EAST COUNTY HIGH SCHOOL BOYS BASKETBALL 2014-15 (Jan. '15)

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Barajas and the Pack roll the Aztecs

© East County Sports.com
SAN YSIDRO (2-1-15) — West Hills traveled to Montgomery on Saturday (Jan. 31) to participate in the City of Angels Showcase. The Wolf Pack rolled over the Aztecs 81-45 to improve their overall record to 13-7.

“A very good effort from our team tonight,” said West Hills assistant coach LUCAS ARMSTRONG. “We played extremely hard – shot a lot of easy baskets versus their zone. We had a nice lead at the half up 18 and finished up winning by 36.”

“RICARDO BARAJAS played very well again,” Armstrong said. “Scored 16 of his 27 points in the second quarter. He didn’t play the entire 4th quarter.

“THOMAS REANEY played hard on both ends of the floor for us again – knocked in 15 points.

“Freshman CAMERON BARRY had a really nice game with 10 points off the bench. He continues to shoot the ball well and really does a good job of taking care of the ball. He has a really bright future,” the coach noted.

“MARCO OVIES had great minutes handing out 7 assists and collecting four steals. We had better ball movement as a team, assisted on 23 of 30 field goals for the game.”

West Hills: Ricardo Barajas 27 (1 reb, 3 ast, 1 stl), Thomas Reaney 15 (3 reb, 2 ast, 1 stl, 1 blk), Cameron Barry 10 (1 reb, 3 ast), Issa Ghandour 6 (4 reb, 1 ast, 3 stl), Kyle Ruiz 5 (4 reb, 1 ast, 2 stl), Austin Alderson 4 (4 reb, 2 ast, 1 stl, 2 blk), Chris Moyer 4 (3 reb), Marco Ovies 2 (2 reb, 7 ast, 4 stl), Miguel Nava 2 (5 reb, 1 ast), Marquell Cool 2 (2 reb, 2 ast), Bryce Parsons 2 (2 reb, 2 ast), Sahil Alami (1 reb, 1 ast, 1 stl).

MOUNT MIGUEL 76, EC-SOUTHWEST 55 — Mount Miguel created a rebound after suffering a bitter six point Grossmont Hills League loss to Helix, when they faced El Centro Southwest at San Ysidro Saturday (Jan. 31) in the Tijuana Orphanage Classic.

DONNELL PAYNE paced the Matadors, rolling a triple double of 31 points, corralled 11 rebounds and dished 10 assists.

NATE GILBERT added 15 points and TAJ TUCKER popped in 10 with 6 assists.

Mount Miguel improved its overall record to 9-9.

“This was a ‘get it right’ game for us,” said Matadors coach JAY ROWLETT. “We’ve lost our last six games where we were 2-2 and held the lead.”

Mount Miguel: Donnell Payne 31 (11 reb, 10 ast), Nate Gilbert 15 (4 reb, 2 ast, 3 stl), Taj Tucker 10 (6 ast), Ricky Harvey 9 (2 reb, 2 ast, 1 stl), Trevon Allen 4 (2 reb, 1 stl), Jay-Von Jones 4 (4 reb, 2 stl), Trannell Hudson 2 (1 stl), Gary Haskins 1.

Choosing the right shot, key to Monarch's success

By James McHugh
©' East County Sports.com
EL CAJON (1-31-15) — Monte Vista nearly downed the pre-season favorites in the Grossmont Hills League when they lost a close battle to Grossmont on Jan. 9th.

One week later the Monarchs toppled pre-season Grossmont Valley League favorite Valhalla, 69-64. Seven days later, El Cajon Valley came along and put a stop to the Monarchs good fortune, defeating Monte Vista 62-39. The loss cemented El Cajon Valley as the front runners in the Grossmont Valley and was followed by another loss to a surprising El Capitan squad that entered play on the night tied for the GVL lead with El Cajon Valley.

Friday (1-30-2015) was a chance to bring some stability to a Monte Vista team that is capable of competing with the top teams in its league. From the onset, this looked like a slaughter, but Granite Hills Senior ANTONIO READ led a late charge to keep the Eagles from a potential blowout.

Monte Vista was led by Senior Guard DEVRON YOUNG who had a game high 29 points and 15 rebounds. The Monarchs jumped out to a 16-2 lead in the first quarter. Junior TERRY BOONE netted 7 of his 13 points in the opening and eventually pivotal frame. FRANKIE LUCATUORTO was the only Eagle who managed a bucket in the opening eight minutes and it would haunt Granite Hills on the scoreboard for the remainder of the night. Over the next 24 minutes of play, Granite Hills was only outscored 54-50, falling by a final of 71-52. Unfortunately for the Eagles, there are no mulligans in basketball.

Though Monte Vista never trailed in this one, the Monarchs did have some poor shooting spurts. In the 3rd quarter the Monarchs connected on just 7 of 25 shots and Granite matched their effort on the scoreboard 14-14. Junior Guard ERIN SWINSON grabbed 5 of his team high 10 rebounds in the 3rd as well, helping the Eagles keep close for the closing frame.

"Our game is predicated on our jump shot right now" noted Monte Vista Head Coach MICHAEL TULLY, "If we hit it, we're fine, if we don't we're not. We need more inside." Coach Tully is taking a one day at a time approach with the Monarchs at this point in the season. The Monarchs moved to 2-2 in League play. Granite Hills will attempt to regroup in time for a tough match-up with league leader El Cajon Valley next Tuesday. Coach Tully and Monte Vista will get their first crack at a Santana Sultans team desperate for some success. The Monarchs certainly have as much raw talent as any team they will face moving forward. Rebounding and shot selection will be key to a successful run in the second round of league play for the athletic Boys from Spring Valley.

Monte Vista: Devron Young 29 (15 Reb, 6 Stl, 1 Ast) Saiyeed Mershon 12 (9 Reb, 2 Blk) Terry Boone 13 (2 Reb, 2 Stl) Bohanon Rankins 6 (7 Reb, 2 Blk) Adam Wallace 4 (3 Reb, 1Ast, 1 Stl, 1 Blk) Shai Stevenson 4 (4 Reb, 2 Ast) Abdi Hussein 3, Tre Owens (4 Reb, 3 Stl), Jacob Jardim (1 Reb, 1 Ast), Adrian Bass (1 Blk).

Granite Hills: Antoinio Read 21 (7 Reb, 2 Ast, 1 Blk, 1 Stl) Cameron Spitzer 10 (2 Reb) Erin Swinson 8 (10 Reb, 1 Stl) David Setterberg 4 (7 Reb, 1 Ast, 2 Blk) Frankie Lucatuorto 4 (3 Reb, 1 Blk) Darien Coslo 3 (1 Reb, 2 Ast) Michael Ledesma 2 (7 Reb, 3 Ast) Chris Diaz (1 Reb), Mario Meza (1 Reb, 1 Stl), Wyatt Mason (1 Reb).

EL CAJON VALLEY 64, EL CAPITAN 43 — In a battle of league unbeatens, El Cajon Valley defeated El Capitan in Friday’s (Jan. 30) Grossmont Valley League action, playing before a stand-up crowd.

In a match between fast-breaking teams, the Braves outscored the Vaqueros across the board, leaving the score at 31-23 by halftime.

El Cajon Valley’s SYON HICKS scored a career high 26 points to lead the Braves. RICKY GARCIA chipped in with 15 points and RONNE READUS was a beast on the boards with 12 rebounds.

KADE KYGAR led the Vaqueros with 11 points, RYAN SMITH added 10 as did BRIAN BALLO.

El Cajon Valley: Syon Hicks 26 (2 stl, 3 blk), Ricky Garcia 15, Dion Dean 7 (3 reb, 2 stl), Ronne Readus 4 (12 reb), Ibrahim Ali 4 (4 reb, 4 stl), Brandon Rumley 2 (7 reb, 2 stl), Drake Afaisen 2 (1 reb, 4 stl).

El Capitan: Kade Kygar 11, Ryan Smith 10, Brian Ballo 10, Bryant Irvin 7, Robby Callaway 2, Andy Casas 2.

HELIX 66, MOUNT MIGUEL 60 — In a match of fast-breaking teams, host Mount Miguel came up short against Helix in Friday’s (Jan. 30) Grossmont Hills League encounter in Spring Valley.

The Matadors barged out of the gate to put the pressure on Helix in a battle of league rivals. The Highlanders owned a 32-23 halftime advantage and extended the lead in the third quarter to 52-38.

MALIK TAMBWE punched in 14 points and Q MOBLEY tossed in nine for Helix.

“We started slow this season but then gradually began to peak,” said Helix senior point guard JORDAN VELASCO. The Highlanders’ captain drilled in 18 points and six assists to lead them.

“He is definitely one of the better guards in the county,” said Mobley, who is also one of the top guards in East County.

Mount Miguel was led by DONNELL PAYNE with 27 points and nine rebounds, while NATE GILBERT added 20 points and seven rebounds. Gilbert hit four 3s and sank 13 of 15 free throws.

Helix: Jordan Velasco 18 (3 reb, 6 ast, 1 stl), Malik Tambwe 14 (4 reb, 3 ast, 1 stl, 3 blk), Qrizjiah Mobley 9 (2 reb, 2 ast, 2 stl, 1 blk), Jaylin Arnold 8 (5 reb, 1 ast, 1 stl, 2 blk), Luke Holloway 7 (3 reb, 2 ast, 1 stl, 1 blk), Henry Holtz 6 (4 reb, 1 ast, 2 stl, 1 blk), Gary Linson 2 (5 reb, 2 ast, 1 stl, 1 blk), Justin Flisher 2 (3 reb, 2 stl), Marcus Norris (3 reb, 3 ast, 2 blk), Eisaiah Blair (3 reb, 1 ast), Alex Dumas (1 reb).

Mount Miguel: Donnell Payne 27 (9 reb, 4 ast), Nate Gilbert 20 (7 reb, 2 ast, 1 stl), Ricky Harvey 5 (1 stl), Taj Tucker 4 (3 stl, 1 ast), Jay-Von Jones 4, Darian Norwood (5 reb, 1 ast), Trannell Hudson (1 stl, 1 ast), Trevon Allen (1 reb), Gary Haskins (1 reb).

VALHALLA 62, SANTANA 40 — In a game that most people didn’t think would be close at all, the Valhalla Norseman were able to defeat the Santana Sultans 62-49 in Grossmont Valley League action on Friday (Jan. 30).

In first quarter action the Sultans, who were not predicted to be in the game, were able to hang with the Norseman, trailing only 10-9. Valhalla in the second period was able to gain a little breathing room via a 17-9 advantage and take a 27-18 lead into the locker room.

Unfortunately the Sultans couldn’t put any sort of dent in the lead of the Norsemen, who were able to pad their lead to 41-25. The Sultans – thanks to a 24-21 advantage – were able to lay claim to the final stanza scoring wise. It was a valiant effort by the Sultans who many viewed their record and thought this was going to be a blowout.

On the other side the Norsemen got the job done by holding leading scorer for Santana and also one of the leading scorers in the county RYAN BRATLIEN (13.4 ppg) to below his scoring average and forcing others to beat them.

JACOB HAMMETT led the Norsemen with 15 points, nine rebounds, six assists, three blocks and four steals, while teammate COLE HENDERSON punched in 15 points and grabbed eight rebounds, and JORDAN ELLIS tallied 10 points.

Santana was led in scoring by ANTHONY ROMERO who finished with 16 points and DAULTON BARRY who chipped in with 11 points.

Valhalla: Jacob Hammett 15 (9 reb, 6 ast, 3 blk, 4 stl), Cole Henderson 15 (8 reb, 3 ast, 1 blk, 1 stl), Jordan Ellis 10 (4 reb, 5 ast, 1 blk, 2 stl), John Murad 9 (8 reb, 2 ast), Jake Bassette 6 (1 reb, 2 ast, 1 blk, 2 stl), Carson Baker 3 (3 reb, 2 ast, 2 stl), Matthew Sako 2 (4 reb), Nathan Yousif 2 (1 reb, 1 stl).

Santana: Anthony Romero 16 (4 reb, 1 stl), Daulton Barry 11 (1 reb), Ryan Bratlien 8 (1 ast), Sage Hicks 5 (2 reb, 1 ast, 2 stl, 2 blk), Mitchell Miller 5 (3 reb, 1 ast), Trent Baugh 2 (3 reb, 5 ast, 1 stl), Frankie Gutierrez 2 (5 reb, 2 ast), Austin Miller (2 reb, 1 blk).
— Adam Paul

GROSSMONT 44, STEELE CANYON 38 — Basketball today belongs to teams that can apply the clamps on their opponents. Those who play defense win it; those who don’t – don’t.

Such was the case in Friday’s (Jan. 31) Grossmont Hills League contest between the Grossmont Foothillers and the Steele Canyon Cougars.

“I think we played solid defense,” said Foothillers coach FRANK FOGGIANO. “It got close at the end of the game. We had a 15 point lead going into the fourth quarter. Steele Canyon played very strong in the fourth.”

TOMMY RUTHERFORD scored 13 points to lead Grossmont and grabbed 21 rebounds, while JEREMIAH APPLETON added 12 markers and CAMERON HENDERSON chimed in with 10.

“We shot terrible, we haven’t been shooting the ball well lately,” said Cougars coach DEREK STEPHENS. “We created turnovers, just couldn’t turn them into baskets. We missed too many layups We trailed the whole game by double digits.

“At the start of the fourth quarter we subbed in four guards and tried to make a run at it. With less than a minute left we were down by 2 points. We got the ball across and got a shot off but didn’t make it. We fouled, then one of our guys walked onto the court thinking that the ref had motioned him in. It was so noisy in the gym we couldn’t hear the buzzer. Then the ref called a “T” on him and Rutherford made both technicals.

“Grossmont didn’t hit a basket in the fourth quarter. Hopefully we can take some of the fight we had in the fourth quarter and turn that into something we can continue.”

EMARI BROOKS led Steele Canyon with 18 points.

Grossmont: Tommy Rutherford 13 (21 reb, 1 ast, 1 blk), Jeremiah Appleton 12 (2 reb, 4 ast, 2 blk), Cameron Henderson 10 (4 reb, 2 ast, 2 blk), Hunter Gaines 5 (1 reb, 1 ast, 1 stl), Jacob Niskey 4 (2 reb, 1 ast, 1 stl), Jacob Denson (4 reb, 1 ast, 1 stl).

Steele Canyon: Emari Brooks 18, Dylan Hamlett 8, Marcus White 6, Jordan Johnson 2, Aaron Pisiona 2, Nick Hodge 2.

POINT LOMA 51, CHRISTIAN 46 — Both teams struggled to get going and make a connection in the first quarter of Friday’s (Jan. 31) Central League contest on the Point.

“Neither team could hit anything in the first quarter,” noted Christian assistant coach TIM BROWN, referring to the Patriots’ two points and the Pointers’ four in the opening quarter.”

The Pointers led 18-13 at the half and maintained a one-point edge at the end of the third quarter.

“We had chances to win at the end but couldn’t score in regulation to win it,” Brown said. “Point Loma made their free throws for the victory in OT.”

JOHNNY PAULSON scored 17 points to lead Christian and TREVOR HOWELL chipped in with 10.

Christian: Johnny Paulson 17 (4 reb, 2 ast), Trevor Howell 10 (4 reb, 1 ast, 2 stl), David Jeremiah 6 (4 reb, 1 ast), Nick Sexton 6 (1 reb, 1 blk, 1 stl), Kyle Stowers 2 (8 reb, 4 ast, 3 blk, 2 stl), JD Parker 2 (1 reb, 1 stl).

Rare event in Helix/Serra game

© East County Sports.com
LA MESA (1-29-15) — The remarkable thing about this non-league game on Wednesday (Jan. 28) is there was no scoring by either team in the fourth quarter.

Serra (13-8) led Helix (14-9) by two points in the first quarter, and the Highlanders edged the Conquistadors 25-21 at the half.

In the third quarter quarter Helix uncorked 31 points to Serra’s 25. Then came the fourth. . . and nothing happened at the scoreboard, except to reflect the third – and final – score: Helix 56, Serra 46.

The Highlanders were led by MALIK TAMBWE who rolled a double-double of 19 points and 17 rebounds. QRIZJIAH MOBLEY added 13 points.

Helix: Malik Tambwe 19 (17 reb, 5 stl, 1 blk), Qrizjiah Mobley 13 (1 reb, 1 ast, 1 stl, 1 blk), Justin Flisher 8 (5 reb), Gary Linson 7 (8 reb, 3 ast, 2 stl, 1 blk), Alex Dumas 4 (1 reb, 1 ast), Jordan Velasco 2 (2 reb, 3 ast, 1 stl), Luke Holloway 2 (5 reb, 1 ast, 1 blk), Jaylin Arnold 2 (1 reb), Marcus Norris (4 reb, 1 stl, 2 blk), Eisaiah (3 reb, 1 stl, 1 blk), Henry Holtz (2 ast, 1 stl, 1 blk).

Eagles led to victory by Read and Coslo

By Adam Paul
© East County Sports.com
EL CAJON (1-28-15) — In a Grossmont Valley League contest Tuesday (Jan. 27) the Granite Hills Eagles took on the Santana Sultans and came away with their first league victory, 59-51, despite the fact they only went to the foul line a total of ten times for the entire game. Both teams came into the contest looking for their first league win.

The first quarter was very even by both teams with Santana leading 13-12 at the end of the period. However in the second period the Eagles used a 5-0 run to take the 17-13 lead with 7:11 left and were able to hold onto the lead, which was slim going into the break at 27-23.

The third period saw both teams go back and forth and Granite Hills thought they were going to pull away as they took their largest lead at 45-33 with about two minutes remaining. The Sultans called a timeout looking to regroup, and indeed they did as they came out of the timeout and used a 6-0 run thanks to an ANTHONY ROMERO three which would finish out the quarter and cut into the Eagle lead, 45-39.

The final Stanza was more of the same between both teams. The Eagles were able to finally get to the free throw line – after they had not been to the line the entire game – with about seven minutes remaining. The Sultans had been to the line 16 times before the Eagles finally took their initial turn. Overall it was 21-10 in favor of the Sultans for the number of foul shots taken for the game.

Despite this obstacle Granite Hills led by ANTONIO READ who finished with an even 20 points, including four treys. Also newcomer DARIEN COSLO who just became eligible and was playing his first game of the season after transferring helped spark the Eagles with 12 points - all on 3-point shots.

The Sultans were led by FRANKIE GUTIERREZ who finished with 19 points and DAULTON BARRY who chipped in with 11 points. Santana tried to make a charge in which they were able to get within two points with about five minutes left but just couldn’t break through. Every time they would get within a few points Granite Hills was able to score and extend their lead.

Other contributing factors to the victory was the fact that Granite Hills was able to control the boards, finishing with a 32-18 advantage and also shot 11-24 from behind the arc for the game.

Santana: Frankie Gutierrez 19 (9 reb, 3 ast, 3 stl, 1 blk), Daulton Barry 11 (1 ast), Sage Hicks 7 (1 reb, 1 stl), Ryan Bratlien 6 (1 ast, 1 stl), Anthony Romero 5 (1 reb, 1 ast), Mitchell Miller 2 (1 reb, 1 ast, 3 stl), Trent Baugh 1 (1 reb, 1 ast), Austin Miller (5 reb, 2 ast, 2 stl).

Granite Hills: Antonio Read 20 (7 reb, 4 ast, 1 stl), Darien Coslo 12 (4 reb, 2 ast), David Setterberg 10 (3 reb, 1 ast), Michael Ledesma 8 (6 reb, 2 ast, 1 stl), Cameron Spitzer 5 (4 reb, 5 ast, 3 stl), Frankie Lucatuorto 2 (5 reb, 1 stl), Erin Swinson 2, Chris Diaz (3 reb, 2 ast, 1 blk).

HELIX 55, WEST HILLS 47 — The Helix Highlanders (2-1, 13-6) knocked off the West Hills Wolf Pack (1-2, 12-7) Tuesday night (Jan. 27) in a Grossmont Hills League encounter.

MALIK TAMBWE and MARCUS NORRIS each rolled a double-double for Helix – Tambwe with a team-leading 15 points and 10 rebounds, and Norris with 12 points and 12 rebounds. Q MOBLEY matched the team lead with 15 points.

“We played pretty good for three quarters tonight,” said West Hills assistant coach LUCAS ARMSTRONG. “Our kids battled a good Helix team. Lost the game in the third quarter (17-6). Battled back in the forth but could never get it back where it was in the first half. Had a one point lead at intermission. We did not shoot free throws well at all (9-24).

None of the Wolf Pack scored in double figures.

“SAHIL ALAMI had some good minutes for us tonight off the bench (5 points, 4 rebounds and a steal),” Armstrong said. “And freshman Cameron Barry also played well at times (7 points, 3 rebounds).”

Helix: Malik Tambwe 15 ( 10 reb, 3 ast, 2 stl, 1 blk), Qrizjiah Mobley 15 (3 reb, 4 ast, 3 stl), Marcus Norris 12 (12 reb, 1 stl, 1 blk), Jordan Velasco 6 (1 reb, 5 ast, 2 stl), Gary Linson 6 (5 reb, 1 blk), Alex Dumas (3 reb, 3 ast, 2 stl, 1 blk), Henry Holtz (1 reb, 1 stl, 1 blk), Luke Holloway (2 reb), Eisaiah Blair (1 reb, 1 ast), Jumar Wynn (1 ast), Justin Flisher (1 reb).

West Hills: Marco Ovies 8 (1 ast), Bryce Parsons 7 (2 reb, 2 ast), Cameron Barry 7 (3 reb), Thomas Reaney 6 (7 reb, 3 stl, 1 blk), Ricardo Barajas 6 (4 reb, 1 ast, 1 stl), Sahil Alami 5 (4 reb, 1 stl), Issa Ghandour 5 (1 reb, 3 stl), Kyle Ruiz 2, Austin Alderson 1 (3 reb, 2 stl, 1 blk), Miguel Nava (2 reb, 1 blk), Chris Moyer (2 reb), Marquell Cool (1 reb).

EL CAPITAN 57, MONTE VISTA 50 — The El Capitan Vaqueros came and conquered the Monte Vista Monarchs Tuesday night (Jan. 27) in a Grossmont Valley League game held in Grossmont High’s Old Gym.

The Vaqueros were only one point ahead at the end of the first quarter but stretched their advantage to 21-17 by halftime.

ANDY CASAS scored a game high 37 points and hit 11 of 13 free throws for El Capitan.

“Our game is predicated on our shots and they aren’t very good right now,” said Monarchs coach MIKE TULLY. “With 41 seconds left in the fourth quarter we were down by two points, 49-47. El Cap’s KADE KYGAR took a desperation 3-point shot and it went in, and we picked up a foul under the basket. They made one of two free throws to put them up by six.

“At one point in the middle of the third quarter we were down 16 points, but by the last four minutes of the quarter we had cut it down to two points,” Tully recalled. “I thought we were going to really kick it to them in the fourth.

“At the end of the day we don’t defend very well,” he added. “They just played harder than us tonight.”

El Capitan: Andy Casas 37, Kade Kygar 8, Ryan Smith 7, Brian Ballo 4.

Monte Vista: Devron Young 15 (7 reb, 6 ast, 8 stl), Shai Stevenson 11 (6 reb, 1 ast, 1 stl), Bo Rankins 9 (8 reb, 1 ast, 1 stl), Adam Wallace 5 (2 reb, 3 ast), Terry Bone 5 (2 reb, 1 ast), Saiyeed Mershon 5 (1 reb, 1 stl).

STEELE CANYON 70, MOUNT MIGUEL 57 — Steele Canyon caught fire in the middle two quarters of this Grossmont Hills League contest, and carried it through for the victory on Tuesday (Jan. 27).

“We got up early, didn’t play as good a first half as I thought we should have,” said Cougars coach DEREK STEPHENS. “In the third quarter and at the start of the fourth our defense was good, but we need to play hard for 32 minutes. Eleven of our 13 guys scored.”

The Matadors trailed by just two points at the end of the first quarter, but Steele Canyon widened the gap to 35-28 at halftime. The Cougars went on a 9-0 run in the third quarter to lead 56-38 at the end of the third quarter. Mount Miguel scored 19 points in the fourth quarter to Steele Canyon’s 14, but it was too little, too late.

“Mount Miguel played hard – they shot well,” Stephens said. “I thought we did a good job against (DONNELL) PAYNE in the second half – he killed us in the first half. (NATE) GILBERT scored some points in the second half, he hurt us in that half.”

“Steele Canyon killed us on the boards,” noted Matadors coach JAY ROWLETT. “They had way too many putbacks.”

Steele Canyon: Dominick Wood-Anderson 15, Dylan Hamlett 12, Aaron Pisiona 10, Jordan Johnson 9, Marcus White 6, Lyndon Newsom 6, Gage Sanders 3, Nick Hodge 3, Tariq Tillman 2, Emari Brooks 2, Robert Teo 2.

Mount Miguel: Nate Gilbert 23 (4 reb, 1 stl), Donnell Payne 17 (7 reb, 3 ast), Ricky Harvey 10 (2 ast, 1 stl), Darian Norwood 5 (5 reb), Jay-Von Jones 2 (2 reb, 2 ast), Taj Tucker (3 ast, 1 stl), Trannell Hudson (1 stl), Trevon Allen (1 reb).

Knights no 'One trick pony'

By James McHugh
© East County Sports.com
CARLSBAD (1-24-15) — Those who think Foothills Christian Knights are a one trick pony haven't been to many games this season. While Arizona bound junior TJ LEAF is clearly the team catalyst, the Knights have no shortage of weapons and attacks, as they proved with a 76-59 victory over the Warriors in Friday night’s (Jan. 23) Coastal League game.

Army-Navy, who is currently ranked No. 5 in the latest local polls, ran into the No. 1 team in San Diego and quickly learned that stopping Foothills involves more than stopping Leaf, and they failed to accomplish that feat as well.

The Warriors attempted to sit in a zone defense and force the Knights to settle for long range threes and mid-range jumpers. Problem was, Foothills and Coach BRAD LEAF had other plans in mind. NIKKO PARANADA ran the point and dished six assists on the night, many of those slashing drives by T.J. LEAF and OMAJAE SMITH who both finished with a number of layups and emphatic dunks.

"Nikko ran the team perfectly," according to Coach BRAD LEAF. Hefty praise in a huge game for the junior guard.

After one quarter the Knights led 19-9, aided by a pair of triples from Leaf and one from Smith. By the time Army-Navy had settled into their zone, Leaf had posterized a pair of cadets and left the Warriors searching for answers.

Caleb Morris was called on to guard Leaf late in the first half, a move that Army-Navy likely thought would stop the bleeding. Unfortunately for the Carlsbad based squad, Omajae Smith brought his A game to the gym as well. Smith would finish with 24 points on the night. Freshman JORDAN STARR also pitched in seven points including a three-pointer in the third quarter that completely deflated a short 4-0 run by Army-Navy.

LUIS SALGADO had a solid night for Foothills, including 11 points and 6 rebounds. Salgado also added a pair of three-pointers to his career total which is third in school history only to former Knight guards KALOB HATCHER and TROY LEAF. Those two also sit atop the CIF San Diego Section record book for three pointers in a career.

The win is a boost for the Knights who have been finding different ways to win since their slip up against Bishop's. Foothills Christian finishes their first round of Coastal League action at 5-1 and sits atop the Division 2 Power Rankings in the San Diego Section.

Foothills Christian: T.J. Leaf 26 (10 reb, 2 stl), Omajae Smith 24 (6 reb), Luis Salgado 11, Jordan Starr 7 (5 reb), Nikko Paranada 6 (8 ast), Javier Guerrero 2 (1 stl).

GROSSMONT 48, HELIX 35 — The longtime rivalry between Grossmont and Helix continues but the results have largely remained the same. In a Grossmont Hills League game Friday (Jan. 23) Grossmont outlasted the Highlanders to pick their 15th overall victory and 2nd league win.

“We kept our composure and steadily built the lead up,” said Foothillers coach FRANK FOGGIANO. “I thought our defensive intensity was very good tonight – we held them to 35 points. We led all the way.”

TOMMY RUTHERFORD paced the Foothillers with a double-double of 19 points and 18 rebounds and five blocks, while JACOB DENSON added 11 points.

Q MOBLEY led the Highlanders with 14 points.

Grossmont: Tommy Rutherford 19 (18 reb, 1 ast, 1 stl, 5 blk), Jacob Denson 11 (6 reb, 2 ast, 1 stl), Cameron Henderson 5 (3 reb, 1 ast, 2 stl), Jeremiah Appleton 5 (2 reb, 4 ast, 2 stl), Hunter Gaines 3 (2 reb, 1 ast, 1 stl), Branik Brown 3 (1 reb), Jacob Niskey 2 (1 reb, 1 ast, 1 stl).

Helix: Qrizjiah Mobley 14 (3 reb, 1 ast, 1 stl, 3 blk), Malik Tambwe 8 (5 reb, 1 stl), Jordan Velasco 4 (2 reb), Henry Holtz 3 (1 reb, 2 ast, 2 stl, 1 blk), Jumar Wynn 3 (1 reb), Alex Dumas 3 (1 ast), Luke Holloway 2 (1 reb, 2 ast, 2 blk), Marcus Norris (9 reb, 1 ast, 2 stl), Justin Flisher (6 reb, 2 ast), Jaylen Arnold (3 reb), Gary Linson (1 reb, 1 stl), Marvin Roberts (1 reb).

WEST HILLS 57, MOUNT MIGUEL 47 — The Wolf Pack sailed past Mount Miguel in Friday’s (Jan. 23) Grossmont Hills League contest in Spring Valley. The Matadors led 17-14 after the first quarter and trailed the Pack 31-26 at the half. West Hills widened the advantage the rest of the game.

“We played pretty good tonight. Had a good team effort on both ends of the floor and got a lot of good minutes from several different people,” said Wolf Pack assistant coach LUCAS ARMSTRONG.

“KYLE RUIZ and ISSA GHANDOUR did a decent job on their defense assignment tonight, and MARCO OVIES had great minutes for us tonight at the point guard position with 8 assists.

“Ghandour gave us his best game of the season with 13 points (3 threes) and 7 steals, and THOMAS REANEY cleaned up the glass once again with 15 rebounds.

“Good road win for our team tonight against a tough Mount Miguel team,” Armstrong noted.

DONNELL PAYNE paced the Matadors with 18 points and six rebounds, while NATE GILBERT added 13, hitting three treys in the process.

“We started real well,” said Matadors coach JAY ROWLETT. “We just have to make plays when we need to make plays. We’re in a league with no cupcakes. We’ve got to lick our chops and be ready to go next week.”

West Hills: Issa Ghandour 13 (4 reb, 3 ast, 7 stl), Thomas Reaney 8 (15 reb, 3 ast, 1 stl, 4 blk), Ricardo Barajas 8 (5 reb, 1 ast), Marco Ovies 7 (2 reb, 8 ast, 1 stl), Austin Alderson 6 (4 reb), Kyle Ruiz 6 (3 stl), Bryce Parsons 5 (1 reb), Chris Moyer 4 (2 reb, 1 ast, 2 stl), Cameron Barry (1 ast), Miguel Nava (1 reb).

Mount Miguel: Donnell Payne 18 (6 reb, 1 ast, 1 stl), Nate Gilbert 13 (4 reb, 1 ast), Darian Norwood 9 (7 reb, 1 stl), Jay-Von Jones 3 (3 reb), Taj Tucker 3 (4 ast), Ricky Harvey 2, Trevon Allen 1, Trannell Hudson (1 reb, 1 stl).

EL CAJON VALLEY 62, MONTE VISTA 40 — The El Cajon Valley Braves kept pace with Monte Vista on Friday (Jan. 23) when they beat the Monarchs in Spring Valley in a Grossmont Valley League contest.

“We haven’t won in Monte Vista’s gym since I have been coaching, and that’s been six years,” said Braves coach and Monte Vista alum MARTY ELLIS. “My guys were happy to win in that gym an so am I. We’re peaking at the right time, and if we can continue then I think we’re on to something.

“Shooting was not on our radar tonight,” Ellis continued. “The two things that were huge for us tonight were rebounding and not letting them get second shots. Rebounding was big tonight.”

SYON HICKS had a career-high 20 points to lead the Braves. Four Braves rolled double-doubles, led by RONNE READUS who rolled a double-double of 15 points and 13 rebounds, BRANDON RUMLEY 15 points, 10 rebounds, IBRAHIM ALI 10 points and 10 rebounds.

“They killed us inside,” said Monarchs coach MIKE TULLY. “Their big guys – Rumley and Readus – just killed us. That was the difference in the game. It was bad. We were not ready to play. El Cajon Valley played great tonight.”

“Mike and I come from the same basketball beginning when ZACH PECK coached us at Monte Vista in 1992-93. A lot of Mike’s and my friends and family were at the game tonight.”

El Cajon Valley: Syon Hicks 20 (5 reb, 5 ast, 3 stl), Ronne Readus 15 (13 reb, 3 blk), Brandon Rumley 15 (10 reb, 2 ast, 2 stl), Ibrahim Ali 10 (10 reb, 4 ast, 5 stl), Dion Dean 2 (4 reb, 3 ast, 2 stl), Drake Afaisen (2 reb, 3 stl).

Monte Vista: No report.

CHRISTIAN 58, MADISON 54 — After spiraling into an 18-6 first quarter deficit, the host Christian Patriots recovered to a halftime score of 32-22 in Friday’s (Jan. 23) Central League encounter at the Ryan Athletic Center.

JOHNNY PAULSON erupted for 19 points, anchored by four 3-pointers, to lead the Patriots, while TRAVIS BALLARD added 16.

The Patriots totaled six 3-pointers as they put away the Warhawks.

“The first half was pretty bad,” commented Patriots assistant coach TIM BROWN. “We struggled the whole first half, got some momentum going into the third quarter, and got hot in the fourth to finish the game.”

Christian: Johnny Paulson 19 (4 reb, 2 blk, 1 ast), Travis Ballard 16 (7 reb, 1 stl), Trevor Howell 7 (2 reb, 3 ast), Grant Taylor 7 (1 ast, 2 stl), Kyle Stowers 6 (6 reb, 2 ast, 2 blk, 1 stl), JD Parker 2 (1 reb, 1 ast, 1 stl), Nick Sexton 2 (1 reb), David Jeremiah (2 reb).

VALHALLA 66, GRANITE HILLS 35 — The Valhalla-Granite Hills rivalry is a unique one in basketball circles. The schools are not the closest league opponents to each other geographically (Valhalla being much closer to Steele Canyon and Granite even closer to Madison Ave. counterpart El Cajon Valley).

The Norsemen and Eagles did not reside in the same division until this season. Even in regards to league standings, the two teams have finished in a close race for first place just once since 2000. Both teams finished the 2008-09 campaign 7-3, a game behind league champion Steele Canyon.

Don’t tell these teams that they have nothing in common though. The Norsemen and Eagles boys basketball teams see an awful lot of each other. Since 2008-09 the teams have traveled to Las Vegas for tournaments together each season and of course they have run into each other twice a year in Grossmont League play.

Granite Hills might be sick of seeing Valhalla by season's end after the Norsemen handed the Eagles a 66-35 drubbing in Friday night’s (Jan. 23) Grossmont Valley League game.

Valhalla entered the rivalry game as the current No. 1 seed in Division 3 this season. Granite Hills is the current No. 19 in their first season sharing a division with Valhalla, but irregularities in their schedule on the CIF website make it difficult to determine if the Eagles will slip into the 16 team field of playoff contenders.

In the opening minutes this looked to be a classic rivalry barn burner. ANTONIO READ hit a three for the Eagles, the student sections were just getting louder and the night was young. By halftime Granite Hills was on the ugly side of a lopsided affair. From the 1:12 mark in the 2nd quarter until the 6:58 minute in the 3rd when DAVID SETTERBERG hit a short jumper for the Eagles, no Granite player had scored except for Read.

Granite Hills managed just one field goal in the 2nd quarter (a three pointer by READ) and none in the closing frame. As a silver lining, the Eagles did manage to go 7-8 from the free throw line in the 4th quarter.

Valhalla was led by junior COLE HENDERSON's 21 points and JORDAN ELLIS who dropped 17 points in the Eagles Nest. The Norsemen had 11 players score on the evening and cleared their bench with 4:45 to play in the game much to the delight of the Valhalla student section (Thor's Thunder) who raucously celebrated every action by their bench.

When asked if the Norsemen have started thinking about their No. 1 Power Ranking in Division 3, or the playoffs, Valhalla head coach KEITH JACKSON simply said "No, we haven't looked at that yet. We lost one to Monte Vista, so No, we aren't looking at that yet."

Valhalla will see exactly where they stand in the Division 3 playoff picture when they face off against El Cajon Valley next Tuesday (Jan. 27) at home. El Cajon Valley is currently No. 2 in the division per the CIF Power Ranking system, which decides the seeding for section playoff divisions.

Valhalla: Cole Henderson 21 (12 reb), Jordan Ellis 17 (3 reb), John Murad 7 (5 reb), Jake Bassette 4 (4 reb), Jacob Hammett 3 (7 reb, 7 ast), Carson Baker 3 (7 reb), Matt Sako 3 (2 reb), Trey Schimke 2 (5 reb), Nathan Yousif 2 (2 reb, 2 ast), JJ Meier 2, Chris Attig 2.

Granite Hills: Antonio Read 11 (3 reb, 1 ast, 1 stl), David Setterberg 8 (4 reb, 4 blk), Michael Ledesma 4 (3 reb, 2 stl), Erin Swinson 4, Cameron Spitzer 2 (2 reb, 3 ast), Chris Diaz (2 reb, 1 ast, 1 stl), Dominic Sudo-Hooper 2, Mario Meza 2, Frankie Lucatuorto 2, Noor Noory (1 reb).
— James McHugh

EL CAPITAN 50, SANTANA 47 (OT) — The El Capitan Vaqueros looked to stay on the positive side of the win column versus Santana in a Grossmont Valley League matchup Friday (Jan. 23), and were able to accomplish the goal with a triumph in overtime.

The first quarter was all Vaqueros as they were able to lead 11-5, but the Sultans’ fortunes turned as they were able to reverse the tables and outscore El Capitan 18-5 and take a 23-16 advantage into the break.

The second half started and it looked like El Capitan would take over as they were able to prevail 12-5 in the third, but the Sultans battled back and were able to even everything in the final stanza at 42-42 to send the game to bonus play.

Both teams played valiantly in the overtime period but the Vaqueros were able to come out on top via an 8-5 advantage to bring the victory home. El Capitan won as well by holding the leading scorer for the Sultans RYAN BRATLIEN scoreless for the entire game which was a first of the season.

The mighty Sultans were led in scoring by DAULTON BARRY who scored a season high 16 points. RYAN BRATLIEN contributed with seven rebounds.

El Capitan: No report.

Santana: Daulton Barry 16 (1 reb, 1 ast, 1 stl), Frankie Gutierrez 8 (2 reb, 3 ast, 4 stl), Trent Baugh 6 (3 reb, 1 ast, 1 stl), Anthony Romero 7 (2 reb, 1 ast, 1 stl), Austin Miller 5 (3 reb, 1 stl), Ryan Bratlien (7 reb, 3 ast, 1 stl), Sage Hicks 5 (4 reb), Mitchell Miller (3 reb, 2 stl).
— Adam Paul

Horizon will go back to the drawing board after ball control didn't work against Foothills

By Bill Dickens
© East County Sports.com
SAN DIEGO (1-21-15) — The top-ranked Foothills Christian Knights (12-8, 4-1 league) was pressed to the wall by Horizon in Tuesday’s (Jan. 20) Coastal League encounter, holding off the Horizon Knights 59-43 in one of the lower scoring games this season for Foothills.

Horizon attempted a very methodical ball control game plan to somewhat mirror what Bishop's did a week ago against Foothills Christian.

T.J. LEAF was held to two points in the first quarter but NIKKO PARANADA had seven in the quarter.

Horizon’s Ethan Underwood had 14 points at halftime. At that point coach BRAD LEAF switched to a man defense and OMAJAE SMITH was assigned the task of guarding Underwood the rest of the night. Underwood had just two points after the half.

Leaf had six points in each of the third and fourth quarters including going 6-for-6 from the line in the second half.

Leaf, who has been dogged by injuries, was limited to 19 points and 13 rebounds. NIKKO PARANADA added 12 points, while LUIS SALGADO chipped in with 10.

Foothills Christian: T.J. Leaf 19 (13 reb, 3 ast, 1 stl, 5 blk), Nikko Paranada 12 (1 reb, 3 ast, 5 stl, 2 blk), Luis Salgado 10 (4 reb, 2 ast, 1 stl), Jordan VanOmmering 9 (3 reb, 1 stl, 1 blk), Omajae Smith 7 (2 ast, 1 blk), Jordan Starr 2 (1 reb, 1 ast, 1 stl, 1 blk), Jordan Starr 2 (1 reb, 1 ast, 1 stl, 1 blk), Daniel Hoffman (1 stl), Kale Baldado (1 reb).

KEARNY 77, CHRISTIAN 43 — Christian was mowed down by No. 11 ranked Kearny Tuesday (Jan. 20) in a Central League game.

The Patriots (11-6, 3-2 league), who trailed 50-27 at halftime, were blown out of the game early by the Central League’s top team.

TRAVIS BALLARD led Christian with 13 points and eight rebounds.

JD PARKER and JOHNNY PAULSON scored nine points apiece.

Christian: Travis Ballard 13 (8 reb, 2 ast, 1 blk), JD Parker 9 (2 reb, 5 ast), Johnny Paulson 9 (6 reb, 1 ast), Trevor Howell 5 (1 reb, 1 ast), Kyle Stowers 3 (4 reb, 1 ast), David Jeremiah 2 (1 ast), Nick Sexton 1 (2 stl, 1 ast), Grant Taylor 1 (1 ast, 2 stl), Domenic Bristol (5 reb, 2 blk).

Braves take down Bulldogs

By Adam Paul
© East County Sports.com
EL CAJON (1-18-15) — The El Cajon Valley Braves, who were coming off an impressive victory in the Grossmont Valley League opener the previous night and also carrying a three game winning streak, took on the visiting Ramona Bulldogs, who are usually one of the better North County teams, and were able to scalp their way to the 78-34 victory in Saturday evenings contest (Jan 17).

Ramona jumped out to an early 7-1 lead and that was the last time they would lead as the Braves would streak to a 9-0 run to take the lead at 10-7. They would then finish that streak at 13-0 to lead 14-7 and ultimately roll the first quarter on a 19-4 run to lead 20-11 after one period of play.

The second frame was more of the same as El Cajon Valley was able to use its swarming defense to extend its advantage and lead by a comfortable margin at the break by a score of 47-25.

On the evening defensively the Braves had 18 steals.

The second half, like the first half was all Braves as they started the third period on a 7-0 run to extend their lead to 54-25. El Cajon Valley had done enough scoring damage to break the threshold in the final period that the rest of the game ended up being a running clock a couple of minutes into the final frame. In fact the Braves dominated the scoring by a 31-9 margin for the entire second half.

Overall it was a very balanced evening on the stat sheet for the Braves as SYON HICKS led the charge with 22 points, six assists and steals steals. RONNE READUS contributed a double-double with 15 points and 14 rebounds and also had 3 steals and 2 blocks to complete his stat line. Not to be left out IBRAHIM ALI who finished his evening with 17 points, also grabbed 7 rebounds and had 4 steals. Finally RICHARD GARCIA contributed 14 points including 3-treys.

“Tonight was a complete team victory and hopefully this victory will carry our momentum to next week,” said El Cajon coach MARTY ELLIS.

El Cajon Valley: Syon Hicks 22 (4 rebs, 6 asts, 6 stls), Ibrahim Ali 17 (7 rebs, 1 ast, 4 stls), Ronne Readus 15 (14 rebs, 1 ast, 3 stls, 2 blks), Richard Garcia 14 (2 rebs, 3 asts,), Dion Dean 6 (2 rebs, 3 asts, 4 stls), Demaje Hodges 4 (4 rebs), Drake Afaisen (4 rebs, 1 stl).

LINCOLN 59, MOUNT MIGUEL 56 — In a fast-paced game up and down the court on Saturday (Jan. 17) at the MLK Hoopfest, Lincoln led after the first quarter 13-9.

In the second frame Mount Miguel was able to outscore the Hornets 16-11 to lead at the break 25-24.

After three quarters Lincoln led 41-38. The Matadors would tie the game up 48-48 with 3:44 left in the third. Finally late in the fourth the Matadors led by one – 54-53 – then Lincoln finished out on a 5-3 run to take the win.

DONNELL PAYNE led the Matadors with 17 points and NATE GILBERT added 13 more.

Mount Miguel: Donnell Payne 17 (3 reb, 1 stl, 1 blk), Nate Gilbert 13 (1 ast, 2 stl), Darian Norwood 9 (1 ast), Taj Tucker 8 (3 ast), Trevon Allen 4 (1 reb, 1 ast, 1 blk), Gary Haskins 3 (2 reb), Jay-Von Jones 2 (1 stl).

REDONDO UNION 58, FOOTHILLS CHRISTIAN 57 — No details reported.

Young and Funk lead Monarchs to early Valley League lead

By Bill Dickens
© East County Sports.com
EL CAJON (1-17-15) — DEVRON YOUNG scored 26 points, including three treys and 7-for-12 free throw shooting to lead Monte Vista to a 69-64 Grossmont Valley League overtime victory over Valhalla Friday night (Jan. 16).

SHAI STEVENSON scored 12 points off the bench for the Monarchs, and ADAM WALLACE added 12.

Monte Vista led by 10 points with four minutes to play in the fourth quarter but the Norsemen fought back to cut the lead to two with the score at 64-62 with 41 seconds to play. The defensive play by the Monarchs’ RAY FUNK put the handle on Valhalla.

Bo Rankins (#40) blocks a three-point attempt by Valhalla to take the lead. Photo courtesy of Don De Mar (http://www.dondemarsphotography.com/)

The bottom line for Monte Vista was Young and TRE OWENS. Young

The game was tied at 64-64 when Young missed a free throw but grabbed the rebound and got a bucket. The final points were posted when TRE OWENS hit two free throws for the Monarchs.

The key nugget for Monte Vista was Funk, who applied heat to Valhalla’s JACOB HAMMETT.

“Monte Vista outplayed us in the second half,” said Valhalla coach KEITH JACKSON. “Give them credit for making free throws and hitting timely shots. They were the better team tonight.”

The Norsemen scored 9 of 17 treys as a team.

Valhalla was led by JOHN MURAD who pitched in 17 points, COLE HENDERSON who added 14 points and JACOB HAMMETT who chipped in with 10.

“This was probably the best game I’ve been associated with in several years,” said Monarchs coach MIKE TULLY.

Monte Vista: Devron Young 26, Shai Stevenson 12, Adam Wallace 12, Tre Owens 9, Ray Funk 5, Saiyeed Mershon 3, Bo Rankins 2.

Valhalla: John Murad 17, Cole Henderson 14, Jacob Hammett 10, Nathan Yousif 9, Jake Bassette 5, Trey Schimke 5, Jordan Elllis 4.

FOOTHILLS CHRISTIAN 76, LA JOLLA COUNTRY DAY 52 — No. 1 ranked Foothills Christian clubbed La Jolla Country Day in Friday’s (Jan. 16) Coastal League encounter.

LUIS SALGADO nailed 21 points, including three treys, to spark the Knights.

OMAJAE SMITH added 15 points, and NIKKO PARANADA and KALE BALDADO chipped in with 14 apiece.

Salgado was 3-for-3 from above the arc, grabbed six rebounds and dished four assists. He was definitely the player of the game.

Starr had six assists and five rebounds, while Smith nailed a trio of treys.

Five player scored in double digits for the Knights, who manhandled LJCD without the services of top gun T.J. LEAF.

Foothills Christian will face Redondo Union at Cerritos College Saturday (Jan. 17) at 7 p.m.

Foothills Christian: Luis Salgado 21 (6 reb, 4 ast), Omajae Smith 15 (1 reb), Nikko Paranada 14 (3 reb), Kale Baldado 14 (2 reb), Jordan Starr 5 (5 reb, 6 ast), JR Rivera 3 (2 reb), Javier Guerrero 3, T.J. Lowery 1.

GROSSMONT 52, WEST HILLS 46 — It was a nail-biter Friday night (Jan. 16) in the Grossmont Hills League opener at West Hills, as the Wolf Pack led most of the way and ended up without the victory.

“We were losing the whole time,” said Foothillers coach FRANK FOGGIANO. ”We outscored them 21-9 in the fourth quarter. That’s how we won.”

“We let one get away, it was a disappointing loss,” said West Hills assistant coach LUCAS ARMSTRONG. “We led for 90 percent of the game and couldn’t get any good looks down the stretch. We played three good quarters (up 6) and just lost our rhythm in the fourth.

“They did a better job of getting back on defense in the second half and limited our transition points,” Armstrong added.

TOMMY RUTHERFORD led Grossmont with 18 points and 21 rebounds.

“RICARDO BARAJAS led us in scoring with 23 points. He had 15 in the first half,” Armstrong noted. “MARCO OVIES had a nice game for us with 10 points and 5 assists, and THOMAS REANEY had 11 rebounds to lead us.

Grossmont: Tommy Rutherford 18 (21 reb, 2 ast, 2 stl), Hunter Gaines 9 (5 reb, 1 ast, 1 stl), Cameron Henderson 8 (4 reb, 3 ast, 4 stl), Jacob Niskey 6 (3 reb, 2 ast, 1 stl), Jacob Denson 3 (4 reb, 1 ast, 1 stl), Branik Brown 3 (1 reb, 1 ast, 1 stl), Thomas Ferri 2 (1 reb), Deshan Hillman 2 (1 reb), Ryan Shirley 1.

West Hills: Ricardo Barajas 23 (2 reb, 1 stl), Marco Ovies 10 (1 reb, 5 ast, 2 stl), Thomas Reaney 6 (11 reb, 2 ast, 1 stl), Bryce Parsons 5 (2 reb, 1 ast, 3 stl), Austin Alderson 2 (3 reb, 2 stl, 1 blk), Chris Moyer (2 reb, 1 stl, 1 blk), Kyle Ruiz (1 reb, 1 ast, 2 stl).

HELIX 51, STEELE CANYON 48 — Helix pulled a narrow escape against Steele Canyon Friday (Jan. 16), pulling out a 51-48 Grossmont Hills League victory.

“They shot better than we did,” said Cougars coach DEREK STEPHENS. “We wanted to force them to beat us from the outside, and they did. They hit six 3s and we only had three 3s. We missed a bunch of free throws but the kids played hard.

“We had a chance to tie it at the end. With seven seconds left we called a timeout and set up a play to get the ball to AARON PISIONA, our primary 3-shooter, but it didn’t happen.”

“Their No. 1 (Velasco) shot really well, hit four 3s,” Stephens said.

JORDAN VELASCO paced Helix with 15 points, while MARCUS NORRIS added 9 points and grabbed 10 rebounds.

For Steele Canyon DOMINICK WOOD-ANDERSON scored 23 points to lead the Cougars.

Helix: Jordan Velasco 15 (3 reb, 3 ast, 2 stl), Marcus Norris 9 (10 reb, 1 stl) 1 blk), Qrizjiah Mobley 7 (5 reb, 6 ast, 2 stl, 1 blk), Gary Linson 4 (5 reb, 1 stl, 2 blk), Malik Tambwe 4 (1 reb, 2 ast, 1 stl, 1 blk), Jaylen Arnold 4 (1 reb, 4 ast, 3 stl, 2 blk), Justin Flisher 3 (3 reb, 1 ast, 2 blk), Henry Holtz 3 (1 reb), Luke Holloway 2 (1 reb, 1 stl, 2 blk), Alex Dumas (3 reb, 2 ast, 1 stl, 1 blk).

Steele Canyon: Dominick Wood-Anderson 23, Tariq Tillman 7, Dylan Hammlett 6, Marcus White 5, Emari Brooks 3, Jordan Johnson 3, Aaron Pisiona 2.

EL CAJON VALLEY 66, SANTANA 40 — In first round of Grossmont Valley League action Friday (Jan. 16) El Cajon Valley took on the Santana Sultans and was able to come away with the impressive 66-40 victory and move their record to 10-5, 1-0 GVL, whereas with the loss Santana dropped to 3-12, 0-1 GVL.

The Braves after the first quarter led 20-11 and at the break extended their lead to 40-23. The second half was more of the same as the Braves outscored the Sultans 26-17 to make up the final margin of victory.

“We started out a little slow at the beginning,” said El Cajon Valley coach MARTY ELLIS. “We pressured the ball the entire game, so I think we wore out their guards. We shared the ball well with each other tonight. The team played unselfish ball.”

SYON HICKS led the Braves with 21 points, and IBRAHIM ALI pitched in with 12. RONNE READUS rolled a double-double of 12 points and 15 rebounds.

Pacing the Sultans was SAGE HICKS who finished with 12 points and RYAN BRATLIEN who tallied 11 points.

El Cajon Valley: Syon Hicks 21 (1 reb, 2 stl), Dion Dean 16 (5 reb, 1 stl), Ronne Readus 12 (15 reb, 3 blk, Ibrahim Ali 12 (5 reb, 1 stl), 1 stl), Ricky Garcia 3 (1 reb), Demaje Hodges 2 (4 reb, 1 stl), Drake Afaisen (2 reb, 5 stl).

Santana: Sage Hicks 12 (7 reb), Ryan Bratlien 11 (9 reb, 2 ast, 1 stl), Frankie Gutierrez 9 (3 reb, 3 stl, 2 ast), Mitchell Miller 6 (3 reb, 2 stl, 1 ast), Trent Baugh 2 (6 reb, 1 ast), Austin Miller (2 reb, 1 ast), Daulton Barry (1 reb, 1 ast), Anthony Romero (1 reb).

CHRISTIAN 66, CRAWFORD 53 — TRAVIS BALLARD knocked down 19 points and grabbed nine rebounds to help propel Christian to a 36-26 halftime lead of Friday’s (Jan. 16) Central League game.

The Colts lost their third straight game. The pivotal period was the second when the Colts surrendered 20 points.

JD PARKER scored 16 points for the Patriots, while JOHNNY PAULSON added 14. TREVOR HOWELL contributed 8 points and grabbed 8 rebounds.

“We had everybody contribute that played,” said Christian assistant coach TIM BROWN. “It led to our best team effort.”

Christian: Travis Ballard 19 (9 reb), JD Parker 16 (3 ast), Johnny Paulson 14 (1 ast), Trevor Howell 8 (8 reb, 3 ast), David Todd Jeremiah 6 (1 reb), Kyle Stowers 3 (10 reb, 9 ast).

EL CAPITAN 60, GRANITE HILLS 44 — Talk about a bad start . . . Granite Hills fell behind 22-0 after the first quarter of Friday’s (Jan. 16) Grossmont Valley League opener.

But the Eagles found their wings and came from behind to make a game of it but it was too little, too late.

ANTONIO READ led Granite Hills with 11 points and eight rebounds, while CHRIS DIAZ added 10 points and pulled down eight rebounds. MICHAEL LEDESMA grabbed 10 rebounds for the Eagles in a losing effort.

El Capitan: No report.

Granite Hills: Antonio Read 11 (8 reb, 1 ast, 3 stl), Chris Diaz 10 (8 reb, 1 ast, 2 stl), Michael Ledesma 5 (10 reb, 2 ast, 3 stl), Cameron Spitzer 7 (2 reb, 1 ast, 1 stl), Frankie Lucatuorto 5 (4 reb), Erin Swinson 4, Noor Noory 2.

Grossmont and Valhalla in the drivers seat for league crowns

By Bill Dickens
© East County Sports.com
Grossmont Hills League
1. Grossmont (13-3): The Foothillers boasted the finest preseason record in East County, but that hardly declares them as the heavy favorite in league play. Six-foot-10 junior TOMMY RUTHERFORD is averaging 25.6 points per game and 22.3 rebounds per game for the Foothillers.

2. Steele Canyon (13-4): The Cougars, the defending Grossmont Hills League champions a year ago, will definitely prove to be a threat to repeat. Junior DOMINICK WOOD-ANDERSON is the top returning player, averaging double digits for the Cougars this season.

3. Helix (11-8): Never count out the Helix Highlanders in a basketball race. Coach JOHN SINGER’s team always finds a way to challenge for the top.

4. Mount Miguel (8-5): The Matadors have the talent to move up, even enough to challenge for the league title . . . but don’t count on it.

5. West Hills (10-5): West Hills is ticketed for a last place finish but that may be too low for a team that can finish much higher when its members are in synch.

Grossmont Valley League
1. Valhalla (13-3): The Norsemen will be the team to beat in the GVL, but they definitely will not be a heavy favorite. It will take Valhalla with all of its might to make it to the top and then hang on.

2. El Cajon Valley (7-5): The Braves will definitely keep the pressure on behind four-year starter IBRAHIM ALI, and could challenge for the crown. This is no gimmee.

3. Granite Hills (8-7): The Eagles are looking for consistency from ANTONIO READ.

4. El Capitan (3-8): High-scoring guard KADE KYGAR and ANDY CASAS anchor the Vaqueros.

5. Monte Vista (4-10): ADAM WALLACE and DEVRON YOUNG hope to drive the Monarchs up the standings.

6. Santana (3-10): Sharp-shooter RYAN BRATLIEN will set the pace for the Sultans.

Central League
3. Christian (10-5, 2-1): The Patriots will make one of their strongest challenges in over a decade. However, currently standing at No. 3 in the league, the Patriots will be hard pressed to climb higher.

Coastal League
3. Foothills Christian (10-7, 2-1): Ranked No. 3 in a 7-team league, the Knights could climb even higher.

Reaney and Moyer enjoy the Otay Ranch In-N-Out location

© East County Sports.com
CHULA VISTA (1-15-15) — The visiting West Hills Wolf Pack travelled to South Bay Wednesday (Jan. 14) and knocked off the Otay Ranch Mustangs 82-71 in an non-league overtime battle.

Six-foot-3 senior THOMAS REANEY paced the Wolf Pack with a double-double of 24 points and 15 rebounds, while 6-5 sophomore CHRIS MOYER hit his own double-double with 11 points and 11 rebounds.

MARCO OVIES chipped in with 14 points and RICARDO BARAJAS scored 13.

BRYCE PARSONS scored nine points, grabbed nine rebounds and eight assists.

Reaney nailed 8 of 13 shots from the field during the overtime period.

Point guard Ovies committed only two turnovers in 36 possessions.

West Hills: Thomas Reaney 24 (15 reb, 3 ast, 1 stl, 2 blk), Marco Ovies 14 (1 reb, 3 ast, 2 stl), Ricardo Barajas 13 (6 reb, 5 ast, 1 stl), Chris Moyer 11 (11 reb, 2 blk), Bryce Parsons 9 (9 reb, 8 ast, 1 stl), Kyle Ruiz 7 (2 reb), Austin Alderson 4 (5 reb, 2 ast, 1 stl), Issa Ghandour (1 stl).

CRAWFORD 63, SANTANA 60 — The Crawford Colts took on the Santana Sultans in Santee in a non-league contest Wednesday (Jan. 14) and came away with the close victory in what was a homecoming for the Colts head coach JEFF BICKFORD, who used to be an assistant as well as an alumnus of Santana.

The Colts presented their coach, a former Santana standout, with his first victory at Crawford.

Cody Marcus was the man of the hour for Crawford. Marcus hit a 3-pointer to tie the game at 60-60. With 3.2 seconds left Marcus took a kickout pass on an assist from Yusef Jama and scored a 3-pointer to win it.

The game itself was very evenly played as both teams were tied at 15 apiece after one period and the Sultans were able to hold a slim 28-25 lead at the break.

The second half was more of the same as the Colts were able to lead 44-42 going into the final period. In the final period the Sultans tried to make a charge but came up on the short end.

Leading the way for the Sultans was RYAN BRATLIEN who finished with 20 points and nine rebounds. TRENT BAUGH also finished in double figures with 11 points.

Santana: Ryan Bratlien 20 (9 reb, 3 ast), Trent Baugh 11 (2 reb, 2 ast), Mitchell Miller 8 (2 ast), Austin Miller 7 (2 reb, 1 ast), Sage Hicks 6 (6 reb), Frankie Gutierrez 4 (3 reb, 3 stl, 3 ast), Anthony Romero 2 (2 reb), Daulton Barry 2 (1 reb, 1 ast).
— Adam Paul

Valhalla and Grossmont engage in a see-saw affair

By Adam Paul
© East County Sports.com
EL CAJON (1-14-15) — Host Valhalla Norsemen renewed their rivalry with the Grossmont Foothillers in a non-league contest Tuesday night (Jan. 13) in what would be considered an old-fashioned slobber knocker due to the physicality of the contest.

Both teams came ready to play and it showed on the court as the entire game was very physical on both ends. The game itself at times resembled more of a football game than a basketball game. In the end it was Valhalla coming up with a 55-54 victory.

The entire place was rocking with both schools’ students making up the majority of the crowd and going back and forth the whole game, cheering on their respective teams. Both teams fed off the energy as they traded baskets most of the game.

The first quarter went to the Foothillers by a score of 13-12. However in the second period the Norseman turned it up a notch and were able to take a 26-22 lead going into the break.

The second half resembled the first half with the score being close. Valhalla was able to build a five point lead midway thru the third period but Grossmont came roaring back to pull within two at 40-38 after three periods of play thanks to TOMMY RUTHERFORD who poured in the usual double-double of 26 points and 17 rebounds despite being double teamed pretty much the entire night. Also scoring for the Foothillers was CAMERON HENDERSON who tallied 13 points.

The final stanza was very exciting as both teams went back and forth scoring wise. Valhalla was able to build a seven point lead midway thru the final period but the Foothillers were able to chop that lead and eventually took their first lead of the game 52-51 with about 2:00 remaining.

However with about 20 seconds remaining and Grossmont clinging to a 54-53 lead, the Norseman had their shot and took advantage of the opportunity. JAKE BASSETTE provided the heroics for the Norseman as he was able to take the pass from COLE HENDERSON and lay it up to give the Norseman the lead at 55-54. The Foothillers had one more chance but the jumper by HUNTER GAINES clanked off the rim and Valhalla was able to snag the rebound for the victory.

The final buzzer sounded and the entire Valhalla student section – who were all dressed up in crazy costumes – stormed the court and just completely mobbed the team.

For the Norseman it was the trio of JACOB HAMMETT, COLE HENDERSON and JOHN MURAD who did all the damage for Valhalla, combining for 40 of Valhalla’s 55 points.

Valhalla: Jacob Hammett 17 (3 reb, 3 stl), John Murad 12 (5 reb, 2 ast), Cole Henderson 11 (1 reb, 1 ast) 1 blk), Jordan Ellis 8 (4 reb, 1 ast), Jake Bassette 5 (5 reb, 4 ast, 2 stl), Nathan Yousif 2, Trey Schimke (1 reb).

Grossmont: Tommy Rutherford 26 (17 reb, 3 blk), Cameron Henderson 13 (8 reb, 1 ast), Jeremiah Appleton 9 (5 reb, 5 ast, 1 stl), Hunter Gaines 5 (1 reb, 2 ast), Jacob Denson 1 (8 reb, 3 ast, 1 stl), Thomas Ferri (1 reb).

HELIX 67, GRANITE HILLS 35 — Granite Hills was overrun by the Highlanders in Tuesday’s (Jan. 13) non-league encounter in La Mesa.

“It was a 10-point game at halftime,” said Eagles coach RANDY ANDERSON. “We just got out-physicalled. We have some injuries but we weren’t tough enough tonight.”

Helix was paced by JAYLEN ARNOLD with 12 points and 6 rebounds, while Q MOBLEY added 11 points and 6 steals for the Highlanders. The rest of the Helix crew turned in balanced scoring throughout.

Nobody scored in double digits for the Eagles.

Helix: Jaylen Arnold 12 (6 reb, 2 ast, 2 stl, 1 blk), Qrizjiah Mobley 11 (3 reb, 2 ast, 6 stl, 1 blk), Justin Flisher 8 (6 reb, 1 ast, 2 stl), Alex Dumas 8 (1 reb, 1 ast, 3 stl, 1 blk), Malik Tambwe 6 (8 reb, 3 ast, 1 stl, 1 blk), Jordan Velasco 5 (3 reb, 6 ast), Luke Holloway 4 (8 reb, 1 ast, 1 stl), Marcus Norris 3 (2 reb, 3 ast, 2 stl, 2 blk), Eisaiah Blair 3 (1 reb), Jumar Wynn 2 (2 reb, 1 ast, 1 stl), Gary Linson 2 (2 reb), Henry Holtz 2 (1 ast), Marvin Roberts (1 reb, 1 stl).

Granite Hills: Cameron Spitzer 8 (3 reb, 1 ast, 1 stl), Noor Noory 6 (2 reb, 1 ast), Antonio Read 5 (5 reb), Erin Swinson 6 (1 reb), Frankie Lucatuorto 3 (4 reb, 1 ast), Michael Ledesma 2 (3 reb, 4 ast), Wyatt Mason 3, Chris Diaz 2 (1 reb, 1 ast, 1 stl), Blake Branvall (4 reb).

EL CAJON VALLEY 65, WEST HILLS 57 — Senior four-year starter IBRAHIM ALI rolled a double-double of 21 points and 10 rebounds as host El Cajon Valley upended visiting West Hills in Tuesday’s (Jan. 13) non-league encounter.

“I’ve been around here a long time,” said Ali. “We play for each other. We never think about one guy winning a game. We turned the game around in the second half with a lot of pressure and good defense.”

This is no one man show. SYON HICKS punched in 15 points and grabbed four rebounds for the Braves and RONNE READUS hauled down 12 rebounds. Hicks also nailed two 3s.

For West Hills RICARDO BARAJAS led with 12 points, while THOMAS REANEY pulled down 12 boards.

The Wolf Pack led for most of the game, only giving up the lead with six minutes left in the fourth quarter.

El Cajon Valley: Ibrahim Ali 21 (10 reb, 6 ast, 1 blk, 3 stl), Syon Hicks 15 (4 reb), Ricky Garcia 9 (1 reb), Brandon Rumley 8 (2 reb), Ronne Readus 6 (12 reb), Dion Dean 4 (2 reb, 2 ast, 1 stl), Drake Afaisen 2.

West Hills: Ricardo Barajas 12 (4 reb, 2 ast, 2 stl), Austin Alderson 8 (6 reb, 2 ast), Thomas Reaney 7 (12 reb, 1 ast, 4 stl, 1 blk), Bryce Parsons 7 (2 reb, 5 ast), Chris Moyer 6 (5 reb, 2 ast), Cameron Barry 6 (1 ast), Marco Ovies 4 (1 reb, 4 ast), Marquell Cool 4 (2 reb), Kyle Ruiz 3 (3 reb), Issa Ghandour (2 reb, 1 ast).

BISHOP’S 48, FOOTHILLS CHRISTIAN 42 — There is an old saying that baseball is a game of numbers. Foothills Christian would probably argue that basketball can be a game of numbers as well, sometimes gut wrenching, inexplicable numbers.

(1-20) — The number of shots the normally sure handed Knights hit from three point range Tuesday night (Jan. 13) in their loss to Bishop's.

(1) — The current league losing streak Foothills now holds, after snapping a San Diego section record 68 game winning streak dating to the Knights' days in the Citrus and Sunset League.

(4) — The number of points the Knights scored in the second quarter, perhaps the worst quarter since any Leaf put on a Foothills uniform. Junior star T.J. LEAF did not play on this night however.

(35-58) — The number by which Foothills was out rebounded by a vastly smaller Bishop's lineup including 18 on the offensive glass.

(50-50) — The hustle factor. Bishop's out hustled a Foothills team that was desperately looking for another leader to step up as had happened previously in wins against La Costa Canyon, Santa Fe Christian and Parker – games in which Leaf was either missing or hobbled with injuries.

Eric Yu drained four three pointers for Bishop's, going 4-5 over the course of the 2nd and 3rd quarters. Three of those attempts came completely uncontested. (7.5) -- the number of minutes Foothills allowed Bishop's Center Sahil Sheth to stay in the game after picking up his fourth personal foul. Sheth went largely unchallenged the remainder of the way, sitting in the paint and watching rebounds fall his way over and over again.

The loss is a wakeup call for the Knights who will now need to re-focus. League play only gets tougher in the Coastal League and with an uncertain status for Leaf from day to day. Foothills will need to look to a number of its juniors for bigger efforts than they saw collectively tonight.

One bright spot for the Knights was the play of sophomore KALE BALDADO who raked in 14 of the 35 rebounds that Foothills collected. Baldado fouled out with more than four minutes remaining and his presence was immediately noticeable on the glass.

Foothills Christian: Javier Guerrero 8 (3 reb, 4 ast, 2 stl), Luis Salgado 8 (3 reb, 1 stl), Kale Baldado 6 (14 reb, 1 stl, 1 blk), Omajae Smith 6 (8 reb, 1 ast, 1 stl, 1 blk), Nikko Paranada 6 (2 reb, 1 ast, 1 stl), Jordan Starr 5 (1 reb), JR Rivera 2 (3 reb, 1 stl), Jordan VanOmmering (1 reb, 1 stl), 1 blk).
– James McHugh

CORONADO 48, CHRISTIAN 46 — In a game that could have gone either way, Christian ended up losing by a slim margin in Tuesday’s (Jan. 13) Central League game.

“We were up most of the game – only trailed once in the fourth quarter,” said Patriots assistant coach TIM BROWN. “It was close the whole way. It was pretty much back and forth down the stretch. They made the last big bucket to win it.”

TRAVIS BALLARD paced Christian with 17 points and TREVOR HOWELL added 15.

Christian: Travis Ballard 17 (3 reb, 2 stl), Trevor Howell 15 (4 ast, 3 stl), David Todd Jeremiah 6 (4 reb, 2 ast), Kyle Stowers 2 (7 reb, 3 ast), Johnny Paulson (3 reb, 1 stl), Grant Taylor (2 ast, 1 stl).

FRANCIS PARKER 63, MONTE VISTA 41 — Teams playing out of the Grossmont Conference have found rough going as the Monarchs did in Tuesday’s (Jan. 13) non-league action at Francis Parker.

“We missed many shots. I thought we played well for three quarters,” said Monte Vista coach MIKE TULLY. “We didn’t make as many shots as we did in the first half – played man the whole night, no zone.”

The high point man for Monte Vista was DEVRON YOUNG who poured in 26 points.

Monte Vista: Devron Young 26, Tre Owens 4, Bo Rankins 4, Adam Wallace 3, Ray Funk 2, Shai Stevenson 2.

Read and Lucatuorto team up for 40 in loss

By Bill Dickens
© East County Sports.com
CHULA VISTA (1-13-15) — Granite Hills travelled to South Bay Monday night (Jan. 12) and pushed rugged Otay Ranch to the limit in a non-league game before succumbing to the Mustangs 73-64.

ANTONIO READ nailed a trio of 3-pointers as part of his game-high 20 points, grabbed 10 rebounds and dished four assists. FRANKIE LUCATUORTO also added 20 points and eight rebounds, while CAMERON SPITZER contributed 11 points for the Eagles (8-6).

Read also made 5 of 6 free throws, while the Eagles were 18 of 20 on free throw shooting. The top gun for Granite Hills at the line was CHRIS DIAZ, who failed to make a basket but was 9-for-10 at the charity stripe.

Granite Hills: Antonio Read 20 (10 reb, 4 ast, 1 st, 1 blk), Frankie Lucatuorto 20 (8 reb, 2 ast, 1 stl, 2 blk), Cameron Spitzer 11 (5 reb, 4 ast, 3 stl), Chris Diaz 9 (5 reb, 5 ast, 1 stl), Michael Ledesma 2 (4 reb, 2 ast, 2 stl), Erin Swinson 2, Wyatt Mason (1 reb, 1 ast, 1 stl), Noor Noory (1 reb).

HUGE night by Payne gets the 'W' for the Matadors in lengthy game

By Bill Dickens
© East County Sports.com
SPRING VALLEY (1-11-15) — The Mount Miguel Matadors knocked off the Hoover Cardinals in a non-league game Saturday (Jan. 10) but it took two overtime periods to do it.

Mount Miguel prevailed 87-81 led by DONNELL PAYNE with 16 field goals, including seven treys and 13-15 free throw shooting for a career high 51 points. He also contributed a team-best eight rebounds and four steals along with two assists.

“Donnell was on fire – hit a lot of big shots,” said his coach, JAY ROWLETT.

“We started off on fire,” he added. “We were up 17 points going into the fourth quarter. We won the game three times and almost lost it twice.”

NATE GILBERT added 15 points to the Matadors’ totals. He also contributed two points in the second overtime, along with four points for Payne, two for TREVON ALLEN, and another pair for TAJ TUCKER.

Mount Miguel: Donnell Payne 51 (8 reb, 2 ast, 4 stl), Nate Gilbert 15 (6 reb, 4 ast, 2 stl), Trevon Allen 6 (7 reb, 3 ast, 3 stl), Darian Norwood 5 (7 reb, 3 stl), Jay-Von Jones 4 (5 reb, 4 ast, 2 stl), Taj Tucker 2 (2 reb, 1 ast, 1 stl), Trannell Hudson 2 (2 reb, 2 ast), Ricky Harvey 2, Gary Haskins (3 reb).

STEELE CANYON 48, KEARNY 47 (OT) — Steele Canyon and the Kearny Komets faced off in The Challenge held at Cuyamaca College on Saturday (Jan. 10).

“We focus on defense a lot in practice. The most points we’ve given up in our last four games in regulation is 43 – our goal is 40 or less,” said Cougars coach DEREK STEPHENS.

“We were up early then had a terrible second quarter (12-3),” Stephens said.

Nonetheless the Cougars were able to pull within three points of the Komets at the half, and rallied in the third quarter 21-18. Both teams scored four points in the fourth to tie it at 40-all in regulation and send it into the extra stanza.

The Cougars punched in eight points and the Komets managed seven.

“Kearny is pretty big and athletic,” noted Stephens. “I was happy to walk out of there with a win instead of a loss.”

Steele Canyon welcomed MARCUS WHITE, a transfer from Helix, in his first game with the Cougars.

“He will definitely help us,” Stephens said.

DYLAN HAMLETT led the Cougars with 15 points and DOMINICK WOOD-ANDERSON added 12.

Steele Canyon: Dylan Hamlett 15, Dominick Wood-Anderson 12, Aaron Pisiona 7, Jordan Johnson 5, Marcus White 4,Tariq Tillman 3, Nick Hodge 2.

Paulson scores a double-double for Christian as they move to 2-0

By Bill Dickens
© East County Sports.com
EL CAJON (1-10-15) — Christian High dribbled past Point Loma but needed an overtime to do so Friday night (Jan. 9) in Central League action.

The Patriots started out on a 12-0 run then ended the game 9-0 in overtime to win it.

“We got up early then hung on in the middle two quarters and finished strong,” said Christian assistant coach TIM BROWN. “We never trailed.”

TRAVIS BALLARD paced the Patriots with 13 points and 8 rebounds, while JOHNNY PAULSON rolled a double-double of 11 points and 12 rebounds and recorded a triple. JD PARKER added 9 points and 7 rebounds including 2 treys.

It was a key victory for the Patriots as they improved their record to 9-3, 2-0 Coacstal League.

Christian: Travis Ballard 13 (8 reb), Johnny Paulson 11 (12 reb, 1 stl), JD Parker 9 (7 reb, 3 ast), David Todd Jeremiah 6 (1 ast), Kyle Stowers 2 (7 reb, 3 ast).

GROSSMONT 69, MONTE VISTA 65 — Monte Vista kept the pressure on the Grossmont Foothillers in Friday’s (Jan. 9) non-league contest down to the finish line.

The Foothillers squeezed in front 67-65 with 13 seconds remaining and refused to surrender the lead.

Grossmont’s TOMMY RUTHERFORD had a chance to tie the game in the final 13 seconds but made only one of two shots at the line.

Grossmont survived despite foul trouble the majority of the first half.

Despite the fact that Rutherford was hampered by foul trouble, Monte Vista kept the pressure on. The Monarchs led by seven points in the second quarter but led only 31-30 at halftime.

“We were patient with the ball in the second half,” said Grossmont coach FRANK FOGGIANO.

Rutherford, who was being scouted by Pepperdine and USD, led the Hillers with 27 points and 17 rebounds.

DEVRON YOUNG paced the Monarchs with 26 points and 8 rebounds, while TRE OWENS added a double-double of 22 points and 15 rebounds.

Grossmont: Tommy Rutherford 27 (17 reb, 2 ast, 1 stl), Cameron Henderson 9 (4 reb, 3 ast, 1 stl), Jacob Denson 8 (4 reb, 3 ast, 1 stl), Hunter Gaines 8 (2 reb, 2 ast, 1 stl), Jeremiah Appleton 6 (2 reb, 4 ast, 2 stl), Jacob Niskey 6 (1 reb, 1 ast), Branik Brown 3 (1 reb), Thomas Ferri 2 (1 reb).

Monte Vista: Devron Young 26 (8 reb, 4 stl), Tre Owens 22 (15 reb), Adam Wallace 5, Shai Stevenson 5 (8 reb, 4 stl), Ray Funk 4 (2 reb, 2 ast), Saiyeed Mershon 3 (2 reb, 2 ast).

VALHALLA 51, HELIX 48 — Visiting Valhalla bullied the Helix Highlanders in a non-league game Friday night (Jan. 9).

The Norsemen used a balanced scoring attack to knock off the Highlanders in La Mesa.

Valhalla led 31-21 at halftime but the deficit was shaved to one point. However, the Norsemen never trailed.

COLE HENDERSON paced the Norsemen with 10 points and 8 rebounds, while JORDAN ELLIS added 10 points as well. JOHN MURAD hit three 3-pointers for nine points.

Valhalla: Cole Henderson 10 (8 reb, 3 ast, 1 blk), Jordan Ellis 10 (1 reb, 4 stl), John Murad 9 (4 reb, 1 ast, 1 blk), Jacob Hammett 8 (5 reb, 3 ast, 1 blk), Jake Bassette 6 (10 reb, 1 ast, 3 blk), Nathan Yousif 6 (2 reb, 1 ast, 2 stl), Matthew Sako 2 (1 reb, 3 ast), Trey Schimke (2 reb).

Helix: No stats or scoring reported.

STEELE CANYON 58, MATER DEI CATHOLIC 43 — Steele Canyon knocked off visiting Mater Dei Catholic in a non-league game Friday night (Jan. 9) with strong play throughout. The Cougars led 25-12 at halftime.

“Mater Dei is a big team – they came out and scored a little bit in the third and fourth quarters, but we just kept coming back,” said Cougars coach DEREK STEPHENS. “We led wire to wire."

“NICK HODGE and JORDAN JOHNSON played amazing defense on their Jaylen Hands, who is a very good player."

“The last two games we have given up 13 points in the first half and tonight we only gave up 12 points, also in the first half. That’s pretty good defense. The kids played hard. I was happy with their play.”

AARON PISIONA hit three 3s and a bucket, and was 10-for-10 at the free throw line to lead Steele Canyon with 21 points. DOMINICK WOOD-ANDERSON also scored 21 points.

Steele Canyon: Aaron Pisiona 21, Dominick Wood-Anderson 21, Dylan Hamlett 9, Nick Hodge 5, Jordan Johnson 2.

SANTANA 65, HEALTH SCIENCES 11 — The Santana Sultans took on Health Sciences in a non-league game in Santee and easily gained the victory Friday night (Jan. 9).

The first half belonged to the Sultans as they outscored Health Sciences by a score of 35-4 and that included a shutout in the second period. The second half was more of the same for Santana as the game was played with a running clock in the last period, in which the Sultans pitched another shutout.

The Sultans were led by a multitude of players scoring wise. RYAN BRATLIEN led all scorers with 20 points which included a perfect 10-for-10 from the line.

ANTHONY ROMERO contributed 11 points and DAULTON BARRY added 10 points.

Santana: Austin Miller 3 (4 reb, 5 stl), Frankie Gutierrez 6 (5 reb, 2 ast, 2 stl), Anthony Romero 11 ( 3 reb, 1 ast, 5 stl), Daulton Barry 10 ( 8 reb, 1 ast, 2 stl), Nathan 3 (1 reb), Ryan Bratlien 20 (7 reb, 3 ast, 4 stl), Sage Hicks 7 (4 reb, 1 stl), Trent Baugh 5 (4 reb, 2 ast, 3 stl).
– Adam Paul

WEST HILLS 42, EL CAPITAN 39 — Visiting El Capitan jumped out early on the Wolf Pack in Friday night’s (Jan. 9) non-league game, leading 26-21 at the half. Each team turned in five points in the third quarter to maintain the Vaquero’s advantage until the fourth quarter.

West Hills came alive in the fourth, outscoring El Capitan 16-8 to earn the victory.

RICARDO BARAJAS led the Pack with 12 points including two treys, and BRYCE PARSONS added 11 points. THOMAS REANEY was a beast on the boards, hauling down 15 of the team’s 30 rebounds.

Other Pack members scoring a 3-pointer were ISSA GHANDOUR, MARCO OVIES, KYLE RUIZ and Parsons.

West Hills: Ricardo Barajas 12 (1 ast, 2 stl), Bryce Parsons 11 (5 reb, 2 ast, 2 stl), Thomas Reaney 6 (15 reb, 2 stl, 2 blk), Marco Ovies 5 (1 reb, 5 ast), Issa Ghandour 3 (3 reb, 1 stl), Kyle Ruiz 3 (1 stl), Austin Alderson (3 reb, 1 ast), Miguel Nava (1 reb).

El Capitan: Andy Casas 16, Kade Kygar 9, Ryan Smith 6, Brian Ballo 5, Robby Callaway 3.

FOOTHILLS CHRISTIAN 53, FRANCIS PARKER 44 — No further details were provided for this Coastal League game on Friday (Jan. 9).

Foothills Christian: T.J. Leaf 22, Omajae Smith 14.

Tillman, Pisiona, Teo and Sanders dialing it in from Distance

© East County Sports.com
RANCHO SAN DIEGO (1-8-15) — Steele Canyon knocked off visiting Fallbrook 60-38 on Thursday (Jan. 7) in a non-league game at the Cougars’ den.

In a game sprinkled with 3-point shots – TARIQ TILLMAN had two, AARON PISIONA had two, ROBERT TEO had two and GAGE SANDERS had one – the Cougars led from wire-to-wire, posting a 28-13 halftime lead.

“I thought we played really good defense,” said Steele Canyon coach DEREK STEPHENS. “We held them to 3 points in the first half. It was nice because we lost to them by two the last time we played them.”

Steele Canyon: Dylan Hamlett 12, Aaron Pisiona 12, Dominick Wood-Anderson 9, Tariq Tillman 6, Jordan Johnson 6, Robert Teo 6, Emari Brooks 4, Gage Sanders 3, Nick Hodge 2.

Ballard, Stowers combine for 40 points as Christian beat Clairemont

© EastCountySports.com
CLAIREMONT (1-7-15) — Christian rallied from an 12-8 deficit and squeezed out a 55-45 opening round Central League victory at Clairemont on Tuesday (Jan. 6).

The Patriots scored 12 points in the first three quarters and then cruised to the victory.

“We didn’t get the lead until the end of the third quarter,” said Christian assistant coach TIM BROWN. “We had a really good run at the end of the third and in the fourth quarter.

“The second half we outscored them 34-21, so we had a good second half.”

TRAVIS BALLARD set the pace for the Patriots with 21 points and 10 rebounds, while KYLE STOWERS added 20 points and eight rebounds. Both Ballard and Stowers hit a trio of 3-pointers in the victory.

Christian: Travis Ballard 21 (10 reb), Kyle Stowers 20 (8 reb), Grant Taylor 7, JD Parker 6 (3 ast), Johnny Paulson 1 (7 reb), David Todd Jeremiah (1 reb, 1 ast, 1 stl), Trevor Howell (1 reb, 1 ast, 1 stl).

FOOTHILLS CHRISTIAN 59, SANTA FE CHRISTIAN 42 – Injury-riddled Foothills Christian, which has been challenged on a daily basis, opened Coastal League play and still managed to come out on top.

T.J. LEAF, battling a sprained ankle, still turned in 15 points for the Knights, while.

JAVIER GUERRERO had four 3s as part of his 12 point totals.

In addition LUIS SALGADO also scored 12 points and OMAJAE SMITH chipped in with 10.

Foothills Christian: T.J. Leaf 15, Luis Salgado 12, Javier Guerrero 12, Omajae Smith 10.

GROSSMONT 50, GRANITE HILLS 35 – Grossmont's lanky TOMMY RUTHERFORD pretty much dominated the scoring in Tuesday's (Jan. 6) non-league meeting with Granite Hills, finishing with 18 points and 18 rebounds.

JACOB DENSON added 11 plus six rebounds, while CAMERON HENDERSON chipped in with eight points.

“We had trouble shooting the ball – they defended us pretty good,” said Grossmont coach FRANK FOGGIANO. “Rutherford got in foul trouble and sat most of the second quarter. After the first half Rutherford hit 10 points in the third quarter – got a lot of offensive rebounds.”

Grossmont: Tommy Rutherford 18 (18 reb, 2 ast, 2 stl), Jacob Denson 11 (6 reb, 2 ast, 1 stl), Cameron Henderson 8 (4 reb, 4 ast, 2 stl), Hunter Gaines 6 (2 reb, 1 ast, 1 stl), Jeremiah Appleton 4 (2 reb, 2 ast, 2 stl), Jacob Niskey 2 (1 reb), Branik Brown 1 (1 ast).

Granite Hills: Antonio Read 14, Ruiz 14 (2 reb, 1 ast, 1 stl), Cameron Spitzer 10 (2 ast, 1 stl), Ryan Kelly 8 (1 reb), Chris Diaz 4 (3 reb, 2 ast), Frankie Lucatuorto 4 (3 reb, 1 stl), Wyatt Mason 3, Ryan Kelly (4 reb, 2 ast, 1 stl), Michael Ledesma (3 reb, 1 stl), Erin Swinson (1 reb).

HELIX 63, MONTE VISTA 59 – Despite Monte Vista beating Helix in the third game of the season, the tables were turned in Tuesday's (Jan. 6) non-league contest as Helix won out by four points.

“I thought Helix really defended well tonight,” said Monte Vista coach MIKE TULLY. And I thought we could have been more patient on offense.

The Highlanders’ MARCUS NORRIS paced Helix with 12 points while HENRY HOLTZ added 11 points and LUKE HOLLOWAY chipped in with 10, as did Q MOBLEY.

DEVRON YOUNG led all scorers for the Monarchs with 19 points, while ADAM WALLACE added 13 points. SHAI STEVENSON was a beast on the boards with 10 rebounds.

Helix: Marcus Norris 12, Henry Holtz 11, Luke Holloway 10, Qrizjiah Mobley 10, Jumar Wynn 9, Malik Tambwe 4, Alex Dumas 3, Justin Flisher 2, Jaylen Arnold 2.

Monte Vista: Devron Young 19 (1 stl), Adam Wallace 13 (2 reb, 3 ast, 1 stl), Tre Owens 8 (4 reb), Terry Bone 7 (4 reb, 1 blk, 1 stl), Shai Stevenson 4 (10 reb, 1 ast, 2 blk, 3 stl), Saiyeed Mershon 4 (4 reb, 1 blk), Bo Rankins 3, Ray Funk 1 (7 reb, 1 stl).

WEST HILLS 58, SANTANA 35 – The West Hills Wolf Pack took on the Santana Sultans in the annual non-league crosstown rivalry game and were able to use a strong second half to come out on top.

The Sultans played a heck of a first half in being able to stay within 11 points, 26-15 at the break.

The start of the third period saw Santana use a 5-0 run to bring it within five points but the Wolf Pack tightened up their transition defense and were able to keep the lead and extend it to 38-25 after three periods.

In the fourth West Hills was able to put the game away by using a 20-10 scoring advantage to bring up the final tally on the board.

The Wolf Pack was paced by both KYLE RUIZ and RICARDO BORAJAS both of whom combined for 21 of the West Hills points respectively. THOMAS REANEY grabbed 10 rebounds for the Wolf Pack.

Santana was led by FRANKIE GUTIERREZ who had nine points. RYAN BRATLIEN chipped in with seven rebounds.

West Hills: Ricardo Borajas 11 (2 reb, 1 blk), Kyle Ruiz 10 (2 reb, 3 ast, 3 stl, 1 blk), Cameron Barry 9 (4 ast, 1 stl), Bryce Parsons 9 (5 reb, 1 ast, 3 stl), Thomas Reaney 6 (10 reb, 2 blk), Chris Moyer 6 (5 reb, 2 blk), Sahil Alami 6 (2 reb), Marco Ovies 3 (1 reb, 3 ast, 1 stl), Miguel Nava 2 (2 reb, 1 ast, 2 stl, 1 blk), Austin Alderson 2 (1 stl, 1 blk), Marquell Cool (5 reb, 1 blk).

Santana:Frankie Gutierrez 9 (4 reb, 2 stl), Anthony Romero 6 (1 stl), Ryan Bratlien 5 (7 reb, 1 stl, 1 blk), Sage Hicks 5 (2 reb), Austin Miller 5 (2 ast), Daulton Barry 3 (3 reb, 1 ast, 1 stl), Mitchell Miller 1 (5 reb, 1 stl), Trent Baugh 1 (3 reb, 1 ast, 2 stl).
— Adam Paul

STEELE CANYON 55, EL CAPITAN 43 – Steele Canyon jumped out early and led 23-15 by halftime of Tuesday's (Jan. 6) non-league contest. El Capitan made a run in the fourth quarter but was unable to overtake the Cougars.

“We didn't shoot really well offensively,” said Cougars coach DEREK STEPHENS. “Our defense looked good. We didn’t shoot particularly well. ROBBY CALLAWAY scored 13 points in the last two or three minutes of the game.

“El Capitan played well and shot well. We got in foul trouble. DOM WOOD-ANDERSON picked up two fouls in the first minute of the first half. He dominated the second half.”

Steele Canyon: Dominick Wood-Anderson 14, Dylan Hamlett 10, EmariBrooks 4, Aaron Pisiona 9, Gage Sanders 8, Lyndon Newsom 5, Jordan Johnson 3, Tariq Tillman 2.

El Capitan: Robby Callaway 15, Andy Casas 11, Kade Kygar 9, Ryan Smith 6, Bryant Irvin 2.

Down one at the break, no problem for Wolf Pack

© East County Sports.com
SANTEE (1-4-15) — West Hills clipped Clairemont 50-44 in Saturday’s (Jan. 3) non-league action.

RICARDO BARAJAS punched in 19 points to lead the Wolf Pack and BRYCE PARSONS rolled a double-double of 11 points and 10 rebounds.

Clairemont actually led by one point at the half but West Hills put on the pressure in the third quarter and made up some space in the scoring column.

West Hills: Ricardo Barajas 19 (2 reb, 3 ast, 2 stl), Bryce Parsons 11 (10 reb, 1 stl), Thomas Reaney 6 (7 reb, 2 blk), Miguel Nava 4 (7 reb), Marquell Cool 3 (3 reb, 1 ast, 1 stl, 2 blk), Austin Alderson 3 (7 reb), Marco Ovies 2 (1 reb, 6 ast), Chris Moyer 2 (5 reb, 1 stl), Kyle Ruiz (1 reb, 1 ast), Issa Ghandour (1 blk), Sahil Alami (1 stl).

HELIX 64, EL CAPITAN 30 — Q MOBLEY paced the Highlanders with a double-double of 14 points and 10 steals to go with his seven assists and four rebounds as Helix knocked off El Capitan in Saturday’s (Jan. 3) non-league contest.

JUMAR WYNN added 11 points for Helix, and the rest of the squad turned in balanced scoring throughout.

Helix: Qrizjiah Mobley 14 (4 reb, 7 ast, 10 stl), Jumar Wynn 11 (1 reb, 4 ast), Henry Holtz 7 (6 reb, 6 ast, 3 stl), Malik Tambwe 7 (3 reb, 4 ast, 2 stl, 1 blk), Luke Holloway 6 (7 reb, 7 reb, 1 ast, 2 stl), Alex Dumas 4 (1 reb, 1 ast, 2 stl), Justin Blair 4 (4 reb, 2 stl, 1 blk), Gary Linson 4 (2 reb, 1 stl), Jaylen Arnold 4 (4 reb, 1 ast), Eisaiah Blair 3 (2 reb, 1 stl), Marcus Norris 2 (1 reb, 1 blk). Marvin Roberts, (2 reb, 1 stl).

El Capitan: No scoring or statistics reported.

Monarchs slay the Trojans

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CHULA VISTA (1-3-15) — Monte Vista mowed down hapless Castle Park in a non-league 77-50 victory on Friday (Jan. 2) in South Bay.

TERRY BONE paced the Monarchs with 23 points, seven rebounds and six assists, including five treys, and ADAM WALLACE added 22 points. RAY FUNK chipped in with a double-double of 13 points and 12 rebounds.

Monte Vista turned the game into a blowout with a 25-18 lead in the first quarter. The Monarchs led 43-30 at the half.

Monte Vista: Terry Bone 23 (7 reb, 6 ast), Adam Wallace 22 (5 reb, 3 ast, 5 stl), Ray Funk 13 (12 reb, 1 ast, 2 stl), Shai Stevenson 6 (8 reb, 5 ast, 3 blk), Bo Rankins 6 (4 reb), Tre Owens 5 (6 reb, 5 ast, 1 stl), Jacob Jardim 2 (1 stl).

HELIX 62, OLYMPIAN 41 — MALIK TAMBWE led the Highlanders with 12 points in Friday’s (Jan. 2) non-league contest, while Q MOBLEY tossed in eight points and seven rebounds. LUKE HOLLOWAY pitching in eight points as well.

The Highlanders basically emptied the bench as they skidded past Olympian.

Helix: Malik Tambwe 12 (3 reb, 2 ast), Qrizjiah Mobley 8 (7 reb, 5 ast, 3 stl), Luke Holloway 8 (5 reb, 1 ast), Henry Holtz 6 (6 reb, 1 ast, 3 stl), Justin Flisher 6 (1 reb, 4 stl), Gary Linson 5 (3 reb, 1 ast, 1 stl), Jumar Wynn 5 (4 reb, 2 ast, 1 stl), Alex Dumas 4 (1 reb, 2 ast, 1 stl), Marvin Roberts 4 (2 reb), Jaylen Arnold 2 (4 reb, 5 ast, 2 stl), Eisaiah Blair 2 (3 reb), Marcus Norris (4 stl).