Nick Hamel (12) has the ball
flicked into the air by
5'6" Elijah Johnson, but
retains control.
(Photo by Ed Piper)
By Ed Piper
Alex Pitrofsky's foul, then subsequent technical led to a seven-point swing in the score at Lincoln Fri., Feb. 5.
Unfortunately for the 6'6" "Pitro", referees have been quick to call technical fouls this season to quell dissent and keep games under control.
Within a two-minute span at the end of the second quarter, La Jolla went from leading 23-22 to looking up from a 29-23 deficit just before halftime.
A steal by the pesky Hornet defense off Eddie Parker led to one basket. Alex then fouled Lincoln's Terrell Smith, followed by his outburst. Captain Moli Mojus made the first two free throws for the "T" after the two teams pulled back to the halfcourt line to clear the lane.
Then Smith made the first of his two free throws. But with the technical, Lincoln got the ball back. So Mojus then scored on a putback. That's seven points in only a few seconds. That hurt La Jolla, which had been playing the hosts even until then.
But a stellar effort in the third quarter counteracted Pitrofsky's transgression. The Vikings gained a five-point lead, 44-39, during the period. Charlie Gal bulled his way in for a basket up close. Parker, regaining his sharpness, drove in off a pass from Reed Farley. Farley, suffering a dismal shooting night, hit a three-pointer. Gal, gaining confidence, sank a 12-foot jump shot.
Farley put the cherry on top with a steal of a Lincoln pass he saw before it happened, then slamming the ball home with a two-hand jam with 18 seconds left in the third quarter.
La Jolla held on for a satisfying 61-57 win in the Western League, after three straight losses. The Vikings are now 3-6 in league, 14-8 overall. Lincoln, a shadow of its state championship days, is now 2-7 in the Western League, 12-11 on the season.
La Jolla had four players in double figures. Farley had 17 points, Pitrofsky 13, Parker 11, and Gal in limited time 10.
Mojus, a 6'3" guard, led all scorers with 23. Malik Parsons scored 11. Singletary, with braids popping out of the top of his head, finished with 10.
To compound his sin, the agile and athletic Pitrofsky's "T" also counted against his five personal fouls. He fouled out at a crucial time down the stretch in the fourth quarter, which Coach Paul Baranowski clearly delineated to him verbally on the bench.
The Vikings, fighting for pride and for record, wanted the win in Lincoln's house badly. In crunch time, Parker and Farley provided two of the key elements. Parker hit four critical free throws. And the 6'4" Farley, who as a guard still likes to block shots, stuffed pesky 5'9" Michael Singletary with 18 seconds on the clock to secure the win.
"Their whole team was talking the whole time," said Parker said about his free throws. "The game was on the line. I had to knock them down. I hadn't been making them. My team picked me up."
With 22.5 on the clock, the Vikings led 56-54 when the senior guard was fouled for a one-plus-one. He coolly made both.
After Lincoln took the ball down court, Farley blocked the much shorter Singletary's attempt from the right elbow. "It was just instinctive," the junior said. "I had a feeling that guy was going to take the shot, so I had to do whatever I could to get out there and contest it. I was able to get a hand on it and quickly regain balance to control the ball after."
With Farley copping the ball, teammate Morgan Albers then converted a free throw on a one-plus-one for a 59-54 La Jolla lead.
After a three-point play by Mojus, Lincoln coach Jeff Harper-Harris called a timeout. The Hornets' pressure on the subsequent inbounds play led to the ball squirting out of bounds to the Vikings with 5.1 seconds left.
Then, in front of the Lincoln bench, Farley fired the inbounds pass high and to the front court to a streaking Parker, who was fouled. "I was first looking for Eddie underneath our basket to get open, but he wasn't. No one else could seem to get space, so in my head I'm at about four seconds when taking the ball out of bounds. So I decide that I need to get rid of it and I just see Eddie starting to head up the court. I just wanted to lead him and give him a chance."
Parker hit both free throws for a four-point lead.
When Lincoln called a timeout, Baranowski told his players in the huddle, "Even a three doesn't hurt us." Harper-Harris immediately called a second timeout. But the Hornets had to take the ball the length of the court. Mojus's three-point attempt fell weakly to the side, and the buzzer sounded.
La Jolla swept both encounters with Lincoln this season, handing the Hornets a 60-53 loss at LJHS January 15.
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