By Ed Piper
La Jolla, behind Charlie Gal's 15 points and 14 from Quinn Rawdin, steadily put away visiting Kearny, 57-41, Thurs., Feb. 15, to finish their Western League schedule with a respectable 5-7 record.
Viking coach Paul Baranowski said before the Senior Night game that his team's likely first-round opponent in the CIF Division 1 playoffs Tues., Feb. 20, is Mission Hills or Orange Glen. So the big win, in front of a vocal home crowd, sets La Jolla up nicely to attempt to upset either higher-ranked foe.
Gal and Rawdin, after having walked with their parents out of the inflatable football tunnel set up in the corner of the gym for senior recognition, helped lead the Vikings to a 28-17 halftime lead. The two teams, which had played close in their first meeting at Kearny, had started slowly, ending the first quarter with the Komets leading, 10-9.
La Jolla's 11-point lead after two quarters really took off in the third quarter, ballooning to 39-23 by the end of the period.
In the decisive second quarter, Rawdin hit his first three-point attempt--if the lefty starts well, that can help his confidence--fellow senior Jacob Ohara dropped a bomb from beyond the arc along the left baseline, and the 6'2" Rawdin followed with another long-range basket.
Gal drove for a layup and completed the and-one with a free throw early in the spurt for a five-point lead. Late in the half, the 6'6" big man made a deft pass to teammate Jacob Duffy for a basket inside, the Viking advantage now 13.
In the rout, nine Vikings scored, including Gabe Solis, who really sparkled when he entered the game. Inserted with two minutes left in the third quarter, the junior made a layup on another assist from Gal. On the next play, the wide receiver in football stole the ball, then fed Ohara for a layup basket.
A short time later, Solis grabbed a rebound to begin filling out other parts of his stat sheet. By then, La Jolla led by 19, after Rawdin sank his third three-pointer. Gabe finished with seven points in his best cameo of the season.
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