Knights' CIF state dream
ends suddenly in overtime

© East County Sports.com
EL CAJON (3-14-10) — Not even a fast start could propel Foothills Christian past visiting Los Angeles Windward in Saturday’s (Mar. 13) Southern California Regional Division V semifinal at Granite Hills High.

The Knights (32-5) charged out to a 21-8 advantage in the first quarter, but couldn’t hold on as the Wildcats (26-8) clawed their way back for a 78-73 victory in overtime.

It was a biting defeat for Foothills Christian, which edged these same Wildcats 87-86 on a pair of last second free throws by KALOB HATCHER in a non-league game Feb. 6 at Granite Hills.

In the sudden death rematch Windward outscored the Knights 13-8 during the extra four-minute session to advance to the SoCal finals Saturday (Mar. 20) at Ontario’s Colony High.

For Foothills Christian, it was the final chapter in a season filled with precious memories.

At the top of the list was senior TROY LEAF’s becoming the San Diego CIF’s all-time leading scorer with 3,317 points in four seasons. That number lifts the UC Santa Barbara-bound Leaf into third place among the state’s most prolific scorers.

Hatcher’s brilliant career ended with him ranking as the all-time SDCIF assists leader with 1,207 scoring passes over his four-year career. Hatcher also landed a pair of 3-pointers giving him a career count of 287 – second highest in the section.

None of those marks seemed to matter when the curtain fell on Foothills Christian’s season. It was the third time in as many years that the Knights had reached the Division V semifinals only to be eliminated.

“We started the night well,” said assistant JAMES McHUGH. “We had a first quarter that was two sided. For one we took a great lead. The down side was JVONTE BROOKS picked up 3 fouls – 2 were more than questionable. The officiating was horrible all night, but it was horrible both ways so we didn't have that to blame.”

Despite the foul problems, the 6-foot-7 Brooks finished with 26 points and 19 rebounds.

Foothills led 33-28 at intermission.

“Our second half never felt good,” McHugh said. “We only attempted 3 threes in the 2nd half and overtime combined after hitting on 5 of 12 in the first half. Troy had a monster 1st quarter with 12 points including 4-for-4 free throws.”

Windward chipped away the Knights’ lead and in the 4th quarter finally tied it at 65-65.

“We were up 65-63 with 46.2 seconds to play,” McHugh noted. “Windward knocked the ball out of bounds and then the official from midcourt overruled the call and awarded the ball to Windward.”

That reversal allowed Windward to tie the game.

A Troy Leaf leaning shot missed with 4 seconds to play. For some reason, the clock was set to 5 seconds and Jordan Wilson found the back iron for Windward, sending the game into overtime.

“In overtime we never looked in sync, we turned the ball over 3 times,” McHugh said. “(Six-foot-6) freshman JAMAL AYTES, Leaf and Brooks and each had 4 fouls and Aytes eventually fouled out. And then it was all done.”

“It still doesn't feel real,” McHugh said. “I keep telling myself I'm going to wake up. We're going to go to practice tomorrow and get ready to play a big game. It's going to take awhile to get that dose of reality and realize this road has come to an end.”

“The saddest part is that we're not Windward, we're not Mater Dei or a program like that,” McHugh continued. “This was a once in a lifetime opportunity. This was the type of special group that won't come around again. I told myself I wouldn't cry about this game, but when I got home I just had to think back to days I would run a practice at the Boys and Girls club in El Cajon on a Monday morning and then think wow we really came this far.”

“It makes it hurt even more because you know it meant the world to these kids. It was special to me because this wasn't just a basketball program, it was our church, it was our school. It's been such an emotional ride I will always look back on with thanks.”

Foothills Christian: Jvonte Brooks 26 (19 reb, 1 ast), Troy Leaf 25 (4 reb, 4 ast, 2 blk, 3 stl), Kalob Hatcher 12 (2 reb, 6 stl, 6 ast), Jamal Aytes 7 (8 reb, 2 blk), Daniel LaBahn (2 reb), Dalton Mosser 3 (2 reb), Sal Romeri (1 stl).

Knights 'grill' Sierra Canyon

Taking a page from the San Diego Chargers’ fans, the Knights’ faithful conducted a pregame tailgate party in the Granite Hills High School parking lot. A couple of dozen fans were cooking hot dogs and eating potato salad until a Granite Hills official informed the group that such a function was not legal under Grossmont Union High School District by-laws.

None the less, the Knights brought the pregame heat to the court as they blazed past visiting Sierra Canyon of Chatsworth, 94-57, in Thursday’s (Mar. 11) Southern California Division V quarterfinals.

That victory – Foothills’ 15th straight – earned the Knights (32-4) a ticket to Saturday’s (Mar. 13) semifinal duel against Los Angeles Windward (25-8), also slated for Granite Hills High. Tipoff for this rematch is 7 p.m.

“That’s what we’ve been doing lately to get ready for these state games is go to the guy with the hot hand and feed off of him,” said Brooks, who also grabbed 16 rebounds and blocked 3 shots.

Senior guard KALOB HATCHER played one of his finest games, finishing with 21 points – the majority coming on his 6-for-12 shooting from above the arc. He also extended his all-time state record for assists with 11 scoring deliveries.

“We have to approach every game defensively,” Hatcher said. “If we dominate every game defensively we know our offense will be there to finish the job.”

Foothills Christian has no problem putting up points. Fact is the Knights average more than 84 points per contest.

While that is true, Brooks emphasized defense is the Knights’ ticket to the state Division V title.

“Coach Brad (LEAF) keeps stressing defense, defense,” Brooks confirmed. “They (Sierra Canyon) got 57, but we should have kept them in the 40s. We have to make our opponents work hard to get every basket they make.”

The Knights outscored the Trailblazers in all four quarters.

“If we play like we did tonight, we're on a road to somewhere great,” said Foothills Christian assistant coach JAMES McHUGH. “The hardest part about going forward is that we have to play like we did tonight. We run into some tough competition from here on out and no one will be surprised by us.”

Facing Windward for the second time this season will definitely be a war, however. The Knights snaked an 87-86 victory over the Wildcats last month as Hatcher sank two free throws with four-tenths of a second left in the game.

“I’m ready for round two,” Brooks said of the Knights’ rematch with Windward. “A lot of people said we won because of the refs. But we welcome a chance to play them again. We want to prove to everyone why we are here and why we beat them the first time.”

Four teams remain in the Division V fray including Foothills Christian, which owns victories over the other three entries.

“Windward has a beef for a lot of reasons so we know they will come to play,” McHugh said. “We beat them by a point, then they lost their championship game to (Orange) Lutheran on a buzzer beater, so you can bet they have something to prove. To top it all off, the seeding committee really dealt Windward a terrible card (which didn't help us at all either). Central Valley Christian wasn't ranked all year (yet was seeded No. 3).”

TROY LEAF produced 17 points and 8 rebounds for the Knights against Sierra Canyon (23-10).

“Our offense is fine,” said Leaf. “We need to tighten up our defense. That’s the key – whether our defense shows up. Our defense is so much better than it was at the beginning of the season. Still we cannot take any possession off. We have to play as hard as we can when our opponent has the ball. We cannot rest on defense and spend all our energy on offense.”

McHugh agrees.

“Our boys have pasted their names all over the section record book, but the only thing that means anything to them at this point is that # sign next to their team name (the sign for a state champion in the section record book),” McHugh said. “I know our boys would trade every record they have set to have that symbol next to the 2009-10 FCHS team in the record books.”

Foothills Christian: Jvonte Brooks 23 (16 reb, 2 ast, 3 blk, 1 stl), Kalob Hatcher 21 (3 reb, 11 ast, 5 stl), Troy Leaf 17 (9 reb, 5 ast, 3 blk, 4 stl), Jamal Aytes 16 (11 reb, 1 ast, 1 blk, 2 stl), Dalton Mosser 8 (2 reb, 1 ast), Daniel LaBahn 3 (2 reb, 1 ast), Sal Romeri 2 (4 reb), Henry Luschei 2 (3 reb), Jeremy LaBahn 2 (1 reb), Ian Mathisen (1 reb, 1 ast, 2 stl).

Knights Cheer Squad

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SPRING VALLEY (3-10-10) — Mount Miguel’s memorable season came to an end Tuesday night (Mar. 9) as the Matadors were eliminated by visiting Cerritos Gahr 75-66 in the opening round of the Southern California Regional Division III playoffs.

“We just couldn’t get over the hump,” Mount Miguel coach JAY ROWLETT said. “It was a one-point game in the third quarter when HARRY (BRAZELTON) picked up his 4th foul. They went on a 7-0 run and suddenly we were down by eight. We never mounted much of a challenge after that.”

Despite his foul woes, Brazelton managed to pour in a team-high 28 points. The hero of Saturday’s (Mar. 6) San Diego CIF championship game, Brazelton nailed 9 of 13 shots from the floor – one of them a 3-pointer. The 6-foot-2 senior was also 9 for 13 from the free throw line.

YUEL HAGOS punched in a trio of three-pointers and finished with 11 points for Mount Miguel (26-7).

“Yeah, we didn’t want our season to end this way,” Rowlett said. “But you can’t measure our success on just one game. We accomplished our three goals, which was to win more than 20 games, win our (Grossmont Valley) League and to win (the San Diego) CIF (Division III title).”

Mount Miguel: Harry Brazelton 28 (7 reb, 2 ast, 2 stl), Yuel Hagos 11 (2 reb, 1 stl), Bryant Mitchell 7 (8 reb, 1 ast, 1 stl), Jaymes Brazelton 6 (1 stl), JJ Norton 5 (1 reb, 6 ast, 3 stl), AJ Stanford 4 (6 reb, 2 ast, 2 stl), Marcus Booker 3 (2 reb, 2 ast, 2 stl), Thomas Butler 2 (1 reb).

© East County Sports.com
ALCALA PARK (3-7-10) — Earlier in the week, one of the most successful basketball teams in CIF San Diego Section history celebrated the 42-year anniversary of a perfect 33-0 season, capped when Mount Miguel defeated a powerful Helix ballclub led by a sophomore named BILL WALTON. The Matadors actually beat Grossmont League Helix three times that year.

Finally, it was the Matadors' turn once again to shine. And HARRY BRAZELTON was ready to seize the opportunity.

"I was prepared for something like this all my life – to be the one to win a championship," said Brazelton. "It's been so long for our school and then it's all on you."

Although the ending was controversial, Brazelton was fouled on a potential tie-breaking, 3-point shot. The debate was whether the clock had expired. However, the referees ruled Brazelton’s shooting hand was hammered a split-second before the buzzer, some 25 feet away from the basket.

Brazelton was awarded three free throw opportunities. He needed only one. The senior calmly stepped to the foul line and sank his first attempt, giving top-seeded Mount Miguel a 47-46 victory over La Jolla for the CIF Division III championship.

After Brazelton sank the winning foul shot, the officials quickly signaled the remaining free throws were moot and would not be taken as they ran off the court. Meanwhile, Brazelton was mobbed by teammates. A.J. STANFORD reached him first, lifting Brazelton in the air with a huge bear hug.

A school well-known for excellence in girls basketball, Mount Miguel’s boys basketball team now has that same giddy feeling which comes from winning.

"There's your San Diego boys coach of the year – JAY ROWLETT," offered Matadors girls coach ROBBIE SANDOVAL, who captured his 5th section title less than two hours earlier on the same court. "How could anyone else be even close after he took this program from the cellar to the championship."

In the recent past, the best the Matadors’ boys could offer were consecutive second-place finishes in the old Grossmont South League. But that was back in the 2000-01 and 2001-02 seasons. Since then, just a single first-division finish could be mustered by the Matadors.

Such a celebration seemed unlikely in the first half after La Jolla mounted an early lead which eventually reached double figures at 37-27 with 2:58 remaining in the third quarter. However, Matadors guard YUEL HAGOS fueled the comeback.

"I couldn't find my shooting range until I made my first free throw," said Hagos, who went on to drain a trio of long-range, 3-point shots in the second half. "Then I had the feeling again, just like when I practice taking 200 jump shots with my dad."

Although with the hot hand, Hagos was confident Rowlett made the correct choice in selecting Brazelton for the final shot.

"He got us here," Hagos added.

Standing near mid-court, running out the clock, Brazelton dribbled across the court to the front of the Mount Miguel bench, but nearly ran out of time when the Vikings attempted to double-team him. Brazelton was trapped but managed to lift his final shot. It traveled about 8 feet as he was sandwiched between two La Jolla defenders. But as the ball slipped down to the floor, the whistle sounded for a foul, all but ending a looming overtime session.

La Jolla was stunned by the call although Vikings coach Kamal Assaf, who was conciliatory about the play, told the media he believed the foul did occur before the horn sounded.

"They were preventing us from driving to the basket, and I like to drive and kick the ball out," noted Stanford. "But we were able to up the tempo in the second half and create some openings."

Brazelton and Hagos led the Matadors with 13 points apiece.

La Jolla senior Taylor Davis registered game-highs of 25 points and 12 rebounds.

The Final Play

Left: Mount Miguel's Harry Brazelton (23) rises for the game-winning, 3-point shot, but gets fouled by La Jolla's Jack Latta as the buzzer sounds. Middle: Brazelton, who received three foul shots, needs only one to break the tie. Right: Brazelton receives a huge bear hug from teammate A.J. Stanford after the Matadors won, 47-46, gaining their first CIF San Diego Section championship since 1968. (Photos by Ed Piper; click on photos for enlargement)

MATADORS STATISTICS MOUNT MIGUEL FGS 3FG FTS PTS REB AST STL T-O BLK 01 Hagos 4-9 3-7 2-2 13 2 0 0 2 0 04 Mitchell 3-3 0-0 0-2 6 4 0 1 1 1 10 Stanford 3-7 1-1 4-4 11 2 3 3 4 0 11 Norton 0-0 0-0 1-2 1 3 3 0 1 0 12 Booker 1-3 0-2 1-2 3 2 0 0 1 0 22 J.Brazelton 0-0 0-0 0-0 0 0 0 0 1 0 23 H.Brazelton 2-11 0-7 9-11 13 7 1 2 6 0 team 2 WOLF PACK 13-33 4-17 17-23 47 24 7 6 16 1 LA JOLLA FGS 3FG FTS PTS REB AST STL T-O BLK 01 Mills 1-5 1-4 2-2 5 2 1 1 4 0 02 Peterson 0-0 0-0 0-0 0 0 0 0 1 0 03 Greenberg 1-7 0-1 0-3 2 7 2 1 4 0 04 Walsh 1-9 0-3 0-0 2 2 1 1 0 1 05 Davis 8-13 1-3 8-9 25 12 0 1 1 0 14 Soumekh 1-3 0-0 0-0 2 5 3 1 0 1 21 Latta 5-9 0-3 0-0 10 4 2 1 3 0 22 Sebald 0-0 0-0 0-1 0 1 0 0 0 0 team 3 1 VIKINGS 17-46 2-14 10-15 46 36 9 6 14 2

As expected, Foothills Christian High won its fourth consecutive San Diego CIF Division V boys basketball title, matching the mark set by Horizon (1995-98).

On Friday (Mar. 5), the Knights disposed of Maranatha Christian in the title game for the third straight season, this time by a 79-57 count at USD’s Jenny Craig Pavilion.

There were cheers and shouts, along with plenty of embraces. But the players eye more lofty goals. Without sounding smug, the "real season" doesn't start until Tuesday (Mar. 9).

"We've been here before, but this was just a building block – we want a state championship."

The trek to Rabobank Arena in Bakersfield, site of the state finals in 10 divisions, begins with Southern California Regional play on Tuesday (Mar. 9). Foothills Christian (31-4), the state's top-ranked ballclub in the division, expects to host all games leading up to the Southern California championship game at Colony High in Ontario on Saturday (Mar. 20).

While Leaf did his damage from the outside, 6-foot-7 center JVONTE BROOKS once again out-dueled Maranatha center 6-foot-8 Chen Cai under the basket – 14 rebounds to 10 – for the second straight season. Cai claimed a narrow 27-25 scoring edge over Brooks, but the Knights’ post man did his scoring when the game was on the line.

Brooks connected early on when the Knights built a 34-21 halftime lead.

"We worked hard on Chen so we could get this victory," noted Brooks, who announced a tentative decision to attend Northfield Mount Hermon School, a prep school in Mount Hermon, Mass., next season.

Added point guard KALOB HATCHER, "Our game plan worked which was to slow down Chen. I know he finished with a lot of points but we did what we needed to. It’s great to win four (section titles) in a row. But it would be extra special to win state. That’s the goal we’ve had since the beginning of the season."

Foothills Christian’s defensive effort left Maranatha with just eight baskets in the first half, which aided the transition game.

"What we did on the defensive end of the court fed everything we do on offense," said Leaf. "Everyone did what they were supposed to do, so everything took care of itself.”

"We want to go out doing our best and right now we're playing our best."

Foothills Christian broke the game open with an 8-0 run to close the 1st quarter for an 18-9 cushion. Brooks scored six of those late 1st quarter points, including two baskets while being fouled on layins. For good measure he turned a steal into a breakaway layin.

Leaf caught fire in the second period with consecutive 3-point buckets, plus two free throws on a foul after sneaking inside to grab an offensive rebound.

In the fourth quarter the Knights exploded out of the gate with a 12-4 run to hike their advantage to 68-41. After that Foothills Christian coach BRAD LEAF pulled his starters and allowed his bench guys to finish the job.

Probably the unsung hero to direct the Knights’ record-breaking victory was senior guard Hatcher.

“We knew going in that we needed Kalob to have a solid game on defense,” said Knights assistant coach JAMES McHUGH. “He helped us contain (Maranatha’s David) Porter. That was important because their offense really all runs through Porter.”

Porter scored 12 points before fouling out in the 4th quarter.

“It was a great feeling to get that fourth straight title,” said McHugh. “Now things become a whole lot tougher because we all know there’s no tomorrow unless we win from here on out.”

Division V final: Foothills Christian 79, Maranatha 57

Upper Left: Senior point guard Kalob Hatcher leads the attack on offense. Lower Left: Senior center Jvonte Brooks (left) defends Maranatha's Chen Cai. Right: Senior guard Troy Leaf battles inside for an offensive rebound. (Photos by Ed Piper; click on photos for enlargements)

KNIGHTS STATISTICS FOOTHILLS CHRISTIAN FGS 3FG FTS PTS REB AST STL T-O BLK 01 Leaf 7-16 2-5 8-9 24 5 6 1 2 1 04 Mathisen 0-0 0-0 0-0 0 1 0 1 0 0 05 Aytes 3-5 0-0 2-4 8 5 1 2 1 1 12 D.LaBahn 1-2 1-1 0-0 3 1 0 1 0 0 13 Mosser 3-5 3-5 0-0 9 5 1 1 0 0 21 Luschei 0-0 0-0 0-0 0 1 1 0 0 0 22 Hatcher 3-12 2-6 0-0 8 2 8 3 4 1 30 Romeri 0-3 0-0 2-2 2 2 0 0 2 0 33 Brooks 11-12 0-0 3-8 25 14 2 3 2 0 team 4 WOLF PACK 28-55 8-17 15-23 79 40 19 12 11 3

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SPRING VALLEY (3-3-10) — It seemed rather ironic that former Mount Miguel coach ROBERT HOLM was in attendance at Tuesday’s (Mar. 2) San Diego CIF Division III semifinals against San Diego Southwest.

Holm and his wife Cindy were in town to handle personal business when they read that the Matadors were primed for one of the biggest games in their school history. So they stuck around for an extra day.

“When Bob saw that Mount Miguel was playing tonight in the semifinals, he wanted to come to the game,” Cindy said. “We had a lot of fun. It’s a lot different when you are sitting in the stands watching than on the bench coaching.”

Holm has coached at several venues – many of them while residing in Norway – since guiding the Matadors to the 1975 SDCIF finals.

No Mount Miguel boys’ basketball team has reached the section finals in the last 35 years. That is until coach JAY ROWLETT’s latest band of Matadors broke the spell by edging San Diego Southwest 51-48.

Mount Miguel will now meet La Jolla (20-10) for the Division III championship Saturday (Mar. 6) at the University of San Diego’s Jenny Craig Pavilion at 2:45 p.m.

“I’m so proud of our guys, doing what they’ve done so far this year,” said Rowlett, who received a brief post-game ‘atta boy’ from Holm after qualifying for the finals. “I didn’t realize until later what an honor it was to have a coach of his stature at our game. But more than that, I’m just so happy for our kids to play for the county championship.”

Southwest, buoyed by a vociferous crowd and their pep band, was howling after the Raiders built an early 21-16 lead in the 2nd quarter. Senior sharpshooter Ashper Morris accounted for 10 points in that surge.

Mount Miguel, however, came right back to score the final 9 points of the opening half to lead 25-21 at the break. Senior scoring leader HARRY BRAZELTON scored 7 of his team high 17 points during that span.

The Matadors extended their advantage to 38-27 on a short jumper by YUEL HAGOS with 3:03 remaining in the 3rd period.

Things were looking rosy for Mount Miguel at that point until floor leader AJ STANFORD picked up his 4th foul with 2:52 left in the 3rd period. That bought Stanford a seat on the bench.

It was a scramble in the final minutes for the Matadors (25-6) to hold off the Raiders (20-10) as Mount Miguel missed six free throws in the last two minutes.

It went from bad to worse for Mount Miguel without Stanford as Southwest reeled off 9 straight points, slicing the Matadors’ advantage to 38-36. Harry Brazelton picked up his 4th foul with 16 seconds remaining in the 3rd quarter, and it looked like victory was going to slip through the Matadors’ collective fingers.

Upon returning to the floor Stanford made three free throws after being fouled on two different plays, stretching the Matadors’ lead to 41-36 early in the 4th.

Baskets by Hagos and THOMAS BUTLER, coupled with a free throw by JJ NORTON extended Mount Miguel’s advantage to 46-37 with 5:52 remaining.

“For me, being a sophomore, having a chance to play for a county championship is really exciting,” said Butler.

Although the Matadors were able to escape with their 9th straight win, Southwest pushed them up against the wall. A free throw by Morris as Harry Brazelton fouled out left Mount Miguel clinging to a 48-45 edge.

Butler, the Matadors silent sophomore, converted his 4th field goal in 5 shots, extending the Matadors lead to 5 points with 1:45 remaining.

“I think one of the biggest differences was we changed our defense in the 2nd half,” Butler said. “We used more full court pressure and that tended to get them out of their offense.”

Still, Southwest kept coming as a putback by Maris Boldridge pulled the Raiders to within 3 points with 37 seconds left.

Mount Miguel could have put the game away at the free throw line, but only Hagos was able to connect in the final 32 seconds, pushing the Matadors’ lead to 51-47.

Southwest also struggled with turnovers and missed free throws in the waning seconds.

Stanford had a chance to put the game away with 9 seconds left and the Matadors leading by 3, but missed two free throws.

But 6-foot-2 senior forward BRYANT MITCHELL boxed out his opponent and cleared the rebound for the Matadors with 7 seconds remaining. By the time Southwest had stopped the clock by committing a foul, only 1 second remained.

“I just had a feeling that AJ was gonna miss that last free throw,” said Mitchell. “So I knew if it came off the glass I had to get it. That’s all I was thinking about.”

At that point it didn’t matter that Norton missed two more free throws because the game was over.

Despite Mount Miguel staggering to the finish line, the celebration was on as the Matadors’ fans from a capacity crowd poured onto the floor to congratulate their conquering heroes.

“At the beginning of the season we set three goals,” Rowlett said. “We wanted to win more than 20 games, we wanted to win our (Grossmont Valley) league championship. We have one more that we want to get, and that’s to win CIF.”

Just having Holm in the gym gave an unexpected aura for the Matadors’ success. When Holm was at the Matadors helm for a handful of seasons, Mount Miguel was an East County power.

“I love football,” said Stanford, who was the Matadors’ highly successful quarterback. “But basketball is my favorite sport. We did all the little things to win this game. It wasn’t a scoring shootout like a lot of our games. Some people say we don’t play any defense, but I think we proved them wrong tonight.”

Mount Miguel: Harry Brazelton 17 (3 reb, 1 ast, 3 stl), Thomas Butler 8 (4 reb, 1 stl), Bryant Mitchell 7 (11 reb), AJ Stanford 7 (7 reb, 3 ast, 1 blk, 4 stl), Yuel Hagos 7 (2 reb, 2 ast, 1 stl), JJ Norton 3 (1 reb, 1 ast, 2 stl), Marcus Booker 2 (1 reb, 3 ast, 1 stl), Jaymes Brazelton (1 blk).

	CALIFORNIA STATE CAREER SCORING Player, School(s), Seasons thru Mar. 2nd Points DeMarcus Nelson, Vallejo/Sheldon (2001-04) Darnell Robinson, Emery (1990-93) Casey Jacobsen, Glendora (1996-99) Troy Leaf, Foothills Christian (2007-10) Taylor King, Santa Ana-Mater Dei (2004-07) Tracy Murray, Glendora (1986-89) 3,462 3,359 3,284 3,251 3,216 3,053 Source: revised from CalHiSports Record Book and Almanac.
	CALIFORNIA STATE CAREER ASSISTS Player, School(s), Seasons thru Mar. 2nd Ast. Kalob Hatcher, Foothills Chr. (2007-10) Jason Kidd, Alameda-St. Joseph (1989-92) Jacque Vaughn, Pasadena-Muir (1990-93) 1,182 1,165 1,136 Source: revised from CalHiSports Record Book and Almanac.
	CIFSDS CAREER 3-POINT LEADERS Player, School(s), Seasons thru Mar. 2nd 3FGs Karl Holmlund, Santa Fe Chr. (2007-10) Kalob Hatcher, Foothills Chr. (2007-10) Troy Leaf, Foothills Christian (2007-10) Nick Taylor, Granite Hills (2002-06) Jerome Green, Chula Vista (1990-93) Kemmy Burgess, El Cajon Valley (1996-99) Brian Baum, San Marcos (1991-94) 333 277 267 265 259 231 230 Source: revised from CIFSDS Record Book

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SPRING VALLEY (2-27-10) — Although visiting University City shot better from the field and held a 46-33 rebounding advantage, the host Mount Miguel Matadors still managed to quash the Centurions with a 66-61 victory in Friday’s (Feb. 26) San Diego CIF Division III quarterfinal.

That victory was the eighth straight for the Matadors (24-6), who will host San Diego Southwest in Tuesday’s (Mar. 2) semifinal at 7 p.m.

This will mark the first time since 1975 that Mount Miguel has reached the SDCIF semifinals. The Matadors lost in the 1975 championship game to San Diego High, 102-72. In 1968, the Matadors defeated BILL WALTON and the Helix Highlanders, 68-55.

So obviously, 4th-year coach JAY ROWLETT and his Matadors are elated to be rejuvenating boys basketball on the Spring Valley campus.

Seniors HARRY BRAZELTON (23 points, 9 rebounds) and AJ STANFORD (19 points, 10 rebounds) paved the way to the victory over University City (15-13).

Stanford led the charge in the 1st half when the Matadors pressed the Centurions into 16 turnovers. Stanford scored all but one of his points in the first half to lead 42-26 at intermission.

“I think we had them on the run in the 1st half,” said Brazelton. “But in the 2nd half we started relaxing. We can’t do that any more. We’ve got to keep playing hard to the final buzzer.”

In the 2nd half, after University City solved Mount Miguel ’s pressure defense to make a game of it, Brazelton hit three long-range treys to enable the Matadors to maintain a 53-42 lead after three quarters.

But the Centurions kept coming, gnawing the Matadors one-time 16-point advantage to 5 points on the strength of Kyle Holder’s 11 points in the 4th quarter.

The game came down to free throws, and that’s where the Matadors stuck it to the Centurions. Mount Miguel converted 19 of 28 free throw attempts compared to University City’s 4 of 16, which included missing the front end of five one-and-ones.

“When the game was on the line we were aggressive and made our free throws,” said Brazelton. “That was the difference. I think our crowd got to ‘em tonight – it definitely got into their heads.”

In the 4th quarter the Matadors connected on 11 of 15 free throws. Brazelton was 5 for 6 on charity shots in that span. University City was 0 for 7 in the final period.

Rowlett singled out senior point guard JJ NORTON, not so much for his 8 points, but for his defense.

“He spearheads our defense,” the coach said of the 5-foot-6 Norton. “We always put him on our opponent’s best player and he never lets us down.”

In this case Norton held the Centurions’ 6-foot-2 senior point guard Reynard Rice to six points – half his season average.

“It’s unselfishness like JJ has given us that has made us a successful basketball team,” Rowlett added.

Mount Miguel: Harry Brazelton 23 (9 reb, 1 ast, 2 stl), AJ Stanford 19 (10 reb, 3 ast, 5 stl), JJ Norton 8 (2 reb, 3 ast, 3 stl), Yuel Hagos 5, Marcus Booker 4 (4 reb, 2 ast, 1 stl), Thomas Butler 4 (2 reb, 1 ast, 1 lbk, 2 stl), Bryant Mitchell 3 (4 reb, 1 ast, 2 stl), Jaymes Brazelton 1 (1 stl).

DIVISION II
WESTVIEW 56, GROSSMONT 48 – After one half, the visiting Foothillers (19-10) were tied with the No. 4 seeded Wolverines 19-19 in Friday’s (Feb. 26) San Diego CIF Division II quarterfinal in North County.

Westview (20-9), which posted a school record for victories while extending their current winning streak to 11 games at the expense of the Foothillers, nudged ahead with a 14-9 scoring edge in the 3rd quarter.

Both teams’ offenses took hold in the final quarter. Grossmont, in fact, hit five 3-pointers, including two by DESEAN WATERS.

In the same span the Wolverines poured in 23 points to qualify for Tuesday’s (Mar. 2nd) semifinal against top-seeded Hoover.

Sophomore ROBBY NESOVIC led Grossmont with 21 points. However, the usually reliable senior JAKE HAAR was limited to 10 points and 8 rebounds.

Waters chipped in with 9 points and 3 assists, but Grossmont’s offense could not find the range until the last quarter.

“It was just a very tough defensive game,” said Foothillers coach FRANK FOGGIANO. “We have very similar styles of play. When they got open shots they made them, and when we had open shots we didn’t make them.”

Despite the loss Foggiano could not deny that this was a banner season for the Foothillers.

“I think it was an extremely good season for our team,” he said, noting that the Foothillers won their third consecutive league title.

What Singer witnessed in Friday’s (Feb. 26) San Diego CIF Division II quarterfinal at No. 2 Lincoln was something he will not forget soon.

“They are as physical as any team I’ve seen in our section in the last 5-to-10 years,” said Singer, who has compiled a 553-230 record in three decades. “They come at you with 10 to 15 guys.

“It was boys against men.”

Furthermore, it wasn’t close from the outset as the Hornets (23-2) buzzed out to a 24-8 first-quarter lead. It got worse after that.

Singer dismissed the fact that the loss of two key players, including senior point guard DARIEN PETERSON (ejected the game before) made much difference.

“It was like a college team playing a high school team,” Singer said.

Despite the lopsided loss, the Highlanders’ coach did pay homage to his outmanned squad, which was led by junior KENNY KEYS (16 points, 12 rebounds, 6 assists) and JAYLEN LINSON (11 points, 10 rebounds).

“Our kids played hard, but Lincoln had us beat across the board,” the coach confirmed.

The Highlanders (19-9) saw their 8-game winning streak as well as the season come to a close.

Helix: Kenny Keys 16 (12 reb, 6 ast, 2 stl), Jaylen Linson 11 (10 reb), Yohanes Solomon 7 (1 reb, 2 ast, 1 stl, 1 blk), Titus Young 6 (2 reb, 1 stl), Brian Valadez 2 (3 reb, 4 ast, 4 stl), Earl Schexnayder 1 (1 reb, 1 stl), Corey Barnes 1, John Henry Singer (3 reb, 1 ast, 1 stl), Tommie Young (1 reb, 1 ast, 1 stl), Kevin Williams (1 reb).

© East County Sports.com
LA MESA (2-24-10) — It was a case of Helix winning the battle but losing the war in Tuesday’s (Feb. 23) San Diego CIF Division II first round encounter against visiting Ramona.

The Highlanders claimed a 63-55 victory over the Bulldogs but lost their senior point guard DARIEN PETERSON in the process.

Peterson, who has clearly become the Highlanders’ floor leader, was ejected from the game, which disqualifies him for Friday’s (Feb. 26) quarterfinal at No. 2 seeded Lincoln (22-2).

“The kid is just crushed,” said Helix coach JOHN SINGER of Peterson, who is one of only two seniors on the Helix roster. “Given the atrocious officiating in this (Ramona) game, it’s just not fair. Darien doesn’t get mad, he doesn’t do that. The guy grabbed him so they blew the whistle but the guy was still hanging on, so Darien pushed him.”

Unfortunately, the player that reacts to the initial contact is the one that usually gets burned. That was the case in this exchange. The Ramona kid goes home and Peterson has his senior season short-circuited by a poor interpretation by the officials. It’s funny how officials only see the reaction rather than the instigator.

JAYLEN LINSON (16 points, 13 rebounds) and KENNY KEYS (14 points, 10 rebounds, 4 steals) allowed the Highlanders to dominate Ramona (14-13) in the paint.

Junior guard TOMMIE YOUNG also coined a double-double with 12 points, 11 rebounds and 4 assists. His freshman brother TITUS YOUNG added 10 points and 3 assists.

Junior JOHN HENRY SINGER contributed one of his finest games off the bench, collecting 6 points (on 3 of 4 shooting from the field), 8 rebounds, 2 assists and a block.

Helix led 30-14 with 1:51 to go in the 1st half. The Highlanders maintained that advantage but Ramona fought back to cut the deficit to 55-53 with 2:03 remaining.

The Highlanders managed to hang on for their 8th straight win and 13th in their last 15 starts.

Helix’s last 8 points in the contest came from the free throw line where the Highlanders were 18 of 29 on the night.

Helix: Jaylen Linson 16 (13 reb, 1 blk), Kenny Keys 14 (10 reb, 2 ast, 4 stl, 1 blk), Tommie Young 12 (11 reb, 4 ast, 1 stl, 1 blk), Titus Young 10 (4 reb, 3 ast, 2 stl), John Henry Singer 6 (8 reb, 2 ast, 3 stl, 1 blk), Darien Peterson 4 (3 reb, 4 ast, 2 stl), Brian Valadez 1, Sam Meredith (2 ast).

Despite being bogged down by early foul troubles, the Matadors (23-6) simply had too much firepower for the North County Jaguars (10-16) as they claimed a 7th straight victory.

“Whether it’s by one-half point or by 20 points, our goal is to win the game at hand,” said Mount Miguel coach JAY ROWLETT.

Stanford, the Matadors senior point guard, nailed 7 of 15 shots from the field – including two 3-pointers and two free throws. JAYMES BRAZELTON added 14 points, while HARRY BRAZELTON had an off night scoring yet still managed a double-double of 10 points and 10 rebounds. THOMAS BUTLER pitched in with 10 points and 8 rebounds. He made 5 of 7 shots from the field.

“A couple of our starters were in foul trouble, and didn’t play a whole lot,” Rowlett said. “I thought Butler had a good game at both ends for us.”

The Matadors built a 44-28 lead after three quarters and erupted for 26 points in the final period.

“We brought up some JV kids and they got to play about five minutes in the 4th quarter,” Rowlett added.

The Matadors will host University City (15-12) in Friday’s (Feb. 26) Division III quarterfinals at 7 p.m.

Mount Miguel: AJ Stanford 18 (6 reb, 2 ast), Jaymes Brazelton 14 (4 reb), Harry Brazelton 10 (10 reb, 4 ast), Thomas Butler 10 (8 reb, 2 ast, 1 stl), Marcus Booker 8 (8 reb, 2 ast), JJ Norton 3 (5 ast, 5 stl), Shakeel Hill 3 (1 stl), Cory Littleton 2 (4 reb), Yuel Hagos 2, Bryant Mitchell (5 reb), Izzy Wagner (2 ast).

GROSSMONT 66, SERRA 48 – Although host Grossmont fell behind 10-7 after one quarter of Tuesday’s (Feb. 23) SDCIF Division II opener, it turned out to be textbook basketball for the Foothillers, who dominated the final three quarters.

It was the 11th win in 12 starts for the three-time league champion Foothillers (19-9).

“We started out a little sluggish but in the 2nd quarter we kinda turned it up a notch,” said Grossmont coach FRANK FOGGIANO. “We started getting the ball inside to (JAKE) HAAR.”

A 6-foot-5 senior post, Haar is without question one of the most reliable players in East County. He’s not going to set any records for scoring or rebounding but you can always count on him for a double-double. Equally as powerful as he is steady, Haar paved the way for the Foothillers with 20 points and 14 rebounds.”

Sophomore sensation ROBBY NESOVIC contributed 13 points while senior leaper ANTHONY BOWDEN added 11 points and 11 rebounds.

It was classic Grossmont basketball – offensive balance and dynamic defense.

Junior point guard DESEAN WATERS was once again a superb quarterback at the point, scoring 11 markers and dishing 6 assists.

“Our scoring was pretty balanced,” Foggiano said. “In the 2nd half we played much better man defense, didn’t let them penetrate.”

Grossmont: Jake Haar 20 (14 reb, 1 ast, 1 stl), Robby Nesovic 13 (6 reb, 1 ast, 2 stl), Desean Waters 11 (3 reb, 6 ast, 3 stl), Anthony Bowden 11 (11 reb, 1 ast, 1 stl), Jason Lakis 5 (2 reb, 2 ast, 1 stl).

"The Julian crowd was great," said Foothills assistant coach JAMES McHUGH. "They brought a pretty good cheering section and they made every point count for their kids."

Meanwhile, the count for Knight senior KALOB HATCHER continues to climb. The point guard added six assists to his career total, moving to within four of the state record set by current NBA All-Star JASON KIDD (1,165 for Alameda-St. Joseph, 1989-92).

Head coach BRAD LEAF sat most of his starters – some didn't even see action – to give the underclassmen a chance to gain experience. Included was a solid 18-point effort by SAL ROMERI, while JEREMY LaBAHN collected his first-ever points in a varsity uniform.

"The younger guys got a good deal of playing time," added McHugh. "JVONTE BROOKS sat out the game, while JAMAL AYTES played most of the first quarter and about a minute into the second before coach Leaf benched him as a precaution after he slipped while being fouled."

Meanwhile, Hatcher (20 points) and TROY LEAF (27) played about 16 minutes each over the first three periods.

"You just have to look at this game as the first step toward a lofty goal," added the coach, noting that DALTON MOSSER, Romeri and HENRY LUSCHEI received extensive playing time off the bench.

Foothills Christian raced to a 32-4 lead through the first quarter. For the contest, the Knights hit 38 of 71 shots (54 percent), while the defense registered 30 steals.

Julian finishes the season at 8-13 overall.

The Knights (28-4) advance to Friday's quarterfinals against Citrus South League rival Midway Baptist. The Patriots (17-3, with two losses to Foothills) advanced with an upset road victory at Vincent Memorial School of Calexico, 58-49.

Foothills Christian: Troy Leaf 27 (8 reb, 7 ast), Kalob Hatcher 20 (9 stl, 6 ast), Sal Romeri 18 (3 blk, 2 ast), Dalton Mosser 10 (ast, 4 stl), Jeremy LaBahn 5 (3 stl), Ian Mathisen 4 (3 ast, 3 stl), Henry Luschei 4 (6 reb), Jamal Aytes 4, Spencer George 3.

VISTA 86, GRANITE HILLS 77 — An early ration of fouls plagued the Granite Hills Eagles in Tuesday’s (Feb. 23) opening round of the San Diego CIF Division I playoffs at Vista.

In a battle of two teams that know how to put the pedal to the metal, the Panthers (19-8) won the race while the Eagles (19-9) suffered their fourth straight loss.

Granite Hills ace – senior point guard ANDRE LEWIS – picked up three fouls in the 1st quarter and wound up sitting the final minute of that period and all of the 2nd quarter.

Yet, Lewis still managed to score a team best 29 points despite the reduced playing time. He knocked down 9 of 20 shots from the field – including a pair of three-pointers – while converting 9 of 10 free throws. He also handed out 8 assists.

GARRETT LARCH-MILLER rolled off a double-double of 15 points and 10 rebounds. But where Eagles coach RANDY ANDERSON thought the 6-foot-2 junior helped most was filling in for the idle Lewis at point guard.

“He ran the offense and kept us in the game,” the coach said of Larch-Miller, who sank three treys to finish with 61 three-pointers for the season.

Granite Hills sophomore JASON GAINES finished strong with 28 points, 6 blocks and 8 rebounds. He was 11-for-17 from the field, including 4-for-7 from above the arc.

With 5:02 remaining, Lewis sank two free throws to knot the game 60-60. After that Vista cranked off 10 of the game’s next 12 points.

After that the Eagles never got closer than 7 points in the final three minutes despite hitting four three-pointers in the final minute.

“We had to foul and they made their free throws,” Anderson said.

Steven Que led Vista with 34 points. He scored 15 of those points in the final quarter when the Panthers gained a 30-25 edge. Que was 13-for-14 shooting free throws in the last eight minutes.

“We needed to do everything we could – kick, scratch, push – do what we had to do to move on,” Que told the San Diego Reader.

Lewis finished his final season at Granite Hills with 762 points and a 27.2 average, which is second only to Foothills Christian’s TROY LEAF (814 points, 29.1 ppg).

Granite Hills: Andre Lewis 29 (5 reb, 8 ast, 3 stl), Jason Gaines 28 (8 reb, 2 ast, 6 blk), Garrett Larch-Miller 15 (10 reb, 3 ast), James Sadik 2 (9 reb, 2 ast), Scott Atkinson 2 (2 reb), Kyle Snyder 1 (6 reb, 1 ast, 1 stl), Dalton Otineru (3 reb, 1 stl).

WESTVIEW 51, VALHALLA 35 – The visiting Norsemen, blanked for a dismal 9:47 stretch of the first half, were limited to their second-lowest point total of the season in falling to the Valley League champion Wolverines in Friday's (Feb. 23) first round of the CIF Division II playoffs.

Westview, the No. 4 seed, advances to Friday's (Feb. 26) quarterfinals when the Wolverines entertain Grossmont Hills League champion Grossmont.

"They must've had some video because they knew our stuff," said Norsemen senior STEVEN KLEIST. "And we were tentative on offense, too."

Valhalla forward JORDAN CUNNINGHAM scored on a putback for an early 6-4 lead, but Westview's defense turned up the pressure with its half-court defense, as the Norsemen would not score again until there was only 3:31 left in the first half. They trailed 24-10 at the intermission.

"This is a tough place to place," added Valhalla 's KYLE KRIEBEL. "It's a sweet gym, big and loud, yet it's a tough environment and they were on us from the very start."

Westview's size advantage also took its toll on Valhalla. Paced by 6-foot-6 center Peter Rubis, the Wolverines held a 42-29 margin on the boards.

"We were able to communicate a lot on defense," said Rubis, who posted game-highs of 16 points and 13 rebounds, while also taking a charge. "We played with a lot of energy because we knew we needed to bring it."

In the first half, it was a double-whammy against the Norsemen. They only attempted 19 shots from the field, connecting on only three. Conversely, Rubis collected 7 points and 6 boards in the first quarter alone, then finished the ballgame with 4 assists.

DAVID WILSCHETZ paced Valhalla (14-14) with 10 points, but six came in the final minutes after Westview (19-9) had mounted a 44-23 lead.

Valhalla: David Wilschetz 10, Kyle Kriebel 8 (11 reb), David Zetts 5 (2 stl), Josh Austel 4 (5 reb, 3 blk), Steven Kleist 3 (3 stl, 2 ast, took-a-charge), Jordan Cunningham 3 (6 reb), Matt Butcher 2.

CANYON CREST 56, SANTANA 49 – This one had to hurt. Host Santana was leading 47-42 with 4:04 left in the game. After that the roof caved in.

Canyon Crest (13-14) outscored the Sultans 20-10 in the final quarter to register the upset in Tuesday’s (Feb. 23) opening round of the SDCIF Division III playoffs.

The Sultans (19-10) might have been able to hang on if they had not been plagued by a bevy of fouls in the stretch run.

“TREY BASS was called for a charge and it was his 5th foul,” said Sultans coach TIM BARRY. “Then DAVID THRALL fouled out, and a couple of minutes later MATT LUCIUS fouled out, but we were still leading 49-47.”

Canyon Crest made a free throw and Santana was trying to run the clock down.

With 1:30 remaining LANDON LOZOYA turned his ankle and had to leave the game to get taped up, leaving Santana four starters down.

Canyon Crest took a 50-49 lead on a putback with one minute remaining.

Santana missed a 3-point attempt and the Ravens got the putback and a basket to stretch their lead to 52-49.

Lozoya reentered the game and JESSE VARGAS missed a 3-point shot. Canyon Crest got the rebound and called time out.

Canyon Crest clinched the victory by making four free throws down the stretch.

“I couldn’t be prouder of my kids,” Barry said. “The CIF standings were the most insane I’ve ever seen. Canyon Crest was 13-13 in the Coastal League. How they fell to a 12 seed is beyond me. Their team had a 5-9 point guard, then the front four were 6-5, 6-6, 6-6 and 6-9. We had to be physical because of their distinct height advantage.”

Santana: Jesse Vargas 15 (3 reb, 1 ast, 2 stl), Matt Lucius 8 (7 reb, 4 ast, 1 stl), Jason Corbisez 15 (4 reb, 1 blk), Landon Lozoya 11 (3 reb, 3 ast, 3 blk, 2 stl), David Thrall (2 reb), Trey Bass (4 reb, 4 ast, 1 stl), Sean Ross (2 reb, 1 stl).

MISSION BAY 83, EL CAPITAN 48 – This was no contest almost from the outset as No. 2 seed Mission Bay bolted to a 50-22 halftime lead in Tuesday’s (Feb. 23) opening round of the SDCIF Division III playoffs.

“They are a more athletic team than we are,” said El Capitan coach JASON CAVAZOS. “We didn’t stop their better players, even though we played hard. I’m proud of the guys for that. We just try to get better every day.”

Guard Derrick Thompson a game high scored 28 points for Mission Bay (13-11).

Reliable MIKE OVERSON turned in his usual solid game for El Capitan (8-19) with 24 points, 15 rebounds and 5 steals.

“We’re happy that we made it to the playoffs,” said Cavazos. “We just ran into a better team. They proved why they’re the No. 2 seed.”

El Capitan: Mike Overson 24 (15 reb, 3 ast, 5 stl), Armon Worrell 9 (5 reb, 1 ast, 2 blk), Robert Craighead 6 (6 reb, 2 ast), Andrew Cable 4 (1 reb, 1 stl), Tyson Kygar 3 (7 reb, 2 ast, 1 blk), Kevin Kapka 1 (1 reb), Brian Celeste 1 (2 reb, 1 ast, 1 stl), Cody Kygar (1 reb, 2 ast, 1 stl), Anthony Agunat (1 reb).

SD SOUTHWEST 64, MONTE VISTA 40 – It wasn’t the best of shooting nights for the visiting Monte Vista Monarchs Tuesday (Feb. 23) as they succumbed to No. 4 seed San Diego Southwest in the opening round of the SDCIF

Division III playoffs.

The Monarchs trailed 37-15 at halftime, shot only 39 percent from the field and converted just 3 of 8 free throws as they saw their season end with an 11-18 record.

Monte Vista took leads of 4-0 and 6-2 in the 1st quarter.

“The 2nd quarter decided the game,” said Monte Vista assistant coach KEITH HOUSTON. “Southwest made four 3s in that quarter. They did a good job of driving to the basket and that opened up their 3-point game.”

The Raiders (19-9) outscored the Monarchs 23-6 in that pivotal quarter.

Monte Vista: Tony Jackson 12 (5 reb, 2 blk), Ruben Nwando 9 (3 reb, 1 blk), KJ Houston 7 (3 reb, 2 ast, 2 blk, 2 stl), Jason Guinto 7 (1 ast), Kylie Luster 2 (6 reb, 2 blk), Kevin Starling 2 (1 reb, 1 stl), James Jackson 1 (4 reb), Brandon Tillet (3 reb, 5 ast, 2 blk), Dave Thomas (1 stl).