LJ b BB 46, Eastlake 65 - Grossmont Invitational

By Ed Piper

Ironically, as La Jolla inserted one of its missing weapons, Diego Solis, Eastlake pushed back and got better despite the Vikings' increased skill.

The scene was the Grossmont Invitational, a game Mon., Dec. 16, that 3-8 La Jolla anticipated with great expectations.

It would be the first game for Solis, who has been part of the school's successful football team, as well as his teammate, Luke Brunette, a newcomer to the varsity.

Christian Gamboa, the Vikings' point guard, has been going it alone in the backcourt, having to not only bring the ball up court every time, but to also carry the bulk of La Jolla's scoring. We've seen how well that has worked, like a cart with a wheel missing.

Not that Coach Paul Baranowski's new, younger players haven't been trying. They've played their hearts out, but they've just been undermanned, especially against a talented team like La Jolla Country Day, which buried them two weeks ago in the Madison tournament.

So, when Solis entered the game against the Titans with 6:29 left in the second quarter, Eastlake leading 19-15, it could be understood if Gamboa and the whole LJHS side let out a collective sigh of relief.

Only, with a new part stuck into a unit that hadn't practiced with him since summer league, the Solis experiment didn't work well at first. Less than two minutes later, bringing the ball up court for the first time, the lefty was stripped by an Eastlake defender. Fortunately, the Titans couldn't capitalize on that turnover.

Things got worse, as Eastlake--whom La Jolla had edged only nights before in a previous tourney, the Hilltop--built an 18-point lead early in the third quarter. Six-foot-five leaper Alexander Crawford, who was to do 23 points worth of damage, slammed a ball through after a steal for that advantage.

But once Solis got stabilized, and Baranowski left him in the game the entire fourth period, the benefits were obvious. Diego shared some of the ball-handling duties with Gamboa. Defensively, Solis' savvy stymied an Eastlake shot underneath with 59.3 left. He stayed near his opponent, waited for the shot attempt, then stuffed it, taking it up court the other way.

Just before that, Diego swept up a loose ball at midcourt with 1:12 left.

Solis, a junior beginning his third year on varsity, was also a consistent free-thrower, which is a definite plus. After making his first three in a row with a nice, soft touch, he finished with four of six from the line, all in the second half.

The result was frustrating, with a widening advantage leading to a 65-46 Eastlake win. But there is light at the end of the tunnel, with Solis and teammates able to practice together the next two days before three more home contests in the Grossmont tourney. (La Jolla is again serving as an alternate site, and thereby receiving 7:30 evening games, Thurs., Fri., and Sat.)

Gamboa finished with 21 points. Solis had seven points in limited minutes.