SoCal High School & Prep Report

Bell-Jeff Tournament: North Hollywood
Takes Fifth--(December 29, 1997)

Yet more catching up from last week. One of our favorite local teams managed to recover a bit last week during our absence, in a game which was strange indeed. North Hollywood managed to win in what really should have been a forfeit, by a score of 67 to 48 over the Sylmar Spartans after Sylmar's coach, Bart Escoto picked up his second technical foul and was ejected from the game.

It's our understanding of City Section rules that even after a coach is ejected, a team may continue to play, and that's one of the reasons that there's an assistant coach. But after Keron Wilkerson of North Hollywood had racked up 31 points for the Huskies, and with the second T having been called, Escoto cited some unidentified City Section CIF "rule" and pulled his team off the court.

Guess what Bart: This wasn't a City Section game. It was a tournament.

Nice.

Very nice.

So with time still remaining on the clock, North Hollywood was declared the winner of the Fifth Place spot in the Bell-Jeff Tournament.

For NoHo, Johnson had 5, Lee 14, Wilkerson 31, Eric Roller 4, Baisden 4, and Hicks had 9. For Sylmar, Jacobs had 16, Townsend 4, Youman 8, Buckley transfer George Wrighster only had 4, Reed 4, Washington 4, and Gonzalez 4.

North Hollywood trailed 13-16 at the end of the first quarter, but then exploded with a 29-11 run in the second quarter, to lead at the half 52-27. In the third, NoHo outscored Sylmar 15-13, and before the game was called, NoHo had managed to outscore Sylmar 10-9 in the fourth quarter.

Congratulations to North Hollywood and to coach Rob Bloom. And our condolences to the Sylmar players who had to endure the embarrassment.

And for George Wrighster, Buckley's beginning to look better and better, isn't it?

©Copyright SoCalHoops 1997
All rights reserved
Questions? Comments? Need Information?
Contact: jegesq@SoCalHoops.com