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2008 Prep Basketball
San Diego Section

State champions!
Mater Dei Crusaders have prayers answered with 54-51 comeback win

Posted March 26, 2009
What transpired on the court following Mater Dei Catholic’s 54-51 come-from-behind victory over Modesto Christian last Saturday in the Division IV girls state basketball championship game at Sacramento’s Arco Arena needed no translation. Crusader players were jumping up and down, hugging one another and thrusting their arms in triumph.

They were state champions.

“As a high school coach, it’s the greatest thing to win a state championship,” said fourth-year head coach David Monroe, whose team finished its magical season 30-3. “It’s something that doesn’t come often, so you savor it. These girls I’ve had here for the last four years set the standard. They were freshmen on that first team I coached and they are seniors now. They weren’t going to let me down or themselves down.”

Indeed, a state title isn’t something that comes around often, especially for a Metro Conference school.

Mater Dei’s state title was the first for a San Diego Section team since 2002 when La Jolla Country Day reigned at the top.
After three prior losses in the section semifinals, it was a trip perhaps overdue for the South County team.

“The success of this team was due to no one player,” Monroe said. “Everyone had their role on the team and they played them well.”

Amazingly, the Crusaders rebounded from a 31-19 halftime deficit.

Monroe said the team had to overcome several obstacles, some of which were out of their control.

In the end, Mater Dei had its prayers answered.

“No. 1, we had to adjust to the way the game was being called by the officials,” Monroe said. “No. 2, we changed to a different defensive set-up for the second half to try to take out their star player. No. 3, before the second half started, I pulled aside my top three senior scorers and told them they had to step it up. The rest of the team looked up to them as leaders. They went out to finish the game — to finish off a team they knew they could beat.”

The three players Monroe pulled aside included Jhazmine Lynch, Soulijah Evans and Ebone Henry. They accepted their coach’s challenge and somehow made it happen.

The Southern California regional champions regrouped at intermission and came out with renewed confidence and determination in the second half. Those qualities helped fuel a 13-8 run in the third quarter that got Mater Dei back in the game. The Crusaders trailed 39-32 entering the final quarter and continued playing catch-up.

However, it wasn’t until Henry completed a three-point play by hitting a foul shot with 1:13 to play that the reigning Mesa League champions were able to finally tie the game. The Crusaders took a 53-51 lead on a pair of free throws by Henry with 27 nerve-racking seconds to play and solidified their tenuous lead on another shot from the charity stripe by Kamela Jackson with 19 ticks left on the game clock.

Modesto Christian’s Brandi Henton attempted a three-point shot to tie the game with one second left but — but much like the final second scenario against Bishop’s in the regional championship game — the ball never found the inside of the hoop.

Game over.

The Crusaders could finally celebrate after a heavy sigh of relief.

Mater Dei out-scored Modesto Christian 22-12 in the pivotal final quarter.

It was a physical game.

“We came out in the second half with a run to close the gap and I thought we might win it,” Monroe said. “But when they extended their lead to 10 points, I thought we might run out of time. But we’ve been a second-half team all season. We finish strong.”

Lynch keyed the Crusaders with a game-high 18 points while Evans contributed 14 points and Henry added 11 points. Danae Johnson scored eight points while Jackson added three points.

The teams each finished with 46 rebounds. Henry grabbed 11 balls while Evans had 10 boards. Henry also had three assists while Evans made four blocks.

Lynch led the state champions with five steals.

The team’s five seniors — Jackson, Lynch, Henry, Evans and Johnson — proved to be its driving force. After successive defeats in the section semifinals, this was the last chance for the group to leave its mark, and the girls’ commitment to that goal allowed them to rise to the occasion.

It was both literally and figuratively a once in a lifetime opportunity.

Mater Dei Catholic principal George Milke said the school was “extremely proud” of head coach David Monroe, his assistant coaches and the girls basketball team.

“Being down 31-19 against a very talented Modesto team and coming back in the second half was no easy task, especially with a very vocal ‘home town crowd’ working against them,” said Milke, who attended the history-making game. “It just validated their ‘never say die attitude.’ To participate in a state playoff game is a privilege, to win it is the dream of every coach, player and school. That One Great Scorer was truly watching over us.”

With Modesto located just one-and-a-half hours to the south of Sacramento, the Mater Dei fans were outnumbered about four-to-one. About 150 Mater Dei faithful — students, cheerleaders, parents, faculty and alumni — made the trip via airplane, car and bus. About 40 fans rode the chartered bus.

Since both teams were nicknamed “Crusaders,” about midway through the first quarter the fans of both teams discarded chants of “Crusaders” in place of the respective school names.

Monroe said each girl on the team had a specific role on the team. “These girls all played an instrumental role,” the Mater Dei coach said. “One game we had Soulijah Evans score 28 points and she could have scored 40 points but she didn’t play in the second half (due to an injury). Kamela Jackson was assigned to shut down the top player on the other team. She held Bishop’s top scorer in the regional championship game to two points in the second half. Jhazmine Lynch is the quarterback of the team. She pretty much gets things going. Ebone Henry is the enforcer when we play physical teams. Danae Johnson came up with some key points when we needed them.”

The eastern Chula Vista school wasted no time in honoring its sports heroes and heroines. On Monday, not only the state champion girls basketball team but also the regional champion boys soccer team were bestowed with a “champagne” (actually, sparkling cider) celebration in the gymnasium. It was at this assembly that the team captains officially presented their state championship trophies, regional trophies and their San Diego Section trophies to Mater Dei Catholic High School and the student body to be displayed in the gymnasium trophy case.

Said Monroe: “This sets the standard. I don’t know how we can do it yet but we’ll try to match it next year.”

Holy round ball!
Crusaders to play for state hoops title

Posted March 19, 2009
The Mater Dei High School girls basketball team had one team in its sights all season: the Bishop’s Knights.

The Knights eliminated the Crusaders in last year’s San Diego Section Division IV semifinals and the goal for the ensuing 2008-09 campaign was to beat Bishop’s. The teams quickly became the darlings of the state rankings makers, with the Knights earning the state’s No. 1 ranking among Division IV teams and the Crusaders the No. 2 ranking.

The teams, however, did not meet until post-season play.

In the meantime, Mater Dei captured the Mesa League championship title with a perfect 10-0 record — part of what would become a 21-game winning streak overall. Bishop’s won the Coastal South League with an undefeated 8-0 record.

Two playoff victories later, the Knights topped the Crusaders by eight points — 71-63 — in the section’s division title game at the University of San Diego’s Jenny Craig Pavilion. Still, Mater Dei head coach David Monroe and his team believed they could defeat the Knights.

Their resolve was only strengthened.

Both teams qualified for the Southern California regional playoffs, with the Knights earning the No. 1 seed and the Crusaders earning the No. 2 seed. A second meeting was inevitable and it occurred last Saturday in the regional championship game at Cal State Fullerton.

The venue might have been 100 or so miles to the north but the rivalry was as intense as ever. What’s that about the Chargers and Raiders playing anywhere, anytime, even on concrete?

The rematch was everything Mater Dei dreamed it would be — and more.

Crusaders 54, Knights 51.

Mater Dei not only stood atop the division but alone among San Diego Section teams in the quest to advance to this weekend’s state championships in Sacramento.

The Crusaders (29-3) will play Northern California regional champion Modesto Christian (27-7) Saturday at 9:30 a.m. at ARCO Arena.

Bishop’s (30-3), North Hollywood’s Harvard-Westlake (21-11), Sherman Oaks Notre Dame (28-7) — Mater Dei’s three regional opponents — and section playoff foes La Jolla Country Day (17-10) and Horizon Christian (16-12) will be at home watching the out-of-town scoreboard.

The magical trip to Sacramento was wrought with hard work and desire — even more so after the section finals loss.

The Knights buried five of 17 three-point field goals in their section championship victory over the Crusaders. Bishop’s made eight treys in the regional rematch but missed on 24 others — a key statistic for the Mater Dei defense.

Six-foot-three senior Inga Orekhova and five-foot-11 senior Gizelle Studevent combined for 48 points in the section finals win. Mater Dei held them to 32 points in the regional final.

The regional championship tilt was tied 41-41 entering the final quarter. The Crusaders’ more evenly-balanced attack prevailed.
Jhazmine Lynch scored the opening four points of the fourth quarter and Danae Johnson added five points on a field goal and three-pointer to give Mater Dei a 50-43 cushion.

The Knights pulled to within one point, 52-51, in the waning stages of the game but a pair of free throws by Lynch with 20 seconds remaining extended the Crusaders’ lead to three points.

Orekhova (17 points) attempted a last-second three-pointer to tie the game but the ball bounced off the outside — and not the inside — of the rim.

Lynch led Mater Dei with 15 points, followed by Johnson with 12 points, Soulijah Evans (11 points) and Ebone Henry (10 points).

The Crusaders trailed 29-23 at halftime but engineered the victory with a 31-22 turnaround in the second half. Mater Dei tied the score on the strength of an 18-12 scoring margin in the third quarter.

The Crusaders topped Harvard-Westlake, 66-61, in the regional semifinal. In that game, played March 12 at Mater Dei, the Wolverines were decidedly height challenged and Evans, at six-foot-one, rained terror on the court. She totaled a career-high 28 points while Henry grabbed a game-high 14 points and contributed 12 points. Lynch and Johnson each had 11 points as four players on the winning side finished in double figures in the scoring column.

The Crusaders looked like they had the victory already counted in their seasonal record after taking a 61-52 lead with 3:28 left on the game clock. But fast forward three minutes later and suddenly the hosts had a game again on their hands after the Wolverines clawed their way back to just a tenuous three-point deficit at 64-61 with 15 seconds left in the game.

But Johnson hit for two points with six seconds left and fans came pouring onto the court at the final buzzer to congratulate the victors.

Monroe credited the team’s “:determination” as the key to securing the victory. “We seemed to be giving away points on unforced turnovers,” Monroe said. “It came down to the girls wanting one final shot at Bishop’s.”

Mater Dei defeated visiting Sherman Oaks Notre Dame, 53-34, on March 10 to jump-start the regional playoffs. Evans and Lynch tied for the team scoring lead with 15 points apiece while Henry had 14 points. Johnson (six points), Kamela Jackson (two points) and Karina Erb (one point) rounded out team scoring for the Crusaders, who broke a defensive 6-6 first quarter standoff with a 17-6 second quarter scoring run to lead 23-12 at halftime.

The year of the Crusader
Mater Dei boys soccer, girls basketball teams win SoCal regional titles

Posted March 19, 2009
They have ventured into territory previously uncharted by teams in their respective sports in the Metro Conference. They are the Mater Dei Catholic boys soccer and girls basketball teams and they are both 2009 Southern California regional champions.

The Crusaders defeated Los Angeles Salesian, 2-1, on goals by Sergio Lopez and Cesar Trejo to capture the Southern California Division III boys soccer championship title last Saturday at Warren High School in Downey.

Mater Dei (16-6-1) becomes the first San Diego Section boys team to win a regional championship since the tournament’s inception last year. The Cathedral Catholic Dons and Poway Titans both finished second in their respective divisions last year and the Dons repeated as the Division II runner-up this season.

At present, there are no state divisional championship matches in soccer. Playoffs stop at the regional level.

This was the second year for regional playoffs. Previously, the playoffs had stopped at the section level.

The Crusaders girls basketball team, however, will be taking it to the next level after defeating the Bishop’s Knights, 54-51, to capture the Southern California regional championship last Saturday at Cal State Fullerton. Mater Dei will play Northern California regional champion Modesto Christian in the Division IV state championship game Saturday at 9:30 a.m. at the ARCO Arena in Sacramento.

It’s still not too late to get tickets to this history-making event.

The Crusaders fell, 71-63, to the Knights in the San Diego Section Division IV championship game March 7 at USD’s Jenny Craig Pavilion but did so with one of their key players — six-foot-one senior Soulijah Evans — not at full speed because of illness. With a healthy Evans back in the lineup, Mater Dei breezed past its opening two regional opponents to gain a rematch against Bishop’s — the top-ranked team in the state — when it mattered most.

The Crusaders are 29-3 with one very big game remaining.

Modesto Christian is 27-7.

With a No. 2 state ranking (behind the Knights), Mater Dei has to be considered the favorite to win Saturday’s state title.
School pride is obviously at a fever pitch.

“It was a special weekend for Mater Dei Catholic — not just one win, but two tremendous wins,” Mater Dei principal George Milke said. “It has been a while since Marian/Mater Dei has participated at this level in the state playoffs. I believe in 1979 our girls volleyball team advanced to the state playoffs. So, for us to have two teams advance, we are extremely happy for the players and coaches and we applaud their hard work and dedication.”

Milke noted that the school’s 2003 football team was chosen state champions for Division III prior to the new playoff system.

The school’s Associated Student Body organization held a rally for both teams last Friday prior to their departure for the regional championship games and another rally was scheduled on campus Thursday — this time to honor the two teams for their regional championship titles and, in Milke’s words, to “give them a send-off they will always remember and cherish.”

“The crowds have been spectacular for the past weeks going into the championship and regionals, with many students, parents, faculty and alumni attending,” Milke said.

While the players and coaches are flying to Sacramento, Milke said the school is putting together buses for those Mater Dei students, parents and staff who want to attend.

“The boys soccer team and girls basketball team were and are very excited and honored to be representing Mater Dei Catholic, the Metro Conference and Chula Vista,” Milke said.

San Diego Section championships
Two East County teams claim CIF hoops titles
2009 Boys Regional Playoffs
2009 Girls Regional Playoffs

Posted March 8, 2009
Blood, sweat, tears ... and cheers. It all added up to ecstasy this past weekend for three East County high school sports teams as they captured San Diego Section divisional championships to cap the 2008-09 winter sports season.

The section held this year's basketball finals at USD's Jenny Craig Pavilion, with the top-seeded Foothills Christian Knights claiming the Division V boys title -- their third straight overall -- with a 60-56 victory over second-seeded Maranatha Christian on March 6, and the second-seeded West Hills Wolf Pack shocking the top-seeded Mt. Miguel Matadors on a magical last-second shot in the Division II girls game, played later that evening.

Boys Division I
The boys Division V game was a marquee match-up as Foothills Christian finished regular season play ranked second in its division in the state while Maranatha Christian was ranked third. This year's championship pairing was a rematch of last year's section Division V title game -- won 66-55 by the El Cajon team -- and it did not disappoint as the Knights and Eagles jostled for the lead until Foothills Christian began to pull away in the final minutes of the contest.

Junior guard Troy Leaf scored the final four points of this year's game for the Citrus West League champion Knights (26-5) and finished the contest with 19 points and five assists to highlight a clutch performance. For Frontier League champion Maranatha Christian, six-foot-eight sophomore forward Chen Cai matched Leaf with 19 points and also pulled down eight rebounds.

Six-foot-seven junior forward Uvonte Brooks, a transfer from La Jolla Country Day, drew the assignment of guarding Cai and proved instrumental in the victory for Foothills Christian. Brooks scored 15 points and had seven rebounds to complement Leaf.

Foothills Christian overcame an early 13-11 first quarter deficit to lead 29-27 at halftime.

Junior forward Ryan Smith collected 10 points and eight rebounds for the Knights, who also received nine points from senior forward Brandon Hale (all on three-point field goals) and seven points from junior guard Kalob Hatcher. Foothills Christian racked up a 25-22 edge in rebounding in the game.

For senior-less Maranatha Christian (25-4), junior guard David Porter added 16 points while junior forward Santiago Simental had 15 points.

Both teams advanced to the Southern California regional playoffs that began Tuesday, March 10. The three-time reigning CIF champion Knights drew the No. 2 seed and were set to host Desert Christian from Bermuda Dunes while the Eagles drew the No. 3 seed and a home game against West Hollywood Pacific Hills. First-round wins would pair the Knights and Eagles in Thursday's regional semifinal. The regional finals are this weekend.

Leaf is averaging 26 points per game while Brooks is averaging 13.5 rebounds per contest. Cai is averaging 22.8 points per game for Maranatha Christian, which out-scored third-seeded Calvin Christian 68-52 in the division semifinals.

Foothills Christian advanced to the section Division V championship game with a 78-65 semifinal victory over the fourth-seeded Rock Academy (18-3) on March 4 as Leaf scored 28 points, Brooks had 27 points and 13 rebounds and Hatcher had 18 point, seven assists, five rebounds and five steals. The Knights tipped off quarterfinal play on Feb. 28 with a 90-31 win against Christian Life (12-16) as Leaf scored 29 points, Brooks scored 22 points and grabbed 17 rebounds, Hatcher had 16 points and 13 assists and sophomore guard Mike Wnek had 11 points.

The Knights lose just two seniors to graduation.

West Hills toppled No. 1 seed Mt. Miguel, 46-44, on a shot by junior forward Sherika Miller with just one second left in their Division II girls title match-up. Miller started off the marquee contest by hitting on just two of her first eight shots but finished strong when it counted most. Miller ended the championship game with eight points and the game-winning basket.

The CIF title was the first in school history for the Wolf Pack (27-5). The Matadors (24-6) finished runner-up to Cathedral Catholic in last year's Division III finals.

Mt. Miguel tied the game, 44-44, with just under 18 seconds left in regulation time on a shot by junior forward Dechae Evans, with an assist from senior guard Daneisha Williamson.

Marilyn Naderhoff, a junior guard, took the ball on the restart and passed to Miller, who saw open space and drove down court for an impromptu layup.

The un-diagrammed play took everyone by surprise, including the winners.

Junior guard Kimberly Clark led West Hills with 12 points and 12 rebounds while junior guard Mariah Bennett had 11 points and 11 rebounds. Naderhoff totaled five points, six assists and three steals.

The Wolf Pack led 24-18 at halftime but the Matadors took a narrow 36-35 lead into the final quarter.

Williamson led Mt. Miguel with 17 points and five assists while Evans had 13 points and 11 rebounds. Junior guard Nicole Fountain contributed five points and sevens steals.

The action under the basket was intense, with West Hills out-rebounding the Matadors 45-38.

This year's Division II girls championship game was a match-up of the reigning Grossmont North League champions (West Hills) and the Grossmont South League champions (Mt. Miguel). The Wolf Pack (8-0 in league play) advanced to the title game with respective playoff victories against Orange Glen (54-28 in the first round), Sweetwater (60-31 in the quarterfinals) and third-seeded Mt. Carmel (51-29 in the semifianls). The Matadors (10-0 in league play) advanced past San Ysidro (85-17 in the first round), Scripps Ranch (65-34 in the quarterfinals) and fourth-seeded Westview (49-39 in the semifinals).

Miller led West Hills with 13 points in the first-round win against Orange Glen (11-16) while Bennett had 13 points and Miller and Naderhoff each had 11 points in the quarterfinal-round win against Sweetwater (19-10). Clark led all scorers with 14 points in the semifinal-round victory against the Sundevils (24-7).

Williamson (27 points) and sophomore guard Danielle Miller (20 points) led Mt. Miguel in its first-round playoff win while sophomore guard Myisha Watkins (12 points) and freshman forward Shay Young (10 points) also scored in double figures. Williamson pumped in 25 points in the Matadors' quarterfinal-round win while Fountain (12 points) and Miller (11 points) also scored in double digits. Williamson had 25 points and Fountain had 10 points in the semifinal-round victory.

Williamson entered Mt. Miguel's regional playoff game at Los Angeles Roosevelt on Monday averaging 18.3 points per game.

West Hills drew the No. 4 seed and a home assignment in the opening round of this year's regional playoffs, hosting Edison from Huntington Beach on Tuesday.

Mater Dei shows spunk in 71-63 title game loss to top-seeded Knights
Crusaders finish second in San Diego Section Division IV girls finals

Watching the body language of Mater Dei head coach David Monroe on the sideline during the Crusaders’ 71-63 Division IV championship game loss to the top-seeded Bishop’s Knights last Saturday at USD’s Jenny Craig Pavilion, one got the gist of the Crusaders’ emotional roller coaster ride en route to a runner-up finish in this year’s San Diego Section finals.

The teams — the top two ranked squads in the state, according to Cal-HiSports.com — had last met in the division semifinals a year ago, with the Knights advancing to the championship game.

Mater Dei, in particular, was looking forward to the rematch —in effect, using it as an incentive to reach the CIF finals.
The Crusaders got their wish but did so not at full strength.

“The difference between this year and last year is that it was a game,” Monroe said. “We were in it all the way through. Last year, we weren’t able to make up the difference like we did this year.”

To their credit, the reigning Mesa League champions trailed by just three points — 34-31 — at halftime after finishing a high-scoring opening quarter trailing by six points (23-17).

But the Knights (29-2) reeled off the first nine points of the second half to pull out in front, 43-31, making it even more difficult for the second-seeded Crusaders (26-3) to narrow the gap.

Bishop’s opened the fourth quarter by scoring the first six points to expand its lead to 62-47.

Between the Knights’ scoring outbursts, Mater Dei played heroically, chipping away at the deficit but just unable to string together enough points to permanently grab the momentum.

The Crusaders trailed by five points, 48-43, on a Ebone Henry layup midway through the third quarter and got within six points — a pair of three-point field goals — in the final minute of play. Mater Dei got an in-bounds play under the basket with 18 seconds left in the game but had the in-bounds pass stolen by the Knights to short-circuit any miracle comeback.

A big part of the Crusaders’ inability to string together lengthy scoring runs was the ill health of six-foot-one senior forward Soulijah Evans — a defensive dynamo under the basket in her team’s semifinal victory against defending division champion La Jolla Country Day.

“She said her regrets at halftime,” Monroe said. “There was nothing there.”

Mater Dei thus fell prey to the Knights’ twin towers: five-foot-11 senior Gizelle Studevent (25 points) and six-foot-three senior Inga Orekhova (23 points, seven rebounds).

As it was, the Crusaders out-rebounded Bishop’s 49-37, led by Henry’s 14 boards, but ran into a bit of foul trouble and committed two more turnovers than the victors.

Five-foot-six senior Jhazmine Lynch keyed Mater Dei with 22 points and five assists. Henry totaled 18 points in another standout effort.

Evans, by contrast, contributed just four points on two-for-seven shooting from the floor.

Henry and Orekhova matched one another with three treys apiece.

The teams earned berths in the Southern California regionals, with the Knights seeded first and the Crusaders seeded second. Both teams captured their opening-round games on Tuesday to advance to Thursday’s regional semifinals — a win away from meeting once again in Saturday’s regional championship game at Cal State Fullerton.

“Hopefully, we’ll see them again,” Monroe said. “We anticipate to see them again.”

Hopefully, at full strength, Monroe might have added.

Mater Dei claims regional win
Soulijah Evans and Jhazmine Lynch each scored 15 points and teammate Ebone Henry added 14 points to lead second-seeded Mater Dei to a 53-34 victory over Notre Dame of Sherman Oaks in Tuesday's opening round of the Southern California regional girls basketball playoffs. The Crusaders led 25-12 at halftime and put the game out of reach with a 20-12 run in the final quarter.
Mater Dei drew Harvard-Westlake from North Hollywood in Thursday's semifinals.

San Diego Section
Basketball Finals
March 6-7 at USD's Jenny Craig Pavilion
Boys Division I
(1) El Camino 59, (2) Torrey Pines 45. Records: El Camino 30-3; Torrey Pines 26-5
Boys Division II
(1) Hoover 64, (2) Oceanside 42. Records: Hoover 28-7; Oceanside 25-4
Boys Division III
La Jolla 44, Cathedral Catholic 39. Records: La Jolla 17-14; Cathedral Catholic 17-13
Boys Division IV
(1) Bishop's 46, (2) Francis Parker 30. Records: Bishop’s 25-4; Francis Parker 13-10
Boys Division V
(1) Foothills Christian 60, (2) Maranatha Christian 56. Records: Foothills Christian 23-5; Maranatha Christian 26-4
Girls Division I
(3) La Costa Canyon 47, (1) Poway 33. Records: La Costa Canyon 24-5; Poway 29-3
Girls Division II
(2) West Hills 46, (1) Mt. Miguel 44. Records: 27-5; Mt. Miguel 25-6
Girls Division III
Canyon Crest 56, (2) Our Lady of Peace 51. Records: Canyon Crest 15-14; Our Lady of Peace 27-6
Girls Division IV
(1) Bishop's 71, (2) Mater Dei 63. Records: Bishop’s 29-2; Mater Dei 26-3
Girls Division V
(1) Christian Life 54, (2) Vincent Memorial 29. Records: Christian Life 22-7; Vincent Memorial 20-5

Girls basketball
Crusaders to hoop it up in CIF championship finals

Posted March 5, 2009
The home fans swayed and chanted in the stands Tuesday night at Mater Dei High School in eastern Chula Vista. At the final buzzer, they swarmed the floor.

The Crusaders were going to the CIF basketball finals.

Actually, it was a double-header of celebration. Prior to the girls basketball game, the school’s boys soccer team also won its semifinal game to advance to Saturday’s finals.

Following Tuesday’s come-from-behind 51-44 victory against third-seeded La Jolla Country Day, second-seeded Mater Dei (26-2) will play top-seeded Bishop’s (27-2) for the San Diego Section Division IV girls hoops title Saturday at 9:30 a.m. at USD’s Jenny Craig Pavilion.

Later in the day, the third-seeded Crusaders (12-6-1) will battle fourth-seeded Francis Parker (11-2-8) for the Division IV boys soccer championship at Granite Hills High School. Kick-off is 4:30 p.m.

After being eliminated in last year’s semifinals by Bishop’s, Mater Dei’s girls basketball team has been on a quest for a playoff rematch. The Crusaders will finally get their wish in a match-up of the state's top two-ranked teams in the division.

But it took some grit and determination to overcome an early 10-point deficit at the hands of the defending section champion Torreys, who led 14-4 in the opening stages of the contest.

In fact, it wasn’t until just 1:20 remained in the first half that the Crusaders finally took a lead (22-21) they would never relinquish. Senior forward/guard Ebone Henry then converted a rebound to two points and senior forward/guard Danae Johnson added a basket to put the hosts up 26-21.

Mater Dei senior guard Jhazmine Lynch then took control of the game by scoring the first six points of the second half as the Crusaders built a 32-21 advantage on the scoreboard.

Tenacious defense the rest of the way secured the team’s 21st consecutive win — and Mater Dei’s first division championship game appearance.

“We came out lackadaisical like we shouldn’t have, but we did,” Crusaders head coach David Monroe said. “But our press worked. That’s what did it for us.”

Turnovers in the second half led to constant Mater Dei fast breaks. Under the basket, 6-foot-1 Crusader senior center Soulijah Evans was impenetrable.

Henry led the Crusaders with 19 points and grabbed eight rebounds while Lynch contributed 12 points and Kamela Jackson had 10 points. Henry had 12 points in the first half while Jackson had six rebounds.

The Torreys, playing without seniors, began to stage a late comeback but Lynch’s shot from the outside to make the score 45-35 with 4:34 remaining in the game left no doubt that the Crusaders were, in fact, on their way to the finals.

Henry had 27 points in last Friday's 71-41 quarterfinal win against visiting Horizon Christian (16-12) while Evans had 15 points and Lynch had 13 points. The Crusaders broke away from the Panthers with a 20-5 scoring run in the third quarter.

Boys basketball
Southwest tops South Bay League, playoff foe
#4 Raiders slip past Monarchs to tip off Division III post-season play

Posted Feb. 25, 2009
The reigning South Bay League champion Southwest Raiders provided something special this season — not just a perfect 12-0 league record. The Raiders earned the distinction of being only one of 10 Metro Conference teams to pick up a win in Wednesday’s opening round of the San Diego Section divisional playoffs.

Laurence Degracia scored a game-high 24 points to lead the Raiders (19-7) in Wednesday’s 55-42 Division III first-round win against visiting Monte Vista (11-17). Southwest received points from seven players in the game, though no one else scored in double figures. Emilio Arellano contributed nine points for the Raiders, who also received seven points from Jay Santos.
The fourth-seeded Raiders advance to Saturday’s quarterfinals against fifth-seeded Cathedral Catholic (15-12).

Degracia leads the Raiders with a 22.8 scoring average.

Southwest sewed up its undefeated league campaign with last Friday’s 59-46 victory against visiting Mar Vista. Degracia led the Raiders with 18 points while Arellano had 17 points. Jeremy Morales and Greg Charley each had 12 points for the Mariners (10-2 in league play).

San Diego Section Divisional 2008-09 Basketball Playoffs

Girls Playoffs
Division I
First Round
Tuesday, Feb. 24
Eastlake 77, Rancho Bernardo 36
After an 8-2 finish in Mesa League play, the Titans tipped off post-season play with a runaway victory over the visiting Broncos (9-19). Yvonte Neal had 21 points and six rebounds while Cheyenne Curley-Payne contributed 16 points, 12 steals and 11 assists to help lead the No. 2 seed Titans (19-7). Diamond Mitchell added 14 points and four steals. Eastlake led 40-25 at halftime and crushed any hopes of a comeback by the visitors by out-scoring them 37-11 in the second half. Britney Adams had 14 points for Rancho Bernardo. The Titans host Patrick Henry (18-10) in Friday’s quarterfinals.

San Diego 70, Chula Vista 43
The fourth-seeded Cavers (22-7) got 22 points from Tynetta Turner, 20 points from Tia Dixon and 16 points from Julie Ruiz in securing the victory. San Diego led 37-20 at halftime and put the game away with a 17-3 run in the final quarter. Brian Gearhart led the Spartans (12-13) with 18 points

Division II
First Round
Tuesday, Feb. 24
Sweetwater 46, Helix 42
The Red Devils shook off their disappointing loss to Montgomery in last Friday’s South Bay League championship game by defeating the visiting Highlanders in the opening round of the playoffs. It was an all-around team effort with seven players scoring for the host Red Devils. Lucille Gleason, April Cadua and Genesis Lugo led SuHi with eight points apiece while Janine Fuertes had seven points. Sinoi Leasau paced Helix (16-13) with 17 points while teammate Kim Scott had 14 points in the loss. The Devils led 27-18 at halftime but trailed 32-30 entering the final quarter of play before out-scoring the visitors 16-10 to grab the come-from-behind victory. Sweetwater next plays at No. 2 seed West Hills (24-5) on Friday.

Scripps Ranch 64, Hilltop 49
The visiting Lancers (15-11) got behind 34-18 at halftime and it proved fatal despite outscoring the host Falcons 31-30 in the second half. Kelsey Welch and Stephanie Mendoza each scored 13 points to lead Hilltop, which also received 10 points from Nicki Furuya. Ally Swartz paced Scripps Ranch (20-8) with a game-high 22 points.

Mt. Miguel 85, San Ysidro 17
The top-seeded Matadors (23-5) blitzed the visiting Cougars with a 32-3 opening quarter explosion and coasted thereafter, leading 49-7 at halftime. Laquaysha Martin led San Ysidro (9-18, 3-9 in South Bay League play) with nine points. Four players scored in double figures for Mt. Miguel: Daneisha Williamson (27 points), Danielle Miller (20 points), Myisha Watkins (12 points) and Shay Young (10 points).

Division III
First Round
Tuesday, Feb. 24
Montgomery 51, San Dieguito 40
The host Aztecs opened up a 15-2 first quarter lead and upped their halftime edge to 29-12 in advancing to Friday's quarterfinals against Brawley (20-8)/La Jolla (8-18). Britney Rose led Montgomery with 14 points, followed by Tiffany Torregano with 10 points, Felicia Pet with nine points and Misha Pineda with eight points. Kaylin McMacklin led the Mustangs with 18 points while teammate Harper Crickmore added 11 points.

Mar Vista 74, Kearny 55
The Mariners shocked the host Komets with a 20-2 first quarter run and held off a resurgent Kearny team from then on. Ashley Sevilla and Jasmine Bonds each poured in a team-high 25 points for Mar Vista (20-6, 8-4 in South Bay League). Ashleigh King of the Komets led all scorers with 28 points.

Division IV
First Round
Tuesday, Feb. 24
Horizon Christian 60, Olympian 30
The host Panthers (16-15) jumped out to a 21-3 first quarter lead and never looked back. Monique Correla led Horizon with 20 points while Kim Flournoy contributed 14 points. The Eagles ended their season 9-11 after finishing South Bay League with a 7-5 record. The Panthers will play at No. 2 seed Mater Dei (24-2) on Friday.

Boys Playoffs
Division I
First Round
Wednesday, Feb. 25
San Diego 58, Eastlake 56
The Mesa League champion Titans (17-10) took a 33-19 halftime lead on the strength of a 21-5 second quarter run but saw that lead vanish as the visiting Cavers (15-10) racked up a 19-4 run to start the second half. Felix Dion (18 points) and Zander Epps (17 points) combined for 35 points to key Eastlake while Jeremy Tyler led San Diego with a game-high 26 points.

The Titans wrapped up a 9-1 Mesa League season with last Friday's 46-41 win at Hilltop as Epps and teammate Dillon Doria each scored 10 points.

Rancho Bernardo 70, Otay Ranch 59
Alex Perez led the visiting Mustangs with a game-high 27 points and Melvin Holper added 17 points but Otay Ranch (16-13) could not hold onto a 29-28 halftime lead against the Broncos (18-10).

La Costa Canyon 73, Chula Vista 45
Cameron Chambers had 15 points and John McClendon had 11 points for the Spartans (15-13) in the loss to the third-seeded Mavericks (22-5).

Division II
First Round
Wednesday, Feb. 25
Helix 67, San Ysidro 52
Duane Quezeda scored a game-high 22 points to lead host San Ysidro (14-10) in the loss. Helix, which led 29-28 at halftime, took control of the scoreboard with a 16-9 run in the third quarter to improve to 13-14. Dareen Canta (11 points) and Javion Watson (10 points) also scored in double digits for the Cougars.

Oceanside 52, Hilltop 34
The visiting Lancers (10-16) out-scored the second-seeded Pirates 17-16 in the first quarter but were out-scored 36-17 over the next three quarters. Oceanside, which had four players scored in double figures, improved to 23-3.

Division III
First Round
Wednesday, Feb. 25
Mission Bay 72, Mar Vista 43
The host Mariners received 16 points from Brennan Scales and 13 points from Jared Satterfield in the loss to the Bucs (12-13), who received a game-high 25 points from Derrick Thompson.

Kearny 65, Montgomery 43
An opening 20-6 rush by the third-seeded Komets (22-4) doomed the visiting Aztecs (8-19).

Division IV
First Round
Wednesday, Feb. 25
Imperial 63, Mater Dei 55
De'Anthony Tobe scored a game-high 21 points but it wasn't enough to carry the visiting Crusaders (10-18) past the Tigers (12-12). Mater Dei also got 13 points from R.J. Rowan and 10 points from Angel Basantes.

Coronado 48, Olympian 35
Ryan Canlapan scorted a team -high 16 points the visiting Eagles, who trailed 28-17 at halftime. Olympian finished the season 8-18 while Coronado improved to 17-10

Girls basketball
A night to remember: Aztecs 55, Red Devils 49
1,600 fans jam SuHi gym for South Bay League girls hoops battle

Posted Feb. 24, 2009
The home-standing Sweetwater fans cheered. The visiting Montgomery fans roared in turn. With an estimated 1,600 fans assembled in the Red Devils’ new gymnasium last Friday, it was a scene perhaps unprecedented for a girls basketball game at the National City school.

And the two teams — the Devils and Aztecs — did not disappoint in the South Bay League championship game.

One Sweetwater staff member surveyed the scene and simply said, “Awesome.”

The game itself proved to be a see-saw affair, featuring numerous lead changes and a dramatic come-from-behind ending.
Montgomery led 14-9 at the end of the first quarter and owned an 18-11 edge midway through the second quarter.

Fast forward to just under two minutes left in the opening half and Sweetwater held a 20-18 lead. The score was tied 20-20 with 1:13 to play in the second quarter. The Aztecs led 21-20 at halftime.

The story was much the same in the second half, perhaps even more tumultuously so.

The Red Devils tied the score 26-26 with 4:39 left in the third quarter, took leads of 30-26 and 33-28 before Montgomery closed the gap to 33-31. The SuHi lead ballooned to 35-31 with 1:38 remaining in the quarter and it looked as if the hosts might just secure an uncontested league title.

But there was plenty of game time left — and plenty of thrills, as it turned out.

And tears — both of joy and disappointment.

The third quarter ended with the Devils holding a narrow 35-34 lead. But the final eight minutes — and ultimately the season —belonged to the Aztecs.

Montgomery took a 37-35 lead as time resumed, was tied 37-all and went up 42-37 during a stretch when the hosts couldn’t seem to buy a bucket despite numerous offensive sojourns down the court.

Sweetwater’s luck suddenly turned around on the strength of back-to-back three-point baskets to trim the visitors’ lead to 44-43 with 4:40 to play in the contest. The Devils then tied the score — 44-44 — on a free throw a minute later.

The Aztecs took control from there as the hosts once again went into a sudden scoring dearth.

This time everything the visitors shot went in.

Montgomery led 49-44 on a three-pointer by Tiffany Torregano. Fouls then put Aztec standout Felicia Pet at the free-throw line.

Swoosh. Swoosh. Swoosh.

52-47 Aztecs.

Pet closed out Montgomery’s championship season at the charity stripe for more of the same.

The Aztec coaching staff hugged one another and openly wept — the coaches seemed even more excited about the proceedings than the players.

The spirited SuHi fans finally fell silent.

Torregano displayed uncanny shooting ability throughout the second half, sinking shots from short and long range. She led the victors with 16 points in the game, followed by Pet on the scoresheet with 15 points. Britney Rose had nine points for the Aztecs, who also received seven points from Stefanie Maher.

Sarah Guerrero keyed Sweetwater with 12 points. Two players each scored 11 points: Jonalynn Fuertes and Jessica Bautista.
The teams entered the league championship tilt sporting identical 10-1 league records. Montgomery had defeated Sweetwater, 69-62, on its home court on Jan. 28 but dropped a 56-54 decision to Mar Vista two days later.

The Aztecs closed out South Bay League play with an 11-1 league record, 21-6 overall, en route to earning the No. 3 seed and a home court playoff game against San Dieguito Academy in opening round of the San Diego Section Division III playoffs.

The Devils closed out league play 10-2, 18-10 overall, en route to earning a home court playoff game against Helix in the opening round of the Division II playoffs.

Championship countdown: Final week of regular season play tips off for Metro hoops teams
Eastlake tops Otay Ranch, 57-52, for Mesa League boys lead

Posted Feb. 19, 2009
One victory seperates the Eastlake High School boys basketball team from this year’s Mesa League title after the Titans tamed the visiting Otay Ranch Mustangs, 57-52, Wednesday. The Titans play at Hilltop Friday. Tip off is 7 p.m.

Zander Epps led Eastlake (8-1 in league, 16-9 overall) with 13 points while teammate Robert Graves had 12 points in what proved to be a come-from-behind victory. Felix Dion and Martin Meza both contributed nine points.

The Titans led 30-25 at halftime but went down 40-39 entering the final quarter following a torrid Otay Ranch comeback as the Mustangs (7-2, 16-11) reeled off a 15-9 third quarter scoring run.

Eastlake won the final quarter — and quite likely this year’s league banner — by rallying with a 19-12 scoring edge. Isaiah Hall and Melvin Holper keyed Otay Ranch with 13 points apiece.

The Mustangs and Titans shared last year’s league title and a similar scenario still exists should Otay Ranch win its final league game Friday at Chula Vista (5-4, 14-12) and Hilltop (4-5, 10-14) upset Eastlake.

Aztecs, Red Devils Meet in SBL showdown
The South Bay League girls basketball championship title will go down to the final game — Friday at Sweetwater High School — after the Montgomery Aztecs and SuHi Red Devils maintained their tie atop the standings at 10-1 with wins on Wednesday.
Sweetwater shaded Mar Vista, 62-36, behind 12 points from Sarah Guerrero and 10 points from Genesis Lugo while Montgomery out-scored Olympian, 62-42, behind 32 points from Felicia Pet. Friday’s game tips off at 7 p.m.

Girls basketball
Crusaders come through in the clutch in Mesa showdown
#2 Mater Dei trails Titans by 10 points, wins by five to stay unbeaten

Posted Feb. 11, 2009
The magic numbers for the Mater Dei High School girls basketball team appear to be two, 19 and very possibly 10-0.

The Crusaders entered last Friday’s second-round Mesa League game against visiting Eastlake with due respect finally won in the rankings wars. Mater Dei tipped off its high profile match-up against the high-powered Titans ranked second among all teams in the San Diego Section and 19th overall in the state.
The next agenda item was to erase a 10-point deficit in the contest against Eastlake to remain undefeated in league play and maintain their lofty rankings.

Mission accomplished. Mater Dei 43, Eastlake 38.

The Crusaders and Titans tipped off league play Jan. 21, with visiting Mater Dei scoring a 70-63 victory in a battle of two top 10-ranked section squads. At that time, the Crusaders were ranked sixth in the section, with Eastlake ranked seventh.

The result apparently convinced the rankings-makers just how good this year’s Mater Dei team was, with no slight to the very talented Titans, who look to be a force in the upcoming Division I section playoffs.

It the prep hoops raters needed any further proof as to just how good this year’s Crusader squad is, they only had to be in attendance at last Friday’s game.
Eastlake, needing a win to force a tie for first place in the league standings, got out to a promising 23-19 halftime lead and led 37-31 entering the final quarter.
But Mater Dei made the final minutes count by out-scoring the visitors 12-1 in the final period.

Jhazmine Lynch led the winners with 18 points while Danae Johnson had 11 points and Kamela Jackson had eight points in the low-scoring affair.

Yvonte Neal led Eastlake with 12 points while Diamond Mitchell had 11 points. National career steals leader Cheyenne Curley-Payne was held to five points in the contest.

The dramatic win gave the Crusaders a 6-0 league record and 20-2 overall mark. Head coach David Monroe said he felt confident his team could complete its thrilling comeback.

Fans on both sides of the court had to be hoarse from all the excitement.

Mater Dei improved to 7-0 in league play, 21-2 overall, after Tuesday’s dominating 77-14 win against visiting Otay Ranch. In that game, Ocean Escalante led the Crusaders with 14 points, followed by Henry with 13 points and Ramonda Harris with 11 points.

Mater Dei stormed out to a 29-4 lead after the first quarter and led 53-8 at halftime. The Crusaders out-scored the Mustangs 20-4 in the third quarter to lead 73-12 and the teams combined for just six points in the final (anti-climactic) period.

Mater Dei, which is ranked second only to top-ranked Bishop’s (22-2) in the section, has three league games remaining before the start of the Division IV playoffs: Feb . 12 against Chula Vista (2-5, 1-11), Feb. 18 against Hilltop (5-2, 14-8) and Feb. 20 against Bonita Vista (0-7, 4-18).

In first-round action, the Crusaders topped Chula Vista, 71-33, defeated Hilltop by a 75-45 score and bested Bonita Vista by a 53-16 score.

Eastlake, which defeated Chula Vista by a 61-32 score on Tuesday to improve to 5-2 in league play and 15-7 overall, now will be striving to rack up as many wins as possible prior to the Division I playoffs for a good seeding position. The Titans entered the week ranked ninth in the section and second in the division behind fourth-ranked and defending division champion Poway (22-2).

Neal poured in 20 points in Tuesday’s win against the visiting Spartans while Mitchell had 14 points. Santana Lopez and Justica Sueing each led Chula Vista with eight points.

Hilltop remained in a second place tie with Eastlake after defeating host Bonita Vista, 55-30, on Tuesday. Three players scored in double figures to lead the Lancers: Nicki Furuya (14 points), Stephanie Wertz (12 points) and Stephanie Mendoza (10 points). Jaleisha Freeman keyed the Barons with 12 points and seven rebounds.

SuHi bedeviling South Bay League title race
Surprising Sweetwater retained command of the South Bay League girls basketball standings following Tuesday’s 73-16 victory against Castle Park. Five players scored in double digits for the Red Devils: Lucille Gleason (14 points), April Cadua (13 points), Sarah Guerrero (11 points), Jamine Fuertes (10 points) and Genesis Lugo (10 points). The visitors led 44-10 at halftime.

Meanwhile, Montgomery — stung by a 56-54 loss to Mar Vista on Jan. 30 — remained a half-game behind in the league standings after topping visiting Southwest, 59-32, on Tuesday to improve to 8-1 in league play, 18-6 overall. Britney Rose led the Aztecs with 17 points, while Stefanie Maher contributed 12 points and Felicia Pet scored 10 points.

Pet paces Montgomery with a13.8 scoring average.

The Aztecs defeated the Red Devils, 69-62, in the first round of league play on Jan. 28. The teams rematch in the final regular season game Feb. 20 at Sweetwater.

Every little thing she does is magic
Eastlake’s Cheyenne Curley-Payne nominated for state Player of the Week award

Posted Feb. 11, 2009
Eastlake High School girls basketball coach Janet Eleazar nominated senior point guard Cheyenne Curley-Payne for Athlete of the Week honors for “her continuous stellar performances on the court,” according to the coach, for setting a new San Diego Section career assists record with 913 assists and reaching her national record 1,000th career steal milestone.

“I feel that her reaching the 1,000th career steal milestone is something to be recognized as well as her assist record,” Eleazar wrote in an e-mail to Cal-Hi Sports. “We have been so concentrated on her steals number, the assists have been on the back burner and she is currently approaching top all-time numbers.”

Curley-Payne set a new national career steals record on Jan. 3 in a non-league victory against Montgomery when she broke the 20-year-old record of 925 career steals. She then hit another milestone by making her 1,000th career steal mark on Feb. 4.

“She received MVP honors at all four tournaments we participated in last month and has scored several triple and double-doubles, as well as a few quad-doubles,” Eleazar said. “Cheyenne has been very consistent with her numbers and has always been ranked nationally, statewide and locally No. 1 or No. 2 in steals and assists for the past few years.”

The old section record of 863 assists also appears to have fallen, according to the Titans’ record-keeping. With 913 assists, Curley-Payne would rank fourth best all-time in the state.

The numbers are still being counted.

Eleazar said Curley-Payne currently holds three national steals records, is tied for another and has “four or five” section records and two or three state records.”

The old record of 925 steals had stood for 20 years.

“More than being recognized for breaking a 20-year-old career steals record of 925, but reaching the 1,000th career steal mark is almost inconceivable,” Eleazar wrote in her Player of the Week nomination. “However, because of her quickness and court IQ, she has been able to do this and really has not been given the recognition starting from her freshman year. Cheyenne is a very humble and quiet young lady who really doesn’t care about all the awards, accolades and adoration she receives; however, because she really hasn’t been recognized properly for a lot of things publicly and I feel that as a coach, I should try to get her exposure for all her hard work.”

But the awards do speak for themselves. Curley-Payne has received several all-team selections from her sophomore year, including being honored as the Mesa League Player of the Year and then earning all-state accolades last year and honorable mention her sophomore year. She also was named the MVP for winter sports at Eastlake.

Cheyenne earned the starting point guard position as a freshman with four seniors on the team, Eleazar said. As a freshman, she had an amazing 202 steals, the ninth all-time section best and added 191 assists, which were remarkable numbers for a freshman.

Curley-Payne tied the national all-time record of 295 season steals as a sophomore while averaging seven rebounds per game, 10 points per game, 8.9 steals per game and 7.7 assists per game.

As a junior, Curley-Payne surpassed her section, state and national record of 295 season steals with 325 season steals and set a new career record of 776 steals, surpassing the old record held by La Jolla Country Day’s Candice Wiggins (2001-04) by 30 steals. The Titan standout had a total of 254 assists for the season (8.7 apg), 338 rebounds (11.7 rgp), 531 points (18.3 ppg) which was 200 more points for the season from the previous year and 325 steals (11.3 spg).

“Cheyenne is an excellent defensive player,” Eleazar said. “She takes pride in playing defense and she is very deceptive. Until you see her play in person, you really won’t get the full benefit of what she is able to do on the court. She’s like a shark waiting to attack its prey. She’s a team player and that’s what I like to see in athletes.”

Curley-Payne’s senior season has been a “phenomenal year so far for her,” according to Eleazar. While her scoring average is not has high as last season because the team’s depth has increased, she is still averaging 13 points per game 8.6 steals per game, 8.0 assists per game, one block per game and 8.5 rebounds per game.

“She may not obtain the same numbers as last year because we are playing four less games than last year,” Eleazar noted. “However, our hope is to get to CIF and through the state rounds which will pick up the extra games. Although her points per game number is lower than last year, her assists per game average is up.”

Curley-Payne, who will attend Howard University this fall, is currently a candidate for the McDonald’s All-American Team and has received several other top honors outside of basketball. She was selected to be a National Society of High School Scholars, a member of the California Scholastic Federation and First Top Honor Roll Honors at Eastlake High School. She has excelled in the classroom by carrying a 3.67 grade-point average and will graduate with honors to go along with her full-ride scholarship.

Boys basketball:
Titans, Mustangs remain tied at the top
Posted Feb. 11, 2009
The showdown for first place in the Mesa League appears to be Feb. 18 after both Eastlake and Otay Ranch picked up wins Tuesday to remain tied atop the Mesa League standings with identical 6-1 league records.

Eastlake (14-9 overall) defeated Chula Vista by a score of 55-47 behind 19 points from Jovan Griffin and 13 points from Felix Dion while Otay Ranch (15-10 overall) topped Mater Dei, 64-52, on the strength of 25 points points from Alex Perez and 17 points from Isaiah Hall.

Tip-off for the climactic encounter between the Titans and Mustangs is 6 p.m.

Eastlake got off to a key 21-9 first-quarter lead over the host Spartans, who rallied with 18 third-quarter points to pull to within one point on the scoreboard. John McClendon led Chula Vista with 16 points in the losing cause while teammate Cameron Chambers had 12 points.

Otay Ranch rallied from a 25-22 halftime deficit on the strength of a 21-9 run in the third quarter.

De’Anthony Tobe led the visiting Crusaders with 17 points while teammate Franklin Ausler scored 12 points.

South Bay League
The Southwest Raiders remained undefeated in South Bay League play after gliding past Montgomery, 70-44, on Tuesday. Laurence Degracia poured in a game-high 34 points to lead the host Raiders, who also received 11 points from Maris Boldridge.

Southwest pulled away from the Aztecs on the strength of a 23-8 run in the second quarter. Degracia keys the Raiders with a 23.0 season scoring average.
Mar Vista (8-1, 14-8) remained one game behind Southwest following last Friday’s 62-49 victory over Olympian.

Jared Satterfield (14 points), Greg Charley (13 points) and Brennen Scales (12 points) all scored in double figures for the visiting Mariners, who built a 34-21 halftime lead.

Grossmont Conference boys hoops titles still up for grabs

Posted Feb. 9, 2009
After the Helix Highlanders boys basketball team posted a second place finish at the 2008 Spartan Classic in late December, it appeared as if the Scotties were ready to take off on the court.

Surprise, surprise ... the Valhalla Norsemen and the Steele Canyon Cougars appear primed to battle for this year's Grossmont South League title.

Valhalla improved to 6-0 in league play after collecting a 57-53 victory over host Mt. Miguel on Feb. 6. Austen Suhay keyed the Norsemen with 32 points while teammate Kyle Kriebel added 12 points.

Kriebel leads Valhalla in season scoring with a 14.0 points per game average.

Valhalla, which has four games left in regular season play, improved to 16-7 overall.

Steele Canyon hiked its league record to 5-1 (13-11 overall) after defeating the host Highlanders, 62-56, also on Feb. 6. Three players scored in double figures for the Cougars: Jabari Robinson and Cameron Moss each had 16 points while Josiah Smith had 15 points.

Smith leads Steele Canyon in season scoring with a 12.7 points per game average.

Granite Hills (3-3, 14-8) and Mt. Miguel (3-3, 9-15) were tied for third place in the league standings entering the final two weeks of regular season play. Dean Miller has been Granite Hills' go-to man all season with a 23.5 pionts per game scoring average.

Harry Brazelton keyed Mt. Miguel with an 18.5 points per game scoring average.

With four games left in league play before the start of the San Diego Section divisional playoffs, Grossmont (13-9 overall) and El Capitan (13-11 overall) were tied for the Grossmont North League lead with identical 4-1 league records.

Jake Haar (14.6 ppg) and Jon Molzen (13.0 ppg) led Grossmont and El Capitan, respectively, in season scoring.

The Foothillers and Vaqueros meet one last time in league play on Feb. 17.

Molzen scored 21 points to lead El Capitan to a 66-51 win over West Hills on Feb. 6 while Felipe Valdez (18 points), Desean Waters (17 points) and Haar (14 points) all scored in double digits in Grossmont's 60-51 victory over El Cajon Valley.

The Vaqueros' lone league loss came 50-37 to West Hills while the Foothillers dropped a 71-63 first-round encounter to El Capitan.

Grossmont will be vying for a berth in the upcoming Division I playoffs while El Capitan will be doing the same for the Division II playoffs. Valhalla and Steele Canyon will both be out to land berths in the Division II playoff field.

Mater Dei climbing girls hoops rankings

Posted Feb. 5, 2009
What’s in a ranking? Mater Dei High School girls basketball coach David Monroe certainly believes his team is being underrated by the San Diego Section.

The Crusaders, who improved to 5-0 in Mesa League play with Wednesday’s 75-45 victory over Hilltop, entered league play ranked sixth among section teams but third among Division IV squads despite owning a 60-58 win against La Jolla Country Day, the section’s No. 2 pick in Division IV.
Go figure.

Monroe has. “There are other polls out there and we rate high in many of them. One poll has us first in the state.”

Mater Dei (19-2 overall) was ranked 20th best in the entire state by Cal-Hi Sports. The Bishop’s Knights, the top-ranked team in the section, was ranked 15th. The Crusaders fell to the Knights in last year’s division semifinals.

“Our girls want a rematch with Bishop’s,” said Monroe following his team’s 70-63 victory at Eastlake on Jan. 21 to tip off league play.

Soulija Evans led Mater Dei with 24 points in Wednesday’s game while Jhazmine Lynch had 16 points and Ebone Henry had 14 points. The Crusaders led 39-28 at halftime and put the game away with a 20-5 fourth-quarter blitz.

Kelsey Welch led Hilltop with 12 points, followed on the scoresheet by teammates Stephanie Wertz (11 points) and Stephanie Mendoza (10 points).

Eastlake (4-1, 14-6) topped Otay Ranch, 69-20, on Wednesday to stay within striking distance of Mater Dei in the league standings. Diamond Mitchell (15 points, six steals), Cheyenne Curley-Payne (11 points, 11 steals, seven assists, eight rebounds) and Yvonte Neal (10 points, eight rebounds) combined for 36 points. Overall, the Titans grabbed 55 rebounds.

Prior to defeating the Mustangs, Eastlake bested Hilltop by a 78-51 score last Friday. In that game, Neal poured in 26 points while grabbing 15 rebounds and making five steals to lead the Titans, who also received 13 points and five steals from Mitchell and 12 points, 14 steals and 14 assists from Curley-Payne.
Mendoza led the Lancers with 15 points while Nicki Furuya had 11 points.

Boys hoops
Eastlake and Otay Ranch completed the first round of Mesa League play locked in a tie for first place with identical 4-1 records following host Otay Ranch’s 55-45 win over the Titans on Wednesday. Alex Perez led the Mustangs (4-1, 13-9) with 20 points while Melvin Holper scored 12 points and Isaiah Hall had nine points.

Felix Dion led Eastlake (4-1, 12-8) with 13 points while Robert Graves had 10 points.

The game was close through three quarters. Otay Ranch led 26-23 at halftime and only 39-37 entering the fourth quarter. The Mustangs secured the win with a 17-8 in the final period.

Mesa League
Boys Standings
Eastlake 4-1, 12-8
Otay Ranch 4-1, 13-9
Mater Dei 3-2, 10-11
Chula Vista 2-3, 10-12
Hilltop 2-3, 8-12
Bonita Vista 0-5, 5-15

Mesa League
Girls Stanidngs
Mater Dei 5-0, 19-2
Eastlake 4-1, 14-6
Hilltop 3-2, 12-8
Chula Vista 2-3, 10-9
Otay Ranch 1-4, 2-13
Bonita Vista 0-5, 4-16

Players to watch
Eastlake junior Yvonte Neal scored 19 points with eight rebounds in a 66-20 win against Chula Vista on Jan. 28 and had a double-double in last Friday's 78-51 win against Hilltop with 26 points and 15 rebounds. She is currently averaging 16 points per game.

Eastlake senior Curley-Payne had a double-double against Chula Vista with 11 points, 14 rebounds, five steals with four assists. She had a quad/double against Hilltop with 12 points, dishing off a season and career high of 14 assists and snatching up 13 rebounds with her second season high of 14 steals to add to her current national record of 996 steals. She entered Wednesday’s game against Otay Ranch four steals shy of her 1,000 career steal. She finshed that game with 11 steals.

Boys Basketball
Eastlake Titans jump start Mesa League play 2-0
Posted Jan. 29, 2009
The Eastlake High School boys basketball team has inched its way above the .500 mark by way of a 2-0 start to Mesa League play. The Titans, who shared last year's league title with eastside rival Otay Ranch, defeated Mater Dei and Bonita Vista in the first week of league play last week.

Eastlake tipped off the 2009 Mesa League season with a 58-34 victory at Mater Dei on Jan. 21 and followed with another road win, this time 59-43 at Bonita Vista last Friday.

The Titans overcame an early Baron lead, trailing 12-7 after the opening quarter before taking a 22-20 halftime lead on the strength of a 15-8 turnaround in the second quarter. The visitors out-scored the hosts 37-23 in the second half.

Jovan Griffina dn Dillon Doria each scored a team-high 11 points to pace Eastlake, which also got nine points from Felix Dion and eight points from Trevon Ash.

David Scarfone led all scorers in the game with 14 points for Bonita Vista, which fell to 0-2 in league play, 6-12 overall with the loss.

The Titans improved to 10-7 overall with the 2-0 start to league play. Eastlake will play at Otay Ranch on Feb. 4 in the first meeting of last year's league co-champions.

The Titans received points from 10 players in their season-opening victory at Mater Dei, though no one scored in double figures. Zander Epps had nine points, followed by Griffin and Travis Gardner, each of whom scored eight points. Four players each confributed six points: Dion, Robert Graves, Doria and Martin Meza.

A.J. Rowan and De'Anthony Tobe led the Crusaders with 15 and 14 points, respectively, in the loss.

Otay Ranch tipped off Mesa League play with a 65-30 win at Bonita Vista as Alex Perez (16 points), Isaiah Hall (14 points), Marvin Holper (14 points) and Blake Hamilton (10 points) all scored in double digits.

But the Mustangs lost a chance to match the Titans with a 2-0 start in league play after dropping a 52-50 contest to visiting Hilltop last Friday.Otay Ranch led 27-18 at halftime but the Lancers took a 39-36 lead into the fnal quarter after making a 21-9 run in the third quarter. Hilltop was out-scored 14-13 in the final quarter but it wasn't enough to overtake the visitors. Chris Prather led the Lancers with 19 points while Anthony Carrillo poured in 15 points and Jacob Craig contributed 13 points.

Perez led all scorers in the game wih 25 points. However, the Mustangs finished with only two players in double figures, with Hall scoring 12 points.

Otay Ranch, Hilltop, Mater Dei and Chula Vista all ended the opening week of league play with 1-1 records.

In the league opener for both teams, Chula Vista stopped Hilltop by a score of 64-57 but then dropped a 62-46 decision to Mater Dei last Friday. John McClendon led the Spartans with 16 points in the opener while Justin Walker scored 14 points and Stephon Turner and Cameron Chambers each scored 10 points.

McClendon led all scorers in the game against Mater Dei with 28 points while Rowan keyed the victorious Crusaders with 24 points.

Craig led Hilltop with 20 points in its league opening loss to Chula Vista.

Girls Basketball
Crusaders take Round One win from Titans
Posted Jan. 22, 2009
Mater Dei won Round 1 of its two-game Mesa League series against Eastlake with a 70-63 road victory Wednesday night. The Crusaders bounded out to a sizable lead, were challenged on several occasions thereafter by the host Titans, went down briefly on the scoreboard, 35-33, but engineered a convincing rally to post the victory.

The win extended Mater Dei’s consecutive winning streak to 10 games. The Crusaders are 15-2 overall.

Ebone Henry led the victors with 22 points, followed by teammates Soulijah Evans (16 points), Jhazmine Lynch (16 points) and Kamela Jackson (10 points).
“We couldn’t shake them in the first half,” Mater Dei coach David Monroe said. “At halftime, the girls realized they had to play or they might lose the game. We played a slightly different defense in the second half. The goal is to win a championship. Our girls are on a mission.”

Yvonte Neal paced Eastlake (10-6 overall) with a game-high 27 points, followed by Diamond Mitchell with 10 points. Cheyenne Curley-Payne, who set a new national record for career steals in the Titans’ 65-28 non-league win against Montgomery on Jan. 3, was held to just six points.

Both teams warmed up for Wednesday’s league opener by participating in showcase events on Monday honoring the memory of the late Martin Luther King. Mater Dei shaded West Hills, 60-49, in the MLK Shootout at West Hills High School while Eastlake topped Mt. Carmel 70-48 in the MLK Showcase at Horizon Christian High School.

Henry led the Crusaders with 22 points while Evans scored 18 points and Lynch added 14 points as Mater Dei overcame a 26-20 halftime deficit with a 40-23 second-half scoring surge.

Curley-Payne led Eastlake with 24 points in its win over the Sundevils while Neal pumped in 22 points and Mitchell had 14 points.

Prior to the MLK Shootout, Mater Dei topped Perris, 63-53, in the LJCD Elite Showcase as Lynch (21 points), Danae Johnson (15 points) and Evans (14 points) all scored in double digits.

Girls Basketball:
Mater Dei, Eastlake battle among section’s best
Crusaders, Titans vie for Mesa League championship banner

Posted Jan. 15, 2009
The upcoming San Diego Section girls basketball playoffs — and possibly beyond — appear to be the destination for the Mater Dei Crusaders and Eastlake Titans.

Heading into Wednesday’s Mesa League opener, Mater Dei held down the No. 6 ranking among section teams while Eastlake immediately followed at No. 7.

Both teams could go far in next month’s divisional playoffs. The Titans owned the No. 2 ranking among Division I teams behind Poway (16-2) while the Crusaders were ranked No. 3 among the section’s Division IV teams, trailing top-ranked Bishop’s (16-2) and La Jolla Country Day (10-5).

There appears to be room for only one champion, however, in the Mesa League — a fitting prelude to the section playoffs.

Mater Dei won Round 1 with a 70-63 road victory Wednesday night. The Crusaders bounded out to a sizable lead, were challenged on several occasions thereafter by the host Titans, went down briefly on the scoreboard, 35-33, but engineered a convincing rally to post the victory.

The win extended Mater Dei’s consecutive winning streak to 10 games. The Crusaders are 15-2 overall.

Ebone Henry led the victors with 22 points, followed by teammates Soulijah Evans (16 points), Jhazmine Lynch (16 points) and Kamela Jackson (10 points).
“We couldn’t shake them in the first half,” Mater Dei coach David Monroe said. “At halftime, the girls realized they had to play or they might lose the game. We played a slightly different defense in the second half. The goal is to win a championship. Our girls are on a mission.”

Yvonte Neal paced Eastlake (10-6 overall) with a game-high 27 points, followed by Diamond Mitchell with 10 points. Cheyenne Curley-Payne, who set a new national record for career steals in the Titans’ 65-28 non-league win against Montgomery on Jan. 3, was held to just six points.

Both teams warmed up for Wednesday’s league opener by participating in showcase events on Monday honoring the memory of the late Martin Luther King. Mater Dei shaded West Hills, 60-49, in the MLK Shootout at West Hills High School while Eastlake topped Mt. Carmel 70-48 in the MLK Showcase at Horizon Christian High School.

Henry led the Crusaders with 22 points while Evans scored 18 points and Lynch added 14 points as Mater Dei overcame a 26-20 halftime deficit with a 40-23 second-half scoring surge.

Curley-Payne led Eastlake with 24 points in its win over the Sundevils while Neal pumped in 22 points and Mitchell had 14 points.

Prior to the MLK Shootout, Mater Dei topped Perris, 63-53, in the LJCD Elite Showcase as Lynch (21 points), Danae Johnson (15 points) and Evans (14 points) all scored in double digits.

Mesa League play concludes Feb. 20, followed by the section playoffs, regional state playoffs and state championships.

Mater Dei Crusaders
The Crusaders entered league play undefeated in section play while competing primarily out of the region in December. Included was a 4-0 run through the West Coast Jamboree and a 3-1 showing in the Nike Tournament of Champions in Arizona.

The Crusaders’ lone losses in non-league play this season were to state power Archbishop Mitty at the La Jolla Country Day Quiznos Sweet Sixteen Invitational and to Thunder Ridge, Colo., at the Nike Tournament of Champions.

Lynch keys Mater Dei in scoring with a 15.5 point-per-game average.

Eastlake Titans
With a 10-5 record heading into Mesa League play, the Titans had battled some of the top teams from throughout the nation with appearances in the La Jolla Country Day Sweet Sixteen Invitational, KSA Walt Disney World Tournament in Florida, SoCal Holiday Classic, Mt. Miguel Elite Classic, La Jolla Country Day Elite Classic and Martin Luther King Showcase.

Eastlake’s lone loss in section play was 57-56 to Mt. Miguel, the top-ranked Division II team.

The Titans went 2-1 at the Walt Disney World tournament, defeating Northport, N.Y. (59-55) and St. David’s (59-18) while dropping a 66-46 contest to Upperman (Baxter, Tenn.).

Team leaders include Neal (14.6 points per game) and Curley-Payne (14.6 rebounds per game, 8.0 assists per game, 1.2 blocks per game, 8.0 steals per game).

Curley-Payne, who earned MVP honors at both the LJCD Sweet Sixteen and KSA Disney Classic tournaments, ranked second in team scoring with 12.0 points per game, followed by Darrian Castillo (9.7 points per game) and Diamond Mitchell (8.2 points per game).

Curley-Payne, who will attend Howard University this fall, pushed the National High School Federation record for career steals to 929 following her performance Jan. 3.

The senior point guard also earned honors as one of the Breitbard Hall of Champions Prep Stars for the Month for December after compiling four triple-doubles, averaging 11.1 points, 8.5 rebounds, 8.5 assists and 8.4 steals in 11 games.

Holiday hoops heaven
Jump shots and buzzer-beaters usher in 2009

Posted Jan. 8, 2009
Nine tournaments and more than 100 teams added up to quite a holiday hoops extravaganza in the South County last month. It all started with the Eastlake, Hilltop and Sweetwater boys tournaments, continued with tournaments at Otay Ranch, Mater Dei, Sweetwater (again) and San Ysidro high schools, and concluded with a trio of time-tested hoops fests: the 20th annual Spartan Classic boys tournament, 39th Lady-Baron Optimist girls tournament and Montgomery Aztec boys and girls tournaments.

Aztec Invitational
Hilltop captured the boys half of the tournament behind MVP Chris Prather while Montgomery, buoyed by MVP Felisha Pet, claimed the girls half of the event.

Hilltop improved to 6-8 overall by sweeping past its four tourney opponents. Prather had a team-high 16 points in the Lancers’ 50-46 victory over Brawley to conclude tourney play. The Wildcats finished 3-1 in the eight-team field.

In consolation games on Dec. 30, Morse (9-6) tipped Bonita Vista, 55-46, while Mission Hills got by Orange Glen 57-36. Bonita Vista, which finished 2-2 in tourney play, saw its record drop to 6-7 to end the year.

Joining Prather on the all-tournament team were Montgomery’s Mark Armitage, Bonita Vista’s Zach Sanchez, Hilltop’s Anthony Carrillo, Orange Glen’s Ferras Tartir, Mission Hills’ Jeremy Ford, Morse’s Rome De La Rosa and DaVonte Hicks and Brawley’s Raffa Rojos Reyes and Craig Fisher.

Prather is averaging 15.8 points per game so far this season while Carrillo is averaging 11.5 points per game for the Lancers. Armitage leads the Aztecs (2-12) with a 13.8 scoring average.

Montgomery (10-3) topped Orange Glen, 51-44, to emerge undefeated in the eight-team girls field. Pet had 16 points while Felicity Pet contributed 11 points. Orange Glen’s Tiffany Parra led all scorers in the game with 17 points. The Patriots ended 2008 with a 7-5 overall record.

In other final-round games, Mission Bay (9-6) tipped Soldotna from Alaska, 51-44, while Otay Ranch bounded past Crawford, 57-25, and Half Moon Bay sank Lincoln by a score of 61-19.

Joining Felisha Pet on the all-tournament team were Otay Ranch’s Chelsea Wong, Montgomery’s Britany Rose and Stephanie Maher, Orange Glen’s Parra and Darlene Truong, Lincoln’s Mahryna Durham, Mission Bay’s Keyandre Cannon, Soldotna’s Jessi Stenga and Half Moon Bay’s Lauren Ward.

Spartan Classic
Stephen Que pumped in 17 points to lead the Vista Panthers (12-2) past the Helix Highlanders (6-5) in the tournament championship game 57-54. Two other players scored in double digits for Vista: Tray Johnson (14 points) and Quincy Lawson (13 points). The Highlanders got 12 points each from Levine Toilolo and Sam Meredith while Jaylen Limson had 10 points.

The Panthers got a toehold on the victory by racing out to a 19-8 first quarter lead. Vista was up 35-24 at halftime. Helix began playing catch-up in earnest in the second half, finishing with a 30-22 scoring edge.

Chula Vista gave the Scotties a battle to close out round-robin play, losing 63-54. The Spartans got as close as a basket in the late going but couldn’t quite get that game-breaking rebound or block to hold down Helix long enough to tie the game. Justin Walker led CV with 22 points.

A total of five South County teams competed in the 14-team field. Joining Chula Vista were the Castle Park Trojans, Mar Vista Mariners, Mater Dei Crusaders and Southwest Raiders. The Grossmont Foothillers, Steele Canyon Cougars and Valhalla Norsemen joined Helix from East County while other entrants included the Collingwood (Canada) Cavaliers, Pt. Loma Pointers, Ramona Bulldogs, Serra Conquistadors and Vista.

Six teams competed in three round-robin brackets, with eight teams seeded in bracket play.

The team with the best round robin record advanced to the championship game. That was Helix after dropping Ramona (60-49), Mater Dei (56-42) and the Spartans in successive games to finish 3-0. Grossmont, which finished 2-1 in round robin play, drew Pt. Loma, which lost to Vista in the bracket semifinal.
Southwest and Ramona paired up in the consolation game. The Raiders came up a 78-63 winner over the Bulldogs behind 23 points from Lamar Weston and 22 points from Laurence Degracia

In other final round consolation games, Chula Vista (5-8) topped Mar Vista, 66-50, behind 29 points from Cameron Chambers and 17 points from Jon McClendon while Castle Park also ended the tournament on a positive note with a 46-41 victory against Collingwood.

Chula Vista finished 1-2 in round robin play, defeating Castle Park, 71-35, while dropping a 64-63 decision to Grossmont.

Lady Baron-Optimist
The 39th annual hoops fest featured varsity and junior varsity divisions, with games played at Olympian High School. The varsity division championship game, played on Dec. 30, went into overtime, with the Scripps Ranch Falcons recording a 42-41 victory over the University City Centurions.

Ally Swartz led Scripps Ranch (8-5) with 14 points while teammate Deanna Kennedy contributed 12 points. But it was a pair of free throws by Mariah Gallivan in OT that sealed the win for the Falcons. Jillian Drogan paced University City (5-7) with 19 points, with teammate Delea Pursel contributing 12 points. The game was tied 18-18 at halftime.

In the third-place game, Mar Vista (7-1) topped Bonita Vista (3-9) by a 59-33 score as Ashley Sevilla led all scorers in the game with 32 points. Jasmine Bonds added 15 points for the Mariners, whose only loss in the four-day tourney was 39-34 to Morse in pool play.

In the fifth-place game, Hilltop (9-6) bested Chula Vista (7-9) by a 57-45 score as Stephanie Mendoza (18 points), Nicki Furuya (15 points) and Fiana Finau (10 points) all scored in double figures for the Lancers. Justica Suing keyed the Spartans with 11 points in the match-up of Mesa League foes.

Morse’s Abigail Leaupepe-tele was named the varsity tournament’s MVP. Other all-tournament selections included Scripps Ranch’s Swartz and Kennedy, Mar Vista’s Sevilla, Chula Vista’s Briana Gearhart and Santana Lopez, Olympian’s Gabby Robledo, Bonita Vista’s Hannah Shaffer, Castle Park’s Jessica Mendoza, UC’s Drogin, Hilltop’s Mendoza and Clairemont’s Tranise Williams .

Sevilla is averaging 20.1 points per game while Hilltop’s Mendoza is averaging 17.7 points per game.

South County Holiday Basketball Tournaments
Cougar Cage Classic
Duane Quezada scored 13 points to lead host San Ysidro past Oceanside, 55-21, in the title game on Dec. 20. The Cougars improved to 6-2 with the win after navigating through the tournament with a 3-1 record. Other teams participating in the tourney included Olympian, Morse, El Cajon Valley, Orange Glen, Christian Life, Imperial and Los Angeles Christian.

San Ysidro topped Christian Life, 71-35, and also bested Olympian 65-64. Dondi Shumate leads the Cougars with a 16.4 scoring average.

Ryan Canlapan scored 18 points and Corbin Humphrey scored 12 points to lead Olympian (5-5) to a 66-65 cliffhanger win over Imperial on the final day of competition. The Eagles' lone loss in the Cougar Cage Classic was to San Ysidro. Canlapan paces Olympian with a 12.1 scoring average.

Otay Ranch/ Mater Dei Invitational
Hoover defeated tourney co-host Otay Ranch, 81-57, on Dec. 23 to finish undefeated in the 12-team field. Angelo Chol earned MVP honors for Hoover by scoring 18 points, grabbing 19 rebounds and making 17 blocks in the title game win over the Mustangs.

Other members of the all-tournament team included Santa Fe Christian’s Karl Halmlund, Steele Canyon’s Josiah Smith, Ramona’s Cameron Kolk, Mater Dei’s DeAnthony Tobe, St. Margaret’s Kevin Wang, Otay Ranch’s Alex Perez and Hoover’s Idris ibn Idris.

Perez leads the Mustangs with a robust 22.7 scoring average while Tobe and R.J Rowan are both averaging 14.2 points per game for the Crusaders.
In other final round games, Steele Canyon defeated Montgomery 75-41; St. Margaret’s defeated Mater Dei 43-23; Ramona defeated Hilltop 54-53; and Santa Fe Christian defeated Southwest El Centro 74-27.

Red Devil Invitational
The first tourney hosted by the Red Devils wrapped up Dec. 6 as Ramona (4-0) remained undefeated on the young season with a 54-44 victory over host Sweetwater (3-1). Orange Glen (3-1), Montgomery (2-2), Preuss Academy (2-2), Christian Life (2-3), Escondido Charter (1-5) and Southern California Yashiva Academy (0-4) also participated in the tourney.

The all-tournament team featured Ricky Reyes (Montgomery), Ferias Tartir (Orange Glen), Dereus Tinsely (Preuss), Cameron Kolk (Ramona), Bobby Cobian (Sweetwater). Ramona’s Dodge McIntosh was named tourney MVP.

Sweetwater Holiday Classic
The second tourney hosted by the Red Devils — the 20th annual Sweetwater Holiday Classic concluded on Dec. 20 as Carlsbad defeated Escondido, 66-53, in the championship game. The tournament was divided into four pools, with the winner of each pool advancing to the semifinals. Carlsbad topped Lincoln, 55-40, to advance to the championship game while Escondido edged Scripps Ranch by a bucket, 72-70, to advance to the title tilt.

The 14-team field included three Metro teams: Castle Park, Eastlake and Sweetwater.

Eastlake defeated Yale Secondary from British Columbia, Canada, in comeback fashion, 50-45, on Dec. 19 and closed out the tourney the next day with a 53-36 win against Kearny to finish 3-1 in its four games. Felix Dion (11 points) and Javon Griffin (10 points) keyed the Titans in the finale against the Komets while Dion pumped in 17 points in the game against Yale Secondary.

Eastlake’s only loss in the tournament was 56-53 to Lincoln. The Titans topped Castle Park, 70-20, on Dec. 18.
Dion leads Eastlake with a 13.2 scoring average.

Hilltop Invitational
Torrey Pines captured the eight-team field with a 70-61 victory over Rancho Buena Vista in finals played Dec. 12. In other final round games, Monte Vista edged Pt. Loma, 41-39, while Helix powered past the host Lancers, 60-35, and Chula Vista won its first game of the season with a 65-49 decision over Crawford.

Torrey Pines' Trevor Newquist was named tourney MVP. Other all-tournament selections included Chula Vista's Justin Walker, Crawford's DeMario Robinson, Helix's Patrick Winston, Hilltop's Anthony Carrillo, Monte Vista's Jeff Hartman, Pt. Loma's Robby Tartre, RBV's Tyler Downs and Johnny Dee and Torrey Pines' Collin Porter.

Titan Tip-off Classic
Hoover emerged with an 82-65 win over Lincoln on Dec. 13 as Idris bin Idris led the victorious Cardinals with 25 points. Both teams finished with 5-1 records. Eastlake topped Carlsbad, 61-60, in a consolation game to close out tournament play.

Mustangs tip off hoops season
Posted Dec. 23, 2008

The Otay Ranch High School boys basketball team has high hopes for the 2008-09 season. The Mustangs shared last year’s Mesa League championship banner with Eastlake and owned outright possession of the coveted banner two seasons ago.

“We are looking forward to this year’s Mesa League with the addition of Mater Dei and Hilltop,” Otay Ranch coach Howard Suda said. “It looks to be a tough league. But we look forward to defending our league championship the last two years and it should be interesting how everything plays out this season.”
Hilltop enters Mesa League play as last year’s South Bay League champion.

League play tips off Jan. 21.

Top returners include sophomore Alex Perez, who earned second team all-league honors as a freshman, along with seniors Melvin Holper, Isaiah Hall and Brandon Santos. Holper is 6-4 while Perez is 6-2.

Impact newcomers include seniors DeLeon Dallas (transfer from Midway Baptist), Blake Hamilton (transfer from Georgia) and Daniel Giron (transfer from Mexico).

Otay Ranch jump-started the season by competing in the Wolf Pack tournament, defeating Serra (70-53), West Hills (65-42) and Cathedral Catholic (65-54) and losing to St. Augustine (66-61). The Mustangs rematched with the Saints on Dec. 13, losing 71-51.

The Mustangs tipped off play in the Otay Ranch Invitational Dec. 19-23 with wins over Santa Fe Christian (73-48) and Ramona (76-58).

Otay Ranch was scheduled to participate in the Torrey Pines Holiday Classic Dec. 26-30.

Perez led the team in the early going with a 23-point-per-game scoring average.

The San Diego Section playoffs tip off Feb. 24.