sdhoop news jan 12

SoCal High School & Prep Report

Pat McKinney: San Diego
Hoop News--(January 20, 1998)

Again, we're pleased to feature San Diego Hoop News from Pat McKinney over at the USDHS Basketball Dons Website. Pat is a regular at SoCalHoops, and along with Jason Day we know that you enjoy reading his material and filling the void that once was San Diego. Pat's articles are archived here for easy reference, and can also be found on the USDHS site, which we encourage you to visit to keep up on all the latest happenings with the exciting Dons this year.

San Diego Hoop News
Which League is San Diego's Toughest?
and Other News from the Week of January 12

I was checking the scores and highlights around town for this week and came to a definite conclusion about which league is San Diego's toughest. The South Bay Leagues play decent ball, but most of the teams really don't size up with other San Diego teams. Chula Vista is the class of the South Bay and they are ranked 10th in the county. Likewise, the city teams are somewhat down this year. The Western is pretty tough, headed by Uni, Saints, Lincoln, and an up and coming Scripps Ranch squad. The Eastern League is really down this year, however, placing no teams in the top 10.

Therefore, we must look north to find the county's best basketball. Let's start with the Avocado League: Oceanside, El Camino (#6), San Pasqual, Ramona, Carlsbad, Torrey Pines, La Costa Canyon, and Escondido. Pretty tough. Ramona was in the top three in the county last year and will be lucky to compete in the league this season. But it gets tougher.

The Palomar League consists of #3 Rancho Buena Vista, #4 Rancho Bernardo, #8 Poway, San Marcos, #11 Fallbrook, #15 Vista, Orange Glen, and Mt. Carmel. How tough is it? Well, it's clear in the fact that these teams must face off twice in league play, but here are Wednesday's scores:

San Marcos 73, Rancho Buena Vista 54. RBV came in 14-1 and got absolutely manhandled behind 24 from San Marcos' Jeremy Truvillion.

Orange Glen 90, Rancho Bernardo 86 (OT). RB came in 14-4 and got beat. Poway 48, Fallbrook 39

Vista 83, Mt. Carmel 79 (OT). Charlie Mercado poured in 25.

Other Scores:

Monday: Helix 91, El Capitan 69
Chula Vista 79, Southwest 61

Wednesday:

Helix 105, El Cajon 69
Chula Vista 86, Bonita Vista 71
Eastlake 70, Montgomery 67
La Costa Canyon 81, El Camino 53
Ramona 52, Carlsbad 50
Oceanside 64, Torrey Pines 58
San Pasqual 61, Escondido 47

Friday:

Grossmont 80, West Hills 62
Eastlake 72, Mar Vista 52
Poway 61, Orange Glen 59. 15 for Joe Mann
RB 62, Fallbrook 48
RBV 82, Mt Carmel 48. Rei Rivera 28 points.
Vista 87, San Marcos 60. 26 more for Mercado
San Pasqual 72, Carlsbad 70
Oceanside 74, Ramona 69
El Camino 78, Torrey Pines 71(OT)
Serra 66, Kearny 40
Point Loma 59, Patrick Henry 44
Mira Mesa 67, San Diego 59
University City 60, Mission Bay 45
Scripps Ranch 60, La Jolla 55. Aaron Hands, 19 points.
Bishop's 71, Army-Navy 55
Horizon 79, San Dieguito 14. This league (Coastal) is terrible. SD outscored 36-4 in second half.

Here's a look at some of the top scorers entering this week's action:

1. Burgess, El Cajon. 31.5
2. Rei Rivera, Rancho Bernardo. 26.3
3. Vince Okotie, Grossmont. 25.1
4. Aaron Abrams, RBV. 24.7
5. Aaron Hands, Scripps. 23.9
6. Charlie Mercado, Vista. 23.0

Three of the top six scorers play in the North county, and you will surely see the county's best and most brutal basketball up there.

You may ask why doesn't Uni have any of the county's top scorers despite boasting San Diego's biggest marquee names. The answer is simple: balance and defense. The Dons have three players averaging over 16 points a game and don't look to one player to light it up. Also, Uni is averaging about 60 points a game and playing tough defense so the scores are held down. See you next week!