© East County Sports.com
EL CAJON (2-1-09) — When it comes to playing carefree basketball, El Cajon Valley High need only look to senior JORDAN SHIVERS to lead the way.

"El Cajon Valley will still be heard from," exclaimed Shivers, moments after he poured home a game-high 18 points to power the Braves to a 69-42 thrashing of Patrick Henry. "I won't make the same mistakes anymore."

ECVHS thought it lost any shot competing for the Grossmont North League crown when Shivers temporarily lost his eligibility. However, upon his recent return, the Braves now look like the best team in the GNL, yet need to make up two games in the standings.

The ballclub will soon learn if they can become a contender. Following a bye date, the Braves will host front-running Grossmont on Friday (Feb. 6) in a key contest which will decide whether ECVHS can earn a shot at ending its long drought without a league title.

"No more playing around because Grossmont worked us last time," noted Braves guard RAYLONDO FORD. "So we have to work it in practice.”

Shivers was held scoreless in the first period in Saturday’s (Jan. 31) non-league affair, then busted loose with 12 points in the second period to turn a 10-9 deficit into a comfortable 30-20 halftime lead.

Ford then scored 7 of his 16 points in the third before the spotlight shined back on Shivers, who punctuated a 26-point Braves outburst with some comical then outstanding plays over consecutive possessions.

Shivers took a 50-foot pass by ANTHONY USSERY, with the Patriots defense letting down to allow a breakaway for a dunk. However, Shivers, mocked by his home crowd, answered back with an "oh, well" shoulder shrug after thumping the ball off the back-iron for a miss.

Seconds later, however, Shivers demonstrated why he may be the single-best individual performer in the entire Grossmont Conference.

Receiving the ball in the corner, a quick head fake opened space along the baseline for a drive to the basket. A Henry forward attempted to help on defense as Shivers raced to the bucket, but bumped him.

Nevertheless, Shivers maintained body control, flew under the backboard and skipped home a reverse layin while being fouled, winning back admiration from the crowd on the highlight reel maneuver.

"I'm still a little rusty, but by the second quarter, it came around and I was just trying to help my team," he added.

Shiver's absence hurt the team more than just physically.

Noted Ford, "We missed him and the team had no intensity. But now he's back and everyone is hyped. Everyone just stepped up, then we got Jordan the rock and he went to work."

Shivers seems to bring the entire team together, so his teammates oblige by giving the ball back to him.

"My boy, A.J. (Ussery), and DOMINIC (DOVE), our center, are pretty tall and lengthy, so they made some nice blocks," said Shivers on a frontline which combined to block 11 shots. "Then me and Raylondo look for the kickouts, breaking for the ball and make easy buckets."

Dove led the way with four long passes for assists to go along with his 10 points and 9 rebounds. Also in the mix was forward DEVIN LESCH, who hauled in a game-high 11 boards.

El Cajon Valley scoring: Jordan Shivers 18 (3 ast), Raylondo Ford 16 (4 stl, 3 ast), Dominic Dove 10 (9 reb, 4 ast), Anthony Ussery 6 (3 ast), Treyvon Martin 5, Kendall Conley 4, Devin Lesch 4 (11 reb), James Stone 4, Avery Anderson 2.

GRANITE HILLS 69, IMPERIAL 58 – Granite Hills’ junket to the Imperial Valley figured to be an easy win for the Eagles Saturday night (Jan. 31) against the Tigers of Imperial.

Well, not exactly.

The Eagles (13-7) skipped out to a 21-15 first quarter lead but led the free-wheeling affair only 31-26 at intermission. The Tigers (7-10) shaved the deficit to three points by the close of the 3rd period.

“Imperial made a nice run on us in the 4th,” Granite Hills coach RANDY ANDERSON said. “But we turned up our offense and held them off.”

Imperial pulled within one point with 4 minutes to play, but the Eagles never relinquished the lead.

KYLE SNYDER canned a couple of big 3-pointers in the final 3 minutes that helped the Eagles fend off the charging Tigers. Snyder finished with 10 points.

DEAN MILLER regained his shooting touch with six 3-pointers on his way to a 31-point finish. He also had 8 rebounds and blocked 2 shots.

Point guard ANDRE LEWIS clicked on 6 of 12 shots and made all of his 3 free throws to pitch an additional 15 points to the Granite Hills account. He also led the team with 5 assists.

Granite Hills scoring: Dean Miller 31 (8 reb, 2 ast, 3 blk), Andre Lewis 15 (5 ast, 2 stl), Kyle Snyder 10, Aaron Harris 4 (9 reb, 3 ast, 3 blk), Jason Gaines 3 (4 reb, 2 ast, 2 blk), John Montes 3 (4 reb), Cameron Roberts 3, Parker Dow (3 ast).

CALIPATRIA 71, SANTANA 67 – Despite having to watch his team suffer its fifth straight loss, Santana coach TIM BARRY did get some satisfaction from some fresh faces in his starting lineup Saturday night (Jan. 31).

Freshman LANDON LOZOYA got his first start at the varsity level. “

He’s basketball savvy – really goes to the ball. He had two 3s and 4 rebounds,” Barry said.

Junior DAVID THRALL scored a Santana high 14 points, including 4-for-4 free throw shooting.

“Thrall played a wonderful game – got his first start of the year,” Barry said.

SEAN DOYLE rolled a solid double-double of 13 points and 18 rebounds for Santana (11-11).

“It was back and forth. We took the lead and they took it back. They have beaten Valley Center , Central and Brawley,” Barry said of the 8-6 Hornets. “They were like a poor man’s version of Foothills Christian – tiny but could shoot and penetrate. They had five guards on the floor. They had double figure 3s.”

A moment of courage for Santana was the work of KEVIN ENGELKE. He has a shoulder that chronically pops out of place. It did against Calipatria, but the senior forward managed to get it back in place enough to contribute 7 points.

“He played in a somewhat limited role,” Barry said. “I was really proud of him – he got 9 rebounds in the second half.”

Santana scoring: Sean Doyle 13 (18 reb, 2 stl), David Thrall 14 (3 reb, 2 ast), Matt Gomez 10 (2 reb, 3 ast), Trevor Barkhimer 8 (2 reb, 3 ast), Landon Lozoya 8 (4 reb), Kevin Engelke 7 (9 reb), James Needy 5 (6 reb), Trey Bass 2.

© East County Sports.com
EL CAJON (1-31-09) — Nobody at Valhalla High is ordering any championship rings or patches for the Norsemen’s basketball team just yet.

But one thing is for sure, this team is off to the best Valhalla start in Grossmont South League action in 13 years.

Before a raucous full house at the Valhalla ThunderDome Friday (Jan. 30) night the Norsemen turned back visiting Steele Canyon 45-37 to run its GSL record to 4-0.

The four straight league wins is the most since the 1996 Norsemen began the league campaign 6-0 under the legendary MANNY SILVA. That team finished the season with a league mark of 6-2 and an overall 22-8 record.

Valhalla’s 3rd-year coach KEITH JACKSON recalls playing against the Norsemen as a player at Granite Hills.

“I remember when I played here myself,” he said. “They always had big, noisy crowds. So it was nice to have them on my side for a change.”

Quick starts are not totally uncommon for the Norsemen over the years. They jumped out to a 5-1 league mark in 1997 and were 3-1 in 1999 and 2001.

So the latest edition of the Norsemen still have plenty to prove.

AUSTEN SUHAY, Valhalla ’s court director, scored a game-high 17 points and junior forward KYLE KRIEBEL added 14 points and 14 rebounds to help the Norsemen win for the 11th time in their last 14 games.

Suhay scored 12 of his 17 points in the second half, including a late 3-pointer that gave Valhalla what turned out to be a commanding 42-35 lead with less than 3 minutes to play.

In most low scoring games, which both of these teams thrive on, defense is obviously the important element.

One of the unsung heroes for Valhalla is defensive specialist TREVOR CAHOON. The 6-foot-3 senior was assigned to shut down Steele Canyon point guard JEBARI ROBINSON.

“I tried to frustrate him as much as I could,” said Cahoon, who limited Robinson to 9 points while scoring 5 points and snagging 8 rebounds himself. “We feel like if we shut down Jebari we can shut down their whole team. I wouldn’t say that I choose to be the defensive stopper, but I hurt my arm and basically defense is the best thing I can do to help the team.”

Jackson believes Cahoon is Valhalla ’s No. 1 defender.

Neither team led by more than 4 points until the final period. Suhay scored 5 pivotal points to top Valhalla ’s 12-point spread over the final 8 minutes.

Steele Canyon (11-11, 3-1 GSL) completely lost its shooting eye, hitting just one of 10 shots from the field in the final period.

“You can’t miss as many layups as we did in that stretch,” said Cougars coach DEREK STEPHENS.

Steele Canyon shot only 26 percent from the floor (11 of 42) and missed 10 of 23 free throws.

“Like I told my guys, nobody’s going to go undefeated in this league,” added Stephens. “Hats off to Valhalla ’s defense tonight, but there will be another day.”

The loss snapped a five-game winning streak for the Cougars.

Valhalla scoring: Austen Suhay 17 (5 reb, 2 ast), Kyle Kriebel 14 (14 reb, 2 stl), Trevor Cahoon 5 (8 reb, 2 stl), Josh Austel 3 (10 reb, 2 blk), Steven Kleist 3 (2 reb), Evie Alcantar 2, Jordan Cunningham 1 (2 blk), David Zetts (2 reb).

Steele Canyon scoring: Jebari Robinson 9 (3 reb, 4 ast), Kaptan Kaster 9 (4 reb), Josiah Smith 8 (10 reb), Zane Keith 4 (6 reb), Cameron Moss 4 (5 reb), Eric Gilbert 3 (6 reb), Jeff Reid (4 reb).

EL CAPITAN 61, SANTANA 55 – Vaqueros senior JON MOLZEN may not be the most valuable player in the Grossmont North League, but he definitely ranks as the single most important individual to any single team in the circuit.

Absent from Friday's (Jan. 30) first half because of a team rules violation, Molzen again demonstrated how instrumental he can be when on the court.

With visiting Santana clinging to a 26-24 lead after MATT GOMEZ hit a 3-point goal just before the halftime buzzer, Molzen made his curtain call a special one. His exploits led to a 17-4 explosion to open the second half, as the Vaqueros skated past the Sultans at Foster Gymnasium.

El Capitan forwards JAKE ZAWLACKI, ROBERT CRAIGHEAD and ANDREW CABLE made the best without their senior leader, keeping the game even.

"It was a good effort. Our coaches have been on us about our 'D' and we came through," said Craighead, a sophomore forward.

However, the youthful trio combined for 8 personal fouls in the first half, a formula for potential disaster. However, Molzen's return quickly changed the scenario.

"Molzen is a big help for our team -- I don't know where we’d be without him," added Craighead, who finished with 11 points and 5 rebounds.

The additional playing time for the forwards should come in handy when El Capitan next meets GNL leading Grossmont in what could be an elimination contest should the Vaqueros fail to avenge an earlier setback to the Foothillers.

"Craighead stepped up and really played well," noted head coach JASON CAVAZOS. "And (MICHAEL) OVERSON was huge for us once again. He brings the ball down the court, he plays defense, he takes good shots -- he does everything."

"So when Overson and Molzen are on the court together, they're tough. It's important for us to have both of them out there."

Santana made things interesting down the stretch after trailing 47-32 moments into the fourth period.

CHRIS SODERGREN scored 8 of his 13 points over the final 7:01, including a perfect 4-for-4 from the foul line to counter El Cap's less-than-desirable 12-for-21 effort on free throws.

MATT GOMEZ and TREY BASS hit 3-point goals to trim the deficit to 59-53 with 27 seconds left, but the Sultans were forced to foul, with Molzen sinking two foul shots to ice the team's second victory over Santana this season. The Vaqueros earlier won 69-60 during the San Diego D-3 Challenge tournament.

El Capitan scoring: Michael Overson 14 (2 reb, 5 ast, 1 blk, 2 stl), Jon Molzen 13 (4 reb, 2 ast, 1 blk), Robert Craighead 12 (5 reb, 1 blk, 2 stl), Jake Zawlacki 10 (5 reb), Andrew Cable 4, Michael Landis 2 (3 reb, 2 ast), Armon Worrell 2 (2 reb), Johnathan Kulp 2, Will Radasa 2.

Santana scoring: Chris Sodergren 13, Kevin Engelke 9, James Needy 8 (8 reb), Matt Gomez 8, Trey Bass 7 (6 ast, 4 reb), Sean Doyle 6 (8 reb, 3 blk), Trevor Barkhimer 4.

Not unlike any Granite Hills win this season, the focus was on 6-foot-3 senior DEAN MILLER. Against the Highlanders (11-9, 1-3 GSL), Miller hammered down 26 points.

“Dean had a big 3 with 30 seconds left,” Granite Hills coach RANDY ANDERSON said. “We worked the shot clock to 5 seconds and then Dean converted.

Miller, who also had 6 rebounds, 6 blocks and 3 assists, rejected a Helix shot with 20 seconds and that about spelled the end for Helix.

“When the game was on the line Miller made the big plays,” Helix coach JOHN SINGER said. “Miller did the things that player-of-year caliber players do. The best way to stop Miller is deny him the ball. We didn’t do that.”

Anderson was pleased by the play of freshman JASON GAINES, who was making the first start of his career.

“He had 10 points by halftime,” Anderson said. “He played with a lot of energy, did a great job in his first start.”

Granite Hills point guard ANDREW LEWIS got back on track with 11 points, 5 assists, 5 rebounds and 2 steals.

“He did a real nice job running the offense tonight. It was a game we really needed, coming off two losses,” Anderson said. “I’ve been trying to get Andre to be more of a leader at the point guard – he really came through tonight.”

Granite Hills (12-7, 2-2 GSL) is in the middle of the pack in the run for the league laurels.

“PARKER DOW and CAMERON ROBERTS did a good job coming off the bench,” Anderson added. “Dow had two big baskets in the second half and Roberts had two offensive rebounds in key moments.”

Helix’s shooting woes continued. Although the statistics show the Highlanders hitting 20 of 49 shots from the field, all but one connection came inside the paint.

“Our perimeter game is nothing,” said Singer, who watched his Highlanders hit just one shot outside the key find the basket for the second time in three games. “When you shoot like that you can’t be opening anything up inside.”

Sophomore JAYLEN LINSON paced the Highlanders with 13 points and a dozen rebounds.

Granite Hills scoring: Dean Miller 26 (6 reb, 3 ast, 6 blk), Andre Lewis 11 (5 reb, 5 ast, 2 stl), Jason Gaines 10 (7 reb, 2 blk, 2 stl), Parker Dow 4 (5 reb), Aaron Harris 3 (12 reb, 3 stl).

Helix scoring: Jaylen Linson 13 (12 reb), Sam Meredith 12 (5 reb, 3 stl), Joubert Ballard 8 (2 reb, 4 ast), John Singer 6 (6 reb), Anthony Anderson 5 (5 reb), Darien Peterson 4 (7 reb, 5 ast, 2 stl), Erick Darnell 2 (3 reb).

MOUNT MIGUEL 74, MONTE VISTA 69 – When the game is all about offense the Mount Miguel Matadors are certainly capable of lighting up the scoreboard.

Such was the case in Friday’s (Jan. 30) Grossmont South League contest against Spring Valley rival Monte Vista.

Despite allowing the Monarchs (9-12, 0-4) to score their season high of 69 points, the Matadors received a career-high 23 points from DONTE ALLEN and another 23 from HARRY BRAZELTON to claim the victory.

Mount Miguel marched to a 25-10 first quarter lead and owned a 42-25 advantage by the break.

It was a different story in the second half as the Matadors (9-14, 2-2 GSL) saw their lead diminish thanks to a 24-14 third quarter surge by Monte Vista.

“We pressed the whole second half,” said Monte Vista coach JAMES CARROLL. “We cut the deficit to 6 points. Things went back and forth from there. We trailed by anywhere from 2-9 points in the second half. We could not get over the hill.”

Mount Miguel refused to relinquish the lead.

“JAYMES BRAZELTON made two crucial shots late in the fourth quarter, and J.J. NORTON and HARRY BRAZELTON made some crucial free throws at the end,” said Matadors coach JAY ROWLETT.

The Monarchs’ GEOFF HARTMAN nailed 9 of 20 shots from the field on his way to a 22-point finish. The 6-4 senior also grabbed 7 rebounds and dished 3 assists.

“Geoff was just Geoff,” Carroll said. “He played all 32 minutes and would not come out of the game.”

COREY PARRISH (12 points, 8 rebounds, 2 steals) and RICHARD WHITFIELD (10 points, 5 assists, 5 rebounds and 6 steals) also received accolades from Carroll.

Mount Miguel scoring: Donte Allen 23 (10 reb, 2 stl), Harry Brazelton 23 (6 reb, 4 ast), Johnny Norton 12 (4 ast, 2 stl), Jaymes Brazelton 8 (3 reb, 4 ast), Anthony Stanford 5 (3 stl), Bryant Mitchell 1 (9 reb).

Monte Vista scoring: Geoff Hartman 22 (7 reb, 3 ast, 2 blk, 2 stl), Trent Watkins 15 (3 reb, 2 ast, 3 stl), Corey Parrish 12 (8 reb, 1 blk, 2 stl), Richard Whitfield 10 (5 reb, 5 ast, 1 blk, 6 stl), Kylie Luster 5 (4 reb, 1 blk), Alvin Merriweather 3 (6 reb, 4 ast, 4 stl), Tony Jackson 2 (5 reb, 1 blk), Kevin Starling (2 reb).

EL CAJON VALLEY 66, WEST HILLS 38 – Don’t count the El Cajon Valley Braves out of the Grossmont North League race. The Braves earned a first round split of their four league games and begin the final round no worse than two games behind defending champion and league-leading Grossmont.

What makes the Braves (11-10, 2-2 GNL) a threat to unseat the Foothillers is junior guard JORDAN SHIVERS, who popped in a game-high 23 points. Having missed a couple of weeks with academic problems, Shivers seems to have himself focused in. He was 5-for-5 from the free throw line and logged three steals.

“I scouted them earlier when they did not have Shivers in the lineup,” West Hills coach JEFF ARMSTRONG said. “Trust me, they are a different team, a better team when they have him.”

Shivers had 15 points in the second half as the Braves turned the game into a rout.

“He’s a smart player who knows how to attack the basket,” Armstrong said. “He has great body control.”

El Cajon Valley outscored the Wolf Pack (7-13, 1-2 GNL) 18-6 in the opening quarter and led 45-23 after three periods.

“It was over early,” Armstrong said.

ANTHONY USSERY, the Braves’ 6-foot-6 point guard, turned in a complete game with 10 points, 8 rebounds, 7 assists, 6 steals and 5 blocks.

“Ussery sees the court really well,” El Cajon Valley coach JIM GLEBOFF said. “He can really handle the ball. He had an amazing game. He’s really the glue on the team. When he’s out of the game it starts going to heck.”

El Cajon Valley scoring: Jordan Shivers 23 (3 stl), Anthony Ussery 10 (8 reb, 7 ast, 5 blk, 6 stl), Devin Lesch 8, Raylondo Ford 7 (4 reb, 4 ast), Treyvon Martin 6, Dominic Dove 4, James Stone 4, Avery Anderson 4, Kendall Conley (3 reb).

West Hills scoring: Lucas Armstrong 6, Kevin Straub 6, Adrian Maraziti 5, Garrett Cabral 4, Mike Lifgren 4, Kellen Johnson 4, Ryan Bozelle 3, Kyle McLaughlin 3, Kyle Navarre 2, Chase Senter 1.

© East County Sports.com
SPRING VALLEY (1-28-09) – A pair of programs determined to prove themselves contender-worthy still displayed some flaws Tuesday (Jan. 27), but Steele Canyon made fewer mistakes down the stretch to stave off a rally by Mount Miguel, 69-63, in a key Grossmont South League contest.

The visiting Cougars wasted a pair of 14-point leads in the first half, but when the Matadors missed on an opportunity to take the lead, Steele Canyon seized the opportunity as JOSIAH SMITH and KAPTAN KASTER scored six points each over the game's final five minutes.

"In the fourth quarter, we kept our composure -- that's one thing we do well at Steele Canyon," said Cougars point guard JEBARI ROBINSON. "We're the real deal, but we have to get ready for Friday because Valhalla is going to be a tougher team."

Still, the victory propels Steele Canyon (11-10, 3-0 GSL) into a first-place showdown at Valhalla (also 3-0) to cap the week.

This game was a tale of two different halves.

The Matadors' idea to prevent Robinson from beating them seemed sound, but a listless defensive effort allowed an array of open shots, hoisting the Cougars to shoot 62 percent (16-for-26) from the floor to take a 37-25 halftime lead.

However, when Robinson doesn't control the ball at the point, the team showed it was comfortable when KAPTAN KASTER takes control, too.

"When they pressure one of us, we like to pass it to the other guy -- we don't have a single point-guard system," said Kaster, who finished with 15 points and 6 assists. "If they cover me, then he has open lanes -- it switches, so we just try not to be selfish and take whatever is there."

"In the first half they were guarding Jebari, so I was open, taking it to the rack and finishing. But in the second half, it was a different story."

Fueled by a 6-0 run to open the third quarter, followed by consecutive 3-point goals by HARRY BRAZELTON midway through the period, the Matadors were suddenly leaped back in the ballgame -- and with it an opportunity to gain a share of second place in the GSL standings.

"We played with more energy and shared the ball in the second half and stopped turning the ball over," noted Mount Miguel coach JAY ROWLETT, who saw his troops cut its giveaway rate by 50 percent over the final two quarters. "The energy became different and we started hitting some shots."

Following Brazelton's long balls, YUEL HAGOS spotted a 3-ball by converting an inbounds pass from JOHNNY NORTON. Hagos then grabbed an offensive rebound, kicking the ball out to A.J. STANFORD for another triple to make it 47-43 ballgame.

"I thought we were playing some pretty good defense, but Mount Miguel was hitting some 3s while we were missing some easy shots," added Kaster. "We had the same good looks in the second half, but maybe we got over-confidant. And once they started hitting their shots, Mount Miguel started getting more pumped up and playing more 'D.'"

Stanford, who shared game scoring honors with 23 points, also passed the ball successfully. Among his four assists was a pass to Brazelton for a triple to open the fourth period, allowing Mount Miguel to finally pull even for the first time all night at 48-all after trailing 6-0 after the opening three minutes.

Steele Canyon would pull back in front, but when the Matadors gained their chance to grab the lead for the first time, disaster struck.

A steal for an uncontested breakaway resulted in a missed layin. The Cougars countered by running the break and gaining a 5th foul on BRYANT MITCHELL, who played solid defense to aid the second-half comeback. With Mitchell on the bench, Steele Canyon began to again find lanes to the basket.

"Our strength is once we get the rebound, we get it and go -- fast-break type basketball," noted Robinson. "But then we had a rocky (second) half, but coach called a timeout and we regrouped and pulled it together at the end."

Kaster followed with a pair of drives against the undermanned Mount Miguel defense, scoring 6 points in a 74-second span. Robinson then went baseline with a drive for a layin, then found Smith open for a layin off an inbounds pass on the next possession as all 21 points by the Cougars in the fourth quarter came from the paint or from the foul line.

"We still can't spot a good team 14 points and expect to get out of the hole," added Rowlett. "We had our chances."

Smith finished with a double-double (23 points, 12 rebounds), while Robinson posted 9 points, 6 rebounds and 5 assists.

Mount Miguel (7-14, 1-2 GSL) saw Stanford also post a double-double (23 points, 10 rebounds), Brzaelton added 18 points, while Norton aided the offense with 9 points and a solid 8 assists.

Steele Canyon scoring: Josiah Smith 23 (12 reb), Kaptan Kaster 15 (6 reb, 6 ast, 2 stl), Cameron Moss 9 (4 reb), Jebari Robinson 9 (6 reb, 5 ast, 2 stl), Jeff Reid 4 (6 reb), Eric Gilbert 4, Cameron Hubbard 3, Zane Keith 2 (7 reb, 4 blk).

Mount Miguel scoring: Anthony Stanford 23 (10 reb, 4 ast, 3 stl), Harry Brazelton 18, Johnny Norton 9 (8 ast), Yuel Hagos 7, Jaymes Brazelton 2, Donte Allen 2, Bryant Mitchell (5 reb).

GROSSMONT 61, WEST HILLS 56 (OT) – The visiting Foothillers converted 10 of 14 free throws during a 16-point, four minute overtime Tuesday (Jan. 27) to upend Grossmont North League opponent West Hills.

Grossmont (12-9, 3-0 GNL), which once led the Wolf Pack by 20 points and then nearly lost in the final seconds of regulation, stands alone atop the league standings.

West Hills (7-12, 1-1 GNL) led 45-41 with 1:30 to play in regulation.

“We fought back and took the lead but we couldn’t hold it,” said Wolf Pack coach JEFF ARMSTRONG.

Grossmont got a free throw from JACOB HAAR and an old-fashion 3-point play from BILLY GANGE, who scored off a rebound and was fouled. Thus the score was tied at 45-45 with 1:20 left in regulation.

Both teams had chances to win it after that but couldn’t connect, and the game continued into the extra stanza.

Grossmont built a 55-50 overtime lead and looked like it had the game in hand. But the Pack’s GARRETT CABRAL hit a 3-pointer with 58 seconds remaining, which left the game up for grabs again.

Grossmont regained control when DESEAN WATERS hit 4 free throws in 44 seconds, giving the Foothillers a 59-54 lead with 14 seconds remaining.

As Cabral launched a 3-point shot he was fouled with 5.5 seconds left. He made 2 of 3 free throws and finished with a game-high 20 points.

The Foothillers turned the ball over with 4.8 seconds left, but West Hills could not capitalize as the Pack also turned the ball over.

“We never got a shot at tying the game,” Armstrong said.

A steal and layup by FELIPE VALDEZ sealed the victory for the Foothillers as the buzzer sounded.

CHASE SENTER and Cabral each hit 4 of 11 shots from above the arc.

“We didn’t defend the 3-point shot very well,” said Grossmont coach FRANK FOGGIANO. “That kind of brought them back.”

So did the Pack’s MIKE LIFGREN’s 7 points, which all came in the fourth quarter.

Armstrong noted that Grossmont was just 5 for 13 from the free throw line in regulation, but went 10 for 14 in the overtime.

Although it appeared the Foothillers were going to win in blowout fashion, Armstrong said a switch in defensive strategy “helped pick us up and enable us to fight back.”

Grossmont scoring: Felipe Valdez 15 (2 reb, 5 ast), Jacob Haar 15 (8 reb), Alex Ortiz 10 (3 reb), Desean Waters 9 (2 reb, 2 ast), Billy Gange 8 (3 reb), Clayton Rainey 2 (5 reb), Robbie Nesovic 2.

West Hills scoring: Garrett Cabral 20 (4 reb, 4 ast), Chase Senter 15 (2 ast, 2 stl), Mike Lifgren 7 (6 reb), Lucas Armstrong 5 (5 reb, 4 ast, 3 blk), Kyle Navarre 5 (5 reb, 3 ast), Ryan Bozelle 2, Kyle McLaughlin 2 (4 reb).

VALHALLA 44, GRANITE HILLS 24 – Holding the Granite Hills Eagles nearly 32 points below their season average is quite an achievement. But that is what the Valhalla Norsemen did in Tuesday’s (Jan. 27) Grossmont South League game in Rancho San Diego.

So does that mean Valhalla (13-7), which has won eight of its last nine, is the GSL favorite? The Norsemen should get a better idea of that when they host co-leader Steele Canyon (11-10, 3-0 GSL) on Friday (Jan. 30).

In shutting down Granite Hills (11-7, 1-2 GSL), Valhalla held the Eagles’ DEAN MILLER almost 20 points shy of his season average. As a team, the Eagles were a paltry 8-for-48 from the floor (16.6 percent). Miller had one basket – his East County leading 58th trey – and two free throws.

“MANNY HERNANDEZ, JORDAN CUNNINGHAM and TREVOR CAHOON all did a great job on Miller,” Valhalla coach KEITH JACKSON said.

Granite Hills did not have a single scorer in double digits tonight. In fact none of the Eagles had more than 5 as KYLE SNYDER shared that honor with Miller.

AARON HARRIS did crash the boards for 11 rebounds for the Eagles, while Miller had 3 blocks.

“Basically it was a whole team effort,” said Cunningham. “Manny and Trevor were on Miller the whole game and didn’t give him any room to shoot, took him out of his game. By the end of the third quarter and fourth quarters you could tell he was forcing his shots. We shut him down.”

While Granite Hills’ defense was sputtering, Valhalla – after taking only a 4-3 first quarter lead – achieved balanced scoring from KYLE KRIEBEL (14 points, 13 rebounds), AUSTEN SUHAY (10 points, 6 rebounds, 4 assists) and JOSH AUSTEL (9 points, 8 rebounds).

“I think our guys came in with a strong mentality on defense, a really good mind set for the game,” Jackson said. “I thought my guys played really well on the offensive and defensive boards – we had 16 offensive boards tonight.”

Never in his five years as Granite Hills’ head coach has RANDY ANDERSON seen his Eagles struggle so offensively.

“Valhalla played well defensively and we shot horribly,” said Anderson. “It was the worst offensive outing we’ve ever had. We have got to battle back, have to be ready for Friday night (vs. Helix).”

Only two Eagles made as many as two baskets – Snyder and ANDRE LEWIS.

Valhalla scoring: Kyle Kriebel 14 (13 reb, 3 blk, 2 stl), Austen Suhay 10 (6 reb, 4 ast, 1 blk, 2 stl), Josh Austel 9 (8 reb, 1 blk, 2 stl), Evie Alcantar 6 (3 reb), Trevor Cahoon 3 (6 reb), Jordan Cunningham 2 (3 reb, 2 stl), Steven Kleist (4 reb).

Granite Hills scoring: Dean Miller 5 (5 reb, 3 blk, 4 stl), Kyle Snyder 5 (2 ast), Aaron Harris 4 (11 reb, 2 blk, 2 stl), Andre Lewis 4 (3 ast, 3 stl), Jason Gaines 3, Cameron Roberts 2, John Montes 1.

EL CAJON VALLEY 62, SANTANA 41 – RAYLONDO FORD and JORDAN SHIVERS scored 22 points apiece to help carry visiting El Cajon Valley to an easy Grossmont North League victory over host Santana on Tuesday night (Jan. 27).

Ford and Shivers combined for 5 three-pointers and 9 free throws. Ford also made 8 steals, while ANTHONY USSERY led the Braves (10-10, 1-2 GNL) with 9 rebounds – one more than DEVIN LESCH and two more than DOMENIC DOVE.

The Braves blew out of the starting gate to take an 18-2 lead over the Sultans (11-9, 0-2 GNL).

“We had a fast start and Santana wasn’t hitting their shots,” said Braves coach JIM GLEBOFF.

That’s an understatement. Santana was a putrid 1-for-18 from the field in the opening eight minutes.

“We had a terrible shooting night,” said Sultans coach TIM BARRY. “We have never scored that low in the first quarter before. I cannot believe this is happening. We had 18 misses from inside four feet.”

On the flip side El Cajon Valley ’s Ford missed only one shot from the field.

“Raylondo had a good night – had a lot of breakaways,” said Gleboff. “He was 9-for-10 from the field, and had an all-around, outstanding night.”

Gleboff couldn’t help admit that having Shivers back in his lineup gave the Braves a much-needed lift.

“The team plays with a little bit more energy when Shivers plays. He’s a big difference maker.”

Santana was pretty poor from the free throw line all night, making just 11 of 24 chances.

“DAVID THRALL was the No. 2 free throw shooter in the league (as of last week),” said Barry. “He shot 27-33 for an 82 percent free throw record. Tonight he went 2-for-9 from the line.”

KEVIN ENGELKE finished with 10 points and 5 rebounds.

“Engelke is basically playing with one arm,” Barry said. “The only reason he’s playing is because his shoulder surgery was delayed. He told me ‘I don’t even care about the pain, I want to play my senior year.’ He’s wearing a brace to keep his shoulder from popping out of joint and the doctor has given the OK. So I said all right – more power to him.”

El Cajon Valley scoring: Raylondo Ford 22 (3 ast, 8 stl), Jordan Shivers 22 (4 reb), Anthony Ussery 8 (9 reb, 3 ast), Devin Lesch 4 (8 reb), James Stone 2, Kendall Conley 2 (6 reb), Jesse Damman 2, Dominic Dove (7 reb).

Santana scoring: Chris Sodergren 11 (7 reb), Kevin Engelke 10 (5 reb), Matt Gomez 6 (3 stl), James Needy 3 (6 reb), Sean Doyle 3 (3 reb, 2 stl), Matt Lucius 3 (2 reb), Trevor Barkhimer 2 (2 stl), David Thrall 2 (4 reb), Trey Bass (2 reb, 2 ast).

HELIX 58, MONTE VISTA 46 – Senior guard JOUBERT BALLARD keeps getting better and better for the Helix Highlanders (11-8, 1-2 GSL), who pulled out a Grossmont South League victory over visiting Monte Vista.

No better than a longshot for the GSL title, the Highlanders – who have lost three starters since the season began – must focus their hopes on making the playoffs.

Ballard will play a key role in that drive. He pumped in 17 points, snagged 7 rebounds, dished 5 assists and made 6 steals against Monte Vista (9-11, 0-3 GSL).

Sophomore JAYLEN LINSON (12 points, 7 rebounds) continues to improve for the Highlanders and certainly will help the program big-time in the future.

“It was two struggling teams tonight,” Helix coach JOHN SINGER said. “It was good for us to get a win – any win you get is good right now. Most of the game we played pretty good defense. But we still had trouble finishing plays and converting easy baskets.”

Helix outscored the Monarchs 39-20 in the first and third quarters.

“Other than that we played them pretty tight,” Monte Vista coach JAMES CARROLL said. “We got no closer than 6 points after they took over.”

Monte Vista ’s GEOFF HARTMAN led all scorers with 22 points, hitting half of his 16 shots from the floor. Four of Hartman’s connections came from above the arc.

Carroll has special praise for seniors RICHARD WHITFIELD and ALVIN MERRIRWEATHER.

“Whitfield played well defensively. He was especially aggressive in the passing lanes. ALVIN MERRIWEATHER was all over the floor tonight. He played real well.”

Helix scoring: Joubert Ballard 19 (7 reb, 5 ast, 2 blk, 6 stl), Jaylen Linson 12 (7 reb, 1 blk, 2 stl), Sam Meredith 10 (4 reb, 1 blk, 3 stl), Erick Darnell 7 (6 reb, 4 ast), Darien Peterson 4 (3 ast, 4 stl), Ahmad Rashada 4 (3 reb), Tommie Young 3 (2 reb, 4 stl), John Singer 1 (3 reb, 2 ast, 1 blk, 2 stl), Anthony Anderson (5 reb).

Monte Vista scoring: Geoff Hartman 22 (5 reb, 2 ast, 2 blk, 2 stl), Tony Jackson 6 (10 reb), Richard Whitfield 4 (2 reb, 2 stl), Trent Watkins 4 (2 reb, 2 ast), Alvin Merriweather 2, Kevin Starling 2 (2 ast), Steven Boelter 2 (2 reb).

CHRISTIAN 57, CALVIN CHRISTIAN 53 – One thing that is amazing about Christian guard LUIZ BIDART is that he’s almost bashful about shooting the ball.

“We have to tell him to shoot more,” Christian assistant JOEL ALLEN said. “He’s not a one-on-one show. He passes the ball – a lot. And our guys pass it back to him.”

Allen figured the Patriots (12-7) probably make four to five passes before Bidart either pulls up and drives.

Bidart scored 39 points, hitting 12 of 27 shots – four of them 3-pointers as he raised his average to 25.4 points per game – just a hair behind East County scoring leader TROY LEAF.

East County top free throw shooter, Bidart also converted 11 of 13 charity shots against the Crusaders (9-8).

While Bidart was enjoying his usual scoring splurge, it was a pair of free throws by freshman JAKE LARSEN that iced the victory with 12 seconds remaining.

Christian scoring: Luiz Bidart 39 (8 reb, 4 stl), Taylor Eichhorst 11 (4 reb), Ronnie Richards 3, Steven Pitts 2 (2 reb), Jake Larsen 2, Tyrone Sauls (4 reb), Mike Stowers (2 reb).

MIRA MESA 51, EL CAPITAN 46 – Playing a non-league game this late in the season intertwined in the Grossmont North League challenges might seem a bit foolish. But El Capitan coach JASON CAVAZOS had his reasons for traveling to Mira Mesa for Tuesday’s (Jan. 27) non-league affair.

“Mira Mesa (9-11) is in a tough (Eastern) League,” Cavazos said. “My goal is to have my kids play as many games as I can.”

El Capitan (10-11) had a chance to win or at least force overtime in the final 20 seconds. The Marauders were hanging onto a precarious two point lead, but El Capitan had the ball.

“We set up a play and it worked perfect but we missed a layup,” Cavazos lamented. “Then we had to foul and they made their free throws.”

Mira Mesa, which received 27 points from multi-sport athlete Damon Williams, jumped in front of the Vaqueros 17-8 in the opening quarter. El Capitan slapped the defensive clamps in the 2nd quarter, limiting Mira Mesa to just 4 points (all by Williams). That left El Capitan on the short end of a 21-17 score. It was back-and-forth in the 2nd half.

“It’s hard to play a game outside of league after league starts,” Cavazos admitted. “I think we were thinking about Friday night (when they will meet Santana).”

El Capitan scoring: Michael Overson 18 (6 reb, 2 ast, 6 stl), Jon Molzen 13 (2 blk), Michael Landis 7, Armon Worrell 3 (6 reb), Jake Zawlacki 3 (2 reb, 2 blk), Robert Craighead 2 (5 reb).

© East County Sports.com
EL CAJON (01-25-09) — JOSH AUSTEL’s bid to tie the game with a 3-point shot at the buzzer lipped the rim and came off, allowing visiting Oceanside to escape with a 47-44 non-league victory between San Diego CIF Division II powers at Valhalla.

It was the first loss against a Division II foe in seven decisions for Valhalla (12-7), which saw its overall 7-game winning streak come to a halt.

“We were never in the flow in the first half,” Valhalla coach KEITH JACKSON said of his Norsemen, who trailed 26-16 at the break.

The Pirates (15-3) had the Norsemen walking the plank 31-17 with four minutes left in the third quarter. But Valhalla kept pecking away and pulled to within 45-44 on a KYLE KRIEBEL bucket with 6 seconds remaining.

With no time outs, Valhalla then had to give a foul and the Pirates converted two free throws with 4 seconds unplayed.

The Norsemen then scrambled down court where Austel hoisted up his last-second shot.

“Josh really never got a chance to get his feet set,” Valhalla assistant coach DON ROLLINS said. “Basically, he had to just throw it up there. It was close to going in.”

Kriebel led the Norsemen with 14 points and 6 rebounds. Austel finished with 12 points on 6-for-11 shooting, hauled down 8 rebounds and blocked 2 shots.

“We held up defensively all night,” Jackson said. “We had some foul trouble in the first half and didn’t find our offense until the third quarter. The way we played in the second half is what we’re all about.”

Valhalla scoring: Kyle Kriebel 14 (6 reb, 3 ast, 1 blk), Josh Austel 12 (8 reb, 2 blk, 3 stl), Steven Kleist 8 ( 3 stl), Austen Suhay 4 (8 ast, 3 reb, 1 blk), Trevor Cahoon 4 (2 reb, 3 stl), David Zetts 2.

Steele Canyon center Cameron Moss. (Photo by Bill Kolegraff)

Steele Canyon Cougars at Granite Hills Eagles (Slideshow by Bill Kolegraff)

© East County Sports.com
EL CAJON (01-24-09) — Usually when a team starts off the season with six straight losses it signals it’s going be a long year.

Somehow, second-year Steele Canyon head coach DEREK STEPHENS convinced his players that there were extenuating circumstances for their poor start.

Turns out Stephens was right.

Steele Canyon knocked off Granite Hills, 55-54, Friday night (Jan. 23) to balance its record at 10-10 and earn a share of the Grossmont South League lead with Valhalla at 2-0.

JOSIAH SMITH guided the Cougars by hitting 6 of 10 shots from the field and 5 of 7 free throws for a team-high 17 points to go along with a team-best 10 rebounds.

“He’s a man-child out there,” Stephens said of Smith, a 6-foot-5, 230-pound senior.

Smith scored the final 5 points for Steele Canyon in the last 1:48 to hold off the charging Granite Hills Eagles. Smith hit both ends of a one-and-one free throw situation, giving the Cougars a 52-49 lead with 1:48 remaining.

After Granite Hills’ DEAN MILLER countered with a driving layup to make it a one point game again, Smith proved his might on the boards as he turned an offensive rebound into a 3-point play and a 55-51 Steele Canyon lead with 1:08 left.

“It was definitely a pivotal game,” Smith said. “And it doesn’t matter how much you win by as long as you win.”

Eight of Smith’s rebounds were on the offensive boards. He converted 3 of them into 6 points.

“Those are the kind of things that win close games,” Stephens said. “The thing that’s really great about Smith is he leaves every ounce of energy on the floor. As a coach when I tell him to do anything he literally does it. Sometimes he’s too perfect.”

JEFF REID came off the bench to garner 8 points and 4 rebounds for Steele Canyon. Six of those points came in the pivotal second quarter when the Cougars extended their lead to 9 points.

“We did a good job boxing out and it paid off for us,” Reid said. “The one thing we didn’t do right is we didn’t put them away when we had a chance to do it. It definitely let them stick around too long.”

KAPTAN KASTER cranked in 12 points and 6 rebounds for the Cougars. Kaster connected on 4 of 7 shots from the field – one of them a 3 – and 3 of 4 free throws.

“I was coming off screens, getting open and hitting my shots,” Kaster said. “I was just taking what they gave me.”

CAMERON MOSS, who has accepted a football scholarship to Colorado State, added 9 points and 8 rebounds for the Cougars.

Point guard JEBARI ROBINSON had a miserable shooting game (3 of 15), but made 4 steals, dished 3 assists and snagged 4 rebounds.

“We played a great defensive first quarter – probably the best of the year,” Stephens said of his Cougars who held the Eagles to 3 points and 1 of 11 shooting. “But in that same period, I’d have to say, it was one of our worst offensive efforts (3 for 11 shooting for 9 points).”

Miller was bounced all over the court by the Cougars’ defense as he hit only 8 of 24 shots. However, he did connect for a trio of 3s and 5 of 6 free throws to finish with a game-high 24 points.

“This was a tough loss but it’s not going to knock us out of the league race,” Granite Hills coach RANDY ANDERSON said. “We’ll be back – there’s still a lot of basketball to be played.”

Steele Canyon scoring: Josiah Smith 17 (10 reb), Kaptan Kaster 12 (6 reb, 2 stl), Jebari Robinson 9 (4 reb, 3 ast, 4 stl), Cameron Moss 9 (8 reb, 1 blk), Jeff Reid 8 (4 reb), Zane Keith (3 reb), Eric Gilbert (1 blk).

Granite Hills scoring: Dean Miller 24 (7 reb), Ronnie Von Hagen 11, Aaron Harris 10, Kyle Snyder 4, John Montes 4, Andre Lewis 4 (2 ast, 3 stl), Parker Dow 1.

MOUNT MIGUEL 66, HELIX 54 – It’s been quite a while since Mount Miguel coach JAY ROWLETT has been smiling after one of his team’s games. Perhaps it was the attendance inside the Matadors gym that gave the coach and his struggling team what they needed in Friday night’s (Jan. 23) Grossmont South League duel with perennial power Helix.

“It was a nice crowd – the place was packed,” Rowlett related.

Mount Miguel unleashed 10 three-point bulls-eyes, including 4 by HARRY BRAZELTON to hoist itself back into the Grossmont South League race. The Matadors are 1-1 despite a 17-13 overall record.

“Before the game I told the guys if we win the game we’re right back in it,” said Rowlett. “If we lose, we’ll dig a hole. But we’re back in the race now.”

Brazelton finished with 22 points, ANTHONY STANFORD had 12 points, 5 rebounds, 4 assists and 3 steals and DONTE ALLEN chipped in with 10 points and 6 rebounds.

“When we make shots we play better defense,” Rowlett said. “Offensively we moved the ball well, were real unselfish. It was fun to coach the team tonight. We played as “we” tonight. Helix is our rival and when we play together it helps.”

And for a change Mount Miguel also played some defense.

“We doubled in the post a lot today,” said Rowlett. “We’ve been small since I’ve been here – it’s nothing new. I’m going to have to start walking the campus at lunchtime and meet some big guys.”

Helix learned it will have to play without 6-foot-8 senior LEVINE TOILOLO for the rest of the season. Reports are the Stanford-bound tight end has suffered a broken foot.

Mount Miguel scoring: Harry Brazelton 22 (4 reb, 2 ast, 2 stl), Donte Allen 10 (6 reb), Anthony Stanford 12 (5 reb, 4 ast, 3 stl), Rudy Burruel 9, Jaymes Brazelton 7, Yuel Hagos 3, Bryant Mitchell 2 (8 reb), Johnny Norton 1 (5 ast, 2 stl), O’dessa Sharps (5 reb).

Helix scoring: Joubert Ballard 18 (4 reb, 2 ast, 3 stl), Jaylen Linson 16 (8 reb, 2 ast), Darien Peterson 6 (3 reb, 4 ast, 1 blk), John Singer 6 (6 reb), Sam Meredith 3 (6 reb, 3 blk), Tommie Young 2 (3 reb), Ahmad Rashada 2 (2 reb), Anthony Anderson 1 (1 blk).

GROSSMONT 58, SANTANA 45 – Using a balanced attack the defending Grossmont North League champion Foothillers stuffed Santana in Friday’s (Jan. 23) GNL action.

Sophomore guard DESEAN WATERS (15 points), JAKE HAAR (14) and FELIPE VALDEZ (13) gave Grossmont (11-9, 2-0 GNL) an effective three-prong scoring attack.

Ironically, it was non-starter ALEX ORTIZ who lit the fire under the Foothillers, sending them storming to an 18-9 first quarter lead.

“Alex came off the bench and hit two 3s in the first quarter,” Grossmont coach FRANK FOGGIANO said. “That jump-started us.”

Haar added 8 rebounds to his totals, while Valdez chalked up 6 assists and 5 steals.

“I thought we played good man-to-man defense tonight. We didn’t give them many good looks.” Foggiano said.

On the flipside, Santana coach TIM BARRY was unhappy with his club’s performance.

“I feel we tanked this game,” Barry said. “We did not shoot very well.”

It wasn’t all bad for the Sultans (11-9, 0-1 GNL), however.

KEVIN ENGELKE, who has been plagued by injuries, made his first appearance of the season for Santana and punched in a team-high 14 points.

Barry also haloed SEAN DOYLE for his 9 points and 10 rebounds.

“He was practically unstoppable on offense and was a dynamo on the boards,” Barry said.

Santana’s ace CHRIS SODERGREN sat this one out for disciplinary reasons.

Grossmont scoring: Desean Waters 15 (3 reb, 3 ast, 3 stl), Jacob Haar 14 (8 reb), Felipe Valdez 13 (2 reb, 6 ast, 5 stl), Alex Ortiz 7 (4 reb), Clayton Rainey 6 (6 reb), Billy Gange 3 (6 reb).

Santana scoring: Kevin Engelke 14 (4 reb, 2 ast), James Needy 10 (4 reb, 2 ast), Sean Doyle 9 (10 reb), Matt Gomez 5 (4 reb, 2 ast), Trey Bass 4 (8 reb, 3 ast), Matt Lucius 3.

VALHALLA 64, MONTE VISTA 27 – Coach KEITH JACKSON of Valhalla looks to senior point guard AUSTEN SUHAY for court leadership. So far, neither party has been disappointed as the Norsemen (12-6, 2-0 GSL) have won nine of their last 10 starts.

In addition to logging his usual 5 assists, 5 rebounds and 5 steals, Suhay hit 5 of 5 shots from the field (one three) and 4 of 5 free throws for a game-high 17 points in Friday’s (Jan. 23) in a Grossmont South League game at Monte Vista.

“We were selfless tonight,” Jackson said. “We shot well from the field. The kids were playing team basketball on the offensive end.”

Valhalla totaled 19 assists for its 23 baskets.

“We’ve never had a team get that many assists before,” Jackson said.

KYLE KRIEBEL added another powerful double-double of 20 points and 12 rebounds. He also chipped in with 4 assists.

This one belonged to Valhalla from the start. The Norsemen charged to a 15-6 first quarter lead and extended that advantage to 33-14 by the break.

“You have to give credit to our guards for playing good perimeter defense, keeping them from penetrating,” Jackson said. TREVOR CAHOON, Suhay, DAVID ZETTS and STEVEN KLEIST did a really good job of keeping them out of the paint.”

It was a long night for Monte Vista (9-10, 0-2 GSL) which suffered its fourth loss in five games.

One of the keys to Valhalla ’s lopsided win was the defensive work Cahoon did on Monte Vista’s chief scoring threat GEOFF HARTMAN, who finished with one of the lowest outputs of his career.

Valhalla held Monte Vista to one bucket and two free throws in the fourth quarter.

“We took it to another level – higher than we have all year,” Jackson said.

It was just the opposite for slumping Monte Vista.

“We had a lot of open looks in the first quarter tonight but we could not convert,” Monte Vista coach JAMES CARROLL said. “We could not execute at all this game. They were more athletic and physical then we were. They ran a box-and-one defense on Geoff Hartman, who was in foul trouble, so we moved him to point guard to pull their defenders away from the basket.”

“This was the worst loss I have ever experienced in my life – as a player or a coach.”

Valhalla will host a Division II opponent in No. 2 ranked Oceanside on Saturday (Jan. 24) at 7 p.m. in a non-league game.

Valhalla scoring: Kyle Kriebel 20 (12 reb, 4 ast, 1 blk), Austen Suhay 17 (5 reb, 5 ast, 5 stl), Trevor Cahoon 7 (3 reb), Steven Kleist 7 (3 reb, 3 ast), Josh Austel 6 (4 reb, 2 ast, 2 blk, 2 stl), Evie Alcantar 3 (2 reb), Jordan Cunningham 2 (2 reb, 3 blk), Scott Sturgeon 2 (2 reb), David Zetts (2 ast, 1 blk), Manny Hernandez (2 reb).

Monte Vista scoring: Derwin Petteway 11, Geoff Hartman 8, Richard Whitfield 2, Alvin Merriweather 2, Anthony Dotson 2, Steven Boelter 2.

EL CAPITAN 54, EL CAJON VALLEY 48 – Junior MICHAEL OVERSON celebrated his 17th birthday Friday night (Jan. 23) by helping visiting El Capitan knock off El Cajon Valley in a Grossmont North League game.

“Michael started the game out really hot – scored the first 6-8 points of the night and made some steals for us,” El Capitan coach JASON CAVAZOS said. “Better than that, we can now say we’re on a two-game win streak.”

Don’t know whether this will be a permanent arrangement but El Capitan senior JON MOLZEN did a blue-ribbon job coming off the bench against the Braves (9-10, 0-2 GNL).

Molzen pitched in 17 points, 5 assists and 3 steals.

“We start the game and then I bring in Molzen and we get better. I’m trying to take a different approach. When he comes in he gives us a little extra spark. He had a nice dunk in the third quarter,” Cavazos said.

“We are really improving. We are working more and more and getting better on the stuff that we are working on in practice. The kids are starting to believe in what they are learning in practice. The past two games they’ve really been performing. They can see it’s really paying off.”

El Cajon Valley may see the return of senior JORDAN SHIVERS, which, should it happen soon, would make the Braves an instant contender. Shivers could become eligible as soon as next week.

The sad part for the Braves is they let this one get away because of their poor free throw shooting. El Cajon Valley missed its first nine free throws and finished a paltry 3-for-14.

Even in defeat El Cajon Valley coach JIM GLEBOFF found some positives for his ballclub.

“We had more guys get involved tonight. TREYVON MARTIN came in and played well. KENDALL CONLEY did a good job for us in the second half. ANTHONY USSERY played his usual steady game in all facets,” Gleboff said.

El Capitan scoring: Jon Molzen 17 (3 reb, 5 ast, 1 blk, 2 stl), Michael Landis 9, Michael Overson 8 (8 reb, 6 stl), Armon Worrell 4 (5 reb, 3 ast, 3 stl), Robert Craighead 2 (3 reb, 1 blk), Andrew Cable 2 (5 reb, 3 ast), Jake Zawlacki 2 (5 reb).

El Cajon Valley scoring: Anthony Ussery 12 (9 reb, 6 ast, 6 blk, 3 stl), Kendall Conley 11 (5 reb, 2 stl), Raylondo Ford 9 (3 stl), Treyvon Martin 7 (5 reb), Dominic Dove 4 (7 reb), Devin Lesch 2 (8 reb), Jesse Damman 2 (2 stl), Devon Eze 2.

FOOTHILLS CHRISTIAN 76, CALVIN CHRISTIAN 51 – This was one of two remaining challenging engagements remaining for Foothills Christian Friday night (Jan. 23).

Some might find it stunning that the Knights (17-4) were trailing 20-13 after one period.

But these guys don’t worry about falling behind. Foothills Christian claimed a 49-20 scoring advantage in the middle two periods and then breezed to another lopsided victory.

“Tonight was a real refresher for us,” said Foothills Christian assistant coach JAMES McHUGH. “It was great to have a solid D5 opponent like Calvin. Calvin always plays us tough and we don't ever look past them on our schedule. We came out very flat in the first quarter, hitting just 5 of 13 shots. Our defense was very slow and we had some serious lapses in coverage during the first quarter and David Stout ate it up scoring 8 points on easy lay ups in the 1st.”

This was a foul-laden encounter.

JVONTE BROOKS scored 10 of his 25 points in the 2nd quarter as the Knights turned things in their favor.

TROY LEAF led the Knights with 29 points, hitting 12 of 22 shots from the field. He now has 2,095 career points, which leaves him alone in 10th place on the San Diego CIF Section scoring ladder.

There were a lot of foul calls tonight, a lot of odd calls both ways. Stout got in trouble in the 1st quarter and Jvonte went to work. Brooks scored 10 of his 25 points in the 2nd quarter.

“After the half we went to a press and it really paid off,” McHugh said. “We scored 8 straight points to open the quarter on a short jumper by Leaf off his own steal and 3 other lay-ins off 2 steals by Hatcher and 1 by Brooks.”

“Calvin played us tough, they're probably going to be the 3 seed come playoff time, or at least they deserve to be. I don't know of another D5 team outside of us and Maranatha that actually plays some games against good teams outside the division.”

Leaf had 11 points in the 3rd. Hatcher had 7 of his 10 in the 3rd.”

Foothills Christian scoring: Troy Leaf 29 (8 reb, 7 ast, 1 blk, 8 stl), Jvonte Brooks 25 (1 blk, 10 reb), Kalob Hatcher 10 (6 ast, 4 reb, 4 stl), Brandon Hale 8 (1 blk, 4 reb, 2 stl), Henry Luschei 2 (5 reb), Ryan Smith 2 (7 reb).

KEARNY 42, CHRISTIAN 35 – In Friday night's (Jan. 23) battle for leadership in the Central League, the host Komets made a few more plays down the stretch in a defensive slug-fest to nip the Patriots.

Although Christian never led in the contest, they did trim Kearny's double-digit lead down to 4 points with 3:18 remaining. However, three Patriots shots from the paint were blocked down the stretch, including a pair from Derrick Beebe, which allowed the Komets to hang on.

Beebe was mainly responsible for defending Patriots scoring leader LUIZ BIDART, who still led both ballclubs with 18 points.

"He's a great player -- he can do pretty much anything he wants to do with the ball, with a great pull-up jumper," said Beebe. "My coach just wanted me to stay on him and try not to let him get the ball."

"After he made that first jumper, I realized if I put my hand in a certain spot, it would slow down his shot, especially if I forced him to go with his left hand."

Beebe limited Bidart to just a pair of baskets in the first half, building a 20-15 halftime advantage. But when Bidart started to find his range with three consecutive buckets in the third quarter, Beebe was given some assistance when teammate Dustin Rassavong attempted to double-team Bidart at every opportunity.

The Patriots defense was equally strong, holding Kearny to nearly 20 points below its team scoring average of 61.7 entering league play. But Christian missed several open looks while the Komets were more concerned about slowing Bidart.

"It's pretty obvious what they wanted to do, but then we missed some layups," noted Patriots coach KELVIN STARR. "I'm proud of our kids. They defended very well tonight, keeping teams like that in the 40s all year."

"Kearny still has to play at Coronado next week, and we've got four home games in the second half (of the league schedule), so we'll be okay. We just have to get better offensively."

Despite the loss, there was good news from across Kearny Mesa, where host Madison upset Crawford, 70-69, allowing Christian to stand all alone in second place.

"We let it go a little bit early in the second half, but we came back and got it down to four," noted Bidart, a junior out of Sao Paulo, Brazil. "But we still have our home game with them, so we're still in good shape -- we're getting better every day."

The rematch at Christian is slated for Feb. 13, with the potential of the league championship being on the line.

Beebe noted, "But we're going to need some conditioning before we play them on their (94-foot, college-size) court."

With Beebe's emphasis on defense, he finished with only two points. Manny Ortiz led the Komets with 17 points, while Marven Jones added 11.

Along with his scoring, Bidart led the Patriots in rebounds (11), steals (4) and assists (3).

"Our defense is our mark," added Bidart, after holding the Komets to one of their lowest offensive outputs of the season. "We hold Crawford to 40 and they average 80. We hold Kearny to 40 and they average 70. That's our team -- we play really hard defense."

Christian scoring: Luiz Bidart 18 (11 reb, 4 stl, 3 ast), Tyrone Sauls 6, Taylor Eichhorst 5 (10 reb, 3 ast), Ronnie Richards 4, Andrew Whitten 2.

© East County Sports.com
LAKESIDE (1-21-09) — With no significant scoring threats to defend, El Capitan was able to work on a season-long sore spot with their own offense.

"We're real weak when teams trap us," said Vaqueros junior MICHAEL OVERSON. "We need to keep getting better at that, so we tried to attack their press."

The result was a parade of layins and other uncontested baskets, with El Capitan smartly shooting 52 percent (29-for-55) from the floor in defeating Monte Vista, 65-49, in Tuesday's (Jan. 20) Grossmont North-South triumph at Foster Gym.

"Even though they were missing their best player, we still have to play our game," added Overson. "We played good defense, made our shots -- did what we practiced."

With Monarchs scoring leader GEOFF HARTMAN unavailable, it was the perfect opportunity for one of his teammates to step up and take command. Instead, a lot of standing around saw El Cap run circles around the press to grab a 20-point advantage in the first half.

And when JON MOLZEN intercepted a pass and raced coast-to-coast for a slam dunk and a 40-18 lead early in the third quarter, an array of substitutes followed to flood the floor.

“I know they didn’t have their best player but we came out and did all the things that we’ve done in practice,” said El Capitan coach JASON CAVAZOS. “I think we really improved tonight. The kids were really fired up because over the past two weeks we haven’t done what we practiced on. But tonight we did and it showed. We needed a win tonight.”

"We needed someone to take charge," said Monte Vista coach JAMES CARROLL. "It wasn't the performance you'd hope for when we're already short-handed."

The beneficiary of the press break was center ANDREW CABLE, who accepted a series of passes ranging from 20-to-40 feet for layins and a game-high 14 points.

“Cable has only played basketball for two years,” said Cavazos. “If he decides that basketball is his sport and buys into what we’re saying in practice, he’ll get better and better.”

Overson calmly passed the ball through the pressure, where players like ARMON WORRELL, MICHAEL LANDIS, JAKE ZAWLACKI and Molzen stepped into open areas to continue up the court.

Molzen was a top statistical performer, finishing high over several categories -- 8 rebounds, 6 assists and 4 steals. Meanwhile, Landis (11 points) and Worrell (10) also scored in double figures, allowing El Cap (9-10) to snap a 3-game losing streak.

“Worrell has had two really good games for usl,” said Cavazos. “He could really develop into a talented player if he decides to dedicate himself. He has all the tools to be a really good high school player.”

One of the few bright spots for Monte Vista (9-9) was TONY JACKSON at the post. He finished with 11 points and a game-high 13 rebounds.

El Capitan scoring: Andrew Cable 14 (2 ast), Michael Landis 11, Armon Worrell 10 (5 reb, 4 ast), Jon Molzen 9 (8 reb, 8 ast, 3 stl), Michael Overson 8 (6 reb, 3 ast, 3 stl), Jake Zawlacki 6 (5 reb, 1 blk), Robert Craighead 5, Will Radasa 2, Johnathan Kulp (2 reb, 4 stl).

Monte Vista scoring: Tony Jackson 11 (13 reb, 2 stl), Steven Boelter 7, Derwin Petteway 6, Jason Guinto 5 (9 reb), Kevin Starling 5, Trent Watkins 5, Anthony Dotson 4 (5 reb), Corey Parrish 2, Aaron Burns 2, Alvin Merriweather 2 (2 stl).

VALHALLA 51, GROSSMONT 39 – KYLE KRIEBEL’s vision was probably less than 20-20 by the finish of Tuesday’s (Jan. 20) Grossmont Conference Tournament game.

Kriebel, who scored a game-high 23 points as Valhalla (11-6) won its 6th straight game, was poked in the eye in the opening minute of the fourth quarter.

“It was probably the most physical game we’ve played this season,” said Valhalla coach KEITH JACKSON. “There was a lot of pushing and shoving. But give Grossmont credit for making us work for every basket. It was a real battle all the way.”

Kriebel connected on 5 of 11 field goals and 13 of 18 free throws while gathering a game-high 11 rebounds.

“It was one of those close, physical games,” said the 6-foot-5 junior. “Early in the fourth quarter when I went up for a shot in the post I got a fingernail in the eye. It was just one of those things that happened when you’re inside the paint. It was not a dirty play, but my eye started to bleed and my vision started to blur.”

Kriebel attempted to hide the injury from his coaches, insisting that he was OK.

“For awhile there I was really dazed,” Kriebel said. “I couldn’t see out of my left eye, but there was no way I was coming out of the game because we were only 3 points up with seven minutes to play.”

Kriebel was to see his eye doctor on Wednesday (Jan. 21).

“If we were up by 20 points I probably would have come out of the game,” said Kriebel, who also had 5 blocks and 3 steals. “But the game was too close to call and even though my eye was very painful I wasn’t going to leave the floor.”

Jackson said after the game had he known of Kriebel’s pain he would have demanded that his star player come out of the game.

“He told me after the game that he literally could not see out of his left eye,” the coach said. “We put ice on it and it seemed to ease the pain, but after the game he admitted his depth perception was off. Because he’s such a competitor he’s not going to tell you how he really feels, and it makes it tougher as a coach to know what to do.”

Trailing 19-18 at halftime, Valhalla dominated the second half 33-20. Kriebel connected on 11 of 14 free throw attempts during that period.

AUSTEN SUHAY was stable at the point as usual for Valhalla, punching in 10 points and dealing 6 assists.

FELIPE VALDEZ led Grossmont with 13 points and BILLY GANGE scored 10 points coming off an injury.

Valhalla scoring: Kyle Kriebel 23 (11 reb, 5 blk, 3 stl), Austen Suhay 10 (4 reb, 6 ast, 1 blk), Trevor Cahoon 6 (6 reb), David Zetts 3 (2 reb), Jordan Cunningham 4 (5 reb, 3 blk), Evie Alcantar 3, Josh Austel 2 (7 reb, 8 blk).

Grossmont scoring: Felipe Valdez 13, Billy Gange 10, Jacob Haar 7, Desean Waters 5, Robbie Nesovic 2, Clayton Rainey 2.

CHRISTIAN 55, CRAWFORD 42 – Guard LUIZ BIDART turned a double-double of 35 points and 10 rebounds Tuesday (Jan. 20) to boost host Christian back into the Central League lead. By knocking the Colts (7-7, 3-1) out of the saddle, the Patriots (11-6, 4-1 CTL), now maintain a one-half game lead in the league race.

And this key victory came in spite of the Patriots scoring a mere 2 points in the second quarter to trail 22-16 at intermission.

Then it was back to Bidart, who canned 13 points in the third quarter as Christian went on a 19-7 roll to gain control. Bidart also netted 7 of 8 free throws down the stretch in the 4th quarter.

It was the sixth time Bidart has scored 30 or more points in a game.

As a team, Christian canned 22 of 45 shots from the floor and 13 of 19 from the free throw line. Bidart accounted for the Patriots’ only two threes.

Crawford’s offensive attack came primarily from the perimeter. The Colts’ marksmanship left a lot to be desired, as the Ponies hit just 4 of 25 from above the arc. Overall Crawford clicked on 28 percent of 53 shots.

“I mean Crawford was just jacking up the threes,” said Christian assistant coach JOEL ALLEN. “Credit to our kids is every one of Crawford’s threes was contested.”

Christian did not make a single substitution in the final two quarters.

“That’s something (head coach) KELVIN STARR just doesn’t do,” Allen said. “But our five starters were doing such a great job of breaking Crawford’s 2-1-2 trap we didn’t want to make any moves. We were beating their pressure and getting layups.”

Christian scoring: Luiz Bidart 35 (10 reb), Steven Pitts 6 (4 reb, 2 stl), Taylor Eichhorst 5 (5 reb), Andrew Whitten 5 (4 reb), Mike Stowers 2, Ronnie Richards 2 (4 reb, 3 ast), Tyrone Sauls (2 reb).

HELIX 59, WEST HILLS 47 -– Despite playing without 6-foot-8 post LEVINE TOILOLO, host Helix used a 26-14 fourth quarter burst to knock off West Hills in Tuesday’s (Jan. 20) final game of the Grossmont Conference Tournament.

As Toilolo sat on the bench nursing an ankle sprain, Helix sophomores JAYLEN LINSON and SAM MEREDITH combined for 29 points to propel the Highlanders (10-7) past the upset-minded Wolf Pack (7-11).

“That’s encouraging,” Helix coach JOHN SINGER said. “Expectations at our place are high. And now we are starting three sophomores.”

Helix was not without a senior standout as guard JOUBERT BALLARD continued to direct the Helix attack from the point. Ballard finished with 12 points, 5 steals and 3 steals.

“With Joubert, you always know what you’re going to get,” Singer said. “He may not be the best in the league, but he’s the best we have at the point.”

Ballard converted 7 of 8 free throws, the majority coming in the pivotal 4th quarter.

Linson nailed 7 of 10 shots from the floor and 3 of 4 free throws to top the Highlanders with 17 points.

“Our margin of error is very small,” Singer said. “We made 23 turnovers and managed to survive in this game.”

Meredith added 12 points on 5-for-8 shooting from the field and two free throws. Senior ERICK DARNELL added 9 points and 6 boards for Helix.

CHASE SENTER scored a game-high 18 points for West Hills.

Helix scoring: Jaylen Linson 17 (5 reb, 2 ast), Sam Meredith 12 (4 reb, 5 stl, 1 blk), Joubert Ballard 12 (5 reb, 3 ast, 5 stl, 1 blk), Erick Darnell 9 (6 reb, 3 stl), Tommie Young 4 (3 ast, 3 stl, 1 blk), Derien Peterson 2 (3 ast), 3 blk), Yohanes Solomon 2 (2 reb), John Singer 1 (4 ast), Anthony Anderson (3 reb).

West Hills scoring: Chase Senter 18, Garrett Cabral 12, Ryan Bozelle 6, Lucas Armstrong 5, Mike Lifgren 3, Kyle McLaughlin 2, Kevin Straub 1. No other stats reported.

FOOTHILLS CHRISTIAN 85, MIDWAY BAPTIST 45 – The Knights, playing in their fourth contest over a 5-day span, still had plenty of fuel left in the tank after sprinting out to a 28-3 lead through the first quarter in Tuesday's (Jan. 20) Citrus South League conquest in the South Bay.

TROY LEAF connected on 11-of-17 shots en route to a 26-point performance, The junior guard now has 2,066 career points, tying him for 10th in the CIF-San Diego Section career list with KEMMY BURGESS of El Cajon Valley.

JVONTE BROOKS posted 17 points and 6 rebounds, KALOB HATCHER recorded 13 points and 11 assists, while BRANDON HALE added 11 points before the starters were sent to the bench well before halftime.

Foothills Christian scoring: Troy Leaf 26 (4 reb, 4 ast), Jvonte Brooks 17 (6 reb, 5 stl), Kalob Hatcher 13 (11 ast, 4 stl), Brandon Hale 11 (4 stl, 4 ast), Daniel Labahn 9, Ryan Smith 5 (9 reb), Mike Wnek 2, Wesley Baertsch 2.

© East County Sports.com
SAN DIEGO (1-20-09) — Only seconds earlier Foothills Christian guard KALOB HATCHER – a better than 81 percent free throw shooter – missed a pair of charity tosses that would have given the Knights a comfortable four-point lead over Torrey Pines in Monday’s (Jan. 19) MLK Showcase at Hoover High.

To make matters worse, the Falcons’ Joe Rahon stole the ball from Hatcher and scored the go-ahead basket and it appeared Foothills Christian had let a victory slip away.

But the Knights (15-4) fought back with Hatcher leading the way.

After Torrey Pines (13-4) rallied from a 13-2 first-quarter deficit to take its only lead of the game 47-45, Hatcher netted two free throws for the No. 6 Knights with 4.8 seconds left. TROY LEAF then blocked a 20-foot shot by Rahon at the buzzer to preserve the 48-47 victory for Foothills Christian (15-4).

“Kalob battled through a lot of contact to draw that last foul,” Knights assistant coach JAMES McHUGH said.

Then the 6-foot-3 Leaf, a junior, made like Trevor Hoffman and got the save.

After Hatcher put the Knights on top, Torrey Pines inbounded and got the ball into Rahon's hands in the corner. As Rahon coined and released what could have been the winning shot, Leaf did a fly-by, rejecting the shot at the buzzer.

“This was probably the biggest win for our guys since they started playing basketball,” McHugh exclaimed. “We certainly did not play our best game tonight, but performed in the clutch and got the job done.”

Albeit Leaf’s offensive output was nearly 10 below his season average, he managed to attain another milestone of sorts. He moved into 11th place on the San Diego CIF’s all-time career scoring list, sliding past Floyd North (Helix-St. Augustine) with 2,040 points. North, who played for two schools, totaled 2,039 from 1998-2001.

Another rising stalwart for Foothills Christian is 6-foot-2 senior forward RYAN SMITH, who dropped in 10 points and grabbed 8 rebounds.

“Ryan has come into his own lately,” McHugh said. “He had a great game for us tonight. Ryan freed up Troy to get out on the run and that helped our offense since we didn't get much going on down at the offensive end. When you look at Leaf's rebounds the last few games you might think he hasn't been rebounding that much, but the reality is that Ryan's presence on the boards has freed Troy to get up the court.”

JVONTE BROOKS, the Knights 6-6 big man, added 13 points and 9 rebounds.

With less than half a minute to play, Brooks went to the line for a 1-and-1. After the first, Torrey Pines called a time out and Knights Coach BRAD LEAF set up a play.

“The whole idea was that if we missed, we had to force the ball to the Falcons’ 6-6 power pivot Colin Porter,” McHugh said. “Porter is a good player but we knew if we wanted anyone shooting free throws we didn't want it to be (Trevor) Newquist or Rahon. Porter was the guy we wanted to get the ball.”

It was sound strategy with plenty of luck. When Brooks missed his free throw, the ball landed directly in Porter's hands. Leaf fouled him immediately and Porter missed the front end of bonus opportunity.

From there Hatcher got the ball and drove downcourt before pulling up to fire a 15-footer. He was fouled and the rest was history.

Foothills Christian: Troy Leaf 16 (3 ast, 4 reb, stl, 3 blk), Jvonte Brooks 13 (9 reb), Ryan Smith 10 (8 reb), Kalob Hatcher 9 (7 ast, 2 reb).

STEELE CANYON 61, SERRA 46 – The turnaround for the Cougars in recent weeks can be attributed to the success in one specific area.

"It's about our work ethic on defense," noted guard JEBARI ROBINSON. "Our goal is to hold a team to 10 points or less in every quarter, although 13 can be acceptable (in an uptempo game). That's our goal and what we try to do every time we go on the court."

Consider the mission accomplished after Steele Canyon began both halves by allowing just seven points over the opening 8 minutes, racing to Monday's (Jan. 19) non-league victory over the Conquistadors in Tierrasanta.

"We didn't practice over the weekend, so we had to come out as hard as we could," added Robinson. "We're pumped up, we feel good, and we feel like we're on top of the world, so we're trying not to let up."

Robinson, the point guard, finished with 10 points while operating the offense. His passing led to a game-high 17 points for center CAMERON MOSS, while forward JOSIAH SMITH added 15 points.

The Cougars (9-10) have captured 8 of their last 11 following a dismal 1-7 start, including the last three by double-digit margins. Included was last Friday's victory over Helix, making Steele Canyon a bona fide contender in the Grossmont South League.

"Every time we step on the court is serious business," added Robinson.

The Conquistadors (3-14), who have dropped 6 of their last 7 outings, received a team-high 15 points from Carey Moody.

Steele Canyon scoring: Cameron Moss 17, Josiah Smith 15, Jebari Robinson 10, Jeff Reid 6, Eric Gilbert 5, Zane Keith 4, Kaptan Kaster 4.

© East County Sports.com
EL CAJON (1-18-09) — Even though it was a bit of a struggle, Foothills Christian junior guard TROY LEAF became the 12th player in San Diego CIF boys basketball history to break the 2,000-point career scoring mark as the Knights erased Eastlake 83-63 in a nonleague engagement Saturday night (Jan. 17) at Granite Hills High.

Needing only three points to reach the magic plateau at the beginning of the evening, Leaf missed his first four field goal attempts before netting his first bucket in the final minute of the second quarter. Leaf totaled 27 points as he crashed through the 2,000-point barrier against the Titans with 2,024.

Yet, he was anything but giddy about reaching his latest milestone.

“Honestly, I didn’t even think about it,” said Leaf, who actually moved himself among the SDCIF elite scorers when he hit a pair of first-quarter free throws with 2:32 remaining. Leaf was 8-for-12 from the foul line overall.

“I wasn’t doing well (shooting) at the start, but I’ve learned that if you don’t force anything and just try to get into the flow it will come to you.”

Odds are Leaf will reach 3,000 points before his graduates.

“I’d trade all those points for a state championship,” Leaf said.

Clinging to a 31-27 halftime lead, Foothills Christian (14-4) broke the game open when Leaf scored 14 points to spark a 29-16 third quarter.

JVONTE BROOKS was Foothills Christian’s stalwart in the final period, chipping in 6 of his 17 points playing just six minutes of that period. Brooks netted 7 of 10 shots from the field.

“Jvonte points came on great positioning,” said Foothills Christian assistant coach JAMES McHUGH. “Jvonte seems to be getting more and more in sync with (guards) KALOB (HATCHER) and Troy as this season goes on and it's only going to make us better.”

Hatcher tagged Eastlake (8-7) for 22 points, hitting 7 of 13 shots from the floor and 5 of 6 free throws. He also had 8 assists and 6 steals.

Seniors BRANDON HALE pitched in 10 points and RYAN SMITH added 6 points and a team high 9 rebounds.

“Ryan has come a long way since he started playing basketball,” McHugh said. “You're talking about a kid who never played organized ball before he came to our school. For us, he’s always huge. Brandon is a great 3- point shooter, and often when a kid misses a shot here or there they will hesitate on wide open looks that they shouldn't be passing up. All of Brandon 's shots tonight were good shots with a good look and it's important that he feels comfortable putting them up.”

Challenges keep coming for Foothills Christian, which faces the No. 1-ranked Torrey Pines Falcons in Monday’s (Jan. 19) Martin Luther King Tournament finale at Hoover at 7 p.m.

Foothills Christian scoring: Troy Leaf 27 (5 reb, 5 ast, 3 stl, 3 blk), Kalob Hatcher 22 (3 reb, 8 ast, 6 stl), Jvonte Brooks 17 (6 reb, 2 stl), Brandon Hale 10 (4 reb, 3 ast), Ryan Smith 6 (9 reb, 2 stl), Steven McElroy 1.

© East County Sports.com
RANCHO SAN DIEGO (1-17-09) — In order to make a run at the league title, Steele Canyon needed a game plan to neutralize Helix High center LEVINE TOILOLO, the biggest inside threat in the entire Grossmont South League.

"All we did was try to double-team on Levine and force him to kick it out," noted Cougars guard JEBARI ROBINSON. "We wanted to test their shooting for 3's, and it didn't really happen for them."

But when Toilolo found himself on the court for only seven minutes all Friday (Jan. 16) night because of a foot injury, the strategy turned into a blossoming advantage for the Cougars, who opened GSL play with a sound 53-38 stomping of the two-time defending champion Highlanders.

With Toilolo absent, Steele Canyon center CAMERON MOSS took advantage. Roaming seemingly unobstructed inside, Moss converted his first eight shots from the floor (6-6 in the first quarter), finishing with 20 points and 14 rebounds for the easy victory.

"Helix has won league two years in a row and we just decided that was going to end tonight," said Moss, a senior. "We came out and played defense to get a good win.

"We came out and played hard. That was our focus to try and keep them under 40 points -- and we did that."

It was the biggest setback for Helix by any league opponent since a 64-49 loss to Steele Canyon, when the Cougars took the GSL crown in 2004-05. It also snapped the Scotties' 21-game win streak in league play.

"We were really pumped for Helix because I've never beaten them since I've been here." said JOSIAH SMITH, who joined the varsity the year after his school last downed the Highlanders. "Tonight was our night and we played really well."

Smith was one of the key Cougars forwards to assist Moss with the double team inside. And with no one else able to fill the basket for Helix, Steele Canyon raced to a surprisingly quick 19-6 lead through the first quarter.

"We shut Levine down because Cameron was playing amazing and stopping everywhere, while also scoring left and right," added Smith, who also grabbed 10 boards.

Moss filled the basket courtesy of Robinson, who finished with 8 assists. But the focus seemed to come back to the defense, as the Cougars rolled the entire bench into the effort.

Robinson noted, "We really wanted to beat them, and thanks to the '6th Man Crew' to help us out with the pressure, we were able to do it."

In the early going, Moss twice drifted from the low post, yet still sank a pair of mid-range jump shots for a 12-4 lead. Robinson then drove the lane and was fouled. He made the first foul shot, but Moss gobbled the second-shot miss for a putback basket, the bucket pushed the lead into double figures just 6 minutes into the contest.

The Robinson-Moss combination then worked an inbounds pass into a layin by the big man to close the first period. The pair then opened the next stanza with a pair of give-and-go plays for scores, the latter finding Moss scoring on a surging reverse layin and a 23-7 lead.

Meanwhile, Helix' offense never got into the flow. The Scotties missed 10 layins or putback shots in the first half, while also shooting an anemic 8-for-23 from the foul line.

Still, it's just one victory in what should be a highly competitive league, with Valhalla and Granite Hills joining the mix to contend.

Steele Canyon's Jebari Robinson (Photo by Bill Kolegraff)

Helix Highlanders at Steele Canyon Cougars (Slideshow by Bill Kolegraff)

"I know when we go there, it's going to be a tougher game because Helix is Helix and they're always a tough opponent," added Moss. "We know they're going to come back strong, especially when Levine comes back."

With Loilolo limited to just a single bucket and 4 rebounds, Helix' leading scorer was JOUBERT BALLARD with 10 points, while ERICK DARNELL netted 8. JAYLEN LINSON recorded 9 rebounds.

Steele Canyon scoring: Cameron Moss 20 (14 reb, 2 ast), Zane Keith 7 (4 reb), Josiah Smith 6 (10 reb), Eric Gilbert 6, Jebari Robinson 5 (8 ast), Kaptan Kaster 4, Jeff Reid 3, Cameron Hubbard 2.

Helix scoring: Joubert Ballard 10 (3 stl), Erick Darnell 8, Sam Meredith 4, Jaylen Linson 4 (9 reb), Darien Peterson 4, Dimitar Topalov 2, Anthony Anderson 2 (5 reb, 2 blk), Levine Toilolo 2, Tommie Young 1, John Singer 1.

“You can’t mess with the twin towers down low,” said the 6-foot-5 Kriebel, who along with 6-foot-7 Austel combined for 33 points, 19 rebounds and 5 blocked shots as the Norsemen won only their 4th league game in three years.

Valhalla (10-6, 1-0 GSL) went on a 17-4 scoring run that snapped a 9-9 tie, pushing the Norsemen into a commanding 26-13 lead with 2:20 left in the first half.

“When Steven’s hitting shots like he did it opens up a lot of stuff on the inside for us,” said Valhalla coach KEITH JACKSON.

And then of course there was the steady play of senior guard AUSTEN SUHAY. The 5-foot-11 Suhay is the glue that holds the Norsemen together. He’s a solid ball handler who can contribute in numerous ways. He had 8 assists, 5 rebounds, 4 steals, 7 points and 3 blocks against the Matadors.

The Norsemen led by as many as 22 points but had to duck a late barrage of Mount Miguel 3-pointers.

“We had a big lead but they play real hard, man,” said Kriebel. “And they kept coming back in the 4th quarter.”

Mount Miguel connected for 5 of its 8 three-pointers during the final quarter to peck away at the Valhalla bulge.

ANTHONY STANFORD hit a trio of 3s in the final stanza for the Matadors, while YUEL HAGOS scored all 8 of his points in the last quarter.

HARRY BRAZELTON led the Matadors (6-13, 0-1 GSL) with 21 points, including a trio of treys. Stanford led Mount Miguel by sinking 4 three-balls.

Kriebel commented, “Those weren’t wide-open 3s either. We contested every one of them.”

To a man the Norsemen believe that this will be their year to reign as Grossmont South League champions.

“Our kids are pretty excited about what’s going on,” said. “It’s all about confidence, and I think we have it this year.

Mount Miguel, which has lost 4 of its last 5, simply could not contest with the taller Norsemen.

“We need to be ready to go at the beginning of the game, not try to pull things out at the end,” said Matadors coach JAY ROWLETT. “We made too may playground passes.

“When we don’t shoot well, and turn the ball over, we’re in trouble.”

Valhalla scoring: Josh Austel 19 (9 reb, 2 stl, 3 blk), Kyle Kriebel 14 (10 reb, 3 ast, 2 blk), Steven Kleist 11 (3 reb, 2 ast, 2 stl), Austen Suhay 7 (5 reb, 8 ast, 4 stl, 3 blk), David Zetts 6 (2 ast), Trevor Cahoon 5 (5 reb), Jordan Cunningham 3 (3 reb, 2 ast, 1 blk).

Mount Miguel scoring: Harry Brazelton 21 (4 reb, 3 stl, 2 blk), Anthony Stanford 16 (2 reb, 2 ast, 3 stl), Yuel Hagos 8 (2 reb), Donte Allen 2 (5 reb, 1 blk), Johnny Norton 2 ( 5 ast), Bryant Mitchell (3 reb, 2 stl),Keith Houston (2 stl),

The third quarter was a completely different story as Grossmont (10-8, 1-0 GNL) gained a 24-5 scoring advantage and then cruised to the finish line.

“At halftime we made a couple of adjustments, went to full-court pressure,” Grossmont coach FRANK FOGGIANO said.

A major switch by Foggiano was putting sophomore guard DESEAN WATERS on El Cajon Valley ’s versatile ANTHONY USSERY in the third quarter. Ussery, who accounted for 11 points in the first half, was served up a donut after intermission courtesy of Waters.

“Waters is quicker and he made a difference,” Foggiano said.

El Cajon Valley coach JIM GLEBOFF admitted that Grossmont’s second half pressure befuddled the Braves (9-9, 0-1 GNL).

“We didn’t handle it very well,” Gleboff said. “To me, that was the defining point of the game. We started making mistakes.”

Waters also pitched in 13 points for the Foothillers, who have won three straight and nine of their last 12. Included in Waters’ totals was a trio of 3-pointers.

Hard-nosed point guard FELIPE VALDEZ led Grossmont with 14 points, 5 assists and 5 steals, while JESSE DAMMAN’s 14 points topped the Braves’ scoring list.

Grossmont scoring: Felipe Valdez 14 (3 reb, 5 ast, 5 stl), Desean Waters 13 (4 reb, 2 ast, 2 stl), Jacob Haar 11 (8 reb), Clayton Rainey 7 (10 reb, 2 ast, 3 stl), Alex Ortiz 6 (2 reb), Aaron Griffin 2 (2 reb), Robbie Nesovic 2 (2 reb).

El Cajon Valley scoring: Jesse Damman 14, Anthony Ussery 11 (5 reb, 3 ast, 7 blk, 2 stl), Devin Lesch 7 (3 reb), Kendall Conley 3, Domenic Dove 2 (7 reb), Treyvon Martin 2 (7 reb).

WEST HILLS 50, EL CAPITAN 37 – West Hills broke out the defensive clamps to shackle visiting El Capitan in Friday’s (Jan. 16) Grossmont North League opener before a near full house in Santee.

The Wolf Pack (7-10, 1-0 GNL), which snapped a four-game losing streak, held the Vaqueros to three field goals in the second half to expand its 2-point halftime lead.

“It was a pretty good defensive effort because it’s hard to hold any team – let alone a physical team like El Capitan – down like that,” said Wolf Pack coach JEFF ARMSTRONG.

West Hills outscored El Capitan 25-14 over the final 16 minutes. Had the Pack done a better job at the free throw line – it converted only 7 of 21 chances – the game might have been even more lopsided.

El Capitan (8-10, 0-1 GNL), which has lost 6 of its last 8, was equally as unimpressive from the charity stripe. The Vaqueros made only 10 of 26 from the foul line.

MIKE LIFGREN scored 8 of his 10 points in the 2nd half for West Hills. He also shared the team rebounding high of 8 with LUCAS ARMSTRONG.

“It was a physical game and Mike more than held his own in the post,” Armstrong said.

Out front RYAN BOZELLE and CHASE SENTER set the tone for the Pack, hurling in 14 and 10 points, respectively. Each player hit a pair of 3-pointers and were a combined 4 for 5 from the free throw line.

Lucas Armstrong added a 5th trey to the West Hills’ account. Armstrong also had 4 assists, one less than team leader Senter.

“Bozelle and Senter took care of the basketball and did a good job of managing the clock,” Coach Armstrong said.

Despite leading 15-14 after one quarter, El Capitan ’s aces were burdened by foul trouble early on. JON MOLZEN spent as much time on the bench as he did on the floor, which is reflected by his 4 points, 6 rebounds and 4 steals.

MICHAEL OVERSON paced the Vaqueros with 11 points and 6 steals.

West Hills scoring: Ryan Bozelle 14 (4 reb, 2 ast), Chase Senter 10 (5 ast), Mike Lifgren 10 (8 reb, 2 ast), Kyle Navarre 5, Lucas Armstrong 4 (8 reb, 4 ast, 3 stl, 3 blk), Garrett Cabral 4 (2 reb, 2 ast, 2 stl), Kellen Johnson 2 (2 reb), Kevin Straub 1.

El Capitan scoring: Michael Overson 11 (2 reb, 2 ast, 6 stl), Robert Craighead 6 (7 reb, 2 stl), Jake Zawlacki 6 (6 reb, 2 ast, 3 blk), Michael Landis 5 (2 reb, 2 ast), Armon Worrell 5, Jon Molzen 4 (6 reb, 4 stl), Johnathan Kulp 1, Andrew Cable (2 reb).

Steady DEAN MILLER was sure-handed in the clutch for the Eagles (11-5, 1-0 GSL), who have won 7 of their last 8. Miller scored 10 of his 21 points in the 4th quarter – was 4-for-6 on field goals and 2-for-2 on free throws.

Junior point guard ANDRE LEWIS continues to shine. He punched in 15 points, dished 5 assists and made 5 steals for the Eagles, who also got a pair of 3s off the bench from KYLE SNYDER.

“Lewis had another solid game running the offense,” said Granite Hills coach RANDY ANDERSON. “We were in control the whole game.”

Senior RONNIE VON HAGEN controlled the boards, collecting 13 caroms for Granite Hills, which led 26-9 by halftime.

Monte Vista senior GEOFF HARTMAN accounted for half of the Monarchs’ scoring with 18 points before being ejected in the 4th quarter for drawing two technical fouls.

“When AARON HARRIS was guarding Hartman in the 1st quarter he held him scoreless – did a real good job defensively,” said Anderson. “Hartman did score 3 points in that quarter, but not while Harris was in the game.”

The closest Monte Vista (9-8, 0-1 GSL) got to Granite Hills was within 9 points in the 3rd quarter.

Granite Hills scoring: Dean Miller 21 (8 reb, 3 ast, 2 blk, 3 stl), Andrew Lewis 15 (4 reb, 5 ast, 5 stl), Aaron Harris 9 (8 reb, 2 blk), Kyle Snyder 8, Devin Conner 3, John Montes 2 (6 reb), Ronnie Von Hagen 1 (3 reb).

Monte Vista scoring: Geoff Hartman 18, Derwin Petteway 10, Trent Watkins 6, Corey Parrish 2.

RAMONA 82, SANTANA 77 – The two teams combined to treat the home crowd at Ramona with a bucketful of 3-pointers in Friday’s (Jan. 16) non-league game.

“The crowd went wild,” Santana coach TIM BARRY said. “Playing in front of that kind of crowd will really help us as we go into league play.”

Junior guard MATT GOMEZ had a career scoring night, nailing six 3-pointers on his way to a personal-best 22 points for Santana (11-7). The Sultans’ MATT LUCIUS also had a career scoring night with 14 points, the majority coming off four 3-pointers. TREY BASS accounted for an 11th Santana 3-ball.

Ramona (12-6) pounded in 16 three-pointers as it wiped out a 62-56 Santana lead in the final quarter.

“Their whole offense was based on the 3-point shot,” Barry said. “We led most of the game. They made a strong run on us in the 4th quarter and we could not stop it.”

Santana did not go down quietly, however. With 11 seconds remaining Santana trailed 80-77 and missed a 3-point shot that would have tied it. Santana fouled Ramona on the rebound and the Bulldogs hit two free throws to close out the game.

JAMES NEEDY, who has missed the past couple of weeks with an injury, returned to the Santana lineup for 8 points and 8 rebounds.

Santana scoring: Matt Gomez 22 (4 ast), Chris Sodergren 14 (6 reb), Matt Lucius 14, Trey Bass 9 (3 reb, 8 ast), James Needy 8 (8 reb), Sean Doyle 7 (5 reb, 2 ast), David Thrall 3.

CORONADO 53, CHRISTIAN 40 – The Patriots of Christian dunked themselves into an early hole and could not climb out Friday (Jan. 16) as they suffered their first loss in four Central League starts.

Christian fell behind 8-0 in the opening two minutes coming out of the gate and saw the host Islanders expand that margin to 21-7 midway through the second quarter.

The Patriots (10-6, 3-1 CTL) scrambled to slice the deficit to four points but a pair of late turnovers short-circuited Christian’s comeback bid.

LUIZ BIDART paced the Pats with 19 points, hitting 7 of 18 from the field and 5 of 6 free throws.

Christian suffered its first loss in eight games.

Christian scoring: Luiz Bidart 19 (3 reb, 3 ast), Taylor Eichhorst 7 (5 reb, 2 ast, 2 stl), Steven Pitts 6 (6 reb, 2 stl), Tyrone Sauls 4, Andrew Whitten 2, Mike Stowers 2.

Cheerleaders for the Steele Canyon Cougars get airborne during a timeout routine. (Photo by Bill Kolegraff)

© East County Sports.com
LA MESA (1-15-09) — Same story, different season, when it comes to Helix High basketball.

Coach JOHN SINGER, one of San Diego County's winningest coaches now in his 29th season, annually endures 2-to-3 weeks without several key athletes still participating in the section’s football playoffs.

Once again Helix is the choice to gain a third consecutive GSL crown. But gaining the preseason nod this year is not as clear-cut as in recent campaigns for a program that has claimed the league laurels 11 of the past 14 seasons.

GROSSMONT SOUTH
1. HELIX (9-6; Last year: 1st) — The Scotties seem vulnerable after not reaching the 10-win plateau prior to GSL play for the second straight season.

Senior center LEVINE TOILOLO already has a football scholarship to Stanford in his hip pocket, but is too prideful to allow himself to slide on the hardwood. While the 6-foot-8 post man’s scoring average is rising, it's his steady ability to rebound and prevent second-chance opportunities by opponents as the reason Helix is back on its winning ways.

The Highlanders’ defense remains the club’s forte. The ability to score from the perimeter is the biggest question.

Senior guard JOUBERT BALLARD is a key to any success Helix finds, as he is the primary ball-handler, but a suspect shooter from the outside. Six-foot-3 sophomore JAYLEN LINSON is also an up-and-coming ace.

It may be a bit premature to order championship rings just yet.

2. GRANITE HILLS (10-5; Last year: tie 4th) — The Eagles have featured several top outside shooters in recent years, with DEAN MILLER leading the parade in 2008-09. The difference is his ability to post-up inside along with drilling the 3-point shot, yet showcasing his ability to pass and bring the rest of the team into the offense.

Miller is the key for Granite Hills to upend Helix for first place. And the schedule-maker was gracious: these two teams close the season against each other on Feb. 20 on the Eagles' floor.

Granite Hills features multi-talented guards in ANDRE LEWIS and AARON HARRIS, perhaps the best defensive tandem in East County, while forward RONNIE VON HAGEN does the dirty work under the boards with a rising rebounding rate.

3. VALHALLA (9-6; Last year: tie 4th) — Following a taxing trip to Las Vegas where the Norsemen faced three state championship outfits, the Norsemen have won 6-of-7 ballgames entering GSL play, including three straight victories by 23 points or more.

Senior floor leader AUSTEN SUHAY is the key ingredient, the driving force behind the Norsemen. He could be the best all-around guard in the GSL.

Scoring leader KYLE KRIEBEL, a junior forward, who may make a run for Player of the Year next season, is a stalwart inside. Junior JOSH AUSTEL is also a budding force inside the paint.

4. STEELE CANYON (7-10; Last year: 2nd) — Following an 0-6 start, the Cougars have posted a 7-4 record since the return of several football players from post-season playoffs.

Heading the list is guard JEBARI ROBINSON, the scoring and assists leader for Steele Canyon. He’s still adjusting from his customary shooting guard position to directing the offense out front.

Robinson is joined by JOSIAH SMITH, CAMERON MOSS and ERIC GILBERT on a team that could surprise.

5. MONTE VISTA (9-7; Last year: tie 4th) — There is a clear line between the Top 3 and the next three in the South League, with the Monarchs topping the second half thanks to the all-around play of senior GEOFF HARTMAN.

Hartman averages 18.4 points per contest, while ranking in several other departments, making him the top player of the year candidate.

Junior TONY JACKSON and senior TRENT WATKINS should also help the Monarchs spring an upset or two.

6. MOUNT MIGUEL (6-12; Last year: 3rd) — Following a poor start, the Matadors rebounded to advance to the championship of the Granite Hills Holiday Classic. But after the host Eagles whipped them, 81-57, in the title game, Mount Miguel has been searching for answers after losing three recent games by wide margins.

The presence of HARRY BRAZELTON boosted the Matadors during the tournament, but opponents have gained a chance to scout and change strategies, so the next move is up to Mount Miguel to get others involved in the offense.

At least there is room to grow with a cast of juniors, including YUEL HAGOS, J.J. NORTON, A.J. STANFORD and DONTE ALLEN.

GROSSMONT NORTH
1. GROSSMONT (8-8; Last year: 1st) — Following years toiling on East County sidelines, Foothillers head coach FRANK FOGGIANO finally secured his first league title in 2008. Now, a second consecutive crown may not be too far away.

Following an 0-4 start, the Hillers clearly are playing their best basketball, winning 5-of-6 and 8-of-10 as they prepare to host El Cajon Valley in Friday's (Jan. 16) league opener.

One of the boosts for the Foothillers is a healthy JAKE HAAR, who is scoring at a 13.4 clip since returning from injury. Add sophomore guard DESEAN WATERS (11.3) and the Hillers can boast the best inside-outside combination among GNL programs. Fiery FELIPE VALDEZ runs the point in Grossmont's offense.

Freshman ROBBIE NESOVIC is sticky-handed defender, while ALEX ORTIZ is a solid outside shooter.

2. EL CAPITAN (8-9; Last year: tie 2nd) — The Vaqueros have been a two-man operation all season, paced by senior forward JON MOLZEN and junior guard MICHAEL OVERSON.

Molzen's ability to pass, break the press and bring others into the offense may make him one of the top players in the conference.

Six-foot-7 JAKE ZAWLACKI helps in the middle, but the Vaqueros lack the depth to unseat the Foothillers.

3. WEST HILLS (6-11; Last year: 4th) — Will the real Wolf Pack please stand up?

Nice victories over Horizon and Scripps Ranch make coach JEFF ARMSTRONG's team look like contenders. Lopsided losses to Valhalla (55-32), Monte Vista (55-39), and Granite Hills (64-48) makes the Wolf Pack suspect challengers.

On the positive side, West Hills has a nucleus of seven seniors. GARRETT CABRAL is the top scorer at 12.3, but CHASE SENTER, LUCAS ARMSTRONG, MIKE LIFGREN, and KYLE McLAUGHLIN all contribute.

If the West Hills guards can cut their turnover count in half and inflate their offense, expect this ballclub to quickly turn into a contender.

4. SANTANA (11-6; Last year: 5th) — The Sultans possess a little bit of everything, but not enough of anything. Throw in the injury bug, and it should leave them to another second-division finish.

Santana will need to operate out of the half-court to prevent opponents from running them out of the building, something they have found some success thanks to 6-5, 265-pound senior center CHRIS SODERGREN and 6-6 senior SEAN DOYLE.

Sodergren is the league's top rebounder and second-leading scorer. However, several guards have missed playing time, hindering their development. A possible plus is the earlier than expected return of 6-5, 205 senior JAMES NEEDY.

5. EL CAJON VALLEY (9-8; Last year: tie 2nd) — How bunched up could the GNL standings be this season? The Braves were in heavy consideration to be placed at the top of this predictions list until senior transfer JORDAN SHIVERS was declared academically ineligible.

Shivers leads the North League with a 21.6 scoring average, owning the showmanship to not mind taking the clutch shot with the contest on the line.

Should Shivers remain absent, head coach JIM GLEBOFF will look to some of his supporting cast -- ANTHONY USSERY, RAYLONDO FORD and DOMINIC DOVE, among others -- to step up in a leadership role.

If Shivers does find his way back onto the court... color the Braves contenders.

© East County Sports.com
CLAIREMONT (1-14-09) — Although the Christian High Patriots are sitting atop the Central League lead tied with Crawford, they have to feel fortunate to be poised on such a lofty perch.

The Patriots (10-5, 3-0 CTL) nearly took a pratfall in Tuesday’s (Jan. 13) league duel with host Clairemont. Christian needed a 21-7 scoring spree in the final period to pull out a 39-29 victory over the upset-minded Chieftains (1-13, 0-2 CTL).

Once again it was junior guard LUIZ BIDART to the rescue. The Patriots scoring leader landed 12 of his team high 22 points in the decisive final quarter as Christian erased a 22-18 deficit for the victory.

“They tried to control the clock most of the game,” Christian assistant coach JOEL ALLEN said. “We became frustrated at times. But finally we put things together in the last quarter.”

TAYLOR EICHHORST added 7 points and 6 rebounds for Christian, which has won 7 games in a row. Bidart’s 4 three-pointers gives him 26 for the season.

Keeping that streak intact and hanging onto the league lead is going to become a major challenge for the Patriots from here on out. Their final three games to complete the first round of the league will be much tougher than the first three.

Christian scoring: Luiz Bidart 22 (4 reb), Taylor Eichhorst 7 (6 reb), Jake Larsen 4, Aaron Whitten 3, Steven Pitts 2, Mike Stowers 1, Erick Allen (3 reb, 2 stl).

STEELE CANYON 53, EL CAJON VALLEY 40 – Gradually the Steele Canyon Cougars are beginning to make their gears mesh. With the start of Grossmont South League right around the corner that should be classified as good timing for coach DEREK STEPHENS’ squad.

Following an 0-6 start, Steele Canyon has posted a 7-4 record and figures to make waves in the GSL. Is a championship in the offing? Don’t rule it out, but Friday’s (Jan. 16) league opener against perennial power Helix should tell a lot about what’s up.

The Cougars (7-10) put together a strong second half – outscoring the wounded Braves 32-21 – to chalk up a tougher-than-it-looked victory in the Grossmont North-South Tournament.

One of Steele Canyon ’s unsung heroes is JEFF REID, a 6-foot-4 senior who ripped off 11 points – three less than team leader JEBARI ROBINSON – against the Braves.

“Jeff was our catalyst and sparkplug in the 2nd half,” Stephens said.

Stephens also praised his team’s defense.

“We played good defense the whole game,” the Cougars second-year head coach said.

Same couldn’t be said for the offense.

“We need to take better shots,” Stephens said. “I’m not happy with our shot selection at all.”

The Braves (9-8) were maintaining a five-point edge in the third quarter before the Cougars went on a 14-0 scoring surge to take control of the game.

“We need to shoot better if we want to be competitive in our (Grossmont North) League,” El Cajon Valley coach JIM GLEBOFF said. Of course, losing scoring leader and floor general JORDAN SHIVERS soured the Braves’ chances for a shot at the GNL flag.

RAYLONDO FORD (15 points) and ANTHONY USSERY (10 points, 4 blocks) hope to pick up the slack.

Steele Canyon scoring: Jebari Robinson 14, Jeff Reid 11, Zane Keith 9, Josiah Smith 9, Cameron Moss 6, Kaptan Kaster 4.

El Cajon Valley scoring: Raylondo Ford 15, Anthony Ussery 10 (3 ast, 4 blk), Dominic Dove 9 (5 reb), Kendall Conley 2 (6 reb), James Stone 2 (5 reb), Smith 2.

GROSSMONT 79, MOUNT MIGUEL 45 – Color the Grossmont Foothillers ready to make a run to repeat as Grossmont North League champions.

The Hillers wasted little time taking control of Tuesday’s (Jan. 13) Grossmont North-South Tournament game against visiting Mount Miguel as they marched to a 20-0 lead in the opening five minutes.

The Foothillers (9-8), who led 45-25 at halftime scored the first 13 points of the 2nd half against the Matadors, who were playing without floor leader ANTHONY STANFORD. To make matters worse for Mount Miguel (6-12), HARRY BRAZELTON was held to 3 points – 16 below his season average.

“For the most part I think this is as good as we can play,” said Grossmont coach FRANK FOGGIANO. “We executed our offense extremely well and played solid help defense.”

Foggiano would not get any argument from Mount Miguel coach JAY ROWLETT, who refused to make any comment.

Ten Foothillers contributed to the scoring, led by junior JACOB HAAR’s 22 points and 12 rebounds.

The perpetually moving ROBBIE NESOVIC, a 6-foot-1 freshman known mostly for his defense and rebounding, also chipped in with 10 points.

Grossmont, which arguably fields the best backcourt tandem in the Grossmont Conference – FELIPE VALDEZ and DESEAN WATERS – received 17 points, 8 assists and 6 steals from the dynamic duo.

Junior forward CLAYTON RAINEY pitched in 8 points and 10 rebounds for the Foothillers, who also got 8 points and 4 rebounds from ALEX ORTIZ.

Grossmont burned the Matadors for 6 three-pointers and also landed 13 of 17 free throws on their way to a season high 79 points.

The majority of Mount Miguel ’s scoring came on 10 three-point buckets, including 3 by JOHNNY NORTON.

Grossmont scoring: Jacob Haar 22 (12 reb, 2 ast), Robbie Nesovic 10 (4 reb), Felipe Valdez 9 (2 reb, 5 ast, 4 stl), Desean Waters 8 (2 reb, 3 ast, 2 stl), Clayton Rainey 8 (10 reb, 2 ast), Alex Ortiz 8 (4 reb), Drew Forehand 7, Jason Lakis 3, Alex Nesovic 2 (3 reb), Craig Henderson 2, Aaron Griffin (3 reb).

Mount Miguel scoring: Johnny Norton 14, Yuel Hagos 10, Jaymes Brazelton 7, Rudy Burruel 6, Keith Houston 3, Harry Brazelton 3, Donte Allen 2.

HELIX 69, SANTANA 35 – When it comes to coach JOHN SINGER’s basketball teams, something you can always count on. No matter how slow they start, they’ll manage to work themselves into prime condition when it comes time for the Grossmont South League season to start.

Based on their last Grossmont North-South Tournament game on Tuesday (Jan. 13) in Santee, it would appear the Highlanders are ready to rock-n-roll.

Senior guard JOUBERT BALLARD, without a doubt a key ingredient for any success the Highlanders have for the remainder of the season, came up with the best game of his career at the expense of the Sultans. Ballard nailed 9 of 13 shots from the field for a game-high 18 points, dished 8 assists, made 3 steals and grabbed 5 rebounds.

“That’s the kind of play we need out of Ballard,” Singer said. “He played very well.”

Helix zipped in front 11-0 three minutes into the game before the Sultans’ MATT GOMEZ drilled in a 3-pointer.

“We were down 13-5 and I thought OK, we’re still in it,” said Santana coach TIM BARRY.

That was not the case, however, as Helix (9-6) outscored the Sultans (11-6) in all four quarters.

“I don’t know if it was what they were doing or what we were doing, but I liked the defensive intensity we had,” Singer said. “We haven’t played with this much intensity on the defensive end before tonight.”

It made a difference.

“We got some picks early, which led to layups,” Singer added.

Sophomore JAYLEN LINSON hit 7 of 11 shots from the field on his way to a 15-point finish. Linson also crashed the boards for 7 rebounds and dished 2 assists.

Eleven Highlanders contributed to Helix’ highest scoring output of the season.

“This is the first game we have not been competitive,” said Barry. “We started the game with five straight turnovers. It was not like we were giving up transition baskets – we were just kicking the ball and fumbling the ball against their half court.”

Obviously realizing that his Sultans were outmanned, Barry set up a game plan that called for his team taking 3-point shots.

“We wanted to put up at least 20 from 3-point range,” Barry said. “It didn’t turn out to be a very good idea because overall we shot only 23 percent (40-of-60).”

Helix scoring: Joubert Ballard 18 (5 reb, 8 ast, 3 stl), Jaylen Linson 15 (7 reb, 2 ast), Dimitar Topalov 7, Jake Reed 5 (2 reb), Erick Darnell 5 (2 reb, 2 ast), Anthony Anderson 5 (3 reb, 1 blk), Levine Toilolo 4 (8 reb, 3 ast, 2 stl, 1 blk), Tommie Young 4 (3 ast, 1 blk), Sam Meredith 4 (2 stl, 2 blk), Darien Peterson 2 (2 reb, 3 ast, 4 stl, 1 blk), Yohanes Solomon (4 reb).

Santana scoring: Matt Gomez 10, Sean Doyle 6 (3 reb), Trey Bass 6 (3 reb), Chris Sodergren 5 (5 reb), Landon Lozoya 5 (4 reb), Danny Carpenter (4 reb), Bradley Kline 3 (7 reb,) Matt Lucius (2 ast).

GRANITE HILLS 75, EL CAPITAN 46 – For those Grossmont South League teams designing their defense to halter DEAN MILLER, they better expand their coverage.

Granted, Miller is one of the top scorers in the county, as he proved with 17 points in Tuesday’s (Jan. 13) rout of host El Capitan in the last Grossmont North-South Tournament game. Obviously Miller has seen better scoring days, but he did add to his East County shooting lead with a pair of long distance connections, giving him 54 treys to date. He also made 7 of 9 free throws.

But it wasn’t Miller who was poking holes in the El Capitan defense. It was junior point guard ANDRE LEWIS who scored a career-high 23 points.

“People are not going to stop keying on Dean,” Granite Hills coach RANDY ANDERSON said. “But I don’t think they are going to be able to focus exclusively on him when Lewis does as good a job of dribble penetration as he did today.”

Lewis made 9 of 10 shots from the field – 2 of them 3-pointers – and was 3 for 3 from the free throw line. He also had 5 assists, 4 steals and 5 rebounds.

Senior AARON HARRIS continues to sparkle for the Eagles (10-5), rolling a double-double of 16 points and 10 rebounds against the Vaqueros (8-9).

Anderson also praised the work of senior guard JOHN MONTES, who pitched in 4 points, grabbed 5 rebounds and dished 4 assists, and CAMERON ROBERTS, who came off the bench for 5 points, including one 3.

The Eagles buried the Vaqueros 46-25 in the middle two quarters. Lewis scored 19 of his points during those periods, while Miller had 11.

MICHAEL OVERSON scored 5 of his team-best 11 points in the final period for El Capitan.

MICHAEL LANDIS had 5 assists for the Vaqueros to go with 6 points.

Granite Hills scoring: Andre Lewis 23 (5 reb, 5 ast, 4 stl), Dean Miller 17 (6 reb, 3 stl, 2 blk), Aaron Harris 16 (10 reb), Kyle Snyder 6, John Montes 4 (5 reb, 4 ast), Cameron Roberts 5, Ronnie Von Hagen 3, Jason Gaines 1.

El Capitan scoring: Michael Overson 11 (5 reb), Jon Molzen 7 (5 reb, 3 stl), Michael Landis 6 (2 reb, 5 ast, 2 stl), Jake Zawlacki 6, Robert Craighead 4 (2 reb), Armon Worrell 4 (2 reb, 2 stl), Will Radasa 3, Andrew Cable 3 (3 reb, 2 ast), James Luck 2 (2 reb).

MONTE VISTA 55, WEST HILLS 39 – Talk about two teams that will have a lot to say about who wins their respective league championships… Monte Vista and West Hills certainly fit the bill.

Neither team figures to be cast in the favorite’s role. But then you can’t count either one of them out. Sounds like a matter of consistency.

GEOFF HARTMAN, a 6-foot-4 senior, led the Monarchs past the Wolf Pack in Tuesday’s (Jan. 13) last game of the Grossmont North-South Tournament game, scoring 22 points, hauling in 10 rebounds, blocking 3 shots and recording 4 steals.

“Geoff Hartman was his typical self tonight,” said Monte Vista coach JAMES CARROLL of one of the leading candidates for GSL Player of the Year. “He excelled on both ends of the floor.”

Hartman hit 9 of 20 shots from the field, including a pair of 3s.

Monte Vista (9-7) forced the visiting Wolf Pack into catch-up mode by taking a 32-18 halftime lead.

“We made a good run against them early,” said Carroll. “TRENT WATKINS hit two 3s for us in the 1st quarter to get us going.”

TONY JACKSON turned in another solid effort on the boards for Monte Vista, collecting 10 caroms and blocking one shot.

ALVIN MERRIWEATHER pitched in with 5 steals and 6 points for the Monarchs.

GARRETT CABRAL paced West Hills with 13 points and 5 rebounds.

LUCAS ARMSTRONG scored 11 points and shared team-high rebounding honors with KYLE McLAUGHLIN at 8. Armstrong also had dished 4 assists, 3 steals and 3 blocks.

West Hills made one last ditch challenge, cutting the Monarchs’ lead to 6 points early in the 4th quarter.

“I was happy with our defensive effort tonight,” said Carroll. “We really dug in and put forth a strong effort in the 4th.”

Monte Vista scoring: Geoff Hartman 22 (10 reb, 3 ast, 3 blk, 4 stl), Trent Watkins 8 (2 reb, 4 ast, 1 blk), Tony Jackson 6 (10 reb, 2 ast, 1 blk), Alvin Merriweather 6 (5 stl), Aaron Burns 5 (2 reb), Derwin Petteway 4 (2 reb),Richard Whitfield 2 (2 reb), Corey Parrish 2 (2 ast), Brandon Tillet (2 reb, 3 ast), Anthony Dotson (2 reb, 2 stl).

West Hills scoring: Garrett Cabral 13 (5 reb, 2 ast), Lucas Armstrong 11 (8 reb, 4 ast, 3 blk, 3 stl), Ryan Bozelle 5 (2 ast, 2 stl), Kellen Johnson 4 (6 reb, 2 ast, 2 stl), Chase Senter 2 (2 ast), Kyle Navarre 2 (4 reb), Kyle McLaughlin 2 (8 reb).

© East County Sports.com
SANTEE (1-13-09) — A busy, difficult week for the Santana Sultans started on a high note after SEAN DOYLE came off the bench to register 14 points and 8 rebounds, in Monday's (Jan. 12) 57-50 non-league decision over visiting Sweetwater.

CHRIS SODERGREN and DAVID THRALL added 10 points each for the Sultans (11-5), who mounted a 17-point lead late in the first half, then staved off a Red Devils rally in the fourth quarter to win for the third time in their last four outings.

"Our younger players came up and hit some shots," said Sodergren, who grabbed 9 rebounds and blocked a pair of shots. "We have a young team, but Sean Doyle and I ended up having a really good game at the posts."

Santana broke open a close contest with a late surge by scoring on its final three possessions of the first period.

Leading 9-8, MATT LUCIUS drilled a 3-point goal, MATT GOMEZ drove the lane for a layin, then a steal and long pass by TREY BASS led to a Lucius layin while bring fouled for a 3-point play with just one second remaining.

Bass later sank a 3-point shot in the second period, pushing the advantage to 33-16 before Santana substituted liberally to get ready for a difficult stretch this week prior to next week's Grossmont North League opener.

"We're going against some of the No. 1 teams in San Diego," Sodergren added. "We're going against Helix (on Tuesday), then we're going up to Ramona to get a good playoff atmosphere."

"I feel we can go anywhere. We have a lot of talent on this team, so we have a really good chance to come out and get a good start in league," added the senior center. "Sure, I think it's us (to win league), but Grossmont has a really good shooting team and El Cajon (Valley) can pretty much go anywhere depending on who shows up to play."

Keyed by guard Nathanial Cobb (17 points), who hit consecutive treys, the Red Devils (6-7) crawled to within 53-48 with 1:45 remaining. However, the Sultans went 4-for-4 from the foul line in the final minute.

"We're really trying to work on some up-tempo stuff, but being smart about what we call 'push-to-pull,'" said Sultans coach TIM BARRY. "If we don't have a shot off the transition or the ball doesn't go to the post, we pull it out."

"We got caught a little bit on that in the third quarter, so we rotated a lot of players in and out because we had a distinct size advantage."

Bass finished with the most consistent numbers, coming off the bench to post 6 points along with 5 assists, 5 steals and 5 boards.

Santana scoring: Sean Doyle 14 (8 reb), David Thrall 10, Chris Sodergren 10 (9 reb, 2 blk, 2 ast), Matt Lucius 7 (3 stl), Bradley Kline 6 (3 ast), Trey Bass 6 (5 ast, 5 reb, 5 stl), Matt Gomez 4 (4 reb).

© East County Sports.com
EL CAJON (1-11-09) — At least Foothills Christian basketball coach BRAD LEAF finally gained some supporters from fellow Citrus South League coaches, who no longer blame him for his ballclub's return to the small-school circuit.

"I was talking to the San Diego Academy coach about it before the game," said Leaf, who transferred the program into an independent role last season before the CIF-San Diego Section office deemed that all playoff participants must be part of a league. "Maybe we should blame (commissioner) Dennis Ackerman for this."

"This" being another in a series of an anticipated 10 consecutive knockouts by the Knights over the other five Citrus South programs – the latest being Saturday's (Jan. 10) second 97-40 TKO which saw the Knights mount a 91-20 lead through three periods before the running-clock rule was initiated to defeat the Cavaliers for the second time this week. The two routs came by a combined count of 176-79 against what is supposed to be the league's second-best team.

Defending county scoring champion TROY LEAF added to his career totals with 34 points, burying 14-of-21 shots, including six from 3-point range. Meanwhile, KALOB HATCHER, better known for gaining on the CIF career assists and steals charts, posted 19 points and 16 assists.

A key component to the supporting cast has been senior forward BRANDON HALE, who matched his second-highest scoring output of the season with 10 points.

Hale, like his teammates, are disappointed facing non-competitive opponents which could hinder the team's development for postseason action.

"Our whole starting five played pretty well tonight, plus MIKE (WNEK) coming off the bench did good," said Hale. "But we need to work on our defense -- that's what we need to focus on most."

When you build leads of 29-5 and 57-15 after the first two periods, it's hard to believe there are any phases to the Knights’ game that need much fine-tuning.

"And they're one of the better teams in the conference," added Hale. "Pretty much, we just need to play as hard as we can every game to keep the flow so when we get into the playoffs and play these tougher teams, we'll be ready to play."

Added Troy Leaf, "We're just trying to get through conference and try to stay healthy, but play hard. Every time you step onto the court, you have to play hard."

Leaf, who fell just two points shy of his season best, now owns 1,976 career points, moving another step closer to become just the 12th player in section history to reach the 2,000-point plateau.

San Diego Academy (5-2, 0-2), which is undefeated sans its pair of setbacks to Foothills, received a team-high 15 points from senior Kephraim Kangjanaphumchai.

Foothills Christian scoring: Troy Leaf 34 (9 reb, 4 ast), Kalob Hatcher 19 (16 ast, 6 stl), Jvonte Brooks 16 (15 reb, 5 stl), Brandon Hale 10, Daniel Labahn 7, Mike Wnek 6, Sal Romeri 3, Ryan Smith 2.

MOUNT MIGUEL 79, BONITA VISTA 73 – Harry Brazelton punched in 26 points and Anthony Stanford added 19 to lead Mount Miguel past Bonita Vista in Saturday’s (Jan. 10) Eastlake Challenge.

Mount Miguel scoring: Harry Brazelton 26, Anthony Stanford 19, Johnny Norton 12, Rudy Burruel 11, Yuel Hagos 4, Donte Allen 4, Keith Houston 3. No other information reported.

© East County Sports.com
EL CAJON (1-10-09) — East County scoring leader DEAN MILLER of Granite Hills faced several obstacles, leaving him without a single point following the first quarter of Friday's (Jan. 9) Grossmont North-South Tournament contest against visiting West Hills.

"Basically, they had one guy follow me around the whole time, then had someone else double-team me depending on which side of the court I was on to make sure I didn't get the ball," said Miller. "It was tough to get the offense going with 2-or-3 guys on you all the time, but it opened up a lot of open shots for the other guys."

So Miller, who finished with just two baskets all night, found another way.

"I just tried to get to the line and not look to shoot 3s as much as usual," he noted. "I was just trying to get some easy points at the (foul) line."

The result was a perfect 12-for-12 outing at the foul line as part of Miller's team-high 16 points, the exact margin of victory in the Eagles' 64-48 verdict over the Wolf Pack.

Miller's perfect dozen from the foul line is the school's best effort since JON TENNEY established the East County record (16-for-16) against Mt. Carmel on Dec. 30, 1985. The CIF-San Diego Section mark is 22-for-22 by former Serra guard La'Shard Anderson, who now plays for Boise State.

While Miller was denied the basketball, other members of the Eagles picked up the slack. AARON HARRIS registered 6 of his 13 points in the first quarter to keep Granite Hills in front early, then ANDRE LEWIS tallied 7 of his 13 points in the second quarter to extend the lead to 33-17 by halftime.

"We knew they would come at us with a zone, but we executed well against it," added Lewis, a junior guard who also matched his season average with 5 steals to maintain his East County lead. "And Dean had a great game -- he always has a great game."

The pressure forced 20 West Hills turnovers and a series of easy chances on the other end of the court.

"I knew I could put pressure on their guards," noted Lewis. "While Aaron was amazing with the rebounds."

Harris barely stands an even 6-foot tall, but battled the big fellas inside all night. He finished with a game-high 12 rebounds, as the Eagles claimed a near 2-to-1 advantage on the boards.

"We did well on the glass," noted Miller. "RONNIE VON HAGEN has been coming up big with a lot of boards, and most people don't think Aaron can get a lot of boards because he is tiny, but he goes up and gets boards like no other."

Von Hagen finished with six boards, but his 5-for-5 shooting from the floor netted him a season-high 10 points.

For West Hills, senior GARRETT CABRAL made it a one-man comeback effort, scoring 17 of his game-high 21 points in the second half. But with no one else able to contribute, Granite Hills was able to build a 24-point lead before clearing the bench.

Granite Hills scoring: Dean Miller 16 (9 reb), Aaron Harris 13 (12 reb, 3 stl), Andre Lewis 13 (5 stl), Ronnie Von Hagen 10 (6 reb), Kyle Snyder 9, Parker Dow 2, John Montes 1 (7 reb).

West Hills scoring: Garrett Cabral 21, Adrian Maraziti 8, Mike Lifgren 5, Kyle McLaughlin 4 (8 reb, 2 blk), Lucas Armstrong 4 (4 reb), Ryan Bozelle 3 (5 ast, 3 stl), Kyle Navarre 2 (2 stl), Chase Senter 1 (4 reb).

GROSSMONT 55, STEELE CANYON 53 – If there is one thing that Grossmont and Steele Canyon have in common it’s the ability to turn in a photo finish. In Friday’s (Jan. 9) Grossmont North-South Tournament it was a typical ending.

JEBARI ROBINSON hit back-to-back 3-pointers to pull host Steele Canyon into a 53-53 deadlock with 28 seconds remaining.

The Foothillers, however, used their defense to decide the issue as senior guard FELIPE VALDEZ made a steal and game-winning layup with 2.5 seconds on the clock.

“Their guy drove toward the basket from the left and I came in from the opposite side and took it, and after that it was a layup throw,” Valdez said.

Steele Canyon (6-10) was given a reprieve when the officials made a questionable call as the buzzer sounded. It involved the Cougars’ Robinson, who was knocked down by a pair of Foothillers defender just inside the half-court line.

Even though it was only Grossmont’s 5th team foul of the half, and Robinson lay face down on the court, the officials ruled it a shooting foul. Grossmont coach FRANK FOGGIANO was in virtual shock over the call when Robinson was awarded two free throw shots.

So angry was Foggiano that he walked almost to midcourt to plead his case, and the officials slapped him with a technical foul.

So here’s the scenario: No time remaining, the Foothillers leading by 2, and Robinson had a chance to put in three free throws – which would have swung the victory to Steele Canyon. No pressure here…

Robinson missed the technical foul shot, and then failed to hit the front end of the one-and-one. Game over.

“I just couldn’t believe that last foul call,” said a calmer Foggiano after the game. “It was unbelievable. We were trying to give the foul, but when they called it a shooting foul and the guy was on the ground, it’s just hard for me to believe. A poor call like that could have cost us the game.”

ALEX ORTIZ scored 12 of his 18 career-high points in the final quarter to help Grossmont improve to 8-8. He was 7-for-10 from the floor, including 4 treys.

“I guess I was just feeling it – shooting ‘em and hitting ‘em,” Ortiz said, “Felipe Valdez and DESEAN WATERS were driving and that left me wide open outside. So they kicked it out to me and I was able to make the shots. I think I’m getting better every game – it’s a confidence thing.”

Valdez hit 7 of 12 shots from the floor and 5 of 9 free throws for a career-high 20 points.

“Like our coach says, it’s all about finishing,” Valdez said. “I don’t think of myself as an outside shooter or a layup guy. I’m just a team player. I try to just do what it takes to make the team win.”

Robinson, who hit 9 of 22 shots from the field, including 4 treys, scored a game-best 22 points. He also had 9 rebounds.

JOSIAH SMITH hit 5 of 11 shots from the floor for 10 points to go along with 12 rebounds for the Cougars.

Probably the most glaring edge between the two teams was at the free throw line. The Foothillers made 6 of 14, while Steele Canyon made only 1 of 9 from the charity stripe.

“Grossmont made some shots that I don’t think they could make every night,” said Steele Canyon coach DEREK STEPHENS. “It’s frustrating because we’ve been in so many close games and we haven’t won one.”

Both teams were playing without key players. Grossmont’s leading scorer, JACOB HAAR and senior starter BILLY GANGE were sidelined with injuries. Steele Canyon ’s top inside player, CAMERON MOSS, was on a recruiting trip to Dartmouth University.

Grossmont scoring: Felipe Valdez 20 (2 reb, 3 stl, 3 ast), Alex Ortiz 18 (3 reb, 2 stl), Desean Waters 7 (5 reb, 3 ast), Robbie Nesovic 6 (6 reb, 5 stl, 2 ast), Clayton Rainey 4 (6 reb, 3 ast), Aaron Griffin (2 reb).

Steele Canyon scoring: Jebari Robinson 22 (9 reb, 2 ast, 2 stl), Josiah Smith 10 (12 reb, 1 blk, 2 stl), Kaptan Kaster 8 (2 reb, 2 ast), Jeff Reid 4 (3 reb), Cameron Hubbard 4, Zane Keith 3 (4 reb), Eric Gilbert 2 (7 reb, 2 ast).

CHRISTIAN 41, MADISON 39 – No matter where Madison ’s defenders looked, they usually saw Christian junior point guard LUIZ BIDART doing something offensive during the Patriots Central League home opener Friday (Jan. 9) at the Ryan Athletic Center.

The game came down to a call at the end. With 13 seconds left the Patriots (9-5) tied the score at 39-39.

Madison took a shot with 6 seconds remaining and Christian blocked it.

The 6-foot-2 Bidart retrieved the ball and passed it STEVEN PITTS, who – with 2 seconds remaining – went up for a short jumper and missed.

No problem. Bidart was there to tip in the game-winning basket at the buzzer.

“Everyone thought the game was over,” Christian assistant coach JOEL ALLEN said. “ Madison wanted to go to overtime, but the referees said no and called it a game. Madison just came off a triple overtime loss to Coronado so they really wanted this game.”

Bidart, who is averaging more than 26 points a game, accounted for 32 of the Patriots points against Madison. He nailed a pair of 3s and was 10-of-12 from the free throw line.

“Luiz is getting the most quiet 32 points ever,” Allen said. “He’s knocking down his free throws at about 85 percent. He’s getting to the line 10 to 15 times a game. He’s incredibly unselfish and actually takes less shots than we’d like. He’s just a great leader.”

Christian scoring: Luiz Bidart 32 (3 reb), Jake Larsen 4, Tyrone Sauls 2, Taylor Eichhorst 2 (4 reb), Ronnie Richards 1, Steven Pitts (5 reb, 2 stl).

KEITH JACKSON, the Norsemen’s third-year coach, doesn’t pooh-pooh the notion, but won’t come out and claim it a sure thing.

“It’s like our kids say – we are in ‘Beast Mode,’” Jackson said. “It’s nice to see our kids play so hard on defense.”

The Valhalla beast posed a punishing defense. In slamming the door on El Capitan ’s offense, the Norsemen have held their last three foes to an average of 34.3 points per game.

Senior TREVOR CAHOON was the spearhead to the Valhalla defense. Jackson praised the work of the 6-foot-3 Cahoon on El Capitan ’s 6-4 JON MOLZEN (7 points, 8 rebounds).

“Cahoon is really embracing his role as a defensive player for us,” Jackson said. “He’s become our shut-down guy.”

Another pleasing facet to Valhalla ’s game was its outside shooting. The Norsemen nailed 7 of 12 shots from above the arc. AUSTEN SUHAY and STEVEN KLEIST each hit a pair of treys.

“Before this game I don’t think we had made more than a dozen three-pointers for the whole season,” Jackson said. “Honestly, it’s not really our strength.”

Valhalla (9-6) prefers to live inside the paint. KYLE KRIEBEL brushed away the Vaqueros’ defensive efforts with 18 points on 7 of 13 shooting from the floor and 6-of-10 free throw marksmanship. JOSH AUSTELL added 11 rebounds and 4 blocks.

The sure-handed Suhay cashed in 13 points along with 4 assists and 5 steals for Valhalla.

Molzen landed 8 rebounds and JAKE ZAWLACKI grabbed 7 ricochets for the Vaqueros (8-8).

MICHAEL OVERSON led El Capitan with 10 points.

Valhalla scoring: Kyle Kriebel 18 (12 reb, 5 ast, 2 blk), Austen Suhay 13 (4 ast, 5 stl), Trevor Cahoon 9 (2 ast, 1 blk, 3 stl), Steven Kleist 6, Josh Austel 5 (11 reb, 4 blk), David Zetts 5, Tyler Curry 3, Jevan Georges 2, Jordan Cunningham 1, Evie Alcantar (1 blk).

El Capitan scoring: Michael Landis 10, Michael Overson 6 (4 reb), Jon Molzen 7 (8 reb, 2 ast, 3 stl), Jake Zawlacki 5 (7 reb, 1 blk), Johnathan Kulp 2 (2 reb), Armon Worrell 2 (2 reb, 2 ast), Robert Craighead 2, Andrew Cable 2.

SANTANA 45, CLAIREMONT 41 – Playing for the first time since Dec. 23 – a 17-day stretch – the Sultans mustered up enough firepower to clip host Clairemont in a non-league game Friday’s (Jan. 9).

Santana (10-5) jumped out to a 16-2 lead in the 1st quarter.

“We hit four 3s within the first 5 minutes of the game,” said Santana coach TIM BARRY, noting that is pretty decent shooting for a team that hasn’t played for nearly three weeks.

For the game, Santana nailed eight treys – half of them by MATT GOMEZ. TREY BASS also buried a pair of 3-pointers as did BRADLEY KLINE.

“Clairemont runs the shot clock down – they are pretty methodical in their approach to the game,” Barry said. “We pretty much had control of the game throughout. We had a double-digit lead most of the game until the last minute and a half, then I was worried a little bit.”

Santana scoring: Matt Gomez 12 (2 reb), Chris Sodergren 11 (8 reb, 2 ast), Trey Bass 10 (8 reb), Bradley Kline 6 (5 ast, 2 stl), Sean Doyle 4 (5 reb, 2 ast), David Thrall 2 (4 reb).

SERRA 79, MOUNT MIGUEL 49 – Six Conquistadors scored in double figures, as the Q's raced to a 46-19 lead by halftime to post the road victory in Spring Valley.

Mount Miguel scoring: Anthony Stanford 11, Harry Brazelton 10, Yuel Hagos 8, Donte Allen 8, Bryant Mitchell 3, Johnny Norton 3, O'Dessa Sharps 2, Keith Houston 1, Rudy Burruel 1.

© East County Sports.com
LA MESA (1-8-09) — In a battle of last year’s Grossmont Conference champions – both teams finished 20-8 with Grossmont winning the North League and Helix claiming the South title – Wednesday’s (Jan. 7) Grossmont North-South Tournament contest was a true duel until the final quarter.

Helix (8-5), which has won 11 of the past 14 GSL crowns, came from behind to flog the Foothillers, 56-43.

For three quarters, it looked as though Grossmont might deal the Highlanders 32 minutes of frustration. The visiting Foothillers (7-8), the kings of the close calls this season, took a 36-35 edge into the final eight minutes.

It was all about Helix in 4th quarter, however, as the Highlanders generated a 21-7 scoring splash to post their 8th victory in 10 games.

“We did a good job in the 4th quarter,” Helix coach JOHN SINGER said. “It’s kinda our mantra – when we play defense we’re a pretty good team. I told our kids at halftime we’re going to win this on defense, not scoring.”

Balanced scoring at that.

JAYLEN LINSON 10 points (7 rebounds) and SAM MEREDITH (10 points) carried the load for the Highlanders, who also received 13 rebounds and 9 rebounds from LEVINE TOILOLO.

“I thought Sam Meredith did a great job, especially in the 2nd half when Toilolo had four fouls by halftime,” Singer said. “But then Sam had two 3-point plays in the 4th quarter.”

Those who know Singer realize the discussion always returns to the defensive end.

Singer had reason to boast about the job Linson did on Grossmont’s 6-foot-5 junior forward JACOB HAAR, who came into the game averaging more than 14 points per contest. Linson served Haar up a donut.

Guards FELIPE VALDEZ and DESEAN WATERS kept the Foothillers in the game as they combined for 23 points.

“Grossmont played very well early,” Singer said. “Those two guards kinda hurt us early. We did a much better job in the 2nd half. I think we wore them down a little bit.”

Helix scoring: Jaylen Linson 10 (7 reb, 3 ast, 2 stl, 1 blk), Sam Meredith 10 (3 reb, 2 blk), Joubert Ballard 9 (2 ast, 2 stl), Levine Toilolo 9 (13 reb, 3 stl), Darien Peterson 6 (3 ast), Tommie Young 6 (3 reb, 4 ast), Erick Darnell 3 (5 reb), Dimitar Topalov 3 (5 reb).

Grossmont scoring: Desean Waters 12, Felipe Valdez 11, Clayton Rainey 9, Robbie Nesovic 6, Alex Ortiz 5.

EL CAJON VALLEY 48, MONTE VISTA 45 – For all but the final quarter it appeared that El Cajon Valley was going to send another long-time nemesis deeper into the loss column with relative ease in Wednesday’s (Jan. 7) Grossmont North-South Tournament.

El Cajon Valley was up by 4 points with 6.1 seconds left in the game, but the visiting Monarchs (8-7) refused to go down without a fight.

TRENT WATKINS hit a trey – his only bucket of the game – to pull the Monarchs within one point. He was fouled on the shot, but missed the free throw that would have tied it.

The Braves’ DOMINIC DOVE flew to the boards to grab the rebound and passed the ball to JESSE DAMMAN, who was fouled with 1.6 seconds remaining.

Damman made both free throws – his only points in the game – to extend El Cajon Valley’s advantage to 48-45.

“We played good defense for three quarters, but Monte Vista stormed back in the 4th quarter,” Braves coach JIM GLEBOFF said.

Monte Vista ’s top gun GEOFF HARTMAN scored a season high 28 points and pulled down 11 rebounds to pace the Monarchs.

“Hartman played another great game – he does it all for us,” Monte Vista coach JAMES CARROLL said.

Hartmann’s game stretched beyond his offensive contributions. He shut down the Braves scoring machine JORDAN SHIVERS, holding him to 4 points in the second half. Shivers had pilfered the Monarchs for 15 points in the first half.

Gleboff added praise for RAYLONDO FORD and ANTHONY USSERY.

“Ford was outstanding tonight, and Ussery did a real good job of running the show for us with 9 assists,” Gleboff said.

El Cajon Valley scoring: Jordan Shivers 19 (7 reb), Raylondo Ford 13, Dominic Dove 7 (7 reb), Anthony Ussery 3 (7 reb, 9 ast, 2 blk, 3 stl), Jesse Damman 2, Kendall Conley 2, Devin Lesch 2.

Monte Vista scoring: Geoff Hartman 28 (11 reb, 2 ast, 2 blk, 3 stl), Tony Jackson 10 (11 reb, 3 ast, 1 blk, 2 stl), Trent Watkins 3, Alvin Merriweather 2 (2 reb, 3 stl), Aaron Burns 2 (4 reb), Richard Whitfield (2 ast).

VALHALLA 55, WEST HILLS 32 – No one is going to cast Valhalla in the favorite’s role when the Grossmont South League season begins late next week. But the Norsemen aren’t concerned by what the pundits say. They just want to win basketball games.

KYLE KRIEBEL put together a solid double-double of 16 points and 15 rebounds in Wednesday’s (Jan. 7) Grossmont North-South Tournament clash at West Hills, helping Valhalla (8-6) post its fifth win in the last six games.

JOSH AUSTEL was also a force inside the paint, pouring in 11 points, ripping off 10 rebounds and blocking 7 shots.

“Kyle and Josh had a great inside game tonight,” said Valhalla coach KEITH JACKSON. “They both did a real good job contesting for baskets.”

The visiting Norsemen outscored West Hills (6-9) in every quarter, starting with a 13-6 run in the opening frame.

“There was a 5½ to 6 minute stretch where we held West Hills to 6 points,” Jackson said. “They did some good things to get us out of our rhythm but our guys stepped up.”

“In the 3rd quarter and the beginning of the 4th we really played strong defense,” added Jackson, noting that the Wolf Pack could muster but 14 points in the final 16 minutes.

Senior guard AUSTEN SUHAY did another quality job quarterbacking the Norsemen.

“Suhay is doing what it takes for the team to win – he gets the ball into other people’s hands,” Jackson said. “He plays it cool. You couldn’t ask for a more selfless guy. If an opportunity comes to him he’ll take it.”

“EVIE ALCANTAR started tonight and had a good night. He hit the first 3-pointer of the game. He did a good job when he got the chance.”

GARRETT CABRAL paced the Wolf Pack with 13 points.

Valhalla scoring: Kyle Kriebel 16 (15 reb, 2 ast, 3 blk), Josh Austel 11 (10 reb, 7 blk, 2 stl), Evie Alcantar 11 (1 blk), David Zetts 6 (1 blk), Austen Suhay 5 (3 reb, 5 ast, 4 stl), Jordan Cunningham (2 reb, 2 blk, 2 stl), Trevor Cahoon 6 (3 stl),

West Hills scoring: Garrett Cabral 13, Ryan Bozelle 5, Chase Senter 5, Lucas Armstrong 3, Mike Lifgren 3, Adrian Maraziti 3.

FOOTHILLS CHRISTIAN 79, SAN DIEGO ACADEMY 39 – After winning 19 of 20 games (on court) in their first two seasons fielding a basketball team, the dominant Knights went the independent route last season, only to be forced back into the Citrus South League when the CIF-San Diego Section mandated that all teams must participate in a league in order to qualify for postseason action.

And with no takers from stronger leagues throughout the county, Foothills Christian (11-4 overall) began its anticipated 10-game sweep past five CSL challengers, downing the squad with the best preseason record in a rout of over the National City based Cavaliers.

How bad was this one?

Well, the 6th-ranked Knights saw several junior varsity players see court action as early as the first period, with the CIF-mandated running clock (after a team takes a 40-point lead) initiating in the third period, rather than the fourth quarter according to the rule book. There were no complaints from either side.

Injured freshman guard STEVEN "Stevie" McELROY received some minutes just to see if he was able to run, while senior TRAVIS WOLFE -- better known for his exploits on the football field -- saw action in just his second career game.

"The starters all got in about 15 minutes tonight," noted assistant coach JAMES McHUGH. "The clock ran in the third quarter except when the game dropped below a 40-point lead, even though that is only supposed to happen in the fourth quarter."

KALOB HATCHER registered 20 assists, falling one short of the East County record (CHRIS GAGNE, West Hills, 1999 vs. El Cajon Valley) and two shy of the CIFSDS mark (John McCartney, Lincoln, 1990 vs. San Diego). By the half, when Foothills carried a 51-18 lead into the locker room, Hatcher gained 15 of his assists.

For his career, Hatcher now owns 720 assists, third all-time in the San Diego Section after passing Archie Robinson of Lincoln Prep (714 from 1990-93)

Hatcher also collected five steals, also moving him into third place on the career list, skipping past Rico Rucker (402 from 2001-04) while playing for both The Bishop's and USDHS.

"I would really hope that someone from the CIF will come out and watch one of these (league) games," added McHugh. " San Diego Academy is the second-best team in our league, and things are only going to get worse from here."

JVONTE BROOKS posted 18 points and 18 rebounds, while TROY LEAF tallied 31 points on 14-for-18 shooting from the floor.

The Cavaliers (5-1, 0-1 CSL) received a team-high 10 points from Richard McWilliams, while Kephraim Kangjanaphumchai added 9 points, 3 assists and 3 steals.

"San Diego Academy is a team of great character," added McHugh. "When you enter the gym, you know they are doing something right at that school. Their kids all have great attitudes and they really make a fun environment for their team."

"A big downfall is that not every team is like SDA when it comes to these league games."

As for future CSL contests, the other four teams own a combined mark of 4-20 entering Wednesday's (Jan.7) action, including a pair of winless ballgames.

Foothills Christian scoring: Troy Leaf 31 (7 stl, 4 ast), Jvonte Brooks 18 (18 reb, 6 blk, 4 stl), Kalob Hatcher 9 (20 ast, 5 stl), Mike Wnek 7, Brandon Hale 7, Henry Luschei 4, Ryan Smith 2, Daniel Labahn 1.

© East County Sports.com
MIRA MESA (1-7-09) — With leading scorer LUIZ BIDART seated on the bench with his fifth personal foul and the scored tied at Mira Mesa in Tuesday’s (Jan. 6) Central League opener, CHRISTIAN coach KELVIN STARR had to look for help elsewhere.

And he got it, leading to a 50-48 verdict over the Marauders.

STEVEN PITTS turned a steal and layup into his only basket of the game, putting the Patriots in front 48-46. Then TYRONE SAULS scored off an inbound play, staking the Patriots (8-5) to a four-point cushion.

“When Bidart fouled out, it became a pride issue for our other kids,” Christian assistant coach JOEL ALLEN said. “They really got after it.”

Bidart finished with 28 points, including 6-for-6 free throw shooting and a pair of 3-pointers. He also dished 3 assists.

“None of the kids on our team is jealous of Luiz,” Allen said. “They want him to score a bunch of points. They know that’s the best way we have of winning and we all know it.”

Christian scoring: Luiz Bidart 28 (3 ast), Tyrone Sauls 9 (4 reb), Taylor Eichhorst 8 (8 reb), Aaron Whitten 3, Steven Pitts 2 (3 stl).

© East County Sports.com
EL CAJON (1-6-09) — El Cajon Valley High already endured one spanking at the hands of Granite Hills, its Madison Avenue neighborhood rival, just a week ago. And now they were down by a whooping 29-9 count with just a minute left in the first half during Monday's (Jan. 5) Grossmont North-South Tournament opener.

This one was going to be even uglier than before.

"It was embarrassing," admitted Braves coach JIM GLEBOFF, who has seen his share on both sides of blowouts in a distinguished career. "But it was a weird game, too -- I couldn't really explain it."

However, El Cajon Valley did something rarely seen. Not only did they rally to take a late lead, they also held on when RAYLONDO FORD sank a game-winning foul shot with no time remaining to take a surprising 49-48 triumph.

An hour earlier, no one inside the Braves' gymnasium believed such a rally could occur.

"Frankly, we beat them pretty good last week (70-46), then we're up by 20 points late in the first half," noted Eagles coach RANDY ANDERSON. "But we stopped shooting and they played some pretty good defense."

Granite Hills scored the first 17 points of the second quarter to mount its huge advantage, although the Braves scored the final five points of the half. Still, a 29-14 intermission lead should be cashed into the victory column.

"El Cajon just got into a groove, while we couldn't do much of anything," added Anderson.

Leading the rally was senior JORDAN SHIVERS, who scored 17 of his team-high 20 points in the second half. After sitting out most of the first period because of flu-like symptoms, Shivers took care of business on the defensive side of the court before his scoring prowess kicked in.

"Jordan came in and covered DEAN MILLER, their top scorer," noted Gleboff. "And he did quite a job."

Miller finished with a season-low 7 points -- his first outing without reaching double figures all season -- on just a single 3-point basket on 1-for-12 shooting, plus four foul shots.

"Unlike our first game, once Jordan got on Miller, no one else was able to pick up the slack for them," Gleboff added. "And we had two guys going good with Shivers and A.J. USSERY."

Ussery poured in 16 points and recorded 5 assists, while DOMINIC DOVE limited Granite Hills from getting second chances, with 12 of his 13 rebounds coming in the second half.

The Braves outscored Granite Hills by a 39-14 count to forge a 5-point lead with less than three minutes remaining. However, the Eagles woke up in time to knot the contest, including a 3-point basket by guard AARON HARRIS to make it 48-all.

Harris paced both ballclubs with 22 points, including half of the Eagles' 8 treys. Teammate RONNIE VON HAGEN posted a career-high 19 rebounds.

Granite Hills then gained possession with 9 seconds left with a chance to still win, but were called for traveling, leaving the Braves with 5 seconds to create a tie-breaking play. On the inbounds pass, Ford took the ball and simply drove to the basket, getting fouled as time expired.

The referees ruled the foul occurred before the buzzer sounded, leaving Ford all alone along the key for a pair of foul shots. Nevertheless, he sank the first attempt for the victory and the Braves' 4th win in their last six starts.

El Cajon Valley scoring: Jordan Shivers 20 (5 reb), Anthony “A.J.” Ussery 16 (5 ast, 3 blk), Raylondo Ford 9 (3 ast), Dominic Dove 2 (13 reb), Devin Lesch 2.

Granite Hills scoring: Aaron Harris 22 (8 reb), Andre Lewis 9, Dean Miller 7 (5 reb, 2 blk), John Montes 5 (4 ast), Jason Gaines 3, Ronnie Von Hagen 2 (19 reb).

STEELE CANYON 74, EL CAPITAN 67 – The theme of teams rallying from double-figure deficits in the first half continued Monday (Jan. 5) at Foster Gym, as the visiting Cougars came back from a 34-22 hole to shock the Vaqueros in the teams' Grossmont North-South opener.

JOSIAH SMITH registered 14 of his 18 points in the second half to fuel the rally. He was one of four Cougars to score in double figures, while two others scored 9 points each in a balanced team effort.

The obvious differences in the first half came at the foul line and the Cougars' lack of interior defense.

At the stripe, both sides had 13 attempts, but El Capitan converted 11 times to a mere 4 for Steele Canyon. On the inside, the Vaqueros boxed out defenders, sealed them off on ball reversals, and gained lobs for a succession of easy buckets, taking a 40-30 lead at the intermission. Only twice all season had El Capitan tallied 30 or more points in the first half.

"That first half was rough, so at halftime, we got an inspiring talk from coach," said senior center CAMERON MOSS, utilizing basketball vernacular for getting read the Riot Act. "We came out soft and didn't play well on defense."

The Cougars took the "talk" from coach DEREK STEPHENS to heart, opening the second half on a 7-0 run.

KAPTAN KASTER (13 points) drilled a 3-point shot, then Smith scored on a steal for a breakaway layin, then a putback basket after an offensive rebound.

JEFF REID then capped a 26-15 third-quarter advantage by taking a feed from JEBARI ROBINSON (11 points, 8 assists) for a layin as time expired to grab the lead for keeps. The Cougars (6-9) then went 6-0 to open the fourth period to seal their 6th victory in nine starts after an 0-6 beginning to the season.

"We came back and played some good defense," said Reid on the comeback effort. "We played some help-defense and finished -- we played inspired."

El Capitan senior JON MOLZEN registered 9 of his game-high 19 points in the first quarter, reaching 15 points by the intermission. But when Steele Canyon decided to double-team him in the second half, no one was able to pick up the slack, as El Cap shot just 36 percent (10-for-28) while reaching the foul line just twice.

"Jon Molzen is a good player, so we came out and put some pressure on him and played help-defense on the backside to try to keep him from scoring," added Moss. "We just kept up the pressure with a 1-2-2 full-court press, which got us back into the game and eventually gave us the lead."

Molzen also posted 9 boards, 6 assists and 3 blocks in another solid effort. MICHAEL OVERSON added 13 points for the Vaqueros (8-7).

Steele Canyon scoring: Josiah Smith 18 (12 reb), Eric Gilbert 14, Kaptan Kaster 13 (5 ast), Jebari Robinson 11 (8 ast), Cameron Moss 9 6 reb, 3 blk), Jeff Reid 9 (3 stl).

El Capitan scoring: Jon Molzen 19 (9 reb, 6 ast, 3 blk), Michael Overson 13 (6 reb, 4 ast, 4 stl), Andrew Cable 10, Michael Landis 9, Armon Worrell 4, Robert Craighead 4, Jake Zawlacki 4, John Kulp 4.

MONTE VISTA 46, GROSSMONT 45 – Reserve guard JASON GUINTO scored more points against the Grossmont Foothillers in Monday’s (Jan. 5) Grossmont North-South Tournament game at Monte Vista than he had in all his previous games this season combined.

Not that the 5-foot-10 junior set any records with his 6-point effort, but he delivered the biggest shot of his career, giving the Monarchs (8-6) the victory.

Guinto hit a 15-foot jump shot with 6 seconds to play to stun the host Foothillers (7-7).

Monte Vista coach JAMES CARROLL said the game-winning play was designed to go to leading scorer GEOFF HARTMAN, but Guinto worked his way into the open.

“Guinto worked his way to the wing and made the shot,” said Carroll. “He came off the bench and played real well.”

ALVIN MERRIWEATHER saved the victory for Monte Vista when he stole an inbound pass with 2 seconds to play.

The steady Hartman led the Monarchs with 17 points, 9 rebounds, 4 assists, 4 steals and 2 blocks.

TONY JACKSON paced Monte Vista on the boards with 10 rebounds.

“We played outstanding man-to-man defense again,” said Carroll. “The players are really getting used to playing man defense and they really like it.”

Grossmont outscored the Monarchs 14-8 in the final period to take the lead, but let it slip away.

JACOB HAAR led the Foothillers with a game-high 18 points.

Monte Vista scoring: Geoff Hartman 17 (9 reb, 4 ast, 2 blk, 4 stl), Alvin Merriweather 8 (4 reb, 3 ast, 3 stl), Jason Guinto 6, Aaron Burns 5, Richard Whitfield 4 (4 stl), Tony Jackson 2 (10 reb, 2 ast, 1 blk, 2 stl), Trent Watkins 2 (5 ast), Kylie Luster 2 (4 reb, 2 blk).

Grossmont scoring: Jacob Haar 18, Desean Waters 7, Alex Ortiz 7, Clayton Rainey 6, Felipe Valdez 4, Robbie Nesovic 3.

© East County Sports.com
SAN MARCOS (1-4-09) — It was another big Saturday night (Jan. 3) for Christian junior guard LUIZ BIDART, who poured in 33 points to lead the visiting Patriots to a 59-24 non-league victory over host Christian Life Academy in North County.

It was the fifth straight victory for the Patriots (7-5).

Christian built a 31-8 halftime lead and never looked back.

Bidart, who is averaging more than 27 points per game, nailed a trio of three-pointers and missed just one of nine free throws. The 6-foot backcourt ace also dished 4 assists and snared 7 rebounds.

“He’s so unselfish,” Christian coach KELVIN STARR said of his premier guard. “We’d like to see Luiz shoot the ball more, but he is intent on distributing the ball to his teammates.”

Senior TAYLOR EICHHORST rolled a double-double of 10 points and 11 rebounds for Christian.

Christian next makes its debut in the Central League on Tuesday (Jan. 6) when the Patriots travel to Point Loma for a 4:45 p.m. opener.

Christian scoring: Luiz Bidart 33 (7 reb, 4 ast), Taylor Eichhorst 10, Jake Larsen 4, Mike Stowers 3, Steven Pitts 2 (6 reb), Aaron Whitten 2, Ronnie Richards 2, Erick Allen 2, Tyrone Sauls 1.

SD-SOUTHWEST 65, WEST HILLS 55 – Wolf Pack coach JEFF ARMSTRONG probably thought Saturday night’s (Jan. 3) non-league game might make a nice tune-up for the start of Grossmont Conference North-South play next week.

And, for the first half, it was as the Wolf Pack led 34-25.

West Hills’ defense went soft in the second half as the visiting Raiders (5-7) scored 40 points to turn an apparent defeat into a 10-point victory over the Wolf Pack (6-8).

The Raiders, who claimed a nightly 15-3 scoring edge from the free throw line, used a 21-8 fourth quarter run to down the Pack. Southwest’s Lawrence Degarcia, was rationed to 8 points in the first half and 24 for the game.

RYAN BOZELLE (13) and GARRETT CABRAL (11) paced the Wolf pack.

West Hills scoring: Ryan Bozelle 13, Garrett Cabral 11, Lucas Armstrong 8, Chase Senter 7, Mike Lifgren 7, Kyle Navarre 5, Kyle McLaughlin 2, Kellen Johnson 2.