SoCalHoops High School News

North To South: A Ton Of
Tournament Results--(Dec. 28, 1998)

We haven't been at the Best in the West today (Monday), and we also weren't at the Nike San Diego tourney. We have however managed to collect a bunch of tournament results from Saturday in addition to the Best in the West and Nike results we had yesterday and Sunday, and while many of these tournaments really deserve their own separate write-ups we just don't have the time for that today, since we're up in San Luis Obispo watching two different tournaments, one high school tournament and a JUCO tournament.

The High School tourney features 24 high school varsity teams in D-V, both boys and girls, including last year's CIF Southern Section Championship team, the Lady VCA Lions.  The boys teams include Valley Christian-Cerritos, a very good and quick team with two really big guys who are good scoring threats, Erick Steelman (6'-5" Sr. F), and Brian Kuyper (6'-6" Sr. C/F);  Sherman Oaks Buckley, which features freshman point guard David Gale (5'-10" Fr. PG), who had 13 assists and 6 steals today, Colin-Ward Henninger (6'-3" So. SG) who had 15 points in an "off" shooting day;  VCA Lions featuring Wade Overton (6'-3" Sr. F) and Aaron Ophaug (6'-0" Sr. F); Providence, with players like Appollo Kacsinta (6'-2" Sr. F) and Pierre Kacsinta (6'-3" Jr. F); Grace Brethren, Contra Costa Christian, Berean, Holy Martyrs,  Faith Baptist, and Mission Prep.

We also managed to catch parts of the Allan Hancock tournament, a juco tourney, which featured Cuesta College playing College of the Sequoias at 6:00p.m., and Hancock College playing Cypress at 8:00 p.m.  Earlier in the day, the games were Irvine Valley College featuring Commander King (who is not any relation to Circus King) against Santa Barbara, and Cerritos v. Chaffey.   Four of these teams is ranked in the latest state JUCO poll:  Sequoias is fifth, Cuesta 7th, Chaffy 18th and Cerritos 24th.  Sequoias beat Irvine Valley 70-67 for the title of the tourney last year while Cerritos beat Hancok 87-76 for third place.  Cuesta was a 76-67 winner over Santa Barbara last year for the consolation game.

The semis are on Tuesday and the finals are Wednesday and the Championship game is Wednesday.

There is also another torunament taking place in SLO, the Atascadero High Holiday tournament, and it opened play today with Paso Robles out to defend it's title in this 34th edition of the tournament, playing Rhigetti this afternoon (Monday).  Other games were Templeton v. Newbury Park, Santa Maria v. Foothill of Bakersfield, and Atascadero v. Marino.  Semifinals are Tuesday and finals are Wednesday, with the title game at 7:30 at Atascadero High.

There's also an inaugural girls tourney, the Arroy Grande Tournament, but we really don't know much about that one except that it features Arroyo Grande, Chatsworth, Woodbridge, Century, Buchannan, Clovis, Nordhoff, Simi Valley and Schurr.

See, the Northern reaches of SoCal have a lot happening too.  Basketball from one length of the state to the other. . . .

And here are the rest of the tournament results from Saturday.  We wanted to post these separately, but hey, they're a lot easier to read this way.  And we've put them all in alphabetical order, so they should be easier to find that way.  Enjoy.

Brea Olinda Tournament
First Round--(Dec. 28, 1998)

Orange Lutheran 54, West Covina 49--Jason Whieldon had 20 points, eight rebounds, five assists, and six steals to lead Orange Lutheran (5-5) in pool play.  Patrick Salyer had seven points, 12 rebounds and six blocks for Orange Lutheran.  The visiting Lancers rallied from an eight-point halftime deficit to down the Bulldogs.

Century Tournament Results:
Day One--(Dec. 28, 1998)

Laguna Beach 71, Santa Ana Valley 42-- Kurt Beimfour scored a game-high 19 points and Jessy Obrand added 18 to lead the visiting Artists (10-2) to an easy victory. Laguna Beach took a 33-14 lead at halftime and cruised to the victory.

Loyola 72, Rancho Alamitos 65--Guard Cuby Vantich scored 14 points in a first-round game for the Vaqueros (4-7), who play the Calvary Chapel-Cypress loser Monday at 10:30 a.m. Omar Pryce added 10 for Rancho Alamitos.

Century 56, John Glenn 33--Mike Zepeda scored 21 points, grabbed 13 rebounds and blocked seven shots to lead the Centurions (4-7) past the Eagles (1-6) in a first-round game. Matt Napier added 11 points for Century, which plays St. John Bosco at 6:30 p.m. Monday.

St. John Bosco 80, Westminster 70--Forward Raul Ramos scored 16 points and Ron Barron added 10 for the Lions (2-9), who trailed the Braves (4-7) by three points going into the fourth quarter.

East Side Catholic (Wash.) 73, Los Amigos 64--Alvaro Arcos, a 5-foot-10 senior, scored a game-high 20 points for the Lobos (6-4), who trailed East Side Catholic (3-2) by 14 points after the first quarter.

Sonora 75, Seaquam (British Columbia, Canada) 45--Bim Okunrimboye scored a game-high 16 points to lead the Raiders (8-4), who opened a 23-9 lead after the first quarter and never looked back. Marqui Worthy, Mike Pink and Quinn Hawking each added 12 points for Sonora.

Cypress 59, Calvary Chapel 55--Justin Yun scored 18 points and Alphonso Stovall added 16 for Cypress (5-7). 

Chaminade Tournament Results:
Day One--(Dec. 28, 1998)

Crespi 61, Campbell Hall 48--Crespi advanced to a quarterfinal game against Grant on Monday at 4 p.m.
Marcin Jagoda scored 14 points for Crespi (7-2) and fellow seniors Blake Tibbetts and Pat Dornan, the coach's brother, each had 12.  The 6-foot-1 Tibbetts also helped hold senior Josh Levy of Campbell Hall (9-4) to nine points, three in the first three quarters.   Crespi led, 31-22, at halftime before going on a 9-2 run to start the third quarter.  Tibbets scored five points and sophomore Andrew Moore had four during the blitz, when the Celts took a 40-24 lead with six minutes to play in the quarter.   Campbell Hall's Jesse Foster, a 6-7 junior, scored 22 points.

Crespi will get even better when Gregg Guenther (6'-8" Jr. F) and Mike Luderer (6'-2" So. G) come back from injuries, Guenther with a bad foot and Luderer with a sprained ankle.  Coach Dornan expects them both back close to the start of league play.  Pat Cassella (5'-11" Sr.G) has already returned and is recovering nicely from a bad ankle.

Grant 80, Lancaster 51--Gilbert Arenas scored 40 points and tied a Grant single-game record with 14 three-point baskets.  Arenas had six three-pointers and 16 points in the fourth quarter.  Grant (8-2) led, 16-0, midway through the first quarter, but Lancaster (2-6) cut the deficit to 47-43 with 35 seconds left in the third quarter on a basket by 6-5 junior Joe Dluzak.  Joe Dluzak scored 20 points for Lancaster and senior Lawrence Palma had 21, but the Eagles were outscored, 12-0, in the first 3 1/2 minutes of the fourth quarter to fall behind, 64-45.

Kennedy 64, Quartz Hill 63--Nana Gbewonyo scored a basket off his own miss with 25 seconds left for the Golden Cougars (5-2). Quartz Hill (8-4) took a 63-61 lead with 2:02 to play on a basket by Brandon Butchart, but the Rebels missed their final four shots. Gbewonyo had 25 points and 10 rebounds. 

Chaminade 60, Monroe 36--The Eagles (4-2) made 11 steals and held Monroe to one shot in the first quarter. Ryan Arceo scored 13 for Chaminade. Chris Canoles and Darren Tarlow each grabbed nine rebounds for the Eagles.

El Camino Real 65, South Torrence 59--Justin Saad-Anthony scored 17 points, Eric Anderson added 14 and Josh James had 12 for El Camino Real (7-4). 

Coast Christmas Classic
First Round Results--(Dec. 28, 1998)

Corona del Mar 61, Garden Grove 37--Dennis Alshuler scored 15 to lead Corona del Mar in pool play. Justin Shea scored 13 for the Sea Kings.

Estancia Tournament Results:
Day One--(Dec. 28, 1998)

Montclair 65, Fullerton 55-- Akachi Azubuike scored 27 points and Michael Bridgford added 16 of his 18 points in the fourth quarter for the Indians (4-8), who trailed the Cavaliers (6-3) by 10 points after the first
quarter. Fullerton plays Estancia on Monday at 2:30 p.m.

Hart Tournament First
Round Results--(Dec. 28, 1998)

The first round games in the Hart High Holiday Tournament were played on Saturday. 

Sylmar 72, Beverly Hills 44--The Spartans had 12 players score.  Sylmar (10-3) took a 17-12 lead after one quarter and stretched it to 39-22 by halftime.

Hart 61, Camarillo 51--The Indians made all 10 of their free throws in overtime to hold off stubborn Camarillo (3-7). David Briggs, who was held to two points in the first half, finished with 17 points and six rebounds for Hart (8-4).  Gary Bryce led Camarillo with 16 points and seven rebounds.

Royal 69, West Bakersfield 60--The Highlanders (5-5) outscored the Vikings 9-2 in the final three minutes to pull away. Matt Janousek scored 28 points, including six three-point baskets, for Royal.

Cleveland 78, Mountain View (Wash.) 70--Cleveland played without four players who violated team rules. Brian Smith led the Cavaliers (7-3) with 31 points and Kenny Mason had 20. 

Sacramento Highlands 71, Glendale 67--The Dynamiters (5-6) overcame a 36-21 halftime deficit before falling in overtime.  Gilbert Yousefian finished with 17 points for Glendale and Tomik Iranosian had 14.

Palmdale 72, San Fernando 63--Eric Brown scored 23 of his 27 points in the second half for Palmdale. Marquis Murray had 14 points for Palmdale and Jerrick Holmes 11. Mike Hernandez finished with 28 points for San Fernando.

Katella Classic Tournament
First Round Results--(Dec. 28, 1998)

Bosla Grande 67, Laduc (Canada) 63--Jon James scored 27 points and Doug Baughman added 16 for Bolsa Grande.

Hesperia Sultana 67, Santiago 49--Jose Lizarras scored 11 points and Miguel Sorano had nine for Santiago. Mike Everett led Sultana with 14.

La Habra 66, Harbor City Narbonne 53--Nathan Allard's 25 points led the way for La Habra. Greg Kinghill and Kyle Fitzpatrick each had 10, also for the Highlanders.

Katella 79, Savanna 55--Matt Tisthammer scored 23 points for Katella and Don Carey had 17, also for the Knights.

La Salle Tournament First
Round Results--(Dec. 28, 1998)

Montclair Prep 81, Santa Fe 50--Josiah Johnson scored 17 of his 34 points in the third quarter for Montclair Prep (4-6) in a first-round game of the LaSalle-Temple City tournament.  Johnson, who made 15 of 20 shots from the field, had 22 rebounds. Jessie Bronner had 13 points and 12 rebounds.

Orange Holiday Classic Results:
Saturday--(Dec. 28, 1998)

Mater Dei 76, Huntington Beach 44--Mater Dei advanced to the second round Monday against Esperanza with thi win in the first round. Steve Scoggin, who scored 18 points, making five of seven three-point baskets, said it was difficult for the Monarchs (12-2) to get motivated against Huntington Beach (1-10) after finishing seventh at the Las Vegas Holiday tournament.  "No disrespect to Huntington Beach," Scoggin said, "but we just beat Dominguez and that was a big game." 

Mater Dei has lost to Fresno Edison and Glendora this season, but beat  Dominguez in Las Vegas.  Scoggin set the tone early, making four three-point baskets in the first 4 minutes 40 seconds. Cedric Bozeman also had a three-pointer during that stretch, giving Mater Dei five three-pointers and a 16-6 lead.   Freshman forward Mike Strawberry took an alley-oop pass from Imran Sufi and dunked it to start the second-quarter scoring, bringing the near silent crowd to its feet for a brief moment.  Phil Venlimiglia scored eight of his team-high 10 points in the first half for Huntington Beach, which trailed, 36-16, at halftime and, 65-28, after three quarters.  Strawberry, who finished with 10 points, was one of five Monarchs who scored in double figures. Mike Bayer had 11 points and eight rebounds. Sufi did not score, but had eight assists.

Mater Dei Coach Gary McKnight used 14 players, 11 of whom scored. Mater Dei led, 72-32, before McKnight cleared the bench with 5:07 to play.   "Everyone seems to be playing together," Scoggin said. "I think this team is definitely better than last year's."  The Monarchs will get even better when 6-foot-10, 235-pound sophomore center Jamal Sampson returns from a broken foot he suffered over the summer. He might be ready by the start of league play, which should inject life into the Monarchs.

Fountain Valley 65, Kennedy 46--Zach Hardin and Jeff Greenfield each scored 18 points for the the Barons, who scored 29 points on free throws.   Robert Reyes had 10 points for Kennedy.

Esperanza 67, Orange 64 (OT)--The Aztecs did not make a field goal in overtime but made eight of eight free throws and hung on.  Kenny Ho had 21 points for Esperanza, including six free throws in overtime. Mike Garcia had 15 points for Orange.

Santa Margarita 62, Valencia 49--Kelly Kramer had 21 points and Spencer Gloger had 17 for the Eagles, who outscored the Tigers, 32-20, in the second half.  Alex Aguirre had 14 points for Valencia. 

Corona Centennial 64, Aliso Niguel 53--Jamaal Williams scored 10 of his 23 points in the third quarter as the Huskies pulled away in the second half.  Ryan Ross and Robert Deven each had 12 points for Aliso Niguel.

Foothill 63, Laguna Hills 50--Chad Bigler and Alex Rasmussen combined for six three-point baskets and 36 points to lead the Knights.   Rasmussen had 15 of his 19 points in the first half as Foothill built a 38-32 lead. Bigler had eight of his 14 after the break.  Jeff Ettereim had 20 points for Laguna Hills, but only two in the fourth quarter.

Dana Hills 65, Murietta Valley 64--Darvell Meyers made a layup with four seconds to play to give the Dolphins the victory. Jeremy Cooly had 24 points for Dana Hills, including 10 in the first quarter. Brett Nowell scored 21 points for the Dolphins, who led 43-33 at halftime.

Santa Barbara Tournament First
Round Results--(Dec. 28, 1998)

Thousand Oaks 60, San Marcos 55--Jeff Heyne and Tim Chevalier each scored 17 points to lead Thousand Oaks (9-2) in the first round of the Santa Barbara tournament.  Heyne had eight rebounds and Fran Adams had seven assists.

St. Anthony's Tournament: Day One--(Dec. 28, 1998)

Bell-Jeff 63, Brethren Christian 53--Joe Gaynor and Billy Schafer each scored 14 points for the Warriors (3-8), who were outscored by the Guards (6-5) by 19 points in the third quarter. Brethren Christian trailed, 33-26, at intermission.

Ventura Tournament:
Day One Results--(Dec. 28, 1998)

Santa Clara 68, Ventura 61-- B.J. Ward scored 22 points and Santa Clara High boys' basketball Coach Lou Cvijanovich won his 809th game, 68-61, over Ventura on Saturday in the championship game of the Ventura tournament.   Santa Clara (10-1) increased the lead to 30-23 with six consecutive free throws to begin the second half.  Sparked by 26 points from Jeff Staniland, Ventura (8-5) pulled to within 48-44, but the Cougars missed several layups down the stretch.  Nick Jones scored 19 points and Terrence Dotsy added 11 for Santa Clara. Jeff Pabst contributed 15 points for Ventura. 

Agoura 68, Buena 62--Center Danny Thompson scored 17 of  his 25 points in the first half and the Chargers held off the Bulldogs in the third-place game.  Sparked by the play of Thompson, Agoura (5-5) used a 14-2 run to build a 39-25 lead at halftime.  Garrett Lepisto added 14 points for the Chargers and Andrew Morrow scored 11.  Buena (7-6), which was led by Robby Blanks' 11 points, rallied to within 48-46.

Channel Islands 50, Birmingham 45--Leading, 38-17, at the half, the Raiders scored only 12 points in the second half but managed to hold on to fifth place.  Mshak Ghazarian sparked the Patriots comeback by scoring 12 of his 15 in the second half. Nicolas Halic had 12 points for Birmingham (2-10). Russell Patton had 11 for Channel Islands
(6-5).

Valencia 2, Cathedral 0--The Vikings won seventh place when Cathedral failed to show up.

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