled the totals against Desert Christian.

"But most of those were unforced, with three being committed by our JV players late in the fourth quarter," added McHugh. "So we handled the ball well once again. Now we have to make sure and not give Pacific Hills any extra possessions, too."

Point guard KALOB HATCHER led the way with 10 assists while adding 18 points. Brooks finished with another 20/20 performance, adding 26 points on 10-for-13 shooting.

When Foothills advanced to its first state regional in 2007, Pacific Hills came to town and claimed a dramatic triple-overtime triumph. Last season, the teams were slated to meet in the premiere game of the Division V Showcase at San Luis Obispo, but a power outage forced the game to be played at 8 a.m. the following morning. Pacific Hills won that one, too.

"Hopefully, the third time is a charm," said McHugh.

Foothills Christian scoring: Troy Leaf 32 (7 ast, 4 blk, 4 reb, 3 stl), Jvonte Brooks 26 (21 reb), Kalob Hatcher 18 (10 ast, 4 stl, 4 reb), Ryan Smith 6 (8 reb), Mike Wnek 3, Brandon Hale 2.

Foothills Christian High, with "the hardware" lifted high, celebrates Title No. 3. (Photo by Jen Brooks)

Foothills Christian center Jvonte Brooks (33) battles with Chen Cai of Maranatha. (Photo by Jen Brooks)

Foothills Christian captures another D-5 crown
Knights nip Maranatha, 60-56, behind team effort

© East County Sports.com
ALCALA PARK (3-7-09) — Since the tournament portion of the basketball season came to a conclusion back in December, Foothills Christian School rarely needed to put together a big fourth-quarter effort. So when the necessity faced the Knights in Friday's (Mar. 6) SDCIF Division V championship game, players were stepping up from all directions.

Packaged together, it meant a third consecutive San Diego Section championship after Foothills Christian staved off Maranatha Christian in the title game for the second straight season, this time downing the Eagles, 60-56, at USD's Jenny Craig Pavilion.

"It's just exciting – a three-peat – not many people can say they did that," said Knights point guard KALOB HATCHER, who added to his CIFSDS career assists record. "We've been here before, so that's the kind of stuff we can do. Everybody played real hard today."

Foothills Christian (26-5) and Maranatha (25-4), ranked second and third, respectively, in California in Division V, both advance to next week's Southland regional. The Knights will be among the top seeds and will host a first-round contest on Tuesday.

"It was about who wanted it more – did we want it or did they want it," added center JVONTE BROOKS. "We worked so hard all year waiting for this moment, and we're here, baby, we're here."

On the frontline, center Brooks outplayed touted Maranatha big man Chen Cai, grabbing 11 offensive rebounds (15 total boards) to claim the battle under the glass against the 6-foot-8 import from China.

"He's very good, but I knew I was much better conditioned than he is," noted Brooks, the only new piece to the Foothills puzzle after transferring from La Jolla Country Day. "Cai is very skilled, so I just had to out-work him – if I did my job, we would win this game."

BRANDON HALE overcame a mistake on defense which allowed the Eagles to tie. Yet, following a pair of foul shots which made it 47-all with 4:50 remaining, Hale bounced back on the very next possession, spotting the most important shot of his career, sinking a 3-point shot from the deep corner to give the Knights the lead for keeps with 4:32 left.

"I saw them coming up for a double-team on TROY (LEAF), so I knew I'd be wide open in the corner," recalled Hale. "I knew I had to shoot it. I had to step up and be the senior and make sure I was the leader and hit that shot."

And, of course, Leaf, the East County scoring leader, made the most of his opportunities on offense. And even though he didn't make a basket in the fourth quarter, Leaf still gained access to the foul line, going a perfect 8-for-8 from the stripe in the final period to share game honors with Cai by totaling 19 points.

"Our defense stepped up big," added Hale. "We never let them take the lead when we couldn't make a shot there for a little bit. We didn't let them back."

An important defensive tactic saw Knights head coach BRAD LEAF surprise many by switching to a zone over the final minutes, with defenders Hatcher and RYAN SMITH preventing penetration to stall Maranatha's offense to snap the Eagles' 19-game winning streak.

"It feels great. I had fun and I think I had my best game today," said Smith. "It was just awesome, being able to rebound and being able to help my teammates out."

"We went to a 2-3 zone to do everything we can to get all the boards we can, keeping their players in front of us, and not let them shoot or get the ball to Cai."

The one time Maranatha was able to move inside with the basketball, it still resulted in a turnover on an offensive foul when Brooks took the full brunt of Cai's drive in the chest by taking the charge. From that point on, Cai would only score two more points over the final four minutes.

"Jvonte is real big and real strong, too," Hatcher added. "He played real hard today."

Despite the physical battle inside, officials let them play as neither got into foul trouble until Cai's charge gave him four fouls in the late going.

"I was hoping to throw them off balance (with the zone) a little bit because Cai is too good," noted coach Leaf. "Jvonte worked so hard, so I was hoping he'd get some calls, but he didn't, yet we still won."

FOOTHILLS CHR FGS  3FG  FTS PF PTS REB AST STL BLK
01*Leaf       5-17 1-7  8-10 4  19   5   5   0   1
03*Hale       3-8  3-8  0-0  4   9   6   5   0   0
11 Wnek       0-1  0-1  0-0  0   0   0   1   0   0
22*Hatcher    3-12 1-3  0-0  3   7   1   5   3   0
23*R Smith    5-7  0-1  0-1  2  10   6   0   0   0
33*Brooks     6-14 0-0  3-3  1  15  15   0   2   0
team                                 3
TOTALS      22-59 5-20 11-14 14 60  36  16   5   1
             .372 .250  .786  DBR: 1  Turnovers: 7
 
MARANATHA     FGS  3FG  FTS PF PTS REB AST STL BLK
01*Simental   5-11 1-4  4-4  4  15   3   2   1   0
05*Porter     5-10 1-3  5-7  3  16   2   6   2   0
12*Harper     1-3  1-3  0-0  2   3   3   1   0   0
23*Kerr       1-4  1-2  0-2  4   3   7   0   2   1
32*Cai        5-12 1-3  8-8  4  19   8   2   0   3
team                                 5
TOTALS      17-40 5-15 17-21 17 56  28  11   5   3
             .425 .333  .810  DBR: 3  Turnovers:12

Brooks finished with 13 points and took two charges during the contest. He also wore down Cai, grabbing 8 of his offensive boards in the second half.

"Brooks is such a beast – I think he's the best rebounder in San Diego and maybe California ," added Troy Leaf. "When he puts his mind to it, he's a heckuva player."

"The 2-3 worked great – we had them off balance with it and they never could get over it."

In the third quarter, Foothills stretched its advantage to 42-34 on a Leaf drive then pull-up for a 12-foot jumper, but Maranatha closed with a 7-0 run over the final 1:27 of the period.

David Porter (16 points) and Santiago Simental (15) contributed on the comeback until the Knights' zone plugged-up the Eagles.

© East County Sports.com
EL CAJON (3-1-09) — Depending on who you talk to, El Capitan is either a baseball school or a football school.

The Lakeside campus is not known for being a perennial power in boys basketball.

JASON CAVAZOS would like to give basketball its fair share of the attention at El Capitan. Himself an alumni guard now in his second season as head coach of the boys hoopsters, Cavazos is taking the Vaqueros to Wednesday’s (Mar. 4) CIF-San Diego Division II semifinals against top-seeded Hoover (26-7).

That appearance will mark El Capitan’s first semifinal since 1986.

“We really believe in one another and believe in what we’re trying to do,” Cavazos said. “It’s showing. We’re jelling; our kids are starting to rely on one another. This is why they call it a team sport when we play like we’re playing now. I don’t think anybody expected us to do this well.”

In Saturday’s (Feb. 28) quarterfinals at Steele Canyon it appeared El Capitan was playing its last game, as the Cougars led 45-33 with 6:40 remaining. But the Vaqueros (15-13) refused to fold and closed the game with a 19-5 scoring run to pull out a 52-50 victory.

ROBERT CRAIGHEAD collected 7 points, while MICHAEL OVERSON and JON MOLZEN each pitched in 5 points in the Vaqueros late surge.

Craighead, a 6-foot-3, 205-pound sophomore, put the Vaqueros over the top with a driving layup to make it 51-50 with 1:25 remaining.

“That was one intense game,” Craighead said.

Molzen, who finished with 19 points and 10 rebounds, delivered the game-winning assist to Craighead.

“Molzen was up on the top of the key,” Craighead recalled. “He made a great pass and I was able to make a layup from the left side.”

Craighead had a chance to put the game away when he was fouled with 23.7 seconds remaining, but he made only one of his two free throw chances, giving Steele Canyon a chance for a last second reprieve.

The Grossmont South League champion Cougars (17-13), who overcame a 15-point deficit to post a 74-67 victory over the Vaqueros at El Capitan during the regular season, appeared to be playing for one shot as the clock wound down.

All eyes were on JEBARI ROBINSON, the Cougars senior point guard, who had already landed a pair of 3-pointers earlier in this game.

“I thought for sure Robinson was going to shoot a 3 and go for the win,” said El Capitan junior ARMON WORRELL. “But then he turned and threw the ball to No. 22 (JEFF REID).”

Robinson’s pass seemed to handcuff Reid. But the 6-foot-4 senior managed to regain his poise as he took aim for the basket. However, the split second delay cost him as Worrell deflected Reid’s shot at a possible game-winning 3-pointer with 2.9 seconds left, sending it spinning out of bounds under the basket.

Steele Canyon had its chances to at least send the game into overtime, but two missed shots and a missed free throw on the front end of a one-and-one ended the Cougars’ season.

“I thought Robinson was going to shoot that last one with about 5 seconds left for sure,” said 6-foot-7 senior JAKE ZAWLACKI, who finished with 12 points, 5 rebounds and 2 blocks. “But then he passed it to No. 22.”

It was the sixth win in the last eight games for the Vaqueros. El Capitan made 19 of 30 free throws – 10 of them coming in the final five minutes. Zawlacki was 6-for-6 from the foul line, while Molzen made 8-of-12.

“In terms of defense I think this was the best game we’ve played all year,” Zawlacki said.

The Vaqueros’ defensive philosophy changed in the 2nd half as they went from man to zone. For some reason that seemed to puzzle Steele Canyon , which shot only 35 percent (19 of 55) from the field.

“They didn’t seem to know what they were doing, they seemed confused,” Molzen said.

Case in point was Robinson, who finished with 10 points but shot only one free throw all night. El Capitan did an excellent job of shutting down the driving lane, which forced Robinson to shoot 4-for-16 from the perimeter.

It was not the best of shooting nights for the Vaqueros, either, as they made only 33 percent of 45 shots.

Molzen made 5 of 6 free throws and delivered 3 assists down the stretch for El Capitan.

“As far as shooting free throws I didn’t get my rhythm until the game was on the line,” said Molzen, who hit 8 of 12 charity shots during the game. “Our defense was as good as it’s been at any time this season. That made the difference tonight.”

For Steele Canyon it was a bitter defeat, considering the Cougars had won 11 of their previous 13 contests.

Reliving the final three seconds, Cougars coach DEREK STEPHENS pondered, “I thought we got a decent shot from CAMERON MOSS on the inbound pass in the last couple of seconds.”

Moss attempted a turnaround jumper from about 12 feet but it missed its mark.

“I was late getting there, I was just glad he didn’t make that one,” Craighead said.

Reid was quick to attempt to tip it in as the buzzer sounded. His effort did not result in a basket but he did draw a foul. With no time left on the clock and all the players standing by their respective benches, Reid stood at the free throw line all by himself.

He needed to make both free throws to send the game into overtime, but missed the first and the game ended.

“They made a great block but I still thought we were going to get to play overtime,” said Stephens. “I don’t know how Jeff’s tip did not go in. It seemed like it was in and out.”

And that it was.

El Capitan scoring: Jon Molzen 19 (10 reb, 3 ast, 1 blk), Jake Zawlacki 12 (5 reb, 2 ast, 2 stl, 2 blk), Robert Craighead 9 (6 reb, 2 stl), Michael Overson 7 (3 reb, 3 ast, 2 stl), Armon Worrell 5 (4 reb, 3 ast).

Steele Canyon scoring: Josiah Smith 20 (5 reb, 2 ast), Eric Gilbert 3 (3 reb, Jebari Robinson 10 (7 reb, 4 ast, 2 stl, 1 blk), Zane Keith 8 (10 reb, 2 ast, 2 stl, 4 blk), Cameron Moss 5 (4 reb, 2 blk), Jeff Reid 4 (4 reb, 2 stl, 1 blk), Kaptan Kaster (7 reb, 3 ast).

FOOTHILLS CHRISTIAN 91, CHRISTIAN LIFE ACADEMY 30 – Another Knights ballgame, another dent into the CIF-San Diego Section record book. But this time, it was one of major significance.

Junior guard KALOB HATCHER registered 13 assists to become the section's career leader with 861, as Foothills Christian breezed to the SDCIF Division V semifinals after whipping the Eagles in Saturday's (Feb. 28) round-of-8 contest held at Granite Hills.

Foothills Christian (24-5), the top seed and defending champion, will entertain The Rock Academy on Wednesday (Mar. 4) at Granite Hills at 7 p.m.

Hatcher registered his record-breaker late in the third quarter, receiving a standing ovation between periods when the announcement was made.

"That's a phenomenal record – you're a very unselfish person to get a record like that," said Foothills Christian coach BRAD LEAF. "My son (TROY LEAF) has benefited as you can see. He's got more than 2,000 points because Kalob can pass the ball."

As usual, the majority of Hatcher's assists went to Leaf, who scored a game-high 29 points, while center JVONTE BROOKS produced his 20th double-double in 28 contests this season, finishing with 22 points and 17 rebounds.

"Just the fact that my teammates can make the shot if I can put them in the position to get the open shot is satisfying for me," noted Hatcher, who did a little bit of shooting of his own, hitting 7-of-11 shots from the floor for 16 points. "I think anybody I pass the ball to can make the shot."

Hatcher is so ingrained to give up the ball and make the play, it carries over in difficulty in talking about himself in terms of being a record-breaker in his own right.

"It feels real good to know that what I'm doing is for a purpose," he added. "Everybody is making everything, whether it's Jvonte down low, BRANDON (HALE) and MIKE (WNEK) and DANIEL (LaBAHN) and all the people who shoot outside – it's not just one person I'm making plays to."

Despite a sluggish start, Foothills Christian "only" led 42-20 at halftime, then outscored Christian Life by a 32-3 count in the third period to initiate the 40-point, running clock rule.

Hatcher surpassed the old section assist mark of 857, established two years ago by Hoover's JayDee Luster (2004-07).

Dallas Mavericks guard Jason Kidd (above) became the fourth player in NBA history to reach 10,000 career assists Sunday (Mar. 1). Kidd is the current California state high school record-holder for career assists with 1,165, playing for Alameda-St. Joseph (1989-92). (Courtesy photo, NBA Entertainment)

Foothills Christian scoring: Troy Leaf 29 (4 stl, 4 ast), Jvonte Brooks 22 (17 reb, 4 blk), Kalob Hatcher 16 (13 ast, 8 stl), Mike Wnek 11, Brandon Hale 5, Steve McElroy 4, Ryan Smith 4 (6 reb).

LINCOLN 65, HELIX 36 – With the host Hornets leading at halftime, 24-22, the Highlanders' first basket of the second half came on a nice move by SAM MEREDITH.

Meredith, a sophomore forward, collected a pass at the high post from JAKE REED, another soph. Meredith made a nifty head fake followed by a move toward the basket on his Lincoln defender, then pulled up and sank a 7-foot jump shot 58 seconds into the quarter.

Only one problem.

The basket came 58 seconds into the fourth quarter, because in the third period it was all Lincoln. The Hornets (19-11) pressed and trapped their way to a 25-1 advantage during that 8-minute stint to win Saturday's (Feb. 28) CIF-SDS Division II quarterfinal round going away.

"Everybody picked it up, with all of my teammates helping out each other," said Lincoln center Victor Dean, the lone player on either team to reach double figures with 21 points. "I can't explain the difference in the halves, except that we came out more focused in the second half. You can see what happened."

Unable to move the basketball down the court, Helix shot a collective 0-for-9 from the floor with 10 turnovers in the fateful third period to end its season on a disastrous note. Included were a series of three Lincoln baskets in 19 seconds due to a pair of quick turnovers in the backcourt.

The Scotties utilized three different point guards during the stretch, but as one sign posted by Lincoln's cheerleaders declared, the Hornets were able to "Punish Those Puppies."

"We took a little time to get going – the energy wasn't there to get going," noted Lincoln coach Jason Bryant. "But in the second half, we made some adjustments and they got it done. Still, 25-1 is pretty amazing, but we've been coaching them all year for this moment."

"We can do something special in just our second year since the school re-opened, so the team understands they can be part of a legacy – and make their legacy – here at Lincoln. That's a great thing."

Meanwhile, Helix finished 13-15 – just the second losing season during coach JOHN SINGER’s 29-year tutelage. The campaign was marred by the loss of 6-foot-8 senior center LEVINE TOILOLO to a foot injury, and two other starters to academic eligibility. But things should be on the upswing with the return of 8 underclassmen.

Helix scoring: Erick Darnell 6 (3 reb), Dimitar Topalov 6 (2 reb, 1 blk), Anthony Anderson 5 (8 reb, 1 blk), Joubert Ballard 4 (3 reb, 4 ast, 3 stl, 2 blk), John Henry Singer 4, Yohanes Solomon 4, Darien Peterson 2 (3 reb), Jaylen Linson 2 (8 reb), Sam Meredith 2, Jake Reed 1, Tommie Young (2 stl).

OCEANSIDE 59, MOUNT MIGUEL 46 – Second-seeded Oceanside received all it wanted from an upset-minded Mount Miguel team in Saturday’s (Feb. 28) CIF-San Diego Division II quarterfinals in North County.

The Pirates (24-3) were clinging to a 29-24 halftime lead and then gradually extended their advantage in the second half. They could never turn the game into a blowout, though.

“We didn’t make some plays that we had to,” said Mount Miguel coach JAY ROWLETT. “It didn’t help that we missed 18 free throws.”

Nor did it hurt Oceanside that the Pirates landed eight 3-pointers. J.J. Whittaker led the Valley League champions with 21 points and two 3-pointers.

HARRY BRAZELTON paced Mount Miguel (11-19) with 21 points, five rebounds and three steals.

“We competed, we just didn’t execute well,” Rowlett said.

One thing Rowlett has to look forward to next season is all of his players return. The Matadors played without any senior leadership this year.

Mount Miguel scoring: Harry Brazelton 21 (5 reb, 3 stl, 2 ast), Anthony Stanford 13 (7 reb, 2 ast, 2 stl), Yuel Hagos 3, Rudy Burruel (4 stl, 2 ast), Marcus Booker 3 (2 stl), Bryant Mitchell 2 (6 ast), Donte Allen (8 reb).

El Capitan's Michael Overson (Photo by Jeanne Royce)

CIF Playoffs, First Round El Capitan Vaqueros at Valhalla Norsemen (Slideshow by Jeanne Royce)

© East County Sports.com
EL CAJON (2-26-09) — The demise of Grossmont Conference basketball seems to have been greatly exaggerated.

The reputation became even more exasperating, especially after officials piecing together the tournament brackets for the CIF-San Diego Section playoffs placed seven local schools on the road – a sure, season-ending death sentence in the era of expanded, 16-team pools in each division.

Nevertheless, nearly half of the teams stepped forward to secure road victories during Wednesday's (Feb. 25) opening round, with El Capitan, Helix and Mount Miguel stunning seeded opponents to gain entry into Saturday's (Feb. 28) quarterfinals, joining Steele Canyon and Foothills Christian.

EL CAPITAN 54, VALHALLA 49 — Vaqueros senior forward JON MOLZEN poured home a career-high 32 points, hitting a perfect 6-for-6 from the foul line over the final 1:01, leading to an upset of the 5th-seeded Norsemen.

El Capitan (15-13) advances to meet Steele Canyon on Saturday. The motivated Vaqueros will seek to avenge an earlier setback to the Cougars after giving away a 15-point lead on Jan. 5.

Molzen was the lone player on either team to consistently put the ball into the basket, as both sides dug in on defense to overwhelm struggling offenses.

"We denied the wing, so Valhalla brought in their short, point guard," noted Molzen. "When he went inside, our big guys were there to block it."

And block it and block it.

The El Capitan front line collectively rejected 13 Norsemen shots, including five stuffs each by Molzen and JAKE ZAWLACKI, plus two more by ANDREW CABLE.

"All week, we've been focused on the weak-side block," added Molzen. "It saved us."

Valhalla was also hampered with the loss of point guard AUSTEN SUHAY, who injured his wrist in the regular-season finale with Steele Canyon. Prior to tip-off, word leaked that Suhay would not be in uniform, needing at least six weeks to allow a broken left wrist to mend.

"We still did the same thing we were supposed to do," noted junior forward ARMON WORRELL, who fell just short of a season high with 9 points. "Our coaches have been telling us all week to get a hand in the shooter's face, so when they went up, a hand was already there and blocked a lot of shots."

Added Zawlacki, who grabbed 9 boards to prevent second-chance opportunities for Valhalla, "We focused mainly on weak-side block rebounds and a lot of weak-side help. I think we did that today; boxing-out was huge."

El Capitan jumped out of the gate for a 7-0 lead, but the Norsemen finally pulled even before Molzen hit a 3-point shot at the buzzer to take a 30-27 halftime lead.

Valhalla's defense dominated the third quarter, including three straight blocks by KYLE KRIEBEL to limit El Capitan to just four points in the period.

However, the Norsemen, sans Suhay to create scoring opportunities, converted just 6-of-31 (19 percent) from the floor in the second half. Meanwhile, Molzen got hot just in time, scoring 13 of his points in the 4th quarter to move the Vaqueros in front for keeps.

Accepting a Cable pass at the high post, Molzen dropped in a 15-footer for a 41-40 lead with 5:07 to play. On the next trip, Molzen was credited with a basket on a close goal-tending call.

During the stretch, El Cap scored on five straight possessions, capped by a baseline drive by Worrell for a power layin, then a Zawlacki tip-in made it 47-41 with 3:16 remaining.

For Valhalla, a potential dream stretch drive to the season hit a major pothole over the final weeks. Once the leaders of the Grossmont South League after mounting a 6-0 record, the Norsemen dropped 4-of-5 ballgames to close the year after Kriebel was less-than-effective while attempting to play with pneumonia, then the injury to Suhay.

"You wish you could have Austen out there for a CIF basketball game," noted Norsemen coach KEITH JACKSON. "You saw what our biggest asset was, and we didn't have it and it made a big difference."

STEVEN KLEIST (11 points) and TREVOR CAHOON (10) tried to make up for the loss of their point guard. Kriebel, finding shooting difficult due to illness, countered with a strong defensive effort with 10 rebounds, 4 blocks and 3 steals.

"Our kids never stopped working hard – they were fighting through a lot of things," added Jackson. "Three weeks ago, we were sitting in a really good spot, but those things happen. You can't blame anything – it's just life."

"It just stinks the way the season ended."

El Capitan will need a similar effort to defend Steele Canyon, which had four players score in double figures in the teams' first meeting, while two others scored 9 each.

"If we can come into their place and do our thing, we might have a chance if we just run our stuff," said Vaqueros coach JASON CAVAZOS. "Our kids are confident. We're still getting better."

El Capitan scoring: Jon Molzen 32 (6 reb, 5 blk, 3 stl), Armon Worrell 9 (5 ast, 3 stl), Michael Overson 8 (5 stl, 4 reb, 3 ast), Jake Zawlacki 3 (9 reb, 5 blk), Andrew Cable 2 (5 reb, 2 ast, 2 blk), Robert Craighead 0 (3 reb, 1 blk).

Valhalla scoring: Steven Kleist 11 (3 reb), Trevor Cahoon 10 (3 reb), David Wilschetz 8 (10 reb, 2 stl), Jordan Cunningham 6 (5 reb), Evie Alcanter 6, David Zetts 4 (2 stl), Josh Austel 2 (7 reb), Kyle Kriebel 2 (10 reb, 4 blk, 3 ast).

MOUNT MIGUEL 66, SCRIPPS RANCH 64 – Coach JAY ROWLETT did not come right out and say it, but his Mount Miguel Matadors played arguably their finest game of the season in Wednesday’s (Feb. 25) first round of the SDCIF Division II playoffs at Scripps Ranch (13-13).

Trailing 35-28 at halftime the Matadors blitzed the Falcons 22-9 in the 3rd quarter to reverse the momentum in their favor.

“We had a lot of steals and putbacks off steals in the 3rd quarter,” said Rowlett. “That was a good quarter for us.”

HARRY BRAZELTON equaled his season-high with 27 points to lead the Matadors (11-18). Brazelton did the majority of his damage from the free throw line where he converted 12 of 19 free throws.

DONTE ALLEN added 17 points and 8 rebounds for the Matadors, who had four players score 9 points or more.

Defensive specialist BRYANT MITCHELL didn’t contribute to the scoring but led the Matadors with 9 rebounds.

ANTHONY STANFORD contributed 9 assists, 4 steals, 6 rebounds and 9 points for Mount Miguel.

“Stanford had a great all-around game,” said Rowlett.

MARCUS BOOKER, who was making his varsity debut, recorded 4 steals, made 2 blocks, dished 2 assists and tossed in 4 points.

“Booker came off JV and hit a couple of key blocks,” said Rowlett. “The one at the end was a crucial block for us. He gave us a great spark.”

The victory was only the second in the last six games for Mount Miguel.

“We played hard. I was proud of everybody tonight,” Rowlett said.

Mount Miguel scoring: Harry Brazelton 27 (5 reb, 2 ast, 4 stl), Donte Allen 17 (8 reb), Rudy Burruel 9, Anthony Stanford 9 (6 reb, 9 ast, 4 stl), Marcus Booker 4 (2 ast, 2 blk, 4 stl), Yuel hagos 2, Bryant Mitchell (9 reb).

HELIX 67, SAN YSIDRO 52 – Coach JOHN SINGER’s Helix Highlanders adapted to a kind of carnival atmosphere when they began the SDCIF Division II playoffs Wednesday (Feb. 25) at San Ysidro (15-12).

“San Ysidro tries to make it a street ball game,” Singer said. “They try to make it crazy and we kinda got lost in the tempo of the game in the 1st half.”

Yet the Highlanders maintained a 29-28 halftime lead.

“They chase you around and gamble on trying to make a steal,” Singer said. “They’re totally unorthodox.”

Singer said he had to calm his team down at intermission. “I told our guys to just play our game and not worry about what they’re doing.”

ANTHONY ANDERSON scored 9 of his team-high 13 points in the 3rd quarter as Helix expanded its advantage to 45-37.

The momentum for Helix (13-14) carried over to the 4th quarter when the Highlanders pulled away with a rare 22-point scoring burst.

“When we get four of our starters in double figures, like we did tonight, I like our chances,” Singer said.

Anderson (11 rebounds), guard JOUBERT BALLARD (12 points, 10 rebounds, 6 assists), ERICK DARNELL (12 points) and JAYLEN LINSON (10 points, 9 rebounds) led the way for the Highlanders.

The veteran coach also praised the work of SAM MEREDITH and his son JOHN HENRY SINGER for their work coming off the bench.

“Those two guys gave us a lot of good minutes in the 2nd half,” Coach Singer said.

Helix scoring: Anthony Anderson 13 (11 reb, 1 blk), Joubert Ballard 12 (10 reb, 6 ast, 2 stl), Erick Darnell 12 (6 reb, 2 ast), Jaylen Linson 10 (9 reb, 1 blk), Darien Peterson 7 (6 reb, 9 ast, 2 stl), Sam Meredith 7 (4 reb), John Henry Singer 6 (2 reb, 2 stl).

STEELE CANYON 93, RAMONA 81 – For some reason the Ramona Bulldogs thought they were wronged by having to play Wednesday’s (Feb. 25) SDCIF Division II first round playoff game at Steele Canyon.

“That just shows how little respect people have for the Grossmont Conference,” Steele Canyon coach DEREK STEPHENS said.

The No. 4 seeded Cougars wasted little time making believers of the Bulldogs (15-13) as they sprinted to a 40-21 halftime lead. Before Steele Canyon (17-12) could put the finishing touches to a 34-point 3rd quarter, Stephens began making wholesale substitutions.

All five Steele Canyon starters struck for double scoring digits. Guard JEBARI ROBINSON set the pace with 20 points.

“We had layup after layup,” Stephens said. “Generally we shot well all night.”

And that includes long distance. ZANE KEITH landed a trio of 3-pointers and the Cougars totaled 7 treys in the game. The Cougars have scored 13 three-pointers in their last two starts.

“I took three of my starters out of the game with two minutes left in the 3rd quarter,” Stephens said. “None of our starters played in the 4th quarter.”

Ramona took advantage of the Steele Canyon reserves by scoring 31 points in the 3rd period.

“They couldn’t miss,” said Stephens. “They shot about 70 percent in the 2nd half and made 7 out of 9 three-pointers in the last three quarters.”

The ever-complaining Bulldogs also made 20 of 24 free throws compared to Steele Canyon ’s hitting 18 of 30.

“We had double-digit blocked shots,” Stephens noted.

JOSIAH SMITH led with 4 blocks to go along with 16 points, 12 rebounds and 8 assists. Keith, who tallied 10 points, also blocked 3 shots.

Robinson added 6 rebounds and 6 assists in less than three quarters of playing time.

Steele Canyon will host conference rival El Capitan in Saturday’s (Feb. 28) quarterfinals at 7 p.m.

Steele Canyon scoring: Jebari Robinson 20 (6 reb, 6 ast), Josiah Smith 16 (12 reb, 8 ast, 4 blk), Cameron Moss 12 (7 reb, 2 blk), Kaptan Kaster 11 (5 ast), Zane Keith 10 (3 blk), Eric Gilbert 9 (6 reb), Jeff Reid 9, Cameron Hubbard 4, Gazwhan Mikael 2.

POWAY 71, GRANITE HILLS 52 – Poor shooting cost the visiting Granite Hills Eagles in Wednesday night’s (Feb. 25) SDCIF Division I playoff first round game at Poway.

The Eagles, who shot a paltry 30 percent (16 of 53), finished the year 18-9. It was the third time in Granite Hills’ history that the Eagles have won as many as 18 games. That is the second most victories in a season. The school record is 21 wins.

Poway (17-11) jumped in front 25-11 after one quarter, but the Eagles closed the gap to 8 points by halftime. The closest that Granite Hills got in the 2nd half was within 5 points late in the 3rd quarter.

The ever-reliable DEAN MILLER was the focus of Poway ’s defensive attention. The Titans did a decent job on decent against Miller, but the 6-foot-3 senior still rolled a double-double of 21 points and 14 rebounds. He was deadly from the free throw line where he made 10 of 12 shots.

“Dean Miller had his usual solid game, played good defense,” Granite Hills coach RANDY ANDERSON said.

Junior guard ANDRE LEWIS also made major contributions to the Eagles’ cause, hitting 6 of 13 shots from the field and 1 of 2 free throws for 13 points. He also had 7 steals, 3 assists and 3 rebounds.

“Andre Lewis played real well,” said Anderson. “He made some nice picks from their point guard. Andre completely outplayed him.”

Miller added 4 assists and 4 steals.

AARON HARRIS was strong inside with 9 points and 9 rebounds for Granite Hills.

PARKER DOW hit a pair of 3s off the bench for the Eagles.

Granite Hills scoring: Dean Miller 21 (14 reb, 4 ast, 4 stl), Aaron Harris 9 (9 reb, 2 stl), Andre Lewis 13 (3 reb, 7 stl, 3 ast), Parker Dow 6, Jason Gaines 3, John Montes (2 reb).

POINT LOMA 44, EL CAJON VALLEY 34 – Braves coach JIM GLEBOFF was stunned when he looked at the post-game shooting chart from Wednesday’s (Feb. 25) SDCIF Division II first-round loss to visiting Point Loma.

“We shot 15 percent from the floor – unbelievable,” he said. “The thing that’s really aggravating is most of the shots we missed were right around the basket. It seemed like nothing would fall.”

Playing with a jammed wrist, junior guard JORDAN SHIVERS, who came in averaging 21.3 points per game, led the Braves (15-12) with 15 points.

“Even Jordan missed a clean-out layup and I think that’s the first one he’s missed all year,” Gleboff remarked. “But he’s one tough kid. A lot of guys in pain like he was would not have even played.”

What really hurt the Braves was the lack of scoring from their backcourt duo of ANTHONY USSERY and RAYLONDO FORD. Neither of those two scored a field goal in the game. Two free throws by Ussery was all that tandem could offer on the offensive end.

As a team the Braves made only 12 baskets out of 78 shots.

“They took it to us on the boards as well,” Gleboff said. “It’s not like they were really big guys or anything, but it seemed like the ball would bounce off three or four people, and they’d get it. We certainly had enough shots at the basket, we just couldn’t finish.”

Point Loma (16-10), not known for its long-ball shooting, connected for 5 three-pointers.

Shivers had the only trey for the Braves.

Other positives for El Cajon were the 8 rebounds by KENDALL CONLEY and 5 blocks by Ussery.

Despite the sudden end to the season, the Braves’ 15 victories were the most by an El Cajon team in 20 years.

El Cajon Valley scoring: Jordan Shivers 15, Devin Lesch 6 (4 reb), Dominic Dove 4 (3 reb), Kendall Conley 4 (8 reb), Anthony Ussery 2 (6 reb, 5 stl, 5 blk, 2 ast), Treyvon Martin 2, Jesse Damman 1.

SANTA FE CHRISTIAN 56, CHRISTIAN 37 – For the first time in 25 games an opponent actually stopped Christian guard LUIZ BIDART. The junior from Brazil, who came into Wednesday’s (Feb. 25) SDCIF Division IV playoffs at Santa Fe Christian averaging 25.5 points per game, was limited to a season low 8 points by the Eagles (21-7).

Bidart’s previous low mark was 15 – a total he settled for three times. His high game was 40.

According to Patriots assistant coach JOEL ALLEN, SFC bottled up Bidart using a triangle-and-two defense.

“They were face-guarding Luiz from baseline to baseline,” Allen said. “He was nothing less than double-teamed at all times. I think he got only seven shots all night.”

With two defenders assigned to Bidart throughout the game, Christian (15-11) actually had a 4-on-3 advantage against the Eagles. Only senior TAYLOR EICHHORST was able to capitalize, as he finished with a career high 19 points.

“We didn’t have much going other than that,” Allen said. I bet we shot 10 air balls.”

Christian scoring: Taylor Eichhorst 19, Luiz Bidart 8, Jake Larsen 4, Steven Pitts 2, Ronnie Richards 2, Tyrone Sauls 2. No other stats were reported.

VISTA 64, GROSSMONT 43 – When senior guard FELIPE VALDEZ broke his hand in a Monday (Feb. 23) practice the two-Grossmont North League champion Foothillers knew they were in trouble.

Without Valdez handling the ball – he’s also been one of the team’s top scorers down the stretch – Grossmont (16-11) fell behind 16-8 in the opening quarter of Wednesday’s (Feb. 25) San Diego CIF Division I playoff opener against visiting Vista (23-6).

The 4th-seeded Panthers dominated all the way.

Junior JAKE HAAR scored a game high 22 points for the Foothillers, who had won six of their previous seven games. Haar scored 16 of his points in the second half.

All Valdez could do was watch from the sidelines. He is wearing a cast at the moment and there is talk of surgery.

Grossmont scoring: Jacob Haar 22, Billy Gange 7, Desean Waters 6, Clayton Rainey 4, Robbie Nesovic 2, Drew Forehand 2.

SAN DIEGO SOUTHWEST 55, MONTE VISTA 42 – Opening the San Diego CIF Division III playoffs without its top player Wednesday (Feb. 25) in South Bay, certainly left the Monarchs shorthanded.

Yet, Monte Vista (11-17) took an 8-2 lead in the early going.

“Then we stopped running the offense,” said Monarchs coach JAMES CARROLL.

The No. 4-seeded Raiders (19-7) closed the 1st quarter with an 11-1 run.

Monte Vista was in contention until the end, however

“We cut the lead to 2 points twice in the 4th quarter,” Carroll said. “They were able to stop our runs with 3-pointers and jumped back out on us each time. That and we got killed on the boards tonight.”

Of course, losing senior GEOFF HARTMAN to academic ineligibility didn’t help the Monarchs. Hartman was averaging 18.9 points and 8.7 rebounds per game.

On the positive side the Monarchs got 14 points from TRENT WATKINS and “ALVIN MERRIWEATHER played his heart out for us,” Carroll said.

Monte Vista scoring: Trent Watkins 14, Richard Whitfield 8, Tony Jackson 7, Alvin Merriweather 7, Brandon Tillett 4, Kevin Starling 2. No other stats were reported.

ST. AUGUSTINE 68, SANTANA 46 – Coach TIM BARRY was a little hesitant taking his team into the San Diego CIF Division III playoffs, considering his young squad failed to win a single game in the Grossmont North League.

Barry was hoping to draw the No. 3 seed. He didn’t. Santana was obligated to face No. 2 seeded St. Augustine (20-7) in the Saints compact gym in Wednesday’s (Feb. 25) first round.

The heavily favored Saints led only 35-26 at halftime.

“We played a very, very good 1st half,” Barry said. “But we got down by 6 and they hit a three at the end of the 1st half. Then they upped their defensive intensity in the 3rd quarter. You have got to keep shooting well to stay in that game. They kind of imposed their will in the 3rd quarter.”

Indeed St. Augustine claimed a 22-7 scoring surge in the 3rd period.

Barry noted the difference between the two teams in terms of experience.

“Of their 14-man roster, 12 were seniors,” he said. “It’s tough going against experienced teams. That gym is tiny – it’s a tough place to play. Their fans are rabid. I didn’t have one player who has ever played in a playoff game before.”

Santana scoring: Bradley Kline 11 (4 reb), David Thrall 10, Matt Gomez 9, James Needy 5 (5 reb), Trey Bass 4 (6 reb, 3 ast), Jason Dale 3, Jason Corbisez 2 (2 reb), Landon Lozoya 2 (2 ast), Sean Doyle (6 reb, 5 blk), Danny Carpenter (2 reb).

HOOVER 86, WEST HILLS 32 – It wasn’t the ending West Hills coach JEFF ARMSTRONG had in mind for his Wolf Pack (9-18).

The visiting Pack did not score its first points in Wednesday’s (Feb. 25) San Diego CIF Division II opener at Hoover until eight seconds into the second quarter.

By then, the top-seeded Cardinals led 29-0.

GARRETT CABRAL finally broke the ice for West Hills when he hit a 12-foot jumper from the left side baseline.

West Hills did all of its scoring in the middle two quarters before being blanked in the fourth quarter.

Angelo Chol, a 6-9 sophomore, led Hoover (25-7) with 21 points.

West Hills scoring: Lucas Armstrong 9, Chase Senter 4, Mike Lifgren 4, Garrett Cabral 4, Cedric Collier 4, Ryan Bozelle 3, Kellen Johnson 2, Kyle Navarre 2. No other stats were reported.