pacific shores update

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SoCalHoops Tournament News

Pacific Shores Update: Redondo,
Mayfair Both Win--(Dec. 1, 1999)

Our friend John Tawa attended the Redondo half of the Pacific Shores Tournament winner's bracket games tonight, and he sent us this report:

Redondo 71 Valencia 56

A game that was not nearly as close as the final score indicated. The smaller Vikings, defending Foothill League champs with all five starters back, could not stay with the much, much taller Sea Hawks, who played with a great deal of discipline in the first half. Redondo built a 48-27 lead by making excellent decisions with the ball and pounding it inside at every opportunity. 6-9 center Andrew Zahn scored 16 of his 20 points in the first half, many on stick backs against a man-to-man defense that had difficulty blocking out anybody wearing red. Ryan Mollins, the 6-5 swingman, played a steady game, scoring 13 of his 20 points in the first half on a variety of slashes to the hoop and nice baseline jump shooting. 6-6 point guard Dijon Thompson was the star of the half, getting in the passing lane and on the boards defensively, blocking shots and making great decisions with the ball. And, he also scored 12 first half points, including two impressive dunks after steals. Thompson finished with 14 points and three dunks overall.

The second half was more ragged as Redondo was content to trade baskets with Valencia and play fast break ball. This dismayed Sea Hawk coach Jim Nielsen, but once the Hawks built a 25-point lead, there wasn't much he could do.

Sixth man Adam Zahn showed some impressive leaping ability with two highlight film jams for Redondo. The 6-7 sophomore finished with 8 points total, but must resist trying to dunk everything. His lack of experience gets him in trouble, but he sure is fun to watch. 6-11 sophomore center Paul Meynen was effective as a backup in the pivot, altering lots of shots and getting quite a few boards. He's come a long way in a short time. Dylan Mathis also played effectively. Walter White, who averaged 20 points a game last year, played sparingly for Redondo after turning an ankle the night before in the rout against Bell. He was shut out of the scoring column, but did make a couple of nice passes for easy hoops.

Little guards Royce Minor and Albert Ingram led Valencia with 17 and 15 points, respectively. Minor, listed at 6-1 but more like 5-9, has a nice handle, but is asked to do way too much for this team.

Redondo advances to play Mayfair, a 54-44 winner over Morningside, tomorrow night at Redondo in a 7:30 p.m. semifinal.

Mayfair 54, Morningside 44

The Monsoons trailed much of the game, as the Monarchs played inspired ball behind the strong floor game of point guard Tracey Cathey and the inside presence of Dwayne Trotter. The Monsoons did not lead until the fourth quarter in this one and the defending CIF champs appeared relatively uninterested for most of the game. This was my first opportunity to see the celebrated Josh Childress play and his shots were short all night and he seemed to be playing with little emotion or intensity. I expect he'll play better tomorrow night. Edwin Draughan also seemed to lack intensity and didn't display any kind of shooting touch. The Monsoons won the game because of James Washington and Jeff Bonds, who attacked the basket with regularity

John Tawa
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