By Ed Piper
Point guard Behzad Hashemi, who had had an uneven shooting night, hit a three-pointer to give La Jolla a five-point lead over powerhouse Mission Bay with 4:53 left in their game Feb. 13.
The shot from beyond the arc came at an opportune time for the Vikings, who have struggled to close in several games the past two months. The "44 days of Western League play" have largely been an exercise in frustration for Coach Paul Baranowski's team, struggling to win four of 11 games in the newly-elevated Division 1 conference.
Unfortunately for La Jolla's prospects to pin down the win on the Buccaneers' Senior Night in front of a big home crowd, lefty Jaymarree Norton then hit a three, one of a sparse number of shots the guard hit on the night. Norton had helped hold Mission Bay together when the two teams met previously at La Jolla, with star guard Boogie Ellis filling a lesser role.
Two-point lead. Less than four minutes to play.
Viking reserve Langston Aron (named after African-American writer Langston Hughes), one of only three substitutes Baranowski employed in a conservative approach on this night, then had his shot attempt blocked out of bounds. Teammate Nick Hulquist scored on the resultant inbounds play. La Jolla up, 45-41.
At 3:20, big man Charlie Gal put in a layup with his left hand as La Jolla sneaked in a basket behind the Bucs' inconsistent coverage. Six-point lead. Things were looking good, but there was still a lot of time left.
Buc coach Marshawn Cherry called a timeout.
When Mission Bay took the ball down court after the timeout, Ellis, who finished with 17 points, drove and missed on his layup attempt. As he and Gal tied up in the battle for the rebound, Charlie was called for a foul. Mission Bay got the ball out of bounds.
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