Conlan Rute (1) attempts
a layup against Westview's
Brody Alexander (0)
in opening moments.
(Photos by Ed Piper)
By Ed Piper
Senior guard Leo Hawkinson led La Jolla in a long-range shooting barrage against visiting Westview in the second quarter, to bury the Warriors in a 70-47 win at home before a small, vocal group of devotees Fri., Nov. 21.
In their home opener for 2025-2026, Coach Paul Baranowski's 47th team--14th at the coastal school--took off on an offensive streak behind Cole Hein and Hawkinson to go up from an 18-12 lead to 46-25 near the end of the period.
During the quarter, La Jolla showed a playing style reminiscent of the first half of last season, when Hawkinson joined Brody Sessa as a transfer and the team could go on successful runs in brief streaks.
Leo hit four bombs from distance, three from the top of the paint, while Hein dropped three, including a set shot outside the right elbow at 1:01 for a commanding 19-point lead.
Leo Hawkinson (left) passes
along the baseline against
6'6" Lawrence Lamb in the
second quarter.
In one crowd-pleasing sequence after Cole's last three, "Hawk" fired a pass downcourt to a streaking Sessa for a layup ahead of Westview defenders. That put the scoreboard at 46-25 with 32.3 left in the half, and La Jolla would never allow their advantage to drop below 14 again, going as high as 23 points.
Meanwhile, Warrior head coach Chase Fraser was having fits from the visiting bench, shouting "Wake up!" over and over as 6'6" Lawrence Lam and his teammates struggled to respond.
For the game, Hawkinson made five of seven threes, Hein three of nine. The 6'3" Sessa had seven rebounds. The Vikings are going to struggle against bigger teams in that latter department.
What seemed most effective for Baranowski on the night was the shorter lineup, with every player basically a guard. Newcomer Nick Muus, a junior, helped move the ball in the offense.
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