LJ b BB: Game recap 7/14

Jared Knobloch (red and black), a UC transfer,
drives during some rare minutes early
in the first half against the Foothillers.
(Photos by Ed Piper)
 

By Ed Piper

In their final game of the summer, La Jolla's basketball team beat host Grossmont 46-44 on a putback by forward Max Raulston with 3.8 seconds left Sun., July 14.

Raulston followed teammate Diego Solis' missed fall-away 10-footer from the left baseline, taken with nine seconds on the clock, for the tie-breaking bucket.

The game was the second of the day for the La Jollans, and fifth 40-minute running-clock contest in three days in the annual Grossmont affair, played over two weekends a month apart.

"I am so glad to be done," said Grossmont coach Frank Foggiano said as the conclusion of the final day's schedule approached. "I'm so tired. I've been going for six weeks--I added another week this summer. Plus I've been doing a freshman league."

He wasn't thrilled with the result, many of his players on the floor young and inexperienced, like several of those of opposing coach Paul Baranowski. But it was all done in the name of getting more reps, getting more game experience under the belts of their respective youthful charges.

Grossmont led the entire game until the final minute. Raulston's layup came as time ran out to break the only tie of the tilt.

The Vikings, as the day before, fell behind at the outset, this time 7-0. Baranowski played with different lineups, starting Blaise Colburn and Ryan Lancaster alongside previous starters Solis, Raulston, aned Brennan Ross.

The Vikings' Diego Solis (far left) forces the issue
as he drives to the baseline midway through
the first half in La Jolla's 46-44 win.

He then subbed in another platoon with six minutes elapsed, La Jolla having failed to score, with Knobloch, Harry Kaseff, Luke Brunette, and Deandre Vaz playing alongside Raulston.

Four minutes elapsed later, the 29-year coach (seven at LJHS) brought his starters back in, the score 9-2.

As Solis' older brother, Gabe, who was in attendance, noted after the game, "It was a slow first half."

Diego Solis canned a turnaround eight-footer to trail Grossmont 13-7 with 5:17 remaining in the half. The younger Solis scored again two and a half minutes later on another turnaround to his right, La Jolla trailing 15-11.

The half ended with Foggiano's Hillers in the lead, 21-15.

In the second half, the Vikings didn't start out a whole lot more effective. Brunette, who just returned from a broken thumb, drove for a layup in the set offense. La Jolla was still down 24-17.

Raulston played pick-and-roll with Diego for a bucket, and the Vikes came close at 27-24 at the 15:21 mark.

Finally, with 2:45 left, Solis, in his most productive game this reporter has seen this summer, laid the ball up, 43-40 Grossmont narrowly hanging on.

The Vikings still trailed 44-42 with 1:24 left. The stage was set for Raulston's heroics.

Junior Blaise Colburn
sizes up a free throw
opportunity
in the initial stanza.