Senior Ladd Castellano scores with emotion for a
72-49 Viking lead against the Barons. His free
throw to complete the three-point play extended the
La Jolla lead to 24. (Photo by Ed Piper)
Guard Gaynor Blackmon, Jr. said it was the two teams' fifth meeting already in this young season. But it was one that host Bonita Vista regretted, as the visiting Vikings sliced and diced the poor Barons, 89-58, operating on all cylinders in the first game of the new year Jan. 3.
La Jolla coach Paul Baranowski graded the performance as his team's best effort this season through 12 pre-league games. "It was a great team effort," said the pleased coach. Asked afterward for three words in a single clause, he replied, "Love these guys."
Ladd Castellano pumped in 30 points, Reed Farley 20, and Mark Rawdin 14. "If he's (Rawdin) going to be the big man we need, (that's awesome)," said Baranowski between handshakes with his players following a quick postgame huddle in front of the bench.
Castellano put some nails in the coffin on a move with his back to the free throw line in the fourth quarter that catapulted the Vikings up by a whopping 29 points, 83-54. Ladd spun to his left and blew by his defender as if the latter were nailed to the floor to lay the ball up cleanly.
Bonita Vista had only trailed by 13 points at halftime, 46-33.
Reed Farley missed on this
alley oop at the start of the
fourth quarter, but Coach
Paul Baranowski wanted a
foul called.
(Photo by Ed Piper)
Earlier in the final stanza, Ladd closed the coffin lid with a three-point jump shot from a favorite spot of his, 20 feet out on the right side of the key extended, making it 68-49.
Farley missed an alley oop slam attempt near the end of the first quarter, a feat that he achieved in the Grossmont Invitational before Christmas. But he atoned for that with a score with his back to the basket on another alley oop feed to put the Vikes up 61-36 with 3:30 left in the third period.
The lob was a little to the right of the basket, and the 6'4" sophomore had to wriggle his body a little to catch the ball and bank it off the backboard behind him. Bonita Vista coach Don Dumas immediately called a timeout.
Reed was having a time of it in the opening stanza. La Jolla jumped out to a 10-0 lead before the hosts were even able to score. Then, after they did, Farley hit two straight three-pointers from long range that had Dumas looking bewildered and frustrated. The Vikings finished the quarter leading 22-13.
The super soph completed an old-school three-point play midway through the second quarter, scoring on a drive from the left side, then converting the free throw after being fouled to give LJHS a 36-25 lead. After the layup fell, he pumped his fist and shouted. He was truly charged up.
Rawdin surprised Bonita Vista inside, scoring the first basket of the game. He took a pass on the right low post from Castellano at the wing to score at 28-15 in the second quarter. He even told a photographer on the sidelines, "You get the action shot when I get the ball." The photographer playfully yelled back, "I don't have any action shots of you."
6'6" Alex Pitrofsky returned after a Christmas cruise vacation. Guard Daniel Hemming was also back with the team following the holidays.
The Vikings host Scripps Ranch in their Western League opener Tues., Jan. 6, 2015, at approximately 5:15 p.m. following the JV game.
Copyright 2015 Ed Piper
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