SoCalHoops High School News

Nike Extravagana Game 1:
Tustin Loses To Upland--(Feb. 7, 1999)

This was the first game of the day and it seemed like it.   Most basketball players hate morning games and there's a reason for that, especially when you've just played the day before. Both teams played like they were a little sleepy at times, and each had moments where they just seemed to disappear, especially the second quarter, when the Tillers and Highlanders  combined for a total of 14 points.   Fourteen points.  Even though Upland managed to hang on for the win, the break at halftime sent them into a stupor, and the Highlanders only managed 4 points in the entire third quarter.  Sheesh.  It was the kind of box score that you look at and wonder whether the real team might have missed the State College Avenue exit off the 91.  This couldn't possibly be the same Upland team we'd seen before.   Or maybe it was and we just didn't realize it.

Tustin has some young and promising players, including 235 lb. 9th grader DeAngelo Collins (6'-9" Fr. F/C), Dillon Hayes (6'-6" So. SF), Chris Chatman (6'-5" Jr. F), and John Proctor (6'-4" Jr. SG/SF).  And they've also got Cameron Jackson (6'-2" Sr. G) and Kenny Crabb (6'-0" Sr. G).   But on Saturday at 10:00 a.m. at Cal State Fullerton they weren't enough to knock off an even younger (on average) Upland team.  Upland won, 50-43, in a game that Tustin never led, and in which but for some great rebounding and shot-blocking from freshman DeAngelo Collins (15 rebounds and 5 blocked shots), they probably wish they hadn't gotten out of bed for.  

The game was close through the first and second quarters, as Tustin trailed by a score of 10-15 at the end of the first quarter. In the second quarter, Tustin only managed to eke out 6 points, but Upland also didn't play too well, only scoring 8, and at the half, the score wa 16-23. Desmond Penigar of Upland had the hot hand for the Highlanders, shooting .800 from the field on 4 for 5 shooting for 8 points. Teammate Matt Santos had 4 points in the first half, Colin Strand had 3, Sheldon Pace and Prentice Harris had 2.  For Tustin, the scoring was pretty evenly spread between Kenny Crabb and DeAngelo with 5 each and Chatman and Peter Johnston, each of whom had 3.  

In the second half , Tustin (17-7) had a hot third quarter, scoring 14 points and limiting Upland (21-2) to just 4 points, but then in the fourth, Upland exploded, scoring 23 points while holding Tustin to just 10, which was enough to hold a 7 point margin of victory.

Colin Strand,  hit two big 3-pointers down the stretch and Sheldon Pace added one of his own as Upland (21-2) went on a 10-2 run late in the fourth quarter to defeat Tustin at Cal State Fullerton. Strand finished with 11 points and Pace with 10. Strand was also the most productive free-throw shooter in the game, going 5 for 6 from the line. Desmond Penigar was the game's high scorer with 13 points. Matt Santos had 7 points and Harris Prentice had 5; Demarcus Williams of Upland had 2 points and 3 rebounds and Steve Hamilton finished with only 2 points in 11:27 of playing time.   Not very good numbers for a 6'-11" senior who will be playing D-I college ball next year, but then maybe he was recovering from the flu like half the guys out there.

For Tustin, the scoring was accomplished mostly by Chris Chattam and DeAngelo Collins who each finished with 12 points. De Angelo was the game's leading rebounder and shot blocker, finishing with 15 rebounds (10 defensive) and 5 blocked shots. Kenny Crabbe finished with 11, Peter Johnston had 6, and Cameron Jackson finished with 2 points.

Neither team shot very well from the floor, with Tustin shooting .326 overall and Upland doing just slightly better at .362.

Ah, but this was just the breakfast menu.  Wait until lunch and dinner-time.  That's when things got really exciting.

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